GENERAL SANTOS CITY, Philippines (PNA) – Pomelo growers in North Cotabato are expecting to earn more income after they were informed that there’s money in the fruit’s peelings, which they previously just throw away. In a recent training initiated by the Department of Science and Technology in Region 12, the pomelo growers learned how to turn the peelings into healthy capsule and tea. At least 39 pomelo growers in M’lang also expressed gratitude that they were armed with the knowledge to produce bottled pomelo juice, and candies, among others. M’lang Mayor Joselito Piñol pledged to allocate P100,000 for the group as an initial capital.

Unity Effort

COTABATO CITY – Erstwhile fragmented officials and employees of the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) have bonded together for unified operations to make up for the shortcomings in their past factionalism that saddled the functions of the agency for over a decade. The triumph came after ARMM caretaker Governor Mujiv Hataman presided successfully a reconciliation meeting here between the camp of DoTC-ARMM Director IV Pama Dimapanat and a faction spawned by past appointments of an agency regional secretary. (Ali Macabalang)

Tribal Welfare

DAVAO CITY (PNA) – The Department of Agriculture (DA) in Region-11 is targeting some 1,200 hectares for expansion of coffee farms that will benefit mostly indigenous peoples (IPs) or the Lumad tribe in the region to be planted for both the Robusta and Arabica varieties. Melanie Provido, head of the DA Davao high-value crops development program, said the DA has a three-year program for Robusta coffee variety where the expansion program covers 700 hectares. On the other hand, Provido said the Arabica variety will be propagated in some 500 hectares in this city by Rocky Mountain Arabica Coffee Company.

Rural Service

PAGADIAN CITY – The Region-9 office of the Department of Health (DOH-9) will hire the services of over 500 nurses and 180 midwives under its Registered Nurses for Health Enhancement And Local Service (RN HEALS) program. DOH-9 Director Aristides Tan said their office will hire the nurses and deploy them in the various parts of the Zamboanga Peninsula next month. Tan said that hired nurses under the program will work in the community for at least a year to look after and follow up the health needs of the community where they are assigned. (Nonoy Lacson)

Fish Processing

ZAMBOANGA CITY – Over 50 mothers of elementary pupils at the La Infancia Elementary School availed of a free training on fish processing conducted by the Brotherhood for Livelihood Philippines in this city. Councilor Miguel Alavar III who spearheaded the training program here said the activity started Monday with all the participants learning the proper hygiene before preparing the product. Alavar said the training is essential to mothers who want to venture into a small-scale business. “We conduct livelihood training in the various barangays in order to help our people to have extra earnings,” Alavar said. (Nonoy Lacson)