DTI and DepEd officials, school heads, and staff pose for a group photo on an outdoor stage under the large "Catalino G. Nava Farm School" sign during the Joint Coordination Meeting on Youth Entrepreneurship held in Guimaras on April 4, 2025, launching the DTI-DepEd YEP in the region.
DTI and DepEd officials, together with school heads and staff, pose for a group photo during the Joint Coordination Meeting on Youth Entrepreneurship held at the Catalino G. Nava Farm School in Guimaras on April 04, 2025. The activity marks the start of the implementation of the DTI-DepEd Youth Entrepreneurship Program following the MOA signing last March 26, 2025

Guimaras, Philippines—Aiming to strengthen youth entrepreneurship education in 31 farm schools across Western Visayas, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Department of Education (DepEd) officially launched the Youth Entrepreneurship Program (YEP) for Region 6 at the Catalino G. Nava Farm School on April 04. This milestone follows the signing of a memorandum of agreement between the two agencies on March 26.

Led by DTI Region 6 Regional Director (RD) Rachel Nufable and DepEd Region 6 Assistant Regional Director (ARD) Miguel Mac Aposin, the event gathered Chief Education Supervisors, Guimaras division representatives, and key personnel from both agencies.

The dialogue centered on the implementation of entrepreneurship initiatives in farm schools, highlighting the ongoing efforts of Catalino G. Nava Farm School in integrating agricultural education with practical business skills.

Building on the DTI’s 2022 collaboration with Guimaras Brethren Multi-Purpose Cooperative that helped students open savings accounts, the partnership advances current financial literacy initiatives to instill financial discipline and prepare students for future business endeavors.

The DTI is committed to providing technical training under the YEP, including capacity-building programs for teachers and students. This commitment builds on previous efforts, such as the DTI’s training sessions for farm school executives in September 2024.

An official delivers remarks from a wooden podium during the Joint DepEd-DTI Region VI Coordination Meeting on the Youth Entrepreneurship Program for Farm Schools. The event banner, indicating the location as Catalino G. Nava Farm School and the date April 4, 2025, is visible behind the speaker, along with decorative plants.

As part of the program, students showcased their weekly “Bulantihan,” an activity where they sell their harvested produce, alongside their involvement in farrowing activities. These practical experiences have deepened their understanding of hard work, productivity, and the fundamentals of income generation from a young age.

“With farming and if we are ‘mapisan’ (hardworking), there is income and we won’t go hungry,”said RD Nufable, emphasizing that agriculture remains one of the most important sectors in the region.

She noted that venturing into entrepreneurship begins with knowing one’s passion, but succeeding in business requires a deeper understanding of many factors beyond just interest—production, operations, marketing, and financial literacy must all come together.

RD Nufable also stressed the importance of continuous education, particularly in building entrepreneurial skills among students and teachers. “Developing these skills is critical to the full mobilization of the YEP in our farm schools and we were able to inspire school heads to embrace the program and take it further,” she added.

Meanwhile, ARD Aposin reaffirmed the DepEd’s support for the initiative, highlighting that the partnership aligns the department’s goal of shaping learners into productive and innovative citizens. He added that the farm school model is already showing promise, as many students have begun expressing interest in agriculture and business-related college courses.

Both agencies expressed their anticipation for sustained collaboration, confident that the seeds planted through this initiative will cultivate growth—not only in Guimaras, but throughout the region. ♦

Date of Release: 09 April 2025

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