Ancop mothers increase cut-flower output

Eva Jeres, 25, poses with the cut-flower garden she and her mother are growing at the Ancop (formerly Gawad Kalinga) village at Baranggay Osmena outside the poblacion of JPanganiban, Camarines Norte. – MWBuzzpic by HELEN P HERNANDEZ-CORTES

By HELEN P HERNANDEZ-CORTES

From GK-Osmena, JPanganiban

A GROUP of mothers at Ancop (foremerly Gawad Kalinga) village outside the poblacion of Jose Panganiban, Camarines Norte has increased its cut-flower production.

Led by Eva Jeres, 25, the mothers are beneficiaries of the home development project of GK, now renamed Ancop (Answering the cries of the poor).

The flower garden provides some Ancop families a source of income, aside from what they make from vegetable gardening.

The harvest is sold at the town market.

Jeres told MWBuzz recently that they are expanding their cut-flower harvest to meet the growing demands from funeral homes, public and private offices and households in Jose Panganiban and elsewhere.

“We now have a contact point/sales outlet at the public market at poblacion,” said Jeres in an interview, adding that the stall they share with another vendor would receive flower orders.

Jeres considered this as “improvement” in their little flower business as they are now reaching more customers from the town.

She excitedly told MWBuzz that they are getting more orders from new customers aside from those placed by funeral homes in and out of Jose Panganiban.

“Because of this, we are expanding our cut-flower garden,” Jeres said.

“Marami na kaming bagong patubo (we have lots of new potting materials and cuttings,” she added.

Incidentally, the project has received a big boost from a former resident of Baranggay Parang, Mrs Elvira P Hernandez, 85, who donated a 120-meter hose to hasten the irrigation of the flower beds.

The garden hose was worth about P3,000.

Hernandez, now a Pasig City resident, makes a yearly vacation in Parang and would visit the GK village to find out what Jeres needed in the garden.

In May last year, she donated several ceramic pots to propagate newly-grown flowering plants of different varieties.

When she came to the place to look for flowering materials early this month, Hernandez learned from Jeres about their difficulty irrigating the flower beds.

Jeres said they would collect water from the village tap, which is more than 100 meters away.

Hernandez said it would be solved by an irrigation hose that would be hooked up with the village water tap.

The implement, comprising 100m hard-rubber main hose, a 20m flexible hose and a jet-sprinkler attachment, was delivered to Jeres on Wednesday (May 23) when Hernandez returned to Jose Panganiban for a family errand.

The delivery caused excitement among the mothers, especially Jeres, who immediately had the hose put together and hooked up with the water tap.

“Maraming maraming salamat po sa inyo, Nanay (thank you very much, Nanay),” Jeres told Mrs Hernandez.

“Napakalaking tulong po ang ginagawa ninyo sa aming mga mahihirap ditto sa GK (it’s really a big help for us here at GK),” she added.

The donation turnover to Jeres was witnessed by GK mothers and children.

 Email MWBuzz, through: ahernandez@thenational.com.pg  alfredophernandez@y7mail.com