4 Toward economic integration: conclusions and recommendations the constituents of Barangay Seloton have also learned to value their livelihoods and to appreciate environmental protection as a way to resolve ideological differences. The success of Project DAF is attributed to its use of community organizing activities. To date, 28 of the 199 barangays in the province are covered by Project DAF. Reports by the Armed Forces of the Philippines on two pilot barangays state that community members have immersed in productive livelihood
activities, such as abaca and vegetable production and livestock/poultry raising. The only challenge faced in implementing Project DAF is in the mining communities. Small-scale miners and households are likely to abandon the livelihood programs supported by the project once mineral prices go up and returns on small-scale mining become higher than farming. Source: Mindanao study team interviews with officers and staff of the Provincial Government of South Cotabato, April 2009.
Box 4.3 Local institutions to transform conflict-affected communities The municipality of Kiamba in the province of Sarangani has strong prospects for integration because of its physical location along the national highway to General Santos City, a major growth center. It is a coastal town, with agricultural areas planted mostly in coconut. Its people are of mixed ethnic origins: majority Moro tribes of Maguindanao and Sangil, an Indigenous Peoples tribe (the T’boli), and a considerable population of Christian settlers from the Visayas. A case study of Barangay Lagundi in the municipality of Kiamba reveals how the area’s residents are dealing with the transformations ushered by increased opportunities for economic integration. Barangay Lagundi in Kiamba was originally governed through a partnership between the chiefs of the T’boli (Indigenous Peoples) and Sangil (Moro) tribes. It started to produce cash crops when settlers (Christian) introduced coconut and rubber crops and hired local residents to work in the plantations. It is remembered as a peaceful area in the 1960s where Muslim and Christian groups co-existed. Conflict began to emerge in the 1970s with the eruption of hostilities between the Moro National Liberation Front and the Christian vigilante groups. The people of Lagundi suffered heavy losses and disruptions from military assaults and Moro rebel activities during the last three decades, causing the increasing isolation of Lagundi as massive evacuations of residents were reported in 1974, 1976, and 2000. Several projects were introduced to stimulate economic activities and social interactions in Lagundi, especially after the signing of a peace agreement between the government and the Moro National Liberation Front in 1996. Foreign aid and funds from the national and local governments supported projects such as health centers, schools, roads, and livelihood assistance. But most of these projects were short-lived and considered failures by the community members who were supposed to have benefited from them. Social workers in the area note that community members continue to divide their loyalty among certain power groups, affecting their participation in and their commitment to the success of aid projects. Some women felt discriminated against in project activities
and benefits because of their low level of education. Moreover, projects for post-conflict rehabilitation that were intended for Moro National Liberation Front groups were commonly perceived as discriminating against non-Muslims. Overall, there was insufficient capacity to properly manage project implementation, economic enterprises, grievance and dispute resolution, community organizing, and public service delivery—mainly because the community had the weak institutions. From these experiences, local governments and development partners can learn to implement projects in a way that considers the influence of groups and social issues that divide the residents. For example, the Bangsamoro Development Agency, one group currently working in the area, engages community members in values enhancement activities as an integral component of its community organizing and education activities. Through its small-scale community infrastructure projects, using the community-driven development approach and supported by the Mindanao Trust Fund, the Bangsamoro Development Agency tries to bring the community closer to the local government so that community needs are well understood and local development plans are seen to provide equitable opportunities. By other social indicators, such as access to health services, elementary participation rates, and poverty reduction, Lagundi appears to be doing well relative to other conflict-affected areas. The local government can sustain this success through participatory planning activities. It needs to consider models for grievance redress and dispute resolution at the local level that can work for its diverse citizens. Infrastructure goals should also be simple, focusing first on basic rural access to maintain efficient links among coconut producers, integrators, processors, and traders. Over time, local planners can focus on ways to support market-oriented diversification of farms and producers, such as contract farming facilitation, market information, efficient utilities, and access to technology. Source: Institute for Autonomy and Governance and Bangsamoro Development Agency case studies, 2009. 57