A bold new initiative aimed at transforming the lives of the country’s most vulnerable sectors was launched during the CVR CBFM POS Federation Officers Meeting in Sta. Ana, Cagayan. The “Pambansang Bagong Buhay ng mga Maralita” (PBBM) program, led by Dr. Samuel R. Garcia, Vice President for Northern Luzon and President of the Rapid Foundation, offers an integrated approach to poverty alleviation, livelihood, sustainable housing, and global trade.

Spearheaded by Asian Pyrochem Technologies, Inc. (APTI) under the leadership of Chairman and CEO Engr. Harley Louis Leano, the program partners with various government agencies and international players to build a framework of inclusive growth. The initiative focuses on beneficiaries of the 4Ps, solo parents, IPs, senior citizens, marginalized farmers, fisherfolk, and other vulnerable sectors.

A major highlight of the program is the development of PACIFIC RIM PYROCRETE DOME HOUSING for Indigenous (IPs) within TOWNSHIP SETTLEMENTS across the 11 NAPOCOR WATERSHED AREAS nationwide. This includes coordinated abaca plantations and agroforestry programs with the Department of Agriculture, providing long-term food and income security through reforestation and sustaitonable agri-enterprise.

Pilot activities have begun in the Province of Quirino, where more than 500,000 hectares of land in Cagayan Valley — including CBFM and Ancestral Domain Areas — have been identified for abaca, tobacco, and agro-industrial development. Government agencies such as DENR, DAR, DTI, DA, DOST, TESDA, CDA, LGUs, and SUCs are actively collaborating in the training and mobilization of target sectors.

International trade is a key component, anchored on the B2B Global Barter Trade Supply Chain Framework between the Philippines and Indonesia, with APTI serving as the official Mandated Export-Import Channel. This initiative opens direct access to 38 countries through counter-trade schemes, giving Filipino cooperatives and producers immediate global market exposure.

Recently, a Letter of Intent (LOI) was signed between PT Trade Barter Indonesia (PT TBI) and Asian Pyrochem Technologies, Inc., alongside other global partners, for a potential transaction value of USD 345 million, covering commodities such as abaca fiber, tobacco, spices, electronics, essential oils, and more.

As part of the country’s energy security agenda, APTI is also coordinating with PT PLN Nusantara for the development of Biofuel Renewable Embedded Modular Power Plants to be integrated into these rural communities. Simultaneously, APTI is also aligned with PT Tambang Batubara Bukit Asam (Persero) Tbk for coal-based power generation, ensuring consistent and scalable energy supply for township and agro-industrial zones.

“Energy access, housing, and global trade for our farmers and fisherfolk are no longer distant dreams,” said Engr. Leano. “Through these partnerships, we are turning our rural communities into export-ready, self-reliant producers with homes they can proudly call their own.”

Income projections of abaca is 100-150,000 per hectare per year production. With Tobacco 400,000-600,000 max, depending on variety and support. These will be consolidated through cooperatives under MOA agreements with APTI, ensuring sustainability, quality control, and traceability.

With its converging priorities of livelihood, shelter, energy, and international trade, the PBBM Program is poised to become a nationwide model of inclusive, community-driven development rooted in dignity, sustainability, and economic transformation.