A group of government employees from various national and local government units paid a brief visit to Tagum City local government offices including the Tagum City Economic Enterprises Office and the Davao del Norte Investment and Promotion Center (DNIPC), during their educational tour just recently.
The group is comprised of government personnel from the Butuan City Trade, Industry, and Investment Promotion Office (CTIIPO), Caraga State University, City Agriculture Office of Butuan, and other government agencies from Caraga.
During a courtesy call with Davao del Norte Local Economic and Investment and Promotion Officer (LEIPO) Ms. Joevynar M. Miedes, the group was impressed with the way the Provincial Government of Davao del Norte has proactively instigated to address the primary problems brought about by the Covid19 pandemic in the province. One project, in particular, which inspired the visitors is the DavNor Kaagapay Project, a food security program designed to combat hunger and unemployment during the onslaught of the pandemic.
The mechanism of DavNor Kaagapay Project, according to the LEIPO of Butuan City who is one of the guests, is something which they do not have in their LGU. Davao del Norte provincial government distributes vegetable seedlings that included high value crops, as well as, free-range chicklets, to the partner-beneficiaries of the program for free. These partner-beneficiaries are those identified as severely affected by the crisis, and the commodities are being given as a means of livelihood. Their produce are then bought by the provincial government, which the latter will sell to the people of Davao del Norte at a price that is a bit lower than the prevailing market price. In the process, the partner-beneficiaries reap the fruits of their labor, ensuring food for their families, while the vegetables and poultry meat that they produced augment the food production system in the province and ensures food stability amidst the crisis.
Meanwhile during the courtesy visit, LGU Butuan has signified its intention to work out a collaborative venture between Butuan and the Provincial Government of Davao del Norte that would mutually promote both their locally-grown products. Both parties are hopeful that they would soon ink a deal in terms of promoting the trade and investment that would be beneficial to their respective localities.
Fascinated by the different locally-made products and freshly-picked fruits and vegetables being displayed at the Pasalubong Shop, inside the Davao del Norte Investment and Promotion Center (DNIPC), the excursionists satisfied their cravings by purchasing different kinds of goods before leaving late in the afternoon.
