23 October 2020, Davao City. The Southern Davao Multi-Purpose Cooperative (SDMC) of Sta. Maria municipality in Davao Occidental Province became the first Agrarian Reform Beneficiary Organization (ARBO) nationwide to get P1.6 million loan from the Enhanced Assistance to Restore and Install Sustainable Enterprises for Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries (E-ARISE-ARBs) Program.

During the Loan Signing Agreement at Mikos Place in Puan, Davao City, Mr. Preciano “Bebot” Natad, SDMC Chairman,  profusely thanked both the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) and the Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP)  for the “timely and fast approval of the loan”. The series of calamities, earthquakes, African Swine Flu (ASF) and Covid 19 pandemic has greatly challenged the resiliency of our farmer-members and the credit facility  which provides low interest rates is a big help in recovering our livelihood, he said. He further stressed that “we have really learned our lessons to not just be complacent farmers but to become farmer-entrepreneurs”.

The E-ARISE-ARBs program was launched by the DAR and LBP to provide contingent credit facility to ARBOs and famer associations whose members were affected by natural calamities to restore their livelihood and farming activities.  Jose Enedicto G. Faune, LBP Vice President & Head of the Davao Lending Center, in his message, congratulated SDMC for demonstrating liquidity due to its sound fiscal management making them the first ARBO nationwide eligible of the program.

Divino C. Dalanon, Chief of the DAR Regional Program Beneficiaries Development Division, representing Regional Director Joseph Orilla, said it will "continue to provide the necessary capacity-building and enterprise development intervention to ARBOs to strengthen and improve the ARBO operation with the objective of mainstreaming it to the regular lending window of the LBP". Davao Occidental PARPO Sonny Lomongo reiterated "credit consciousness" among members & emphasized to "use the credit facility only for the purpose it was availed".

The Credit Assistance Program-National Program Management Committee (CAP-NPMC) chaired by DAR Secretary John H. Castriciones, pursuant to Republic Act 11469 otherwise known as the “Bayanihan to Heal as One Act”, approved in its meeting last May 15, 2020 amendments/enhancement to the ARISE program making it more responsive to the needs of the times.

By: Yadz Geyrozaga-DAR Davao Occidental PIO