January-March 2015
Volume 14 No. 7
8 Pages
Leadership Turn-Over Ceremony in Zamboanga Peninsula he out-going Regional Director of the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) in Zamboanga Peninsula Julita A. Ragandang has officially turned-over the mantle of authority to the new DAR-IX Regional Director Engineer Felix B. Aguhob recently. During the turn-over ceremony, Assistant Regional Director Atty. Ramon E. Madronal Jr. paid special tribute to Ragandang for her contribution to transform and improve the lives of the agrarian reform beneficiaries in the three provinces of the region. Ragandang said she has no regrets leaving the post, having served as the Regional Director for 10 years. She mentioned the numerous challenges she faced during her administration and said that she was proud to leave with clean hands, noting that her legacy to be astute and diligent public servant
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will forever remain in the hearts of the people she worked with. Meanwhile, incoming Regional Director Aguhob expressed delight and lauded Ragandang for the remarkable achievements during her term. “The only permanent thing in this world is change, and I’ am ready for this challenge. And in order to win the respect and admiration of people, one must be respectful, skillful, and dedicated to public service”, he said. He also pledged his fullest commitment as he assumes the responsibility to implement the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program in Region IX as the new Regional Director. The ceremony was attended by key officials and employees of DAR from the Provinces of Zamboanga del Norte, Zambonga del Sur, Zamboanga Sibugay and DAR officials and representatives of Region X.
Engr. Felix B. Aguhob , the incoming Regional Director of DAR IX receiving the symbolic key of responsibility from outgoing Regional Director Julita A. Ragandang who will be transferred to CARAGA Region.
Thousand Titles For Zamboanga Del Sur Farmers
Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries with their thumbs up after receiving their Titles under the Department of Agrarian Reform Land Transfer Program with Cluster V Municipalities others. Head MARPO Musa Macarampat and PARPO II Arturo Soria.
THE Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) has recently distributed 1,049 Emancipation Patents (EPs) and Certificates of Land Ownership Award (CLOAs) covering 2,672.2 hectares of landholdings to thousands qualified Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries (ARBs) in Pagadian City and the municipalities of Dumalinao, Labangan, Tukuran and San Pablo, all in Zamboanga del Sur. Provincial Agrarian Reform Program Officer II Arturo Soria said awarding lands to poor tenant tillers, regular and seasonal farm workers is the first step to freeing them from the bondage of soil. Soria said comprehensive and
integrated delivery of various support services like capacity development, agri–extension, rural infrastructure, agri- insurance, access to credit and microfinance as well as delivery of various legal assistance and adjudication services would be availed by the EP and CLOA holders through their organizations and federations. Land Tenure Services Chief, Engr. Jena Salug said one of DAR’s mandates is to improve and secure the land tenure of farmer-beneficiaries serving as the bloodline of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law embodied in the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program.
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January-March 2015
Siay IP organization benefits from up valuing trainings rolls, turmeric, lagundi and salabat powders. To help PSDS attain value adding of its products, a training on entrepreneurship which aims to equip the member-beneficiaries with the necessary skills, entrepreneurial abilities and managerial competencies to develop, manage and sustain a productive enterprise was held last February 27, 2015. A training on product
enhancement which includes product packaging and labeling was done days thereafter. Lectures on good hygiene and manufacturing practices were likewise conducted by both agencies. AED Coordinator Lowell Lozada and PMAO Carol Marohumadil were among the facilitators of the said seminars. (DARZSP Provincial Information Section)
The PSDS members with the DAR and DTI representatives after the product enhancement training.
IN line with the Department of Agrarian Reform’s task to extend assistance to uplift the economic status of its agrarian reform beneficiaries or agrarian, DAR – Zamboanga Sibugay, in partnership with the Department of Trade and Industry,
sponsored a series of in-house up valuing trainings for the Phesalabuhan Subanen De Siay (PSDS) or United Subanen of Siay. The PSDS is an agrarian reform community with 60 members which is engaged in the production of rice
A participant shares his thoughts on entrepreneurship.
