DAR Spearheads Round Table Discussion with Various Agencies

The Department of Agrarian Reform of Basilan, headed by PARO Suwaib Ismael, and the joint operations of Task Force Philippines and Task Force Archipelago of the Philippine Armed Forces and the U.S. Civil Affairs Team, led by Capt. Tanner Fleck, held a round table discussion at Camp Biel with different government and private offices and the academe.

The main driving force behind the discussion is the fact that agriculture is top economic driver and source of employment in Basilan where roughly half of this economic output and jobs come from the agrarian reform beneficiaries organizations. With thirteen (13) agrarian reform communities in Basilan,  eleven (11) of which are in ARMM and two (2) are under the jurisdiction of Region IX, each has experienced some levels of difficulty in staying afloat with profits and/or meeting its financial obligations. Instability within this industry affects the entire province and has the potential to become a security concern for the Philippine security force.

Lt. Col. Melisar Raymund Recaido, deputy commander of 104th Brigade, welcomes the participants in behalf of Col. Carlito Galvez, the brigade commander

PARO Suwaib Ismael hails the gathering as a breakthrough to massive changes in the cooperative movement

The discussion panel aims to enable a shift in mindset from agrarian community to commercial business, stabilize ARC operations through revenue stream diversification, improve ARC financial literal and understanding business management techniques, and set the conditions for increased private investment through business model development.

 Capt. Tanner Fleck, civil affairs team commander of Task Force Archipelago, gives the rationale/introduction of the round table discussion

Desired end state of the discussion is the establishment of a technical support program that is low cost, utilizing local resources; sustainable, institutionalizing the program; persistent, capable of long-term engagement with ARCs; and comprehensive, with scope covering all thirteen (13) ARCs.

DAR's Engr. Ronald Gadaingan presents an overview of agrarian reform cooperatives in Basilan

 UWARBMPC manager Rafael Enriquez, a former banker, shares his cooperative experience

 Rodel Ramonez of LARBECO also shares his cooperative experience from the point of view of a chairman of the board of directors

Technical support program encompasses basic financial literacy analysis, business management techniques, business model development and implementation, revenue stream diversification, and packaging business opportunities for financing.

Possible courses of action include outsourcing to a firm with expertise on certain fields, public-private partnership with universities, pattern a model cooperative program, conduct trainer’s training program within the DAR, grant through US Embassy or USAID, establish the spirit of America NGO, and establish cooperative exchange program.

UWARBMPC reacts to the issues besetting the ARB organizations in the province

Rafael Flores of DAR facilitates the workshop in identifying problems, issues, needs and concerns of the agrarian reform communities

Participants to the discussion are representatives two progressive ARB organizations of the province, Lamitan Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Cooperative and United Workers Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Multi-Purpose Cooperative, faculty members from Ateneo de Zamboanga and Basilan State College, Department of Labor, Department of Trade and Industry, and Provincial Agriculturist Office.

Business Planning Seminar for Cooperatives

Continuous development of progressive cooperatives in the province of Basilan has remained a key concern for the Department of Agrarian Reform in ARMM. So much have been poured into them in terms of technical assistance through capability building programs as well as financial resources to support the development of agribusiness initiatives among these agrarian reform beneficiaries, yet, the task of providing strategic intervention continues. This is true for less-developed cooperatives that are facing challenges in changing economic environment.

Since rubber is the main commodity, being produced and processed by most of the cooperatives, there is an urgent need to address dependency on a single-income source. The need for these cooperatives to have agri-business activities in order to diversify its income source and mitigate probable drops in rubber prices have become a main concern to government agencies and cooperative leaders alike. Supporting the need for diversification is the provision of business and entrepreneurship training as well as hands-on coaching process that will help in the implementation of strategic projects as well as further strengthening of the cooperatives in the face of external challenges.

 Participants from SCARBIDC ARC

The training program on business planning was geared to help the cooperatives understand the basic of business planning with emphasis on financial management as it impacts the way they manage their businesses. The importance of business planning in today’s world has been emphasized with the compelling need of small business owners or cooperatives and its members understand the need to manage their business activities effectively as they plan for their business’ future and meeting its needs. The training gave the participant better appreciation of the manner how their finances are managed and thus, enabling them to make right business decisions and provide for their future business needs. This is particularly true for a commodity-based business as in the case of rubber cooperatives. The business itself is vulnerable to price swings for rubber and planning ahead of the curve will help ensure the continued viability of their business operations. The training program was designed to address their present needs amidst the financial pressures to stay in business and meeting their financial obligations in a timely manner.  It also addressed the need to handle financial resources and business debts properly.

To augment the proposed business planning training program, an entrepreneurship and financial literacy training component was undertaken. This will complement the training on business planning which helps the participants planning to venture into business earn more income from their investments in small business undertakings. The provision of this training program gave participants another venue to increase their business net worth through the right approach of starting their businesses. This would address typical concerns on managing their risk capital and, at the same time, encourage savings through practical business practices in a less risky manner.

