Volume 15 No. 4
October-December 2017
4th Quarter
DAR-9 Regional Director Battles Land Conversion Issues
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AMBOANGA CITY – Julita A. Ragandang, CESO III, Regional Director of the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) stood on a podium, responding to questions on land conversion hurled at her by members of the Sangguniang Panglungsod (SP), in a session in this city. Ragandang was called in a meet- connection with the conversion of irriing with the councilmen here in gated ricelands vis-à-vis zoning and reclassification of these lands in areas covered within the land use plan of the
DAR, IFAD program ups pace in 2018
PROJECT ConVERGE, implemented by the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) and funded by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), gained its “momentum” by the tail end of 2017, according to the findings of the recent Supervision and Implementation Support (SIS) Mission. Continue to page 2
city. Land use plan is part of the Zamboanga City Ordinance, passed by the local Council in 1978 which up to now, strongly emphasizes that lands under the declared industrial – 3 (1-3) Zone are subject for conversion. Prior to the Sangguniang session held earlier,
DAR IX Regional Director Julita A. Ragandang
there were series of consultations, inspections and validations of lots categorized under the aforesaid zone. In a one-page letter to Director Ragandang dated February 27, 2013 from Atty. Bernardino C. Ferrer of the City Legal Office, with its supplemental attachment of the 2012 letter to the City Planning and Development Coordinator, it states, among others, that lots within the 500 lineal meters covering the Old Zamboanga to Labuan Road were already classified as Industrial 3 (1-3) Zone. The letter also mentioned that lot 3-A-5 which is enclosed within the specified land location along 500 lineal meter – road is classified under Article III, Section 3.H.1 of the City Zoning Ordinance No. 29 series of 1978. The City Council had been banking on such category for the specified lot. Continue to page 7
DAR-ZDS- PAHP DAR takes Buug coco farmers to oil production plants small coconut farmers from turns over P278 NINETEEN Buug town in Zamboanga Sibugay province brought recently by the Department of Project to ARBOs were Agrarian Reform (DAR) to two oil processRead story on page 3
ing plants in Misamis Occidental and Zamboanga del Norte provinces to help them explore possible markets for their dried coconut kernel products locally known as copra. Farmer-leaders representing the various farmers’ associations in Buug town along with representatives from DAR and and the Local Government Unit of Buug were privileged to visit two privately-owned plants as part of the intervention of DAR under its LinkSFarM project or Continue to page 6
Small coconut farmers from Buug town in Zamboanga Sibugay and some officials and personnel from DAR led by PARPO II Atty. Judith Patriarca-Mantos pose during their visit to an oil processing plant in Roxas town in Zamboanga del Norte.
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October-December 2017
DAR, IFAD program... (from page 1) The observation was a result of the SIS Mission, series of farm visits and dialogues with farmers and stakeholders, conducted last December 7 to 13 in Zamboanga Region for the Project Convergence on Value Chain for Rural Growth Empowerment (ConVERGE). The report based on the assessment of IFAD officials and representatives stated that “With [the] procurement moving in the third quarter of this year, project [ConVERGE] has begun to gather momentum.” Further, the report says that the project is “expecting to pick-up speed during the first quarter of 2018 when the 2017 investments in infrastructure and VCs [value chain] are completed.” Regional Director Julita Ragandang said that just as in any program, they had the prior years dedicated to improve the implementation scheme. “There are necessary challenges to address in the adjustment of the project to directly answer the actual gaps in the enterprises of our farmers in the first few years, and we have ironed out these issues prior to midterm,” Ragandang said. The range of the discussions during the week-long activity included the current farming cycle and the farmer’s immediate needs to ensure that the trainings and procurements are the utmost needs of the beneficiaries. Among the areas visited were Mahayag and Aurora in Zamboanga del Sur, Tampilisan in Zamboanga del
Tumbali gets a go at one of the steps of processing rubber in the Philippine Pioneer Rubber Products Corporation processing plant in Zamboanga Sibugay.