DAR IX celebrates women’s month THE Department of Agrarian Reform IX has joined the nation in celebrating the women’s month, highlighted by a trade fair ,a women’s forum, Gender and Development GAD) seminars and a baking demonstration. In Zamboanga del Norte, Atty. Annaly T. Adju discussed with the participants during the GAD seminar the Magna Carta of Women known as Republic Act 9710 and RA 9262 or the Anti-Violence Against Women and their Children Act of 2004. “Under the Magna Carta of Women, discrimination is denounced. There is discrimination when there is restriction basing on
your gender,” Atty. Adju explained. Accordingly, it is a comprehensive human rights law that seeks to eliminate discrimination against women by recognizing, protecting, fulfilling and promoting the rights of Filipino women, especially those in the marginalized sectors. Among the rights of women are the protection from all forms of violence, participation and representation in development councils, equal treatment before the law, equal access and elimination of discrimination against women in education, scholarships and training, non-discrimination of employment in the field of military, po-
A female police officer from the Philippine NationalPolice in Western Mindanao stressing some important provisions of the VAWC Law.
DAR Zamboanga del Norte female employees with PARPO I Rizzel Villanueva and Atty.Annalie Adju, the GAD Forum speaker during the Women’s Month celebration.
lice and other similar services, non discriminatory and non-derogatory portrayal of women in media and film. Apart from the seminar, a trade fair was also organized in the province featuring the different products of the agrarian reform beneficiaries. In Zamboanga Sibugay another GAD seminar was conducted for rural women in the chosen barangays of Ipil, Imelda and Buug. Municipal Agrarian Reform Program Officer Noemi Ampong viewed the activity as an opportunity to equip rural women with additional knowledge on special laws which majority of the participants
may not have gained familiarity with. Apart from the lecture, an actual demonstration on the basic of cake baking was likewise incorporated in the seminar purposely to open the minds of the participants for a possible business activity through baking. Meanwhile in Zamboanga City another GAD seminar was conducted for all the female employees of the regional office, resource persons from the Philippine National Police were invited to discuss various topics on Anti – VAWC Act and Safety Measures.
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Agrarian Reform Chronicles
DAR, JRMSU SIGN MOA ON OE-NADA THE Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) in Zamboanga Sibugay had recently signed the Memorandum of Agreement between DAR and Jose Rizal Memorial State University (JRMSU) for the conduct of the Organization and Enterprise Needs Assessment and Design Assessment (OE-NADA). The DAR was represented by the Provincial Agrarian Reform Officer (PARPO) Judith Mantos while the JRMSU was represented by Dr. Edgar S. Balbuena, the university president. The JRMSU was commissioned to be the service provider for the OENADA. The assessment will be conducted to assess the sustainability of rice-duck farming cum provision of equipment and facilities for the targeted project beneficiaries in Payao, Zamboanga Sibugay. Presently, DAR is conductingprocurement of common services facilities, agricultural-extension and business development services based on project proposals submitted by the respective Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Organizations (ARBOs) to be accessed under the Agrarian Reform Community Connectivity and Economic Support Services (ARCCESS). The purpose for the conduct of the OE-NADA is to identify possible and proper interventions based on the priorityneeds of the target beneficiaries. In addition, it aims to determine the organizational capacity of the ARBOs in terms of human resources, policy, systems and procedures, organizational governance, financial resources and enterprise operations, and to have access to credit and assured market. It will likewise ascertain the crops suitability and the potential crops production as the biophysical, socio-economic and cultural setting of the target barangays will be evaluated. JRMSU will provide the DAR with the findings of the assessment. The result of the OE-NADA will then be the basis of the agency’s social, cultural and economic programs and strategies and other succeeding interventions that will be extended to the ARBOs.
PARPO II Atty. Judith Patriarca-Mantos explaining the partnership with JRMSU.
From left to right: PARPO I Elizardo Villaseca, PARPO II Atty. Judith Patriarca-Mantos, JRMSU President Dr. Edgar Balbuena, JRMSU Research Director Dr. Rio Naguit and CARPO-PBDD Anthony Teves during the signing of the MOA on OE-NADA.
Jose Rizal Memorial State University President Dr. Edgar Balbuena stressing the benefits that could be derived by JRMSU out of the partnership.
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Project inspection in Kumalarang, Zamboanga del Sur with PARPO 11 Arturo N. Soria and PBDD Chief Engr. Josephine Sisican
Ground breaking and MOA signing of expanded village level processing enhancement project at Patalon, Zamboanga City.
Project inspection – construction of Damit Multi-Purpose Cooperative PHP, solar dryer and
January-March 2015
Agrarian Reform Chronicles
Regional Director turn-over for Region 9 attended by the provincial and regional personnel and representative from DAR 10.
d toilet in brgy. Damit, Bayog, Zamboanga del Sur.
