DAR-IX Chronicles (January-March 2021)

Volume 19 No. 1

January - March 2021

1st Quarter

CLOA for Alicia Farmers F

A woman agrarian reform beneficiary of Alicia town in Zamboanga Sibugay joyfully received her Certificate of Land Ownership Award from PARPO II Mohammad Dassan Adju.

armer beneficiaries in the municipality of Alicia in Zamboanga Sibugay are now certified landowners after receiving their Certificate of Land Ownership Award (CLOA) last February 4 during the CLOA distribution held at the municipal covered court.

The CLOA distribution was er hesitate to ask for assistance led by PARPO II Mohammad from DAR, be it in legal matDassan Adju together with ters or agricultural input supCARPO for LTI Perlidita Engal- port as the role of DAR does la, OIC-MARPO Romulus Perez, not end in awarding farmers PARCOMM member Joshua Ba- with their land titles alone. He jada and graced by Alicia Mayor emphasized that DAR, by all Remberto Sotto and Vice Mayor means, is all the way alongside the farmer-beneficiaries.

Rhine Aquino-Tan. CARPO Engalla also urged PARPO II Adju, in his speech, Continue on page 3 appealed to the farmers to nev-

New Hauling Truck for CATAMCO THE P2.4 million brand new Isuzu hauling truck was turned over to the Cabong Tampilisan Multi-purpose Cooperative (CATAMCO) in Barangay Cabong in Tampilisan town inZamboanga del Norte last March 30.

The momentous activity was spearheaded by PARPO II Arturo N. Soria, Project Director of the Provincial Project Management Office.

In his message, PARPO RPO Soria explained his selfmade acronyms of “ACCOMPLISH“ in order for the cooperative to thrive ve “Action, Commitment, Cooperation, Obedience, Maturity, Perseverance, Leadership, adership, Initiative, Sustainability ty and Honesty – which according rding to him are the qualities that make up a successful organization.

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PARPO II Arturo N. Soria leads the blessing and turn-over of the new hauling truck for the agrarian reform beneficiaries of CATAMCO in Tampilisan, Zamboanga del Norte.

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January - March 2021

Project SPLIT Applicants

DAR IX Regional Director Atty. Ramon E. Madronal (3rd from right) and other DAR IX officials graced the interview for Project SPLIT applicants in Zamboanga del Norte.

THE Department of Agrarian Reform in Zamboanga del Norte headed by Provincial Agrarian Reform Program Of-

ficer (PARPO) II Arturo N. Soria together with other DARPO officials interviewed applicants for the field validation

team positions and support staff positions for the Support to Parcelization of Land for Individual Titling (SPLIT) proj-

ect last March 15 and 16 at DARPO in Barangay Sta. Isabel in Dipolog City.

DAR Zamboanga del Norte deliberated 57 vacant positions for the SPLIT project and 11 positions each for the Field Validation teams (Legal Officers, Engineers, Processors, Documentors and Support staff for Environmental and Social Safeguards) and 2 positions for Project staff.

There were more 150 applicants included in the shortlist who were interviewed and underwent written and computer examination.

The interview was graced

by DAR IX Regional Director Atty. Ramon E. Madroñal Jr., Assistant Regional Director on Operations Engr. Agnes Y. Maata and other DARRO officials.

Empowering the ARBOs DAR Zamboanga del Sur empowers ARBOs engaged in palay production through the delivery of Farm Machineries under Climate Resilient Farm Productivity Support Project (CRFPSP).

The DAR-assisted Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Organizations (ARBO) Tiguha Kaabay Farmers Association (TIKFA) in Tiguha, Lapuyan and Sta.Cruz Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Association in Sta. Cruz, Mahayag, all in the province of Zambo-

anga del Sur were the recipients of two units of Mobile Rice Mills which will help improve their agricultural productivity and earning capabilities in a sustainable manner.

DAR project under CRFPSP aims to improve resiliency in communities amidst the harmful impact of climate change by capacitating them in the mitigation and adaptation practices and provision of farm machineries and equipment.

