Zamboanga City is tagged as the Sardines Capital of the Philippines because 8 out of 11 major sardines companies in the country are operating in the city. The canning factories converged in the west coast of Zamboanga. However, with the regular annual implementation of fishing bans in the Philippines to re-populate the natural marine resources, most if not all the of the canning factories momentarily stops their operation leaving the factory workers without other means to earn a living but wait until it will be lifted… a financial-depriving situation that burdens this group of labor force to scout on other income generation on their own. This triggers the canning factories as well as the local and the national governments to look for an alternative sustainable livelihood for these affected workers in the meantime that leads to the surfacing of the Project HOPE.
Project HOPE (Helping Others Prosper Economically) started way back in 2017. It is an undertaking that seeks to address the gap and help affected workers survive the fishing ban between December to February. By engaging, they thought of an alternative livelihood wherein they venture to agricultural farming project. The brainchild that initiated the Project HOPE were the fishing companies. It all started when the canning factory workers were displaced from the fishing plant and later on they established the Project HOPE and turned it into a cooperative managed by the Nancy Fishing Corporation Chairman Engr. Julius Daniel of. The Project HOPE is linked with the government agencies like Department of Labor and Employment, Department of Agriculture, Department of Trade and Industry, Western Mindanao State University, the Local Government Unit of Zamboanga City and other agencies for its realization. The Office of the City Agriculture of Zamboanga City is continuously giving a technical assistance from planting materials, land preparation to marketing to support the venture of the said project.
On September 09, 2022 at Recodo, Zamboanga city, a milestone happened with the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement between Project HOPE and all the farmers in Zamboanga City in which the farmers will supply the produce needed by the plant and ships, products like chili pepper and the basic necessity. They have a buying station in San Ramon penal farm where they sell some value adding products like chili sauce, vinegar with chili, dried chillis. For Project HOPE, they have an exclusive area with their names like premix, names of seafood’s establishments, big fish corporation and the laborers are the Project HOPE members.
The project intends to benefit 5,000 canning factory workers. Through HOPE, affected workers now have an alternate source of income until the resumption of operations at the sardine and canning factories. Adaptability and constant innovation is key to the survival of any company operating in a competitive market but also mindful of not leaving the workforce behind. Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.
ZS DMO II Karla P. Calapardo, RND