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DAR-Zambo Norte Turns-Over SRI Equipment, Mallard Ducks to DPIA through Agrarian Reform Community Project 2 (ARCP2) which was funded by Asian Development Bank (ADB). The project included the training of agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) for Organic Rice Production through SRI cum Duck Raising from December 9, 2014 to March 24, 2015. The training will also be implemented in the municipalities of The 980 Mallard ducks for the Dipolog-Polanco Irrigators Association of Upper Sirawai and Siocon. The local govTurno, Dipolog City, a part of the P599,000 SRI sub project funded by ARCP 2. ernment unit of Dipolog City had a The Department of Agrarian Reform Dipolog-Polanco Irrigators Asso- counterpart of P394,000 for the said (DAR) in Zamboanga del Norte had ciation (DPIA) at Upper Turno, project. recently turned-over one System of Dipolog City. Provincial Agrarian Reform Rice Intensification (SRI) equipDAR allocated P599,000 for the Officer (PARPO) Moh.Dassan J. ment and 980 mallard ducks to the SRI sub-project in Dipolog City Adju disclosed that Zamboanga del
Norte had the biggest fund allocation amounting to P1.4 million among the provinces of Region IX. Meanwhile, City Mayor Evelyn Uy said that the provincial government of Zamboanga del Norte and the City Government of Dipolog would give the DPIA additional 600 and 200 mallard ducks, respectively. These mallard ducks, locally known as “itik” are intended to control pests in the rice fields and for “balot-making” to give additional income to the farmers. The agrarian reform beneficiaries were also given five pieces of mechanical weeders and three pieces of 10-kilogram weighing scales.
DAR-ZSibugay Intensifies PAHP; Holds Orientation With Project Partners THE Department of Agrarian Reform in Zamboanga Sibugay held an orientation of the Partnership Against Hunger and Poverty (PAHP) program last March 9 with the project partners. The orientation was on high vegetable production through natural farming system technology to strengthen the implementation of the PAHP in the province. PAHP is an enhanced partnership initiative of government agencies and other stakeholders aimed to mitigate hunger, attain food self-sufficiency and alleviate poverty in the rural areas. The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR), Department of Agriculture (DA), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), World Food Program (WFP) and the Government of Brazil are among the implementers of PAHP. The program enhances the basic services that have already been rendered by various government agencies. These includes the provision of support services through health and nutrition and
quality education for day-care children (DSWD), continued extension of technical assistance to increase agrarian reform beneficiaries’(ARBs’) family income through Agrarian Reform Community (ARC) agro-enterprise development (DAR) and provision of production and postharvest practices (DA). These three agencies will be collaborating efforts and synergizing resources to produce bigger, tangible and sustainable results. PAHP project was originally conceptualized from Brazil’s Zero-Hunger Plan and Food Purchase Program to address and combat hunger and poverty. Due to its success and widespread acceptability, the government of the Philippines decides to replicate the program in the country with the Brazilian Government as partner and technical consultant. The recently concluded orientation activity was participated by East West Seed Company Inc., the professional service provider tapped by DAR Central Office. The services to be offered by the East West to the ARBs include
trainings on vegetable farming and production, provision of training modules and monitoring of the vegetables to be planted by the ARBs. Provincial Agrarian Reform Program Officer Judith Mantos, PARPO I Elizardo Villaseca, CARPO Anthony Teves, Boy Arevalo of the Provincial Agriculture Office, Maricel Amorganda of the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office,
MARPOs Ana Marie Calonia and Flordie Bagundol of Titay and Naga, respectively, LGU Naga and Titay MAOs and MSWDOs, Program Beneficiaries Development Division (PBDD) Staff Lowell Lozada and Marilou Acedo and representatives of some ARBOs were among the persons who attended the said event. (John Lloyd P. Cababat, DAR-ZSP Prov’l Information Section)
The PAHP implementors pose with the participants of the orientation onhigh value vegetable production through natural farming system technology.
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DAR ARBOs To Avail Millions A three day seminar on Farm Planning and Budget Preparation and Basic Business Plan Preparation was conducted by the Department of Agrarian Reform – Zamboanga del Sur at Farmers Haven, Dao, Pagadian City last March 9-11. Provincial Agrarian Reform Program Officer II Arturo Soria stressed that the training targeted the fifteen credible agrarian reform beneficiaries organizations (ARBOs) with 2,566 agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) in the province to come up with a business plan for them to be able to avail of the loan granted under the Agrarian Production Credit Pro- Participants to the seminar conducted by DAR for the ARBOs to avail from the APCP. Science and Technologyhave activities. gram (APCP). DAR along with Department pooled their resources and experSoria said that APCP will support the farmers in their pro- of Agriculture, Land Bank of the tise for the farmers for them to duction needs and entrepreneurial Philippines and the Department of have access to the P85 million
capital to be loaned APCP. DAR Zamboanga del Sur has an allocation of P22.5 million for the year 2015. Program Beneficiaries Development Division Chief, Engr. Josephine Sisican explained that by providing credit, transferring technology, market matching and delivering other kinds of support and development assistance through the ARBOs who gets wholesale prices, their members can avail of needed credit on farm inputs like fertilizers and other services at lower affordable costs than the commercial markets. The seminar, which was participated in by 58 farmers, employed coaching after each lecture using the template of each business plan component.