Norte, and Kabasalan and RT Lim in Zamboanga Sibugay, where both heads of IFAD and DAR met with the Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries of the province. Meetings with the Local Government Units were done to explain further the plans for the rural infrastructure subprojects which the prior will be executing. The region has a total of 94 hectares Communal Irrigation System (CIS) construction in
IFAD Country Programme Officer Jerry Pacturan tries his hand on rubber tapping in one of the rubber plantations in Barangay. Good Year, Kabasalan, Zamboanga Sibugay.
Aurora, and 8.73 kilometers of farmto-marketroads (FMR) in Mahayag and Tambulig of Zamboanga del Sur and Godod in Zamboanga del Norte. Following last year’s preparation of documentary requirements, the construction for all subprojects will commence by first quarter of this year and is expected to be finished by end of 2018. Comprising the IFAD Mission team which assessed Region 9 were
Engr. Ike Payumo, RI Consultant; Gomer Tumbali, IFAD Country Programme Specialist; Atty. Art Tantuan, Procurement Specialist and Rhya Dalludung, NEDA Senior Economic Development Officer. The supervision and implementation support (SIS) mission is conducted by IFAD annually to review the progress of the project against its annual plan and budget. Continue to page 3
(Second from left) RI Consultant Ike Payumo, Honorable Mayor Emmanuel Palma II, National Project Director Faisar Mambuay, DAR-9 Regional Director Julita Ragandang, IFAD Programme Specialist Gomer Tumbali and Assistant Director Agnes Y. Maata, officially unveil the 94-hectare CIS in Aurora, Zamboanga del Sur.
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DAR, IFAD program... (from page 2) It also aims to identify implementation issues and bottlenecks and recommend solutions for the operating units to adapt. Aside from region 9, representatives from IFAD also visited the region 10 and 13 last December for the same purpose. About Project ConVERGE Project Convergence on Value Chain and Rural Growth Enterprise (ConVERGE) is the 15th project of IFAD in the Philippines. Its goal is to contribute to the reduction of poverty incidence in 10 target provinces of Regions IX, X, and CARAGA through
the promotion of sustainable livelihood activities based on key commodities, such as rice, rubber, coffee, cassava, and coco sugar which are deemed competitive in the areas. Project ConVERGE, which will run until 2020, has a total project cost of P2.28 billion. A portion of this amount will come from loan proceeds and also from the National Government through DAR and local government units (LGUs). Farmers, on the other hand, are also expected to have their own counterpart in terms of labor, and a minimal sum in monetary form.
The IFAD mission team, together with DAR Norte staff and PARPO II Mohammad Dassan Adju (fourth from right) and ARDO Agnes Y. Maata (second from right), speaks with Felipe Dunduyano (in orange), manager of one of the pilot farms in Tampilisan, Zamboanga del Norte.
About IFAD The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), a specialized agency of the United Nations, was established as an international financial institution in 1977 as one of the major outcomes of the 1974 World Food Conference. IFAD is dedicated to eradicating rural poverty in developing countries. Seventy-five per cent of the world's poorest people - 1.4 billion women, children and men - live in rural areas and depend on agriculture and related activities for their livelihoods. More information, visit www.IFAD.org
RD Julita Ragandang during the unveiling of the 1km FMR road in Zamboanga del Sur.
IFAD Mission team leader Ike Payumo (rightmost) heads a dialogue with ARBOs and LGUS in Tampilisan, Zamboanga del Norte.
