DSWD, Pampanga boost bamboo farming for IPs

Floridablanca, Pampanga – The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the Provincial Government have launched the Agroforestry and Livelihood Program in Barangay Nabuclod of this town on 11 July 2025.

Led by DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian and Pampanga Governor Lilia “Nanay” Pineda, the program was organized by the DSWD Field Office 3 and is in cooperation with various inter-agency stakeholders.

“This program is not just about providing short-term aid,” said Secretary Gatchalian. “It’s about creating long-term opportunities that empower our Indigenous brothers and sisters to thrive in their own communities.”

The program aims to benefit 200 Indigenous People (IP) households through the Cash-for-Work/Food-for-Work program. The area is known to be the ancestral land of Ayta IPs, wherein the beneficiaries were given farm tools and farming implements.

The said program aims to develop and boost the industry of bamboo, as 108,872 pieces of bamboo are planted and ready for harvest inside a 72-hectare part of the ancestral land.

Governor Pineda said that the value added will likely increase if the bamboo industry becomes established in the area, providing additional income to the IPs.

She added that with the help of the DSWD, through the provision of farming tools and financial assistance under the Food-for-Work Program, the number of bamboo plants will increase.

Barangay Nabuclod is one of the 33 barangays that make up the municipality of Floridablanca, with the latest population count of 4,413 residents.

Floridablanca is known for being the second-largest rice producer in the province. It was initially established as the Hacienda de San Jose de Calumpaui, a mission under the Parish of Lubao.