DAR-Zambo Sibugay Turns-Over PAMANA Projects in San Pablo THE Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) in Zamboanga del Sur had recently turned-over 27 Payapa at Masaganang Pamayanan (PAMANA) projects through the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP). The PAMANA-ARA projects consisted of the following: MultiPurpose Buildings, Multi-Purpose Pavements, Roofing of Existing Multi-Purpose Pavement, 2 1-Class-
room School Buildings, Day Care Center, Gravelling of Farm to Market Road, Pathway Concreting, Perimeter Fence, Level II Water System, Improvement of Existing Level II Water System and Mechanical Drier Facilities. These were handed over to the heads of 27 Peoples’ Organization (POs) in the different agrarian reform area (ARA) barangays in San Pablo, Zamboanga del Sur. DAR IX Regional Director Julita
A part of the 27 PAMANA projects in San Pablo, Zamboanga del Sur
A. Ragandang, who previously approved these projects, expected that the recipient POs will properly maintain, take good care and sustain the said projects to benefit even the coming generations. These projects will benefit 2,719 agrarian reform beneficiaries, 5,534 households and some 26,069 populace in San Pablo. Meanwhile, Mayor Belman Mantos of San Pablo was grateful for the realization of these projects to put
a just end to internal conflicts and alleviate poverty in his municipality. Provincial Agrarian Reform Program Officer Arturo Soria, enjoined government officials present during the activity to continue in providing infrastructure projects to resolve conflict and build peace in the community. He expressed optimism that the ARBs will be eased from poverty and will promote progress in the countryside.
Agrarian Reform Chronicles
DAR To Implement P42.13-M Worth Of Farm-To-Market Roads In Zamboanga Del Norte THE Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR), through the Agrarian Reform Communities Project 2Performance-Based Grant System (ARCP2-PBGS), recently signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the Department of FinanceMunicipal Development Fund Office (DOF-MDFO) and the local government unit of Manukan, Zamboanga del Norte to implement a P42-million farm-to-market road to promote sustainable development in the said municipality. Provincial Agrarian Reform Program Officer II (PARPO II) Moh. Dassan J. Adju said the infrastructure projects include the concreting of 2.5-kilometer Lingatongan-Meses and 4-kilometer Gupot farm-to-market roads, costing P14,386,619 and P27,748,679, respectively. “The roads aim to promote sustainable development and help achieve a more rapid reduction in poverty as
January-March 2015
EDITORIAL STAFF Editors-in-Chief GLORIA M. SARACHO MA. SOCORRO C. REAMBONANZA
Assistant Editor SUZETTE T. LOTA
Contributing Editors SHANIE P. JACINTO LAILANIE VIC S. VALDEZ CHRISTINE MAE V. BOMES ARNETTE COMIQUE JOHN LLOYD CABABAT
Editorial Consultants ENGR. FELIX B. AGUHOB Regional Director
ATTY. RAMON E. MADROÑAL, JR. PARPO II Moh. Dassan Adju and Mayor Enriquita U. Winers sign the Memorandum of Agreement for the P 42.13 million farm-to-market -road in Manukan, Zamboanga del Norte
these projects will enable farmers’ access to transport their goods to various markets with ease and give them more time to cultivate their farms,” Adju said. These infrastructure projects are in consonance with DAR’s thrust to continually deliver inten-
sive support services to agrarian reform beneficiaries and other farmers in the agrarian reform community. The event was spearheaded by Manukan town Mayor Enriquita U. Winters and PARPO Adju with other DAR and LGU officials.
MOA signing on the P42 million farm-to-market road for Manukan, Zamboanga del Norte.
ARD for ADMIN. & Legal Services
ENGR. AGNES Y. MAATA ARD for LTS/TASS For inquiries, please write or call the DAR Regional Office IX, Veterans Avenue Extension, Zamboanga City Telephone No. (062) 955-2155 Email add: dar_reg9@yahoo.com.ph