United Nations Philippines Resident Coordinator, Mr. Gustavo González; International Fund for Agricultural Development Country Director, Mr. Umit Mansiz; Department of Agrarian Reform Secretary Conrado Estrella III; representatives from NEDA; fellow workers in the government: good afternoon.

First, let me thank our partners at the International Fund for Agricultural Development for their steadfast support of the Philippines’ goal to achieve both economic security and climate resilience for Filipinos.

We are very fortunate to have received this critical support from IFAD, which has deployed an exceptional mission team in the Philippines to tackle rural finance, value chain innovation, resource conservation, and social inclusion.

As a result, the VISTA project is a holistic and targeted poverty-fighting and sustainable development solution that takes into account the complex realities faced by our 86 agrarian reform communities.

Sa tulong ng proyektong ito, tayo po ay makakapaghatid ng mas maraming trabaho at negosyo, dagdag na kita, mas matibay na proteksyon laban sa climate change, at mas maginhawang buhay para sa ating mga kababayan sa SOCCSKSARGEN at Cordillera.

For example, our farmers will benefit from sustainable farming practices, better postharvest facilities, and improved farm-to-market roads that connect their goods to markets efficiently.

We will also cultivate a new breed of entrepreneurs who will drive innovation in coffee and cacao production, processing, and marketing in the country.

All these while maintaining the cultural integrity of the communities and preserving the natural ecosystem in the area.

Overall, the project will not only transform these communities. But this will help unlock the full potential of SOCCSKSARGEN and Cordillera as our country’s sustainable growth drivers and key pillars of national food security.

This innovative and inclusive project reflects our vision for Bagong Pilipinas—a nation where every Filipino, especially our youth, women, and Indigenous people, has the opportunity to build better futures for themselves and contribute to our nation’s prosperity.

I am confident that the Department of Agrarian Reform, together with the Department of Agriculture, the Department of the Interior and Local Government, and our local government units, will bring this project to fruition and deliver on its promises to our communities.

Through projects like VISTA, we move closer to our goal of lifting eight million more Filipinos out of poverty by the end of the President’s term.

With this, I once again thank IFAD for helping us fulfill the promise of a secure and better life for every Filipino under Bagong Pilipinas.

Mabuhay po kayong lahat at mabuhay ang Bagong Pilipinas!