4Ps grad makes it big in coffee venture

LA TRINIDAD, Benguet, Philippines — Rodiyo Tacdoy was among the children monitored under the government’s Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps).

Last month, he emerged as winner in the Arabica category of the Philippine Coffee Quality Competition (PCQC) after selling his special coffee beans for a whopping P9,900 per kilo.

Tacdoy, 22, made history in that competition on May 9 when a buyer bid P1,158,300 for 117 kilos of his Benguet-grown beans. 

With his success, Tacdoy started mentoring other young farmers, encouraging them that there is a bright future in farming.   

His interest in growing and processing coffee began after his father, also a farmer, met a road accident.

Being the eldest among siblings, Tacdoy sought to help raise the money to sustain their needs by studying modern techniques such as anaerobic fermentation in processing coffee beans.

He then started presenting his coffee product in local and national competitions, garnering awards since 2019.

This year, the Tacdoy family will exit the 4Ps after attaining Level 3 or self-sufficient status.

“His heartwarming journey is a great story of perseverance and an example of the Filipino’s innate nature of resilience amid difficulties,” said Irene Dumlao, spokesperson for the Department of Social Welfare and Development.

“Such real-life stories of personal upheavals abound among thousands of 4Ps beneficiaries who despite the difficult toil of poverty emerged victorious,” she added.