{"id":40372,"date":"2020-10-20T14:03:08","date_gmt":"2020-10-20T06:03:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/?p=40372"},"modified":"2020-10-20T14:03:09","modified_gmt":"2020-10-20T06:03:09","slug":"pldt-and-smart-help-boost-livelihood-programs-by-the-archdiocese-of-cebus-caritas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/2020\/10\/20\/pldt-and-smart-help-boost-livelihood-programs-by-the-archdiocese-of-cebus-caritas\/","title":{"rendered":"PLDT and Smart help boost livelihood programs by the Archdiocese of Cebu\u2019s Caritas"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Archdiocese of Cebu\u2019s Commission on Service- Cebu Caritas Inc. has partnered with the country\u2019s largest and only integrated telco PLDT and its wireless unit Smart Communications, for their livelihood programs dubbed Balik-Uma and Demo Training Farm.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Balik-Uma and Demo Training Farm, pilot programs under Caritas\u2019s Cebu Archdiocesan Integrated Farming Program, aim to promote organic farming for sustainable livelihood and food security to basic ecclesial communities, farmworkers, and residents amid and post-COVID-19 pandemic.
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\u201cPLDT and Smart are proud partners of Cebu Caritas in its efforts to help uplift the lives of communities, especially those living in the margins,\u201d says Atty. Maria Jane Paredes, Assistant Vice President and Center Head of PLDT-Smart Corporate Communications Group VisMin.
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Rev. Fr. Alex Cola, chairman of the Commission on Service and Cebu Caritas Inc., said that they wanted to create a livelihood and development program which would empower the communities.\u00a0
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\u201cNow, we are through with our relief operations and works of mercy, so it\u2019s already high time we proceed to the next level\u2014and that is pursuing works of development that will help empower and capacitate the people to be self-sufficient,\u201d shares Fr. Cola. \u201cWe want to change the mindset of the people. We want to remind them that this is a Church that cares and reaches out to its people, that this is really a church for the poor,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Empowering communities via technology<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

PLDT and Smart support Caritas\u2019s livelihood programs by introducing innovative digital solutions that communities may adapt to help improve their means of income.  
CCI has selected 10 farmer-families to participate in PLDT-Smart\u2019s Digital Farmers Program, where they will be introduced to basic usage of smartphones, equipped with valuable knowledge on technology that will help elevate their livelihood and share the responsibility of inspiring other farmers and agri-preneurs to explore more possibilities of profit via digital technology. 

\u201cThrough our Digital Farmers Program, we, along with Caritas\u2019s other partners in the Balik-Uma initiative, look forward to helping enable and empower the target communities to address food security concerns even after the pandemic is over,\u201d says Atty. Paredes.

PLDT-Smart has rolled out DFP to over 15 training sites nationwide. This will be DFP\u2019s first run in Cebu with 10 farmer-residents in Barangay Tal-ot, Barili. 

\u201cWith Archbishop Jose S. Palma, I would like to express my sincerest gratitude to PLDT-Smart for extending support to us through various digital solutions that would empower our farmers. I am very excited about this opportunity. I\u2019m sure most of our farmer-residents in Tal-ot, Barili have not held a single mobile phone in their life, introducing them to this via DFP will surely make a difference,\u201d says Fr. Cola.

Apart from the training, PLDT-Smart has also provided connectivity support via the provision of a PLDT Home Wifi device to Caritas\u2019s farm supervisor, Judelito Milla. Milla is a scholar of Caritas who just recently graduated with a degree in Agriculture. \u201cWith this connectivity device, I will be able to send out updates of the progress in our Barili Demo Farm. The organizers won\u2019t have to worry if they won\u2019t be able to come to the farm, I will just send them updates via chat\u2014accompanied with photos and videos,\u201d says Milla. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sustainability through multi-sectoral partnerships<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In collaboration with various public and private sectors, CCI was able to launch the Balik-Uma and Demo Training Farm programs in the Archdiocesan-owned property in Brgy. Tal-ot, Barili, Cebu.\u00a0

To officially kick off the program, the selected 10 farmer-families will participate in the Grow My Own Food- Backyard Garden Contest, an advocacy supported by PLDT-Smart which is spearheaded by a group of entrepreneurs named \u201cThe Origin Box\u201d, together with the Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Training Institute, and the Provincial Government of Bohol, which aims to help displaced workers and their families to start securing food in their own backyards.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The contest will be running side by side with the hands-on training sessions provided by the Municipal Agriculture Office in Barili. Aside from the trainings conducted for free, participants will also be given technical assistance such as seeds, vermicasts, and other necessary materials for farming. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The local government of Barili has also expressed support to the program by lending land tractor and distributing female goats to participants. \u201cWe are in full support of the program initiatives and advocacy led by Cebu Caritas Inc. because these will strengthen the morale of the farmers. Right now, we are trying to organize monthly meetings with my office to discuss how we can support more groups who banner the same advocacy,\u201d says Barili Mayor Julito \u201cJulie\u201d Flores.

Various trainings are also lined up for the farmer-participants in the upcoming months. They will be involved in basic life support training courses by ERUF, TESDA-backed training sessions such as welding and plumbing, and food safety-preparations training by Cocina Collective, among others. 

\u201cWithout our willing partners, we won\u2019t be able to organize a sustainable livelihood program. Admittedly, starting this was a challenge because it\u2019s my first time handling a big mission. I am greatly thankful to our partners because, through them, we are able to learn from each other and collaborate for the benefit of our parishioners. Now, I no longer see this as a challenge, this program-advocacy is a blessing and a mission by God,\u201d shares Fr. Cola.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Balik-Uma and Demo Training Farm, pilot programs under Caritas\u2019s Cebu Archdiocesan Integrated Farming Program, aim to promote organic farming for sustainable livelihood and food security to basic ecclesial communities, farmworkers, and residents amid and post-COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":40373,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[379,343,1656],"class_list":["post-40372","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-headlines","tag-pldt","tag-smart-communications","tag-technology-investment"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40372","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=40372"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40372\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/40373"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40372"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=40372"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=40372"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}