January - March 2021

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DAR Zamboanga del Sur engages 75 field workers for Project SPLIT THE Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) has rolled out across the country the “Support to Parcelization of Lands for Individual Titling Project” (Project SPLIT) with the LRA-ROD, DENR-NAMRIA/LMS, DILG-LGUs, LBP, NCIP as partner agencies.

The more than P24-billion project aims to ensure property rights and stabilize ownership over lands awarded to agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) under the agrarian reform program through parcelization of collectively owned lands and the subsequent issuance of individual titles to the beneficiaries or their heirs. Over 1.3 million hectares of land are targeted under the project in three years (2021-2023), while project termination and loan closing will be in 2024.

To assist the province in the project implementation are the 15 Field Validation Teams (FVTs), with each team having a Legal Officer, a technical/survey officer (Geodetic or Civil Engineer), a Processor, a Documentor, and an Environmental Safeguards and Safety (ESS) Officer.

Two more were hired to serve as Monitoring and Evaluation (M and E) and Management Information System (MIS) staff at the provincial level. DARPO Zamboanga del Sur headed by PARPO II Atty. Judith P. Mantos, forged a contract with them last March 22

Some of the hired staff for Project SPLIT who will assist the province in the project implementation together with PARPO Judith P.Mantos (2nd from left) in the presence of other DAR key officials and personnel.

The hired staffs shall undergo series of orientation and planning workshops as prelude to their field deployment and actual performance which determines renewal of their contracts. They will have to familiarize themselves on the various Project components, namely: 1) Parcelization of Collective Certificates of Land Ownership Award

(CCLOAs); 2) Capacity Building and Technical Assistance; and 3) Project Management Monitoring and Evaluation.

Region 9 and its 3 provinces -Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga del Norte and Zamboanga Sibugay, also participated in a week-long Virtual Implementation Mission from March 18-25. Participants include key officials of DAR from the central office down to the prov-

inces, partner agencies and the World Bank. Zamboanga Peninsula is a priority region in Project SPLIT implementation with around 107,000 hectares of land targeted for parcelization, along with Regions 1 and 8.

The remaining 12 Regions shall immediately follow, with all the documented learnings and best practices from the three priority regions mentioned.

CLOA for Alicia Farmers Continued from page 1 the new landowners to value the land awarded to them and to

make it productive as President Duterte and his administration has exerted all efforts and man-

dates to ensure the farmers are awarded their land titles.

A total of 73 CLOAs were

awarded to DAR farmer-beneficiaries in Alicia town in Zamboanga Sibugay.

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Agrarian Reform Chronicles

PICTO

The growth of a Zambo Rice coop with women in leadership and key roles

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n many stories about the farms and its management, the men dominate. They had the brawns to do physical labor. And they were the working members of many traditional families. Men in the farms and the offices was a common scenario, save for a few organizations…one of them is CIV CABEFAMCO, a rising cooperative of the Salug Valley Cluster in Zamboanga del Sur. The Campo IV Carp Beneficiaries Farmers Multipurpose Cooperative (CIV CABEFAMCO) is a 29-year old organization first organized by the DAR for rice farmers in Barangay Campo IV in the town of Ramon Magsaysay.

CIV CABEFAMCO is a primary cooperative that offers agricultural services to its members. These include production loan financing, micro lending, household water system, pre- and post-harvest facilities such as tractor, dryer, milling and warehousing.

Its long history has been peppered with years of losses and stagnancy, until 2016 when they were officially included in the cluster’s rice enterprise under the Project ConVERGE. The project, implemented with the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) through a loan from the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), aims to upscale the quality and quantity of production in its covered areas through effective value chain. Campo IV was identified as an integrator or a rice producer set to sell their produce to MAFAMCO, its consolidator from the neighbouring town of Mahayag.

From here, trainings came left and right. Mechanized farming was achieved. More so, marketing agreements with multiple buyers and providers were sealed. Today, with its operations primarily in

rice milling and marketing, Campo IV declared an increase of more than 30% in its production volume and around 73% in total value of milled rice traded.

