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| For farmers like Albencencio Regodos, Jr. and other members of the Lamac Multi-Purpose Cooperative, Jollibee Group Foundation’s Farmer Livelihood Recovery Program is a big help as they recover from the impact of typhoons and disasters. |
MANILA,
Philippines. – Out of
the 193 countries evaluated for the 2022 World Risk Index report, unfortunately, the
Philippines ranked first based on the risk of experiencing disaster or
vulnerability to extreme natural events such as earthquakes, tsunamis, floods,
and drought.
Jointly
developed with the United Nations University Institute for Environment and
Human Security, the report is published by the Bündnis Entwicklung Hilft and
the Institute for International Law of Peace and Armed Conflict at Ruhr
University Bochum.
To help smallholder farmers who are greatly
affected by natural disasters, Jollibee Group
Foundation—the social development arm of Jollibee Group—established the Farmer Livelihood Recovery Program (FLRP) as part of
its pioneering Farmer Entrepreneurship Program (FEP).
“Vulnerability to extreme weather events is one
of the many challenges faced by smallholder farmers in the country. FLRP
provides seedlings and fertilizers to help replace crops damaged by typhoons.
Our FEP partner farmers also gain access to trainings on farm management,
including risk mitigation, and agro-enterprise which are also offered by our
partner organizations,” said Jollibee Group Foundation Executive Director
Gisela Tiongson.
FEP also teaches farmers to use planting
calendars to avoid oversupply of crops. To help them cater to bigger markets
and earn more, the farmers are also encouraged to focus on specific vegetables
that are most common to corporate buyers such as lettuce, Chinese cabbage, and
spring onions.
High stakes for farmers
Even with all the planning and preparations, farmers continue to face challenges in managing extreme weather events that are beyond their control.
In fact, the Philippine Statistics Authority reports that the agriculture industry sustained 63% of the damage caused by extreme weather events from 2000 to 2019.
Farmer Albencencio Regodos, Jr. shares, “Malaki ang naging epekto sa amin dahil lahat ng pananim namin ay sinira ng bagyong Odette. Walang natira, pati bahay namin giniba. Lahat ng mga kasamahan namin ay hirap din sa pagbangon. (We were greatly affected because all our crops were ruined by Typhoon Odette. Nothing was left, even our house was destroyed. The other farmers were also having a hard time to recover).”
Regodos is a member of the Lamac Multi-Purpose Cooperative (LMPC), one of the 17 FEP farmer groups regularly supplying to Jollibee Group. The farmers of LMPC in Cebu are among the beneficiaries of FLRP. The program has helped Regolos and some 250 farmers recover from the wrath of Super Typhoon Odette, which brought torrential winds and rains to the provinces of Visayas and Mindanao in December 2021. Super Typhoon Odette was also recorded as the second costliest typhoon in the Philippines, following Typhoon Yolanda in 2013.
Like Regodos, Jeffrey Velasquez, also an LMPC
member, has experienced similar struggles. Worse, some of their crops were
almost ready for harvesting when the super typhoon suddenly hit their province.
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| Jeffrey Velasquez, also a member of the Lamac Multi-Purpose Cooperative, is grateful to JGF for providing them with seeds and fertilizers that helped them bounce back from the effects of the typhoon |
“Parang zero kami no’n—hanapbuhay, mga bahay—lahat sira-sira. Malaki talaga ang impact sa amin. Iyong mga pananim namin nabunot dahil sa malakas na hangin. ‘Yung buong lupa namin napuno ng tubig. Dalawang buwan bago natuyo at nawala ‘yung tubig. (It felt like we went back to zero because our livelihoods, our houses, everything was destroyed. It had a huge impact on us. The strong winds pulled out our crops. The whole plain was filled with water, and it took two months before it dried out),” he recalled.
Velasquez’s cluster plants Chinese cabbage,
spring onions, and bell peppers which the farmers directly deliver to Chowking
and Jollibee stores in Cebu. In most cases, after the onslaught of a typhoon,
farmers try to save and sell whatever is still left but Super Typhoon Odette
destroyed everything.
