Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).“In Western Visayas, the Project LAWA and BINHI has made a profound impact, benefiting a total of 10,984 individuals across 19 local government units (LGUs) and 302 barangays,” DSWD Asst. Secretary for Disaster Response Management Group (DRMG) Irene Dumlao, who is
also the agency spokesperson, said on Friday (August 30).According to the DSWD spokesperson, farmers, members of indigenous groups, senior citizens, solo parents, persons with disabilities and persons who used drugs are now reaping the fruits of the project.
Under the LAWA and BINHI Project, the selected beneficiaries underwent a 20-day training and temporary employment to assist in the consolidation of LAWA and BINHI sites and facilities.
“With our partner-beneficiaries, we have reached our targets. A total of 170 water harvesting facilities has been consolidated, with an estimated capacity of 90,135 cubic meters of water,” Asst. Secretary Dumlao pointed out.
Asst. Secretary Dumlao said the established water facilities can support the irrigation of 447,935 sqm. of agricultural sites across the region and boost the productivity of farmers and farm workers.
“As for our BINHI sites, we repaired and created a total of 362 communal gardens where we have planted 13,651,604 vegetables or fruit-bearing trees. These trees and plants can provide a sustainable source of income for the partner beneficiaries and improve their livelihood,” the DRMG official explained.
Asst. Secretary Dumlao also highlighted the significant participation of female partner-beneficiaries in the projects and cited it as another notable accomplishment of the program.
“We are also glad to report that 47.6% or 5,231 of our partner-beneficiaries who participated in the establishment of our projects were women. We see this as a result of the agency’s conscious effort in reaching and involving different sectors of our society towards inclusive development in all of our projects and initiatives,” the DSWD spokesperson pointed out.
Project LAWA and BINHI is designed to maintain agricultural productivity during dry periods and to manage excess water during periods of heavy rainfall associated with La Niña.
The project is among the innovations in the DSWD under the leadership of Secretary Rex Gatchalian that focuses on mitigating the impact of food insecurity and water scarcity caused by El Niño while preparing for the potential effects of the rainy season.
Project LAWA and BINHI was cited by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr in his 3rd State of the Nation Address (SONA) last July 22, prompting the DSWD chief to say that “our small idea has become a SONA program.” #