Antonio Peralta of FREEDOM, Inc.

The training was conducted at the helm of Antonio Peralta of the Foundation for Rural Enterprise and Ecology Development of Mindanao (FREEDOM), Inc. and rested on the following aims:

To validate the extent of understanding of business planning and entrepreneurship among the target cooperatives in view of the other training programs previously conducted;

To provide the targeted cooperatives participants with a clear understanding on the importance of business planning and entrepreneurship in their businesses;

To help participants implement a viable business plan that incorporates a financial action plan to help them deal with probable commodity price swings at the same time providing for future contingencies;

To stress the need to have a diversified income stream through other allied undertakings that the target cooperatives may wish to pursue in view of weaning them away from a single-income source; and

To provide the cooperatives participants an in-depth understanding of the processes involved in business planning which includes choosing the type of business they want to undertake through the business coaching process.

 MARBEDCO presents the coop's business plan

A series of workshop were undertaken that tested the participants’ entrepreneurial skills. The participants were also shown the importance of strategic marketing and the highlights of business plan emphasizing different parts as to its organization, manpower, methodology, marketing, and financial aspects. The rubber market trend was presented as well as the cause and effect of climate change that will greatly hurt business.

The training was attended by coop officials from Sta. Clara Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Integrated Development Cooperative (SCARBIDC), Mangal Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Development Cooperative (MARBEDCO), Canas Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Agricultural Development Cooperative (CARBADECO), and Tairan Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Agricultural Multi-Purpose Cooperative (TARBAMC) with Mahatallang Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Multi-Purpose Cooperative (MARBEMPCO) as its guest participant.

Beauty Care for Gender and Development

In support to Republic Act 7192 (Women in Development and Nation Building Act), Executive Order No. 273 (Philippine Plan for Gender-Responsive Development), and Republic Act 9710 (Magna Carta for Women) that provide for mainstreaming of gender in development plans and activities, twenty women from the agrarian reform communities  took arms with beauty tools to equip themselves with skills that could help bring food to their table.

This gender mainstreaming strategizes to make women’s, as well as men’s, concerns and experience an integral dimension of the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of policies and programs in all political, economic, and societal spheres so that women and men benefit equally and inequality is not perpetuated. It is in the process of assessing the implications for women and men of any planned action, including legislation, policies, or programs in all areas and at all levels.

The training seeks to achieve gender equality as a fundamental value that should be reflected in our development choices and transform the social and economic structures of a family into a mechanism where both women and men equally play active roles.

The women underwent lectures and hands-on activities on the following beauty areas:

Hand and foot spa

Pedicure and manicure

and hair cutting

The skills training was conducted through the partnership with the Isabela City Office of the Department of Labor and Employment.

Participating cooperatives are Sta. Clara Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Integrated Development Cooperative, Inc. (SCARBIDCI) in Sta. Clara and Lamitan Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Cooperative (LARBECO) in Limook, both of Lamitan City; Tumahubong Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Integrated Development Cooperative (TARBIDC) in Tumahubong, Sumisip; Canas Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Agricultural Development Cooperative (CARBADECO) in Canas, Maluso; and Tairan Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Agricultural Multi-Purpose Cooperative (TARBAMC) in Tairan, Lantawan.

DARPO Basilan Conducts Lakbay Aral to the Davao Region

Thirty participants from the DAR provincial and municipal offices and selected cooperatives of Basilan went on a three-day plantation visits. The primordial objective of the activity is to get first-hand information on the advantages and disadvantages of going into individual farming. The participants held audience with selected ARB organizations in Davao del Sur, Davao del Norte, and Compostela Valley. The DAR provincial office focuses Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program beneficiaries development on collective farmers' organizations.

DARPO-Davao del Sur with PARO Wilson Antiga

Presenting a certificate of appreciation to
Malita Agrarian Rural Workers Beneficiaries Multi-Purpose Copperative

Malita, Davao del Sur

Getting first-hand information on how to pack Cavendish bananas for export...

Lacaron CARP Beneficiaries Association

Lacaron, Malita, Davao del Sur

DAR-Basilan and coop officials paid a call to the DAR-Region XI director Fidel Morales

Wadecor Employees Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Multi-Purpose Cooperative

Carmen, Davao del Norte

Checkered Farm Agrarian Reform Multi-Purpose Cooperative

Panabo City, Davao del Norte

Checkered Farm Agrarian Reform Multi-Purpose Cooperative

Panabo City, Davao del Norte

Nabunturan Agrarian Reform Community Integrated Cooperative

Nabunturan, Compostela Valley

Mampising CARP Multi-Purpose Cooperative

Mampising, Tagnanan, Mabini, Compostela Valley

Tagnanan CARP Beneficiaries Multi-Purpose Cooperative emotionally received the certificate of appreciation from DAR-Basilan for hosting one of the plantation visits in Davao region.

Tagnanan, Mabini, Compostela Valley

A factory tour at Tagnanan CARP Beneficiaries Multi-Purpose Cooperative