The Calabarzon Region is the worst hit by the economic downturn particularly the big-ticket export industries that are based in the ecozones. Demand for production dropped drastically that led to job losses and lost incomes.
Under the OTOP banner, we formulated livelihood and emergency employment projects for the displaced workers in the export industry, the out-of-school youth, and the rest of the poor as a response to the government's economic resiliency program. We are fortunate to come up with the Laguna LEAP (Livelihood & Emergency employment Accelerated Program) - also known as the Water Lily Project - a partnership project where 15 Laguna local governments surrounding the lake employ out-of-school youth to gather water lilies from the Laguna de Bay. Earlier during the third quarter (Q3) of 2008, we initiated the Bayong Development Project aimed at revitalizing the traditional bayong industries widespread in the region and at the same time fulfilling an environmental advocacy: to use the bayong - which is made of organic and biodegradable materials - instead of plastic bags. With innovation and technology, we made use of the gathered water lilies as fiber materials not only for bayong but to the handicraft, footwear and other potential industries as well. The linking of the Water Lily Project with the Bayong Development Project further stimulated and motivated the increasing industries to accelerate product development efforts resulting to better styling and quality of products. We are proud about the Water Lily and Bayong Projects not only as our breakthrough for the CLEEP but for the OTOP & SME Development as well! 
Calabarzon has been described as a large-scale project complex transforming an agro-based, rural based economy into a thriving industrial/ Urban based economy. The project is expected to play a pivot role in the development of region IV and provide jobs and livelihood.The region is created with its fair share of minerals, forest and marine resources as well as land suitable for agriculture. Outside the metropolitan areas, the region is still predominantly agricultural with rice, coconut and sugarcane as the staple products.
CALABARZON, Region IVa, Philippines
CALABARZON is one of the regions of the Philippines. It is also designated as Region IV-A and its regional capital is Calamba City in Laguna. The region is composed of five provinces, namely: CAvite, LAguna, BAtangas, Rizal, and QueZON. The region's name is an portmanteau of the names of these provinces.
The region is located in southwestern Luzon, just south and west of Metro Manila and is the second most densely populated region.
Agawan Fetival in Sariaya
The Agawan Festival is an annual agricultural festival held in Sariaya, Quezon, Philippines every 15th May. The festival name, Agawan, is of recent development. It was the idea of Rev. Fr. Raul Enriquez, now the town’s parish priest, president of its tourism council and the proponent of the town’s quadricentennial celebration in 1999. The name describes the main feature of the fiesta procession. As the parade winds its way through the streets, people snatch the goodies and other produce hanging on the houses they pass by or on a pabitin, specially made for the parade. At the same time, people in the houses throw food, fruits and money into the parade. Before the parade, nearby residents decorate the outside of their homes. Colorful buntal hats are festooned all over the façade of houses. String beans are draped on windows to make curtains and banana trees are used to adorn fences. The primary, and most traditional, element in the decoration was the bagakay, or young bamboo branches from which junk food, fruits, candies and money were hung for people to snatch as they pass by. People say no matter how high the bagakays are, they would bow when the image of San Isidro Labrador passes by, allowing people to grab the goodies.
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