Two barangay partners of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Local Adaptation to Water Access (LAWA) at Breaking Insufficiency through Nutritious Harvest for the Impoverished (BINHI) Program, represented by their respective community leaders, tapped the College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences Institute of Aquaculture’s (CFOS-IA’s) resources, particularly its available tilapia fry, aiming to provide valuable aquatic resources to their respective community farms.
The LAWA at BINHI Program of DSWD aims to empower local communities by establishing and managing local community farms and strengthening food security through several interventions across several barangays in the Municipality of Miagao. It was made possible through the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) executed in 2024, which is in effect for five years, among the DSWD, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), the Department of Agriculture (DA), and the UPV, represented by the CFOS-IA. The program further aims to alleviate poverty and empower disadvantaged individuals, families, and communities for an improved quality of life.
Ms. Elsa Paguntalan, President of the local Brgy. Alimodias LAWA at BINHI Program, and Hon. Larry Falco of Brgy. Diday Farmer’s Association, who also serves as Chair of the Barangay Committee on Agriculture, visited the Freshwater Aquaculture Station (FAS) of CFOS-IA on September 15, 2026, and received 2,500 and 1,500 pieces of tilapia fry, respectively, for grow-out in their respective community-owned earthen ponds.
“Kung masagod siguro, hanggud gd daad eh (ang benepisyo), indi lamang para kan-on, pwede man namon mabaligya. Ma sustineran… ang amon nga proyekto… Indi lamang sa komunidad… (pero) daw negosyo man eh,” Ms. Paguntalan of Brgy. Alimodias expressed.
Both community representatives cited the DSWD LAWA at BINHI Program as a referral system for learning about the tilapia dispersal initiative, which is under the iAlyansa Program of the Institute.
“Bahul gid nga bulig sa komunidad namon kay kung ma harvest, ang tilapia… mabaligya namon sa kasimaryo namon nga barato lang kag ang income, ibutang namon sa pondo sang amon asosasyon,” Hon. Falco stated.
Earlier, on August 28, 2026, Brgy. Olango received its 2,500 tilapia fry through Mr. Raymund Nabua, the fishpond/fish-raising area caretaker, and Hon. Jessica N. Naman, Punong Barangay. The barangay, on top of the program, intends to use these for its aquaculture and livelihood project to help provide an additional source of food and income for its beneficiaries.
The community leaders also expressed interest in the different public service programs of CFOS-IA, particularly those that can further strengthen the capabilities of their local fishers and farmers.
Written by Yan Esquivel with reports from Jessie Monsale
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