By Shaine Pe
QUEZON CITY -- The Quezon City Government and the Consultancy Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) on Thursday,February launched the Vendor Business School (VBS) and the introduction of its first batch of beneficiaries.
The VBS is a collaborative partnership between the Quezon City Government and CGIAR Resilient Cities Empowering food vendors, street hawkers and ensuring consumer safety for healthier QCitizens. It is not only first in the Philippines but also the first in Southeast Asia. In her speech, Mayor Joy Belmonte acknowledged the city officials, 49 public vendors and 60 hawker vendors and 60 temporary vendors.
Mayor Belmonte urged the participant vendors to undergo the training for a period of six months. She noted that they will be trained on how to ensure that the food they vend is safe and follows the proper hygiene and sanitation. The city chief executive said that the participants will be educated on how to adapt with the climate change and make them cope with the changing times. The participants, Belmonte said, will also be taught on the proper calorie content on what they sell, which will be guided by an upcoming city ordinance. Belmonte cited that just last month the Palengke QR Code was launched which would mean a cashless transaction in the public markets in the city. She assured that those rice vendors who were not initially included in the 300 rice vendors, which was found out later that another 3,000 rice vendors were also qualified in the list of beneficiaries of the DSWD (Department of Social Welfare and Development).
The city chief executive stressed that the graduates of the free VBS will surely benefit from the city government's Pangkabuhayan business package. Dr. Silvia Alonso, Co-Lead of CGIAR Resilient Cities Initiative, in a video message, said that this is an innovative work of how to capacitate the urban cities not only in Quezon City but in the whole Philippines. Alonso expressed her gratitude to Mayor Belmonte and the Quezon City public vendors for their engagement in the endeavor. Dr. Gordon Prain, Resilient Cities Senior Advisor, noted that the Quezon City Government and the CGIAR will be signing a memorandum of agreement on the undertaking.
Vice Mayor Gian Sotto said that the VBS is a milestone in the city through the leadership of Mayor Belmonte. Sotto added that he fully supports the food security initiative which is a worldwide project that is called VBS. He cited that in the Holy Scriptures, it says no one should be worried about anything because God provides for everything that anyone needs such as the VBS for the livelihood needs of the QCitizens. The Vice Mayor assured that he and Mayor Belmonte are always diligently and whole-heartedly working for God and for the people of Quezon City. Margie Santos, of BPLD, identified the Team Masipag, Team Matiyaga or Group 7 from private markets, Team Masinop from public markets, Team Matulungan from public markets Team Masigasig from temporary vending cites, Team Matatag from temporary vending sites, Team Matatag from temporary vending sites, and the back-up facilitators.
They took their pledge of commitment before Mayor Belmonte for the success of the VBS. The VBS facilitators signed on the commitment on VBS banner representing the Red Team, Blue Team, Pink Team, Orange Team, and Green Team. Arma Bertuso, of CGIAR Resilient Cities, through a video presentation, explained how the VBS will strengthen their food market resiliency concerning gender equality and family relationship. The VBS will entail a six-month training for the Quezon City vendors for a sure and safe food for the city residents. It is now present in Nairobi, Kenya and Quezon City.
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