A harvest festival in line with the Department of Agriculture and Department of Justice's Reformation Initiative for Sustainable Environment for Food Security Project was held from 5 to 7 December 2023 at the Iwahig Prison and Penal Farm.
The event was led by Bureau of Corrections Director General Gregorio Pio P. Catapang Jr. and CCINSP Gary A. Garcia, IPPF Superintendent, together with Gerald Glen F. Panganiban, Director of Bureau of Plant Industry and Concurrent Program and Director, High-Value Crops Development Program and National Urban Peri-Urban Agriculture Program; Melissa Macasaet, City Agriculturist, Puerto Princesa City government; and representatives from private sector partners.
The BuCor chief said Catapang said it is the beginning of the result of persons deprived of liberty's hard work of giving back to the community as the program showed the initial success of the ongoing DA x DOJ RISE project, in which various crops were harvested during the activity such as sweetcorn, watermelon, ampalaya, okra, tomatoes, red peppers, melon, sitaw, eggplant, cucumber, and rice.
The harvested vegetables and crops will be available for the locals of Puerto Princesa at affordable prices through Kadiwa pop-up stores which will be accessible around the city proper.
Catapang said the project will be replicated in other operating prison and penal farms nationwide to help in the government's food security program.