Manila, Sept. 23 -- For 15 farmers and fisherfolk in Luna, Apayao, a 400-square-meter fishpond is becoming more than a source of tilapia. It is a step toward building a livelihood they can sustain on their own.

The ST Tilapia Productions Association harvested its first batch of fish Sept. 3, yielding 57.8 kilograms and PHP9,826 in gross sales, according to Joanna Marie Caponpon-Apostol, social marketing officer of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD)-Cordillera Administrative Region's Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP).

The harvest came three months after the group started its aquaculture project with PHP450,000 in SLP assistance and technical support from the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources-Cordillera.

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