The 12-month project supports SamasaBalatasan (Samahan ng mga Manggagawa sa Balatasan) in growing its seaweed agribusiness into a stronger and more sustainable source of livelihood for its members and the wider community. SAMASA BLUE focuses on three areas:

- Building business skills of the cooperative’s women entrepreneurs
- Securing FDA certification for the cooperative’s seaweed-based products, opening the door to wider markets
- Upgrading the cooperative’s solar power system so that production continues even during brownouts

The launch opened with a presentation of the project’s goals and 12-month roadmap, followed by the Panunumpa ng Pakikipagtulungan, where partners affirmed their shared commitment to the project. Standard Chartered employee volunteers then led learning sessions with cooperative members, and the day closed with a visit to the cooperative’s site and production facility.

The grant from Standard Chartered is a continuing assistance to SamasaBalatasan, a partner under the Philippine Greenpreneurs Project (PGP) which was implemented from 2020-2024.

PGP was funded by the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) and the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), with implementation assistance from PBSP and local government agencies (DTI, DOST, DAR). The cooperative received shared service facilities, equipment, and training in organizational development, financial management, and product packaging to help smallholder farmers scale their operations.