But their business success is not the only thing that made them stand out. In Campo IV, women dominate. From leadership positions to farm labor, their women-members continue to hold significant ranks.

At 251 women-members from a total of 412, the curious case is a happy one, but we can’t help but ask: why and how?

Rosevilla Salceda, manager of the said agrarian reform beneficiary organization, helped provide more context on their current count of women members, their roles in the farm and in the office, as well as her job as a chairwoman-turned-manager for the past three years now.

I was already a member and was into rice farming since 1992.

But it was only in 2017 that I was approached to lead the board. I had other businesses, as I am our family’s breadwinner. I accepted and became the only woman in the board. Surprisingly, I was voted as chairperson. A year after that, I was chosen to be the manager of the organization.

How is it like to be the head of a family and the head of an organization at the same time?

Kung unsa ko mu manage sa household, ako pud gidala diri (I manage the group in the same way I manage the household). At 3 a.m., I already start cooking for my karenderya business. By 8 a.m. I am already in the office to start the day.

I want the members to see that we take our work and commitments seriously. So I manage the time to meet the demands of a family and an organization.

We observed that Campo IV has more women than men members.

Why is this so?

We’ve noticed in the past that wives are always in charge of attending meetings and activities because the husbands had to be left to do their jobs. More than that, we think it’s because we also offer livelihood projects for women like kaong-making and livestock.

And it was effective to encourage more women-members.

Yes. Because now, they have something to look forward to that they can learn and work on.

How about in farm labor?

Ah, yes. There are differences in their roles in the farm. But women are still active and have taken more responsibilities on the labor side. For one, farm maintenance is assigned to the women. Sauna nga wala pay harvester (before when there were no harvesters), the women handles the manual harvesting. Now, with their new harvester [from the project], women transitioned to dealing with transporting and monitoring the drying and processing of the palay.

In the organization, are women also elected or put in leadership and management positions like you?

Majority of our operations staff are women. We also have three members of the Board of Directors who are women. They are among the most detail-oriented workers.

Kamao mubahig ug mulantaw asa ug unsay angayan ibutang. Kamao pud mubahin sa oras. (They know how to organize resources. They also know how to manage their time.)

Message to farmers: Sa mga kababaihan, dili nato ipa ubos ang atong kaugalingon.

Mangita tag kita aron naa tay ikasuporta sa atong pamilya. Gamiton nato atong kaugalingong skills aron makakita tag panginabuhi sa atong

pamilya.

Kung wala ko katrabaho diri, dili ko makailis ug ensakto, permanente ra kong naa sa balay. Kinahanglan pud diay na ang babae ma-promote gyud sya. Mag apil ta sa mga grupo na angayan sa kababaihan aron makita nato na naay kusog ang isa ka babaye.

Ang hunahuna sa uban huyang ang babaye pero dili diay. Kaya sa babae. ( For the women-farmers, let us not settle for less. Let us look for means to support our families. We have skills to get a job and earn for our families, let us use that.

[Like for me], if I didn’t have this chance to work [in the ARBO], I will not be able to dress this way. I will be left doing nothing at home. It seems that what we need is to encourage women [into these responsibilities and tasks]. Women can join groups fitting for them, so that they can realize their potentials.

Other people think women are weak, but that’s not true. Women are capable. )

ORIALS

January - March 2021

The 2-day Regional Assessment Program hosted by the CPMO held at Dakak Hotel and Resort in Dapitan City.

Region IX’s respective PPMOs presented their accomplishments and also refined their targets for the year with the guidance of CPMO and RPMO. The event was conducted last March 16-17.

Under Enhanced Partnership Against Hunger and Poverty project, DAR Zamboanga Sibugay headed by PARPO II Mohammad Dassan Adju and MARPO Noemi Ampong of the DAR Municipal Office of Ipil led the turn over of agricultural tools and equipment to the Buluan Agrarian Community Cooperative.

DAR’s Project SPLIT in Zamboanga Sibugay Province kicks off with a two-day orientation for the hired Field Validation Teams.

