USAD Mindanao Wide Forum kicks off in Agusan del Sur

USAD Mindanao Wide Forum kicks off in Agusan del Sur

THE USAD Mindanao Wide Forum has brought together various local government units at the Provincial Capitol Complex in Agusan del Sur.

The forum aims to showcase the best practices of the Upland Sustainable Agri-forestry Development (USAD) program.

USAD, initiated by the Agusan del Sur Provincial Government, is offering free livelihood training and support packages to its beneficiaries.

But the program doesn’t stop there, as it also includes farm inputs, farm-to-market roads, and continuous assistance to help people rise above poverty.

Agusan del Sur Governor Santiago Cane Jr. led the program, and 14 provincial agricultural offices from Mindanao attended the forum to explore the adoption of the program in their respective local government units (LGUs).

The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) welcomes the initiative to implement the USAD program nationwide.

“We will study this, and we will convey all of this to our secretary,” according to Asec. Beth de Leon, DILG.

The House Bill 3489, also known as the USAD Act was authored by Agusan del Sur Representatives Alfel Bascug and Eddiebong Plaza, and is currently pending in the House of Representatives.

The bill aims to institutionalize the USAD Program.

“The bill has already passed the committee level. So, it’s now on the second reading. I need to do the necessary legwork with the Committee on Ways and Means and the Committee on Appropriations,” stated Rep. Eddiebong Plaza, Agusan del Sur 2nd District.

Congressman Plaza, who was the provincial governor when the USAD program was initiated, is committed to making this a nationwide initiative.

While awaiting the passage of the bill, forum attendees aspire to replicate the USAD program throughout the Philippines.

According to former Interior Secretary Mel Senen Sarmiento, the effectiveness of USAD is rooted in good governance.

“In school, copying is a mortal sin. Your teacher will scold you. But in local governance, copying is encouraged. Replication [is encouraged],” Mel Senen Sarmiento, Former DILG Secretary said.

The USAD Program has received the Galing Pook Award, a prestigious award-giving body that recognizes best practices in local governance.

According to Sarmiento, who chairs the Galing Pook Awards, the DILG plans to showcase USAD and other successful programs in a nationwide government caravan.

“Sec. Benhur plans to bring along some Galing Pook awardees as resource persons during his nationwide visits to promote programs that should be implemented,” Sarmiento added.

“They should replicate the program here, but with tweaks to make it suitable for their provinces. This is just a template; it’s what we did here, where it’s more about enrollees instead of beneficiaries. Because in people’s minds, the government is responsible for providing everything to beneficiaries. According to USAD, we need to emphasize that farmers should have a sense of ownership,” Plaza added.

“Yes, we hope that House Bill 3489 will ultimately become law and receive support from the national government for what we are doing here in Agusan del Sur. These are not just data we randomly collected; these are data gathered from the field,” according to Gov. Santiago Cane, Jr., Province of Agusan del Sur.

 

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