DAR-ZDS-PAHP turns over P278,000 Project to ARBOs THE DEPARTMENT of Agrarian Reform in the province of Zamboanga Del Sur granted a P278,000 worth of project under the Partnership Against Hunger and Poverty (PAHP) that comprises of one set Unit Cultivator and Water Pump each to the two Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Organizations (ARBOs) in Josefina and San Miguel, on November 23, 2017. The recipients of the project are the Mag-uuma sa Lower Bogo Calabat Multi-Purpose Cooperative (MLBCMPC) of Josefina, and the San Miguel Cluster Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Cooperative of San Miguel. Provincial Agrarian Reform Program Officer (PARPO) II Arturo N. Soria said that DAR Zamboanga del Sur will always help and support the
ARBOs. He added that an additional two units of water pumps are expected to be granted to them. He enjoined the groups to be courageous and strive hard to hurdle hunger and poverty. He added that the grants are additional assets to the ARBOs. Soria is optimistic that this will augment the farmers’ family income by boosting and making their vegetable production profitable. Engr. Josephine G. Sisican, Chief of Program Beneficiaries Development Division, presented the project profiles. She said that the granted machineries are added assets to the ARBOs. She also announced that a series of trainings, budgeted at P200 thousand under DAR-PAHP has been appropriated for the ARBOs. “This is to
institutionally and technically capacitate and assist our ARBOs to manage their ventures”, she added. The Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) signifying the ARBOs commitment to do their roles and responsibilities for project sustainability was then discussed by Sisican. The MOA was signed by PARPO II Soria, Municipal Mayor Hon. Catalino A. Adapon, Bogo Calabat Brgy. Chairman Hon. Paulino C. Usaiz and MLBCMPC Chairman Cerelo Titoy The signing was witnessed by MARPO Juan Velasco at Bogo Calabat, Josefina, ZDS. For the municipality of San Miguel, the MOA was signed by Sanggunian Bayan member Oliver Ocapan, Municipal Social Welfare and
Development Officer Julita S. Jurado and SMCARBC Chairwoman Ledenia P. Talitayan. The DAR is confident that the project will have an impact on the lives of the farmers since the Program is technically supported by the Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Food Organization and is implemented in coordination with DAR, the DSWD and the Department of Agriculture. DAR Head Soria and PBDD Chief Sisican are positive that this endeavor will create greater synergy with the rural communities in engaging the poor households to improve their income, enhance capital while addressing hunger, promoting good health and alleviating poverty.
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Dialogue with the bene Beneficiaries Multi-Pu implementation suppor Pacturan, Programme Assistant Regional Dir the MARPOs of the mu
Turn-over of community-managed potable water supply, sanitation and hygiene project of DAR to Malandi Patalon Zamboanga City Agrarian Reform Association.. The project aimed to enhance and upgrade the quality of water resources in Patalon, Zamboanga City where a number of farmer-beneficiaries reside.
Photos taken during the LinkSFarm Cluster Leaders Exploration of New Markets for Copra held last November 10-12 in Roxas, Zamboanga del Norte and Jimenez, Misamis Occidental with DAR-Zamboanga Sibugay officials and personnel and the small coconut farmers of Buug, Zamboanga Sibugay.
PARPO II Mohammad program established b business operations pr
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eficiaries and stakeholders of Project Convergence on Value Chain Enhancement for Rural Growth and Empowerment as well as a visit at the rubber plantation of Goodyear Agrarian Reform urpose Cooperative held today in Kabasalan town, Zamboanga Sibugay in order to assess the status of project implementation in the province. The activity is part of the supervision and rt mission conducted by the International Fund for Agricultural Development, the funding institution of Project ConVERGE. IFAD was represented by its Country Programme Officer Jerry e Management Specialist Gomer Tumbali and RI Consultant Ike Payumo. Other guests and key officials who participated in the activity include NEDA representative RhyaDalludung, rector Engr. Agnes Maata, PARPO II Atty. Judith Patriarca-Mantos, PARPO I ElizardoVillaseca, VC Specialist Allan Olavides, MLO representatives Josie Arevalo and Malena Vasquez and unicipalities comprising the Salipyasin ARC Cluster.
d Dassan J. Adju speaks during the graduation of 30 farmers from the Municipality of Jose Dalman, Zamboanga del Norte who graduated from the Farm Business School (FBS) training by the Department of Agrarian Reform in partnership with the Department of Agriculture and the Local Government of Jose Dalman to develop the farmer’s farm enterprise and make their rofitable.
