The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) and the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) renewed their partnership to advance food security and economic empowerment through the Partnership Against Hunger and Poverty (PAHP) program during a ceremonial memorandum of understanding (MoU) signing at the BJMP MBAI Building.

At the event, all DAR regional directors and representatives and their BJMP counterparts formally signed the MoU renewing the partnership under the project PAHP in stride of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s commitment to fight hunger and poverty.

The renewed agreement links Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries and their ARB Organizations (ARBOs) directly to BJMP facilities to supply fresh, locally grown food, supporting both ARBs’ incomes and the nutritional needs of Persons Deprived of Liberty.

Since its launch in 2019, the DAR-BJMP partnership has generated over P115 million in sales for ARBOs, with P30.5 million earned in 2024 alone. 

BJMP chief JDIR Ruel S. Rivera reaffirmed the BJMP’s commitment to a nationwide implementation of the project.

Also present during the signing were DAR Undersecretaries Jesry T. Palmares (Foreign Assisted Special Projects Office), Atty. Kazel C. Celeste (Field Operations Office), Assistant Secretaries Jose Jenil C. Demorito (Public Information Service) and Ubaldo Sadiarin Jr. (SSO), director Von Mark Mendoza (Project Management Service), assistant director Charisse Atacador (Bureau of Land Acquisition and Development) and senior Agrarian Reform program officer and PAHP national coordinator Ma. Susan Gambalan; and from the BJMP: Jail Chief Superintendents Dennis Rocamora, Efren Nemeña and Isabelo Cartin.