“Iniintay na nga ng anak ko na magawa itong bahay namin. Sa wakas, magiging konkreto at sementado na rin ang aming tahanan. Tamang-tama kapag bumabagyo, matibay na ang masisilungan namin (My child is already waiting for this house to be finished. Finally, our home will be made of concrete. This is especially good during typhoon season; we will have a sturdy shelter).”

This is how Ramil Aranel, a member of the Samahan ng Mangingisda at Magsi-Seaweeds ng Brgy. Villa San Isidro (SMMVSI), described his daughter’s expectation on their two-bedroom house which is currently under construction in Villa San Isidro, Calauag, Quezon. According to him, this is the fruit of his labor for being one of the beneficiaries of the seaweeds propagules and planting materials provided by the Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP) – funded enterprise.

Before the PRDP entered with the enterprise, Aranel, a fisherfolk, has already experience in growing seaweeds; however, they always start with few propagules resulting in small production that cannot sustain the requirements by traders and factories that need seaweeds. When the PRDP-supported enterprise started, he received 280kg seaweeds that his harvest now reaches tons.  

Aranel is just one of the sixty members of SMMVSI who benefited from the seaweeds production and marketing subproject in Calauag, Quezon. A clustered enterprise, SMMVSI is the lead proponent group with two other associations, namely Pag-ibayuhin ang Lakas Anak Dagat ng Atulayan and Samahan ng Maliliit na Mangingisda at Magsasaka ng Brgy. Kinamaligan.

Aside from Aranel, one of the beneficiaries who acquired from the subproject is Nilo Barrameda, a participating seaweeds growers and former president of SMMVSI. Barrameda was able to buy farmland and also put a general merchandise store in their barangay. 

“Napag-aral ko rin ang isa sa mga anak ko sa magandang Senior High School. Hindi lang ang kasalukuyan ang makikinabang sa aming pinagpaguran kung hindi maging ang hinaharap (I was able to let my child graduate from a good Senior High School. Not only the present will benefit from our hardwork but more importantly, the future),” Barrameda said. 

Moreover, the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist of Quezon buys seaweed propagules from their associations for them to give to other seaweed producing towns. 

Already 100% physically completed, this is an P8.63-million start-up enterprise with fund counterpart from the provincial government of Quezon. Meanwhile, the Calauag municipal government supports the groups through training and other technical support during the implementation of the subproject.

“Ang seaweeds ang ‘One Town, One Product’ ng aming bayan. Hindi man kami ang nagbigay ng LGU equity, umaagapay pa rin kami sa proyektong ito upang ito ay masigurado naming magtatagumpay (Seaweeds is the ‘One Town, One Product’ of Calauag. Even if the municipal government is not the one who provided the LGU equity, we still assist this subproject to ensure success),” Isabel Luna, Aquacultural Technologist of the Municipal Agriculture Office, said.

Aside from propagules and planting materials, the enterprise was also given six drying facilities, six motorized flatboats, one warehouse, and one delivery truck for the use of the farmers. 

“Bukod sa pagbibiyahe namin ng seaweeds, itong delivery truck na ito ay napapakinabangan din ng aming samahan kapag pinaparenta ito sa mga ibang samahan upang makapagdala ng kanilang produkto. Gayundin, ginamit ito ng lokal na pamahalaan noong kasagsagan ng quarantine upang makapamahagi ng mga relief good sa aming lugar (Aside from delivering seaweeds, we rent out our vehicle to other groups for them to also deliver their own products. Likewise, the local government also used this during the quarantine to provide relief goods to our area),” Leonel Buchan, President of SMMVSI, stated. # (Lawrence Albert Bariring, DA-PRDP CALABARZON InfoACE Unit)

Nilo Barrameda, former president of SMMVSI, is in front of the general merchandise store, one of the many properties he was able to “naipundar” with the help from the seaweeds production.

Seaweeds growing in Calauag, Quezon.

One of the members of SMMVSI shows how they are growing the seaweeds.

Ramil Aranel, member of Samahan ng Mangingisda at Magsi-Seaweeds ng Brgy. Villa San Isidro, proudly shows his house currently being constructed.