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October-December 2017
DAR–ZDS Grants P247,000 Water Reservoir to KARUWASA THE DEPARTMENT of Agrarian Reform, Zamboanga del Sur granted a water reservoir worth P247,000 under its Bottom Up Budgeting (BUB) project to the Kalian Rural Water System Association (KARUWASA) through the Margosatubig municipal local government unit and the barangay Kalian local government units in Kalian, Margosatubig on November 3, 2017. The reservoir can contain up to 40 cubic meter or 40 thousand liters of potable water. With this, 507 more households are supplied with potable water. This is the demand driven felt needs of the residents. Arturo N. Soria Provincial Agrarian Reform Program Officer (PARPO) II, Engr. Josephine G. Sisican, Program Beneficiaries Development Division
Chief and Municipal Agrarian Reform Program Officer Venerando Dumandan recalled that KARUWASA in the year 2003, was granted a water system with a reservoir and tap - stands and later was installed with water connections to individual households and institutions. This was funded under DAR’s - Belgian Integrated Agrarian Reform Support Programme (BIARSP). Sangguniang Panlalawigan Board Member Edward Pintac, through Patrick Pintac, Mayor Roy Encallado, Brgy. Captain Constancio Alambatin and KARUWASA Chairman Eleno Gallardo are grateful for the second reservoir granted to KARUWASA through BUB. With the DAR Officials they hope that the project will be preserved to benefit not only the present but also the next
DAR takes Buug... (from page 1) Linking Smallholder Farmers to Markets last November 10 and 11, 2017. The Municipality of Buug is the pilot area in Zamboanga Sibugay where LinkSFarM is being implemented. The project benefited the coconut farmers and farmers’ associations from the said town through capacity building, marketing assistance and agricultural extension. In an interview, Elizardo Villaseca, Provincial Agrarian Reform Program Officer I,said that LinkSFarM is a nationwide project of DAR which aims to empower farmers into becoming agro-entrepreneurs. He explained that clustering of farmers in the said town was made so as to ensure that a bigger volume of copra will be produced and sold by the coop-consolidator from the copra delivered by the individual farmers. The Del Monte Coconut Farmers Credit Cooperative (DELCOFACCO) is the integrator who will lead the other organizations not only throughout the project implementation but also after. The team first visited the Third Millenium Oil Mills, Inc. (TMOMI) in Jimenez, Misamis Occidental. According to Mr. Alvin Dagandang, one of the company’s managing heads, TMOMI started its operations in 2000 and was established to venture into the business of crushing copra to produce crude coconut oil. Today, the company has expanded
its business to include the production of copra expeller cake and pellets aside from its engagement in coconut shell buying. With over 15 years of lively presence in the coco oil industry, the company has already established good relations with its clients and is now actively supplying the Philippine market as well as the export markets including Europe, Asia and the United States. The group likewise went to Roxas, Zamboanga del Norte to visit the Wilmar Edible Oils Philippines Inc. (WEOPI), one of the country’s largest producer and exporter of high-grade quality coconut oil products. WEOPI’s Finance and Human Resource Officer, Mildred Cinco, said that the company is ISO-certified whose business is into the production and refinery of crude coconut oil, bleach (Cochin) oil, copra extraction meal or pellets and bleached anddeodorized edible oil. Provincial Agrarian Reform Program Officer II Atty. Judith Patriarca-Mantos, who led the group during the conduct of the market exploration, viewed the activity as an opportunity for the farmers in the coconut sector to explore, link and tie-up with bigger markets for their copra. She urged the farmers to seriously take the project as at will help them alleviate from where they are now. LinkSFarm Provincial Point Person Carol Maruhomadil facilitated the conduct of the 2-day learning activity along with Buug MARPO, Lorna Salera.
generations. The Memorandum of Agreement on the roles and responsibilities and commitment for project sustainability was then discussed by Engr. Sisican. This was signed by PARPO II Soria, Hon. Encallado and KARUWASA Chairman Gallardo and witnessed by MARPO Dumandan and Hon. Alambatin. KARUWASA has now a total assets of P1.2 million. The project recipients are happy as the proceeds of the second reservoir will augment their
daily income. They committed to administer, operate, take care and maintain the project. To have a sense of ownership, the recipients pledged to pay monthly water fees for ready system repair and sustainability funds. The Kalian second water reservoir shows that DAR – ZDS is progressively addressing the needs of its beneficiaries to ease their lives, safeguard their health and empower their associations to further prosper their communities and develop the countryside.
