▪ The Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP) has approved a P700-million loan package to Albay province to finance its technical and tertiary education scholarship program designed to produce "a college graduate for every family."

Albay Governor Joey Salceda signed the loan agreement with LBP president and Chief Executive Officer Gilda Pico to formalize the multi-million loan package that would finance a first-in-the country education strategy.

The loan will be used to finance government scholars in the tertiary level, under the Albay Higher Education Contribution Scheme (AHECS), enrolled at the Bicol University and other community colleges in the province which, this year alone will pay for over 12,000 college freshmen until they graduate. (PNA)

The municipalities of Casiguran and Irosin in Sorsogon province, launched recently the second phase of the Agrarian Reform Community Project (ARCP) being implemented by the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) all over the Philippines. ARCP2 is a Foreign Assisted Project (FAP) of DAR funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and OPEC Fund for International Development (OPID) which will be implemented in the country from 2009 to 2014.

According to Provincial Agrarian Reform Officer Roseller Olayres, in the province of Sorsogon, only Sorsogon City and 5 other municipalities namely Casiguran, Irosin, Castilla, Juban, and Bulan are involved in ARCP2.

The Department of Agriculture (DA) Bicol regional office has turned over P10- million worth of Greenhouse Vegetable Gardening Project located at the home for the clergy, in Sorsogon City. The 17 sets of greenhouses project, envisioned to help augment income potential of farmers and employ greenhouse and organic farming technologies, are a partnership of the Department of Agriculture, through its High Value Commercial Crops (DA-HVCC) Program and its attached government-owned National AgriBusiness Corp. (NABCOR) and the Sorsogon Social Action Foundation, Inc. (SSAFI).

The project, which involves 17 greenhouses at the Home for the Clergy site, are being managed by the Diocese of Sorsogon through its social apostolate arm, the SSAFI.

The Provincial Government of Albay, through the Albay Millennium Development Goal Office (AMDGO), has released the total amount of P1.065 million to nine transport cooperatives and associations for the Expanded Transport Organizations’ Development Assistance or E-TODA program in a less than a year of operation..

As of May, this year, 213 members of various transport organizations in the province have already availed of the benefits of micro financing program. It provides safety net to public transport cooperatives, association or groups from the adverse effects of unpredictable oil price movements as well as of the adverse effects of the global financial crisis.

Members of the Technical Working Group (TWG) of the Camarines Sur provincial government who were tasked to coordinate the food productivity program funded by the European Union in partnership with the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), have mapped out strategies preparatory to the social preparation phase of the project.

Held at the Provincial Planning Office (PPO) at the Provincial Capitol last May 4, the gathering was presided by PPO head Lovenia Tolosa who is also the focal person of the TWG which will coordinate all activities relative to the project with SEARCA. Around 8,000 CamSur farmers including indigenous people stand to benefit from this EU funded project which primarily aims to spur food productivity in target barangays in the towns of Tigaon, Sagñay, Buhi and Ocampo.