Feature: Barangay Bahay - Tarangan Poverty Free Zone Project conquering poverty slowly but surely
By Ninfa B Quirante
Tacloban City (13 November) -- Amidst the concern of a suspected red tide poisoning somewhere in Laguna, Barangay Bahay, Tarangnan Poverty Free Zone Project is trying to conquer poverty slowly but surely through its mussels (tahong) production and processing.
Hon. Norma Dulay, Barangay Bahay Chairperson said in a telephone interview with PIA that just recently, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has just released half a million pesos to the cooperative implementing the project.
Barangay Bahay Association of Small Farmers and Fisherfolks Incorporated (BAFFICO) has been very busy in the production of leading mussel based food items. Both DOLE Representative in Samar, June Obregon and Dulay said that Tahong embutido is the most ordered and favorite in Tarangan, Catbalogan and in Calbayog City.
It was in September when members of BAFFICO were trained to process mussels (tahong). Ms. Isidora Pantaleon of Samar State University (SSU) trained the members to process mussels into twelve different recipes as in embutido, longgganisa, cookies biscuit, crackers, spicy tahong and other mussel based food items.
The coop also participated in the recently concluded Bahandi Trade Fair in Manila. Their stint there easily spread the good news about tahong embutido and now though orders are local, still BAFFICO has never run out of orders to stop working.
Dulay said that the production center is always busy completing orders.
On October 31, visitors including DOLE regional director Forter Puguon trooped to Barangay Bahay to sample the famous recipes and to award them the last /final tranche of half a million pesos as part of the P1.340 M financial grant under DOLE’s Poverty Free Zone Program.
The project said Puguon aims to operationalize a convergence scheme of all programs and services of different agencies in response to President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s Anti-Poverty program. (PIA-Samar) [top]
