Annually, the Social Marketing Unit collaborates with the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program to promote its activities as part of the empowering endeavours of the program to its beneficiaries. This year, a few activities are lined up towards achieving such goal in advocating behavioural change among the household-beneficiaries, one of which is the practice of maintaining a vegetable garden or gulayan.

The Gulayan sa Barangay is an initiative of the program that encourages 4Ps families to maintain either a backyard garden, container garden, or communal garden. This is a counterpart activity that is complementary to the rice subsidy provision of the program.

Its objective is to ensure that beneficiaries have access to healthy and nutritious food. Moreover, the maintenance of a gulayan would also mean less expenditure for the family’s consumption which in turn would affect the financial stability of the family.

Last July, in line with the celebration of the National Nutrition Month, the 4Ps and the SMU conducted a Gulayan sa Barangay competition which featured the backyard vegetable gardens of the family-beneficiaries from across the Zamboanga Peninsula region.

A total of 11 entries were received by the regional program management office (RPMO) which was then validated by the committee. The judging committee is composed of the FDS focal, Case Management focal, and the Information Officer under the supervision of the Regional Program Coordinator.

The following families are the official participants to the competition:

• Esterlita Arcamo and Family from Malila, Liloy, Zamboanga Del Norte
• Reynaldo Mutia and Family from Labason, Zamboanga Del Norte
• Renefe B. Redera and Family from Manukan, Zamboanga Del Norte
• Marietta Cadalin and Family from Piñan, Zamboanga Del Norte
• Mary Grace L. Taling and Family from Lapuyan, Zamboanga Del Sur
• Nimfa T. Tejada and Family from Lala, Pagadian, Zamboanga Del Sur
• Grace A. Oling and Family from Aurora, Zamboanga Del Sur
• Jenie Ann H. Magbanua and Family from Guinoman, Diplahan, Zamboanga Sibugay
• Amalia Cadimas and Family from Naga, Zamboanga Sibugay
• Rosari Villarin and Family from Bunguiao, Zamboanga City; and
• Farida Fernandez and Family from Baluno, Zamboanga City

The committee visited the entries to validate the claims as stated in their entry forms. The first validation activity was done in the Zamboanga Del Norte entries followed by the entries from Zamboanga Del Sur, then Zamboanga Sibugay, and lastly the entries from Zamboanga City.

In our validation, we have found out that many of the vegetable gardens were affected by the heavy rainfall recently occurred in the region. As a result, some of the safety measures in the gardens were destroyed. Nonetheless, the produce is in good condition. It is also notable that a few were already harvested during the time of the visit.

Although the competition was opened and limited for backyard gardens, the area/site/location of the garden was not put into consideration. Some gardens are located in a vast area that is conducive for planting produce while some entries are located just at the back of the residential houses of the beneficiaries. This, clearly, has some effect of some sort to the presentation of the gulayan.

The Provincial Links, SWOs III, and the City/Municipal Link assigned in the area accompanied the team in the garden site however none of them was a part of the judging and deliberation.

Below are the criteria/matrix used during the judging of the entries.

Garden Management – 15%

Garden Aesthetic and Presentation – 25%

Variety of Vegetable Grown – 25%

Effect of Gulayan – 35%

Total: 100%

The committee deliberated their observations in the gardens and their practices during the judging of the entries.

From among the entries, Cadimas Family from Naga, Zamboanga Sibugay hailed as the champion primarily because of the impact of the gulayan in the household and the community. The family received Php 10,000 cash for bagging the top spot in the competition.

Ranking second best also comes from Zamboanga Sibugay Province, the Magbanua Family from the municipality of Diplahan. The 2^nd placer received Php 7,000 cash. While the family from Zamboanga City, Farida Fernandez of Barangay Baluno, ranked third in the competition and brought home Php 5,000 cash. The other contestants were able to receive Php 2,000 cash as consolation prize.

The awarding was held during the 4Ps Anniversary celebration which was conducted last July 28 at Terracotta Hotel, Tumaga, Zamboanga City.