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By Zandro M. Alano, From the Communication
and Information Division, Haribon Foundation
Sitio Palbong has a total population of 150
households with an average of six family members; and its residents
are beneficiaries of the Community Base Forest Management Agreement
(CBFMA) under the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR)
covering a total of land area of 544.97 hectares, about 175 hectares
are utilized for agricultural purposes as their main liveliood.
It is during the rainy season that farming
activities become evident across the municipality of Sablayan. It is
estimated that about 40 percent of agricultural lands are irrigated
and the remaining 60 percent rely on rainfall. The main agricultural
products they cultivate are rice and corn. The community heavily
relies on chemical fertilizer inputs sourced from traders in the
area who occasionally also lend funds to the farmers. However, with
their high interest rates, farmers find it difficult to make ends
meet when they have to pay back.
During dry season, most of farmers are faced
with no water or irrigation to support their agricultural
livelihood. Thus, making them prone to seek illegal activities such
as charcoal production, illegal cutting of trees, and hunting in
their forest just to survive.
The consequences of economic hardship during the
dry season also compromise the health of their childen, who have
become prone to malnutrition and various diseases. It is also
observed that during this period there is a high incident rate of
drop-outs in the elementary school level.
To reduce the vulnerability of farmers and
decrease threats to the nearby forest and its biodiversity, Haribon
Foundation and the Local Government Unit (LGU) of Sablayan,
Occidental Mindoro fostered a partnership to combat poverty in the
area. This resulted in the implementation of the project Linking
Biodiversity Conservation in Siburan IBA and Poverty in Palbong
Barangay Batong-Buhay, Sablayan, Occidental Mindoro with the support
of BirdLife International.
The project believes that in order to
sustainably combat forest degradation in Siburan IBA, addressing
poverty reduction is imperative.
Promoting Cooperation and Livelihood through
Conservation
In the past, most of the developmental projects
given to the community are in the form of grants or given free.
These “dole-out” practices started in the mid-eighties and
nineties and continued up until the Mount Pinatubo eruption.
Sadly, various community developmental projects
initiated by previous non-governmental organizations and the LGU
have failed due to lack of “pagmamalasakit” (concern for
welfare).
With the entry of the project in 2002, Linking
Biodiversity Conservation in Siburan IBA and Poverty in Palbong
Barangay Batong-Buhay, Sablayan, Occidental Mindoro, Haribon
initiated values, leadership formation and environmental advocacy in
the community. Its focus is to transform the value orientation of
the community to have a high regard for environmental protection and
multi-stakeholder cooperation.
Before the entry of the project, the community
had limited knowldege and indifferent attitude towards the
importance of environmental protection and conservation. Destructive
activities, such as timber poaching, charcoal production, kaingin
(slash-and-burn) and hunting of wildlife in the area, are rampant.
In addition, the community is also experiencing lack of cooperation
among sectors which resulted in the failure of some of the
livelihood and developmental project intervention from DENR and
other government and non-government agencies assisting the CBFMA.
The entry of the project resulted in a more
positive and pro-active community concerned with environment
conservation and protection, especially in Mount Siburan, evidently,
some of the CBFMA members are now members of Bantay Gubat (forest
guards) and have participated in the implementation of Important
Biodiversity Area (IBA) Monitoring System in the area that gave way
in the formation of Local IBA Monitoring Team in Sitio Palbong.
Still, Haribon Foundation conducted various
trainings that helped transform the community’s way of thinking
and enhanced cooperation among the members of CBFMA. By introducing
“Bayanihan Principles” and “Cooperative Values”, the
community has taken into consideration the idea of forming a core
group or organization with the following objectives: (1) protection
and conservation of the environment; (2) promotion of self-help or
self-reliant organization; (3) creation of sustainable livelihood;
(4) promotion of cooperation among the members of CBFMA; and (5) the
promotion of equity base livelihoods and savings mobilization in the
community.
On November 2007, Sitio Palbong’s core group
decided to organized themselves into Peoples Organization, which
enabled them to carry out their plans in relation to their
objectives with high inclination for environmental protection and
implementation of environment-friendly livelihood activities.
The organization was named Palbong Environment
Multi-Purpose Cooperative (PEMPCO), composed of eighteen members
which managed to generate an initial equity/funds of P 4,000. PEMPCO
is also maintaining a household nursery containing 9,000 wildings
and currently selling rainfo-wildings to Samahan ng Sablayenong
Mapakalings sa Kalikasan (SASAMAKA). The group has also ventured
into herbal soap making and non-timber forest products (NTFP’s)
such as bags and brooms, which are more commonly called “walis
ting-ting” and “walis tambo”. The community has already sold
some of their NTFP’s product to the LGU. As of this date, PEMPCO
plans to increase their nursery by another 20,000 by this year. A
portion of the wildings will be sold in the market locally and the
remaining will be returned back to the forest through
rainforestation.
In Sitio Arellano (barangay proper), Batong
Buhay Tungo sa Ikauunlad ng Lahat Multi-Purpose Cooperative (BUTIL)
was organized with 15 members and has also managed to generate an
initial equity/ funds of P 2,000 which they had deposited in a local
bank.
Similar to PEMPCO, the group is also engaged in
the production of non-timber forest products such as placemats, bags
and colored “walis tambo.” BUTIL has increasingly participated
in various events to market their products: the Trade Fair during
the January 2008 festival called “Dugoy Festival” and in the
“Sablayan One Town One Product (OTOP)” last December 2007. With
regards to rainforestation, the group plans to propose an ordinance
advocating for the sustainable use of NTFPs.
With the implementation of Haribon
Foundation’s sustainable livelihood and environmental advocacy
like Bio-Intensive Gardening (BIG), Rainfo-Nursery and Non-Timber
Forest Product Handicrafts Production, family members in Batong
Buhay are continuously taking concerted efforts to obtain a better
standard of living and a greener environment.
Building Partnership and Alliance
The partnership alliance with various
stakeholders (Local Government of Sablayan and its local
departments, Sablayan Prison and Penal Farm, DENR and Department of
Trade and Industry) resulted in the realization of the objectives of
the projects. Since the start of the project, various activities
were developed to support sustainable livelihood projects that aid
communities and lessen the impact of poverty.
The project’s partnership with the LGU
extended to involve not only Sitio Palbong but other sitios and
barangays under the LGU of Sablayan in advocacy activities and
promotion of sustainable livelihood in the context of environmental
protection.
In 2003, the Municipal Environment and Natural
Resources Office began focusing closer on conservation and
protection and eventually paved the way to the commissioning of an
eco-tourism office in Sablayan.
More notably, before the project started, the
LGU of Sablayan only appropriated P 600,000 in their budget in
support of environmental programs. By 2007, after the project
initiatives were started, their support has increased from P 2.2
million to P 2.5 million by this year.
It is evident that working with various
stakeholders and involving the LGU in the protection and
conservation of natural resources have proven to be beneficial—to
the community and its future.
For information how you can join Haribon
Foundation’s initiatives to conserve our endemic species, e-mail:
communication@haribon.org.ph, or visit www.haribon.org.ph.
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