LT ENTREPRENEUR IS TOP 5 NATIONWIDE IN DOLE's KABUHAYAN AWARDS

With his work in championing the strawberry produce creating different products, John Glenn Libag of Bo-oy Food Products was adjudged as regional winner and national finalist in the top 5, during the recent 2026 DOLE National Kabuhayan Awards, individual category.

The 25-year old Libag was recognized for his entrepreneurial work advocating local produce particularly strawberry and turning them into flavorful products, which includes strawberry yema jam, strawberry yema candy, strawberry hot sauce, strawberry vinegar, and strawberry kini-ing wine, among others.

He said he applied for the DOLE grant in 2024, where he was given P30,000-worth of equipment and raw materials for his business proposal. The agency then evaluated his performance, along with many other grantees after two years, where they found his project to have "demonstrated significant growth and sustainability which contributed to empowerment of the beneficiary and their community."

Libag started his business in 2023 where he first developed Strawberry Alamang; from then on comes other line of products using the municipality's one town one product--strawberry.

The young entrepreneur is also a recipient of other grants and awards such as winning the Department of Agriculture's Young Farmers Challenge (YFC) Regional Start-Up Competition last February for his Premier Kiniing-Inspired Highlander's Wine (Lumawig Edition) with the mixture of strawberries, cabbages, carrots, beetroot, lemon, and lemon grass with a P150,000 grant.

Mayor Roderick Awingan, with Public Employment Service Office Manager Elengy Bolidi, recognized and praised the work of Libag during a courtesy call on Oct. 12. Also in photo is Scout Jared Luke Sito as Scout Official For A Day (SOFAD) Mayor.

Author & Photographer: O. Empian

Original Post: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/19heoezonm/