Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian expressed elation after President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. made special mention of the agency’s Project LAWA at BINHI in his State of the Nation Address (SONA) last Monday (July 22).

“Our small idea is now a SONA program. This means Project LAWA at BINHI will have an upgrade, including internal measurement outcomes,” Secretary Gatchalian said after the SONA.

Projects LAWA (Local Adaptation to Water Access) and BINHI (Breaking Insufficiency through Nutritious Harvest for the Impoverished), aims to create climate and disaster-resilient communities for sustainable development through the construction of water reservoirs to help farmers meet the challenges of the dry spell.

“Mainam na rin na nailunsad nang maaga ang mga modernong paraan ng pagtatanim. Sa ating nasimulan na Proyektong Lawa at Binhi, isinasagawa na ang mga modernong imbakan ng tubig upang lalong maging handa at protektado ang ating mga magsasaka sa banta ng tagtuyot,” the President said in his speech.

Secretary Gatchalian said Projects LAWA at BINHI will no longer be simply a cash-for-work program which is being done in the areas where the project has been implemented.

“We need outcomes that can be measured for LAWA and BINHI. Hindi na lang kasi siya cash-for- work,” he said.

The DSWD chief said one of the upgrade for Projects LAWA at BINHI for the institutionalization of the Program through an Executive Order or development of a Memorandum Circular for the program’s implementation.

“Another upgrade is to seek funding from the Green Climate Fund,” Secretary Gatchalian said.

The GCF is a global fund created to serve the Paris Agreement and Kyoto Protocol, aiming to deliver equal amounts of funding to climate change mitigation and adaptation. The Fund has a multi-layered approach to mobilize climate finance in the form of investments including grants, loans (concessional), equity, and guarantees.

Special Assistant to the Secretary (SAS) for disaster response and management Isabel Lanada said the proposal development and submission to the Green Climate Fund (GCF) can be done in partnership with United Nation-World Food Programme (UNWFP), the National Irrigation Administration (NIA), National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP), Philippine Commission of Women (PCW) and Climate Change Commission (CCC) “to ensure sustainability and scaling up of the program.”

According to SAS Lanada, Project LAWA has so far established 1,017 sites with a total water storage capacity of approximately 694,766 cubic meters.

“This stored water has the potential to irrigate an estimated 3.067,325 square meters (sqm) of land designated for agriculture with an estimated food production potential of 2,535,820 kgs per year,” SAS Lanada said.

SAS Lanada said Project BINHI’s significant progress in establishing sites for food security initiatives is commendable.

“With 2,090 sites already completed out of a target of 2,818 through the Cash-for-Training program, the project is well on its way to achieving its goals. This program focuses on empowering communities by providing training and resources for various food sources, ultimately strengthening their resilience against food insecurity,” SAS Lanada explained.

Project LAWA at BINHI, is a proactive intervention and sustainable solution to water management, hunger, and poverty alleviation.

“By ensuring sufficient water availability, we can significantly enhance agricultural productivity and ensure food-security. Harvested vegetables, fruits and disaster resilient crops (sweet potatoes, cassava, gabi and ube) can be sold by the LAWA at BINHI beneficiaries to the community-based KADIWA in the near future,” SAS Lanada pointed out.

For 2024, the DSWD targets 140,906 partner-beneficiaries in 310 cities and municipalities with a total budget of Php1.421 billion.#