SCARBIDC Breaks Ground For Road Projects

The bustling agrarian reform community of Sta. Clara Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Integrated Development Cooperative (SCARBIDC) set into action as it broke ground to commence two road sub-projects under the second phase of the Agrarian Reform Communities Projects (ARCP2). These projects are concreting of a two-kilometer road inside the industrial and residential camp and rehabilitation/improvement of an eight-kilometer plantation road from the camp to the southern border of Bohenange. Project costs stand at PhP 12,119,431.57 for the two-kilometer concreting work and PhP 19,038,414,09 for the eight-kilometer stretch. Lamitan City government are still in the course of fulfilling requirements for the initial download of project fund pegged at thirty percent. The fund will be released directly to the city local government unit.

 Equity sharing at 50-50 for ARCP2 and the city local government of Lamitan is still subject for approval at the National Sub-Project Approval Committee (NSAC) level in the National Projects Coordination Office (NPCO) in DAR-Central Office in Manila. The city government will be considering about sourcing out some of the manpower from Sta. Clara.

 In related development, ARCP2 saw through a completed four– kilometer concreting of an agrarian reform community (ARC) road network in Tipo-tipo Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Agricultural Development Cooperative (TARBADECO) in Tipo-tipo town. Other on-going sub-projects are rehabilitation of 9.98 kilometers of ARC road in Tumahubong Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Integrated Development Cooperative (TARBIDC) in Sumisip and four-kilometer farm-to-market road in Tipo-tipo Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Cooperative (TIPARBECO), in Ungkaya Pukan with an accomplishment status of 51.15% and 86.46% respectively.

Sub-projects in the pipeline include concreting of farm-to-market roads in construction of a level 2 water supply system, and construction of a multi-purpose building in Lantawan, Maluso, and Sumisip whose ARCs are recipients of the Project.

LARBECO Undergoes SDPW

Thirty-seven participants from Lamitan Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Cooperative (LARBECO) underwent a three-day training on Strategic  Development and Planning Workshop. It touched areas on environmental scanning, review and update on vision and mission statements and charting of the cooperative’s development plan. Dr. Josephine Dajuela, a private university professor and CDA-accredited lecturer, steered the participants into active involvement of the discussion through massive workshops.

 Reviewing the organizational chart of the cooperative.

 Dr. Dajuela discusses a participant's workshop output.

 Group work by department..

 LARBECO Chair Rodel Ramonez presents his new goals.

 

A light moment during an unfreezing period.

Dr. Dajuela beams after being presented with a certificate of appreciation from LARBECO manager Jose Bernadas and BOD chair Rodel Ramonez.

Marathon Referendum for Subdivision of Collective Landholdings

A series of referendum was seen through the month of May to get the pulse of agrarian reform beneficiary organizations whether or not they are for subdivision of their collectively owned landholdings managed through cooperatives. An overwhelming response of affirmative votes swept through the following communities:

Tipo-tipo Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Cooperative (TIPARBECO) in Ungkaya Pukan municipality;

Tumahubong Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Integrated Development Cooperative (TARBIDC), Sumisip;

Tairan Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Agriculture Multi-Purpose Cooperative (TARBAMC), Lantawan;

Canas Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Development Cooperative (CARBADECO), Maluso, and

Tipo-tipo Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Development Cooperative (TARBADECO), Tipo-tipo.

  A sizeable crowd appears for TARBIDC consultation and referendum.

                    An ARB casts his vote that will determine the fate of the cooperative.  

 The YES vote has it for TARBIDC

While Sta. Clara Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Integrated Development Cooperative (SCARBIDC) in Lamitan City failed to reach the required majority votes on the first scheduled referendum, it also joined the YES wagon after a second conduct, leaving Mangal Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Development Cooperative (MARBEDCO) in Sumisip township with a negative winning result. Lamitan Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Cooperative (LARBECO) is still yet to set its referendum schedule.

 

DAR Operations chief Engr. Ronald Gadaingan meets with SCARBIDC BOD before the consultation.

SCARBIDC agrarian reform beneficiaries sign the attendance sheet.

Engr. Ronald Gadaingan speaks before MARBEDCO ARBs in a consultation prior to the referendum.

 ARBs cast their votes against growership arrangement scheme that designs individual farm lots for them to work in.

Round Table Moves On to Second Discussion (Technical Working Group Created)

More government agencies and organization joined the DAR for a second round table discussion (RTD) on the delivery of support to agrarian reform communities in Camp Biel in Tabiawan, this city.

Infantry Brigade Commander General Carlito Galvez, Jr. welcomes the participants to the round-table discussion.

The discussion created a technical working group (TWG) that will look into the problems and issues of the ARCs. Problems, issues, needs and concerns were prioritized and given its corresponding solution.

