With teary eyes, Atty. Izelle Iamly P. Deloso, the Provincial Administrator (PA) of Zambales and daughter of Zambales Governor Atty. Amor D. Deloso, shared her personal evidence on the benefits of Moringa leaves during the Awarding Ceremony of Equipment to San Antonio Moringa Processors (SAMPA) for their Moringa Processing Project on January 17, 2018.

She said that sometime in 2008, her mother Sally Deloso’s (about 50 years old that time) car was smashed by a delivery truck along the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX). This almost caused her life. Her doctor said that the impact of the accident can lead to serious damage on her internal organs, but miraculously, they found out that she had no major internal injury because her bones are as healthy as that of a thirty (30) year-old and that these protected her organs. Sally survived the accident and claimed that this is because she loves eating different “marunggay” dishes, Ilocano name of Moringa, so she was able to maintain a strong and healthy body.

 

Present during the Awarding Ceremony are micro-small and medium enterprise (MSME) enablers such as the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Department of Science and Technology (DOST), Provincial Planning and Development Office (PPDO), Provincial Agriculture Office (PAO), Philippine National Police (PNP),  Local Government Unit (LGU) of San Antonio and the local private sectors of San Antonio, Zambales.

 

Organized by the Municipal Agriculture Office of San Antonio, the Moringa Processing Project of SAMPA started in 2012 as a support group to the One-Town One-Product (OTOP) Project of DTI. Their initial product offers are Moringa Yema, Tarts, Polvoron and Cookies. As support to the project, DOST awarded equipment under their Grant-In Aid (GIA) Program in 2013 and in 2014. Because there was limitation in production capacity, DTI issued another set of equipment under its Share Service Facility (SSF) Program.

 

Nancy Fitel, President of the San Antonio Moringa Processors Association, expressed her gratitude to the different government agencies who have been supporting their project since the start. She thanked DTI and DOST for the technology, product development, trainings and marketing assistance extended to them. She said that because of the equipment awarded to them, they were able to develop new products that are now very successful and marketable. The association is now producing Moringa Shing-a-ling, a nutritious snack made from Moringa Leaves.

 

Their Shing-a-ling product alone contributed more than P300,000 sales in 2017 and after the awarding of the new set of equipment by the Provincial Government of Zambales on January, their sales are expected to shoot-up to about P500,000 or 167% higher than last year.

 

From two (2) production workers in 2013, the association is now employing seven (7) regular employees working eight (8) hours a day, six (6) days a week.
 
According to PA Deloso, the Provincial Government of Zambales will support livelihood projects like this one in San Antonio because it is not only creating livelihood and jobs to the people aside from supporting the local economy, but it is also promoting healthy lifestyle by serving healthy products to Zambaleños.♦