CPWASH Project for Zamboanga del Norte A PARTNERSHIP development program cate an amount for the construction of the between the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) and the local government of Mutia in Zamboanga del Norte will soon provide clean water through the Community-Managed Potable Water Supply and Hygiene Project (CPWASH) and construct a handicraft center through Village-Level Farm Focused Enterprise Development (VLFED) to the farmer residents in barangays San Miguel, Tinglan and Buenasuerte. Mohammad Dassan J. Adju, Provincial Agrarian Reform Program Officer II (PARPO) and Mayor Arthur C. Tenorio who recently led the signing of the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) and ceremonial ground breaking urged the project recipients to unite and give value to the support services implemented by DAR to the agrarian reform communities. Under the MOA, the DAR will allo-
facilities and conduct trainings and technology while the LGU counterpart is for the labor cost and livelihood activities. Adju added that the handicraft center is a continuing thrust to strengthen the agri-enterprise and sustain the productivity of the awarded lands of the agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs). The CPWASH project on the other hand aims to augment the existing barangay water supply facility and improve their health and sanitation program. The three barangay recipients were represented by their respective chairman namely, Rene S. Embang, Edgar D. Manlud and Efren R. Buntag. They were also joined by Provincial Science and Technology Director Merilyn M. Cadag, Municipal Agrarian Reform Officer Anjanette Nemiaga, VLFED Point Person Eva T. Soropia and CPWASH PP Ryan E. Monleon.
DAR and the local government officials headed by PARPO II Mohammad Dassan J. Adju and Mayor Arthur Tenorio led the groundbreaking ceremony for the CPWASH project in Mutia, Zamboanga del Norte. The project aims to augment the existing barangay water supply facility and improve their health and sanitation program in the agrarian community.
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Zamboanga City ARBs benefit from DAR’s CPWASH project GONE ARE the days when residents of Malandi and Patalon in Zamboanga City were worried and felt unsafe of the water they are using or even drinking. Last November 25, 2017, the Department of Agrarian Reform in Zamboanga Sibugay turned-over to Malandi Patalon Zamboanga City Agrarian Reform Association (MAPZACARA) three units of water sanitation facilities under the Community-Managed Potable Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (CPWASH) project implemented by the agency. Weeks prior to the turn-over ceremony, an orientation and joint planning workshop on CPWASH was conducted by DAR and participated by the association’s officers and members. The said activity aimed to enlighten the participants on the importance of water sanitation, giving them insights on low-cost sanitation facilities needed in their community, briefing them of the scheme they will engage into through their cooperative, and bestowing upon them the privelege to identify and select the particular type of packages they wish to be installed as part of the project. CPWASH likewise aimed to enhance and upgrade the quality of water resources in selected communities needing it the most.
Photo shows PARPO II Atty. Judith Patriarca-Mantos and CARPO-PBDD Floripes Lagutin doing the ceremonial cutting of ribbon of the turned-over water sanitation facilities in MAPZACARA.
The project includes the construction of low-cost sanitation structures or facilities such as two units of Rain Water Collector and
one unit of Iron-Removal Filter. Rain Water Collector will be used for accumulating and storing rainwater for drinking, livestock, irrigation and
other typical uses while iron-removal filter is an iron, pathogens and other impurities removing structure. Continue to page 8
DAR-9 Regional Director... (from page 1) Incidentally, Lot 3-A-5 is “legally” owned by the Rowell Can Corporation (RCC) which bears a transfer title and is situated at Barangay Talisayan, this city. CEASE and DESIST ORDER On May 13, 2015, The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) Region 9 wrote a letter to the Legal Counsel of Rowell Can Corporation (RCC) ordering the termination of land filling activities. DAR anchored its basis of judgment on the provisions of Malacanang Administrative Order No. 20, Series of 1992 which states that “all agricultural lands classified hereunder shall not be subject to and non-negotiable for conversion and that there is no application for the on-go-
ing development filed with the City Government”. Likewise, the DAR’s issuance of a Cease and Desist Order was an offshoot from the complaint and report of Talisayan Pamucutan and Camacop Irrigators Association (TPCIA), in order to prevent grave and irreparable damage or injury, maintain peace and order, and prevent further loss of life and property to the subject landholding. The DAR Order likewise stated, that since there are existing landholdings surrounding the lot as irrigated and agricultural, the DAR Regional Director declared that the property is agricultural and “therefore it is non-negotiable for conversion for industrial use since the same is within the irrigable areas of Na-
tional Irrigation Administration (NIA)”, the letter reads. However, in June 2015 RCC’s Legal Counsel wrote a letter to the DAR Regional Director Felix B. Aguhob categorically denying allegations of “unlawful acts which can be construed as premature conversion of the subject landholding”. Aguhob had been the Regional Director of DAR IX with a brief 22 months of assignment, since 2015. RCC’s denial was based purportedly on the permit applied from the office of City Government in 2011 and on the ground that the Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board (HLURB) Legal Services Group opined that the subject property of RCC “squarely falls within
the Industrial – 3 Zone for heavy industrial areas or highly pollutive industries”. The HLURB’s opinion based its declaration from the 1978 Zoning Ordinance No. 29. DAR Regional Director Ragandang, debunking the argument of the City Council, reiterated and expressed support of her present stand by saying that “whether the land is covered or not, if it is irrigated, regardless who is the land owner – whether the government owns it, it has to undergo conversion process”. “However, the most important thing to consider is that the intention of the law under Section 65 of RA 6657 is to preserve prime agricultural lands”, Ragandang added.