DAR is the lead agency in the composition of the Technical Working Group with other agencies and coop personnel as its members such as TESDA, DTI, DOLE, CDA, LBP, DOST, DAF-ARMM, DOLE-Isabela City, UWARBMPC Manager Mr. Rafael Enriquez, LARBECO Chairman Mr. Rodelio Ramonez, TARBIDC Chairman Mr. Rajing Adjain and SCARBIDC Chairman Edgardo Luis.

 Prior to this consultation, meetings were held with DAR major stakeholders like the Land Bank of the Philippines, Department of Labor and Employment, Department of Trade and Industry, and Cooperative Development Authority to discuss on how to continue productivity and improvement when these organizations shall have already subdivided. These series of consultations were aimed at making the stakeholders and key players appreciate the concept and understand the intricacies of implementing the growership scheme and eventually guide the coop officers and members to make a decision whether to shift into this new farming system or not. 

DAR's chief of operations, Engr. Ronald Gadaingan presents to group the features of a proposed growership arrangement scheme in agrarian reform communities as DTI provincial director, Delmar Halipa (L), DAR's PARO Suwaib Ismael (center) and Gen. Galvez (R) listen.

Many issues and concerns were undertaken like incompetency of cooperative members to run for office, culture of corruption in the management level together with the BOD members, institutionalization of succession, agrarian reform beneficiaries are not fully empowered, no continuity of long term projects and programs during change of officials , lack of funds for resurveying of parcels of lands and very expensive training fees mandated by the CDA. Thereafter, a presentation by the Technical Working Group to Team Basilan was held on April 8, 2014 in the same venue. 

(Left-right - Bishop Martin Jumoad, Gen. Carlito Galvez, Gov. Jum Akbar and Dr. Abdulkhair Tarason listen attentively to issues besetting the cooperatives in Basilan.)

  

Team Basilan, composing of heads of various agencies in Basilan, was impressed with the TWG presentation. However, it still have to work out the issues and needs the assistance of the different agencies. Mismanagement of cooperatives and non-functional nature of the Provincial Cooperative Office (PCO) were the priority issues to address. Nevertheless, it was agreed that steps must be undertaken to address theses issues such as strengthening the PCO by adding new people into the office who are technically skilled in coop matters through detail of DAR and CDA employees who are well versed with coop matters, establishing Provincial Cooperative Development Council (PCDC) consisting of Team Basilan, DAR and CDA with PCO as secretariat, increasing staff of CDA and preparing an executive order identifying the members of PCDC and defining their roles. 

The round table discussion is a concerted effort of the Department of Agrarian Reform Basilan provincial office and Task Force Archipelago of the U.S. visiting forces agreement under the team of Capt. Austin Liu who replaced Capt. Tanner Fleck.

LARBECO Holds 19th Annual General Assembly

Lamitan Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Cooperative in Lamitan City observed their 19^th annual general assembly at its administration compound in Limook, Lamitan City.

Mr. Rodelio Ramonez, LARBECO’s chairman of the Board of Directors formally opened the meeting after the quorum was declared which was followed by the sercretary’s reading of the minutes of the previous meeting.

Engr. Raymond Lintag (right) receives a certificate of appreciation from LARBECO coop chairman Rodel Ramonez on behalf of the DAR.

The following reports were rendered afterwards such as status of membership, its BOD accomplishment report, fixed assets, improvements acquired for the year 2013, amendments, capitalization, plans and programs for 2014, sources of financial assistance and support services, unfinished business and on-going projects and audited financial statement of 2013. Thereafter, it was followed by the election of the officers for Election Committee (ELECOM).

Cooperative Annual General Assemblies in Pictures

The first and second quarters of the year are set for annual general assemblies in agrarian reform communities (ARCs). This is the time where the membership show their power by putting into office their choices of board of directors that will steer the cooperatives into progressive communities. 

Lamitan Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Cooperative (LARBECO)

Limook, Lamitan City, Basilan

 

Above: DAR's BDCD Chief, Raymond N. Lintag

LARBECO's general manager Jose R. Bernadas 

 

Tairan Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Agricultural Multi-Purpose Cooperative (TARBAMC)

Tairan, Lantawan

 

Canas Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Agricultural Development Cooperative (CARBADECO), Canas, Maluso

 

 

Mangal Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Development Cooperative (MARBEDCO) 

Mangal, Sumisip

 

Newly elected members of the board of directors were presented before the general assembly following the election of coop officers.

It is in these activities that issues and concerns are heard and settled, the financial conditions are thoroughly presented to the members, dividends or patronage refunds are distributed, and new set of officers for the board of directors and committees are chosen.