PPMO-Zamboanga Sibugay handed Production Capitalization Fund (Farm Tools & Inputs) to Pilot ARBOs: Lumbia Rubber Producers Association (LURPA), Municipality of Ipil, Silingan Rubber Farmers Association (SIRFA), Municipality of R.T Lim, and Sulu Agrarian Reform Beneficiary Multi-Purpose Cooperative (SARBEMCO), Municipality of Naga. The turnover ceremony was headed by PARPO II Mohammad Dassan Adju.

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January - March 2021

Training cum Problem Solving for DAR CLAAP ARBOs

PARPO II Judith P. Mantos giving some important points during the conduct of the training.

DAR Zamboanga del Sur CLAAP headed by PARPO II Judith Patriarca-Mantos held a training on Zampen Native Chicken Production and Problem Solving for the three DAR CLAAP ARBOs in the province.

The day-long activity with DAR Director for Research Dr. Moises Glenn Tangalin was an intensive coaching on the health care, biosecurity and disease prevention of native chicken.

The urgent problems of the raisers were also specifically diagnosed and accurately addressed through doable treatments using resources available in the locality. He said

that native chicken farmers will learn the concept of native chicken farming engendering paradigm shift among the raisers. He also imparted that native chicken is a science and technology-based rural enterprise and a viable option for everybody in the Region.

The training was concluded with a short practical tour and first hand experience in the School of Agriculture Research Center, Dapiwak, Dumingag, where technology on the production, breeding and selection, housing and management, feeding and health care were demonstrated.

‘PAGKAIN NG BAYAN’ Project To Be Transferred To DAR THE ZAMBOANGA DEL NORTE’S “Pagkain ng Bayan” Project will now be released and handed over to the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) after being approved by the members of the Provincial Legislative Council under the active leadership of Vice-Governor and Presiding Officer Senen O. Angeles.

This was realized after Board Member Peter Y. Co enacted a resolution authorizing Governor Roberto Y. Uy to sign the Deed of Transfer on behalf of the province between the Republic of the Philippines which was also represented by Atty. John R. Castriciones as

Secretary of the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR).

The Pagkain ng Bayan Project covers a total of 1,021.2511 hectares of land in Poblacion in Kalawit town where the project was owned and managed by the provincial government for many years.

It is known that the Deed of Transfer for the Pagkain ng Bayan project was requested by the DAR officials in the Central Office and also in this region spearheaded by Regional Director Atty. Ramon E. Madroñal Jr. along with Provincial Agrarian Reform Officer (PARPO) II Arturo N. Soria in compliance with Executive Order No. 75.

Gov. Roberto Y. Uy, on behalf of the province of Zamboanga del Norte, signed the Deed of Transfer of the “Pagkain ng Bayan” Project to the Department of Agrarian Reform IX.

January - March 2021

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Hauling Truck under Project ConVERGE

A brand new six-wheeler hauling truck from Project ConVERGE was turned-over to GOFAMUCO

by DAR IX officials headed by ARDO Agnes Y. Maata (3rd from left) PROJECT ConVERGE continues to pour remarkable blessings to its recipients in the Zamboanga del Norte Resettlement ARC Cluster.

Last January 25, a P2.195-million brand-new, six-wheeler Isuzu hauling truck was turned over to Godod Farmers Multi-purpose Cooperative (GOFAMUCO).

The truck, which has a 16-feet long cargo bay, was Project Converge’s committment to level-up the rubber trading enterprise of the cooperative. “Dako kaayo nig tabang sa among kooperatiba ug amo gyud ni nga ampingan,” (this will help us a lot and we will certainly take good care of this truck) Chairman Rogelio C. Ampania said after receiving the equipment on

behalf of GOFAMUCO. The truck will greatly help the farmers dispose their products easily and will improve their rubber trading and marketing.

The signing of the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA), Trust Agreement and Deed of Donation was held at the Godod Elementary School Covered Court in Poblacion Godod in Zamboanga del Norte.

In attendance to the momentous activity were DAR IX Assistant Regional Director Agnes Y. Maata, PARPO II Arturo N. Soria, CARPO Alfonso A. Tan, VC Specialist Leonardo R. Ablao and other personalities from the Regional and Provincial Management Offices of Project ConVERGE.

