16 July 2013 - In line with the Philippine Government’s commitment of supporting the development efforts of Timor-Leste using the framework of South-South cooperation, the Philippine Embassy in Dili organized the Training Workshop on Food Processing and Preservation in Baucau, Timor-Leste from July 9 to 12.

The training was funded and conducted by the Technical Cooperation Council of the Philippines (TCCP), an inter-agency body created by the Philippine Government to formulate and implement technical cooperation projects that would allow the Philippines to share its best practices and expertise in areas relevant to the development strategies and priorities of the beneficiary countries.

For this training, the TCCP tapped the assistance of a pool of experts from the Industrial Technology Development Institute of the Department of Science and Technology of the Philippines (DOST-ITDI). The trainers were:

• Ms. Elsa M. Falco, Senior Science Research Specialist;
• Ms. Lourdes S. Montevirgen, Senior Science Research Specialist;
• Ms. Teresa V. Herrera, Science Research Specialist; and
• Mr. Oscar T. Magora, Jr., Science Research Analyst.

To reach the target audience for the seminar, the Embassy forged a partnership with the Science Resource Center of Don Bosco in Baucau (SRC-DB). Recognized as an educational institution by the Timor-Leste Government, the SRC-DB is headed by Rev. Fr. Aguedo Palomo, a Filipino Salesian priest who has been in the country for more than 20 years.

Thirty-seven (37) participants from local NGOs were given hands-on training on how to make processed or preserved food items such as fruit jams, powdered root crops, and pickled vegetables, among others.

The Embassy observed that all the participants were very enthusiastic during the course of the training. They were even unanimous in saying that the information they learned was very practical and useful to their daily lives.

All the equipment and supplies used during the training were formally turned over to the SRC-DB so that similar trainings could be echoed in Baucau and other neighboring communities.

In her closing remarks, Philippine Ambassador to Timor-Leste María Aileen H. Bugarín conveyed that the training workshop is a modest contribution of the Philippines to the development efforts of Timor-Leste. “By introducing simple food technologies, the Philippine Government fervently hopes that the undertaking would not only support and complement the efforts to increase Timor-Leste’s food self-sufficiency, but would also provide livelihood opportunities for the Timorese people at the grassroots level.” END