By Junex Doronio

MANILA — In line with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s vision to combat poverty and hunger, Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian has underscored the significance of community participation in the procurement process system of the agency’s anti-hunger program.

He emphasized this during the workshop on adopting Negotiated Procurement-Community Participation (NP-CP) at the Garden Orchid Hotel and Resort in Zamboanga City on May 7-10.

“By directly engaging our community-based organizations such as farmers, fisherfolk, sustainable livelihood program associations, agrarian reform beneficiary organizations, irrigators’ associations, and cooperatives, we not only enhance the effectiveness of our procurement processes but also foster economic empowerment, social inclusion, and community resilience,” Gatchalian said in his video message to the participants of the workshop organized by the Enhanced Partnership Against Hunger and Poverty (EPAHP) National Program Management Office.

“By Memorandum Circular (MC) No. 47 issued by the Office of the President to support the Enhanced Partnership Against Hunger and Poverty Program, we will be utilizing the Negotiated Procurement-Community Participation in our anti-hunger initiatives, specifically in the feeding program,” Gatchalian said.

It was learned that the same MC directed the members of the Inter-Agency Task Force on Zero Hunger (IATF-ZH) to adopt community participation procurement to encourage community-based organizations (CBOs) to participate in the EPAHP programs.

The recent workshop aimed to provide an overview and understanding of how the DSWD and its partners will utilize the NP-CP to implement anti-hunger programs.

During the event, the EPAHP Digital Mapping System, an online communications platform wherein all information about the EPAHP was shared with partners and other stakeholders, was also discussed during the workshop.

Through the system, CBOs are located and capacitated to become active suppliers to various programs of the government, especially in the feeding programs.

(el Amigo/MNM)