According to ARDO Maata, “the PPMO had to defend the relevance

of purchasing the truck in a series of deliberations and it was not easy. We hope that this facility will transport you to success in your rubber trading business.”

PARPO Soria also emphasized the importance of good leadership, adding, “mismanagement in most cooperatives of the DAR is the reason why even the wealthy organizations usually topple down.”

Meanwhile Agriculturist II Teofilo Abarca Jr., representing Municipal Agriculturist Epifras R. Galleposo said: “Godod is very lucky because not all cooperatives have this rare opportunity of being a recipient of this kind of project.”

Due to restrictions in the health protocol which has been extensively implemented by the municipality, only a few members of the cooperative were present from its total membership of 181.

Apart from the hauling truck, Project ConVERGE is also scheduled to distribute 640 bags of fertilizers and 320 liters of herbicide to the farmer beneficiaries under the project’s Production Capitalization Program.

New Hauling Truck for CATAMCO Tampilisan and the DARBECO of This hauling truck is the sec- Dinuan, Salug, respectively.

Also present during the turnond unit turned over to the ARBOs from Project ConVERGE which over were barangay officials of will cater to the hauling and mar- Cabong, PPMO staff, members of keting needs of the CATAMCO as the CPOT, selected officers from lead ARBO and of the participating the CARBEMCO and officers/ ARBOs, the CARBEMCO of Camul, members of the CATAMCO.

Continued from page 1

Volume 19 No. 1

January - March 2021

1st Quarter

EDITORIAL STAFF Editors-in-Chief

GLORIA M. SARACHO MA. SOCORRO C. REAMBONANZA

Contributing Editors

JASMINE B. ALIM MAY CHRISTINE V. BOMEZ LEILANI VIC S. VALDEZ APRIL BALASUELA JULLIENNE TUAZON KATRIN ANN ARCALA Rubber farmers of CARBEMCO, the recipients of the Production Capitalization Fund of the Project ConVERGE.

DAR Launches Production Capitalization Fund Program in Zamboanga del Norte “

L

et’s make our rubber farms more productive,” this was the challenge made by PARPO II Arturo N. Soria during the launching of the Production Capitalization Fund Program in Camul, Tampilisan town in Zamboanga del Norte last February.

Thirty five rubber farmers who are members of the Camul Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Multipurpose Cooperative (CARBEMCO) received eight sacks of Atlas 14-14-14 Complete Fertilizers and four li-

ters of Tekweed herbicide from DAR-Project ConVERGE to boost their dwindling rubber production areas.

The Production Capitalization Fund (PCF) is a soft loan, payable in two years at 6 percent interest per annum. “This is government’s answer to the high cost of agricultural inputs,” PARPO Soria said.

He also impressed upon the project recipients to feel a sense of ownership in this particular endeavour and advise them to exert time and effort to properly

apply these fertilizers as part of the good agricultural practices emphasized in the implementation of the project.

At the the same time and venue, the Siari Valley Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Multipurpose Cooperative (SVARBEMCO), the financing partner in the PCF program extended Micro Loans to selected members of CARBEMCO to finance labor costs at the maximum amount of P5,000 with low interest rate.

The activity was also attended by CARPO Alfonso A. Tan

Editorial Consultants ATTY. RAMON E. MADROÑAL JR. Regional Director ATTY. RAMON E. MADROÑAL, JR. ARD for ADMIN. & Legal Services ENGR. AGNES Y. MAATA, CESO IV ARD for LTS/TASS

For inquiries, please write or call the DAR Regional Office IX, Veterans Avenue Extension, Zamboanga Telephone No. (062) 955-2155 Email add: dar_reg9@yahoo.com

and selected DAR PPMO Staff; Punong Barangay Pelagio P. Trinidad; SVARBEMCO Chairman Flaviano T. Hilay; SVARBEMCO Manager Nestor Pineda and staffs; DAR and COA Inspectorate Team and the DARMO Tampilisan team.