National Anti-Poverty Commission’s (NAPC) Integrated Community Food Production (ICFP) Program formally turnovers Disiplina Village Bignay’s Community Farm and Fish Pond to its residents, July 9, as part of the celebration of Dr. Pio Valenzuela’s 149^th Birth Anniversary.

To celebrate the milestone, and to demonstrate the benefits and convenience of creating nutritional recipes using fresh readily-available farm products, a fiery cook off was held among its beneficiaries.  Dubbed as “The First Disiplina Village Bignay On-the-Spot Cooking Competition”.  Pariticpants utilized their own produce from the farm, including the tilapia from the pond, native chicken from the poultry farm, mushrooms, pechay, egg plant, kangkong, and other vegetable products.

Participants formed into five groups and were given an hour to conceptualize, and cook and plate their dishes based on the main ingredient which they have picked out randomly among the choices of chicken, mushroom, kangkong, pechay, and eggplant.

Criteria for judging included nutritional value, presentation, originality, and group participation for each dish.  After an intense battle, the “Meat Master” bested other hopefuls with their refreshingly healthy fare, Pechay with Saging na Saba.

NAPC Lead convenor, Secretary Liza Maza, lead the formal turnover of the ICFP which was funded through one of the Department of the Interior and Local Government’s (DILG) programs, Bottom-Up Budgeting (BUB), which aims to involve local communities in national budget formulation and implementation.

As an advocate of sustainable food source and livelihood for every Filipino, the Secretary proposed the theme “Pagkain sa Mesa, Para sa Masa”, wherein the ICFP’s success in Valenzuela will be used as an executive model that will hopefully be rolled out in various relocation sites and communities in the country.

A beaming Mayor REX expressed his pride for the feat and how much the project has achieved.  “Natutuwa ako na lumago na [ang proyektong ito], marami na itong natutulungan, at sustainable pa. Ipinamalas ng mga volunteer farmers na may disiplina sila, na sa kanila itong negosyo na ‘to, at dapat nilang palaguin at alagaan (I’m glad that the project flourished, it’s helping a lot of people and it’s sustainable.  The volunteers proved that they adhere to the core value of discipline, that this business is theirs, and that they have a duty to cultivate and take good care of it.)” he said.

Produce from the ICFP Program such as kangkong, papaya, and pechay are  also used in the city’s Chikiting Food Patrol and K-6 In-School feeding programs which targets the malnutrition rates and school absences among students.  This is a component of the Galing Pook-awarded Education 360 Degrees Investment Program.