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DAR-9 turns over P60-Million ARCP II Project to Zamboanga del Norte
4th Quarter
EDITORIAL STAFF Editors-in-Chief GLORIA M. SARACHO MA. SOCORRO C. REAMBONANZA
Contributing Editors SHANIE P. JACINTO MAY CHRISTINE V. BOMES JOHN LLOYD CABABAT KATRIN ANNE A. ARCALA LAILANIE VIC S. VALDEZ
Editorial Consultants JULITA A. RAGANDANG, CESO III Turn-over ceremony for the rural infrastructure project in Siocon, Zamboanga del Norte with a total project cost of P61,376,838 million spearheaded by the DAR and the local government officials(L-R) MARO Rosalia Hornejas, PARPO II Mohammad Dassan J. Adju, Provl Government Executive Assistant Praxides Rubia, Mayor Julius Lobrigas and the end users represented by the barangay chairmen.
THE DEPARTMENT of Agrarian Reform (DAR) has recently turned over to the Siocon local government unit two infrastructure projects amounting to more than P60 million in an effort to improve the economic condition of the farming communities in the municipality. Provincial Agrarian Reform Program Officer II Mohammad Dassan J. Adju said that the infrastructure projects
under the Agrarian Reform Community Project II funded by the Asian Development Bank aims to develop farm efficiency, mobility of farm products and improve the quality of life of the farmers. Mayor Julius S. Lobrigas thanked the DAR for continuously providing livelihood opportunities to the residents of Siocon through the convenience of the infrastructure projects. The Rehabilitation of Lituban Communal
Irriigation System has a total project cost of P43,422,396.41 while the concreting of JNR Pangian-Greenridge farm-to-market road has a total fund support of P17, 954,441.59. Other key officials present in the ceremony were MARO Rosalia Hornejas, Executive Assistant of the Provincial Government Praxides Rubia and Municipal Agriculturist Cristita Micubo.
Zamboanga City ARBs... (from page 7) The project is a participative undertaking as it involves the participation of the would-be-beneficiaries for the realization of the project such that a few of them were sponsored to join a hands-on training on the procedure of making the identified projects. They in turn,
then acted as Para-Engineers during the actual method of crafting the said projects. Atty. Judith Patriarca-Mantos, Provincial Agrarian Reform Program Officer II said thatpotable drinking water is needed in the community and that the project is a big help to the
recipient farmers. On the part of MAPZACARA, the recipient association members thanked DAR for the project which benefited not only them but their families as well and gave the assurance to maintain and sustain the project. The constructed sanitation
Regional Director
ATTY. RAMON E. MADROĂ‘AL, JR. 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
structures cost P50,000. The turn-over activity was also attended by PBDD-CARPOs Floripes Lagutin and Anthony Teves, MARPO Isidra Alido, Engr. Andrey Vale and DARMO staff inc l u d i n g Ay d a R e y e s a n d B a s i r Harun.