MAASIM, Sarangani (September 27, 2022) - The Provincial Government of Sarangani turned-over on Monday (September 26) three distiller machines to the Tri-People Agroforestry Farmers (TRIPAF), an association propagating Ylang-Ylang in Maasim.
The Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (PENRO) and Sarangani Economic Enterprise Development- Institutional Development Assistance Office (SEED-IDAO) facilitated the acquisition of the P500,000 worth of 20-liter capacity machines back in 2018 for funding under the Department of Science and Technology’s (DOST) Community Empowerment Thru Science and Technology Program.
SEED-IDAO was attached to the office of then Governor Steve Chiongbian Solon and now adopted as Social Enterprise Empowerment Development under the flagship program Ronda Probinsya (RP) of Governor Rogelio “Ruel” D. Pacquiao.
Joan Bartulaba, RP-SEED program coordinator, said SEED was originally created to institutionalize people’s organizations (POs) and provide livelihood to POs like TRIPAF which benefited from their convergence initiative with PENRO.
Environment officer Rolando Tuballes said the employment opportunity generated through this project was just an impact of their mandate to rehabilitate denuded areas in the province, wherein Maasim was identified among the areas to grow Ylang-Ylang as their rehabilitation specie.
Governor Pacquiao, in a message delivered by RP program director Kareen Amlon Saloria, said it is his “hope that this will help the Tri-People Agroforestry Farmers Association members and the people of Maasim and the rest of the Sarangans.”
“Nais natin na mapaunlad ang produksyon ng Ylang-Ylang essential oil lalo na nang malaman natin na bukod sa napakabango nito, ay may ilang eksperto din na nagbigay ng opinyon na nakakatulong din ito bilang pangpakalma o stress reliever,” he added.
DOST regional office representative Nabel Hadji Yassin then conveyed the message of support of their office and said they are very much willing to assist the association in terms of trainings.
In a message read by her son Lawrence, former Vice Governor Bridget Chiongbian-Huang thanked DOST “for the support, the technology, and the machine that you have given to this enterprising group. This will make a long way in helping the community.”
She said it was always her vision to bring to Sarangani the best variety of Ylang-Ylang that could be exported to Europe and “create a center where everyone will be benefited by it and will have a long-lasting impact on the lives of the people.”
It was Huang who brought to Sarangani a kilo of Ylang-Ylang seeds from Anao, Tarlac back in 2005 to produce seedlings which some of it now blooms bouquets of flowers along the highway fronting the Capitol compound.
After the seeds were given to Sarangani, she learned that Anao made an ordinance “prohibiting the donation or selling of seeds outside of Anao to protect their industry.”
She said Maasim should be “the leader, be the visionary, be the mover, be the example, be the showcase, be the first one to make oil from this flower. But we must have enough trees in Sarangani therefore, we must plant, plant, and plant.”
TRIPAF president Genoveva Dela Torre said they are encouraging their members and the community to continue planting Ylang-Ylang.
A group of rebel returnees, she said, has already expressed intention to help them propagate Ylang-Ylang.
The 1,000 seedlings that the PENRO had provided to TRIPAF from the breeds of Ylang-Ylang trees lined fronting the Capitol which were initially planted at Shrine area in Maasim, are now expanded to Barangays Kabatiol, Dalio, Poblacion, Lumasal, Lumatil, Kablacan and Lebe with a total inventory of 1,998 Ylang-Ylang trees. (Beverly C. Paoyon/ SARANGANI PROVINCIAL INFORMATION OFFICE)
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