Farming is the only livelihood that both Regodos
and Velasquez can rely on but this typhoon, by far, was one of the most
difficult challenges they had to face. Their losses prompted both farmers to borrow
money from relatives and other lending institutions to initially fund the
recovery of their farmlands and continuously provide for their families.
Road to recovery
For Velasquez, FLRP has successfully responded to the needs of the farmers. “Iyon ang hinihingi ng farmers, abono at seeds. Kapag may libreng seeds, sumisipag silang magtanim. Pinakatulong ito para bumalik ang sigla nila. (Seeds and fertilizers are what the farmers are asking for. If there are free seedlings, they are determined to work harder. That’s the greatest help to boost their morale),” Velasquez added.
In general, Regodos is thankful to be part of FEP, saying, “Dahil sa FEP, hindi na kami nahihirapan magtinda ng aming produkto. Masaya ako kasi hindi na kami nahihirapan maghanap ng buyers para sa produkto naming, (Because of FEP, we are no longer experiencing difficulties in marketing our products. I’m happy because it’s no longer hard to find buyers for our products).”
Jollibee Group remains committed to helping address smallholder farmers’ needs and give them the opportunity to recover and improve their livelihoods. “We also help empower farmers to learn ways to gain access to low-cost loans and explore crop insurance options that can support them in their recovery,” said Tiongson.
“These days, they are steadily rebuilding their
farmlands and other damaged properties. The farmers are making use of every
help they’ve received to achieve full recovery as soon as possible,” Tiongson
added.
More
recently, JGF in partnership with Ahon Sa Hirap, Inc. provided assistance to 23
farmers in Laguna and Tanay who were severely affected by Typhoon Paeng that
hit the region in October 2022.
About Jollibee Group
Jollibee
Foods Corporation (JFC, also known as Jollibee Group) is one of the
fastest-growing restaurant companies in the world. Its mission is to serve
great-tasting food and bring the joy of eating to everyone through its 17
brands with close to 6,500 stores across 34 countries including the
Philippines, United States, Canada, the People's Republic of China, United
Kingdom, Vietnam, United Arab Emirates, and Australia.
The Jollibee Group has
eight wholly owned brands (Jollibee, Chowking, Greenwich, Red Ribbon, Mang
Inasal, Yonghe King, Hong Zhuang Yuan, Smashburger); five franchised brands
(Burger King, Panda Express, PHO24, and Yoshinoya in the Philippines, and Tim
Ho Wan in certain territories in China); 80% ownership of The Coffee Bean and
Tea Leaf; 60% ownership in the SuperFoods Group that owns Highlands Coffee and
PHO24; and 51% ownership of Milksha,
a popular Taiwanese bubble tea brand.
The Jollibee Group,
through its subsidiary Jollibee Worldwide Pte. Ltd. (JWPL) owns 90%
participating interest in Titan Dining LP, a private equity fund that owns the
Tim Ho Wan brand. The Jollibee Group has a joint venture with the THW Group to
open and operate THW restaurants in Mainland China. It also has a business
venture with award-winning Chef Rick Bayless for Tortazo, a Mexican fast-casual
restaurant business in the United States.
The
Jollibee Group has launched its global sustainability agenda dubbed Joy for
Tomorrow, which aims to strengthen the company’s commitment to sustainable
business practices. The agenda centers on the key pillars of Food, People, and
Planet, and consists of 10 focus areas namely: food safety, food quality, nutrition
& transparency, employee welfare, farmers livelihood, community support, good
governance, packaging & recycling, waste reduction, and energy & water efficiency.
Each focus area sets goals and initiatives that contribute and align with the
United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs).
The Jollibee
Group was named the Philippines' most admired company by the Asian Wall Street
Journal for ten years. It was also honored as one of Asia's Fab 50 Companies
and among the World's Best Employers and World’s Top Female-Friendly Companies
by Forbes. The company is also a two-time recipient of Gallup’s Exceptional
Workplace Award, making it the only Philippine-based company to receive the
distinction.
To learn
more about Jollibee Group, visit www.jollibeegroup.com
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