Project Proponent: Kasanyangan Rural Development Foundation, Inc. (KRDFI)

Project Title :  Enhancing the Tribal Banwaon Cooperative Towards Social and Economic Development

Site Location: Barangay Binicalan, San Luis, Agusan del Sur

Type/Sector: Socio-Economic Development / Indigenous Peoples

Background:

This Project intends to uplift the socio-economic conditions of some 600 indigenous households in Barangay Binicalan, San Luis, Agusan del Sur. The Banwaon Farmers Multi-Purpose Cooperative, Inc. (BMPCI), a duly registered Cooperative and recognized local community organization within the barangay, is the beneficiary organization. BMPCI has 200 active members from 20 sitios.

Binicalan is a remote barangay located 60 kilometers of inaccessible terrain from the town center of San Luis and 97 kilometers away from the provincial capital, Prosperidad. The remoteness and inaccessibility of the barangay has forced Service Providers to stay away from the barangay and its surrounding areas. Hence, the existing BMPCI Cooperative became the partner local organization and strengthened by the Proponent two years ago as a development strategy for community development and in promoting the IP agenda under IPRA’s programme, the ADSDPP. Binicalan is the CADC barangay of San Luis, Agusan del Sur that comprise CADC158. The CADC 158 profile has been prepared through Participatory Rapid Appraisal which then proceeded to the creation of Technical Working Group to start the conversion process from CADC to CADT and the formulation of the Ancestral Domain Sustainable Development and Protection Plan (ADSDPP). In 2005 comes the launching and implementation of Alternative School (SIKAT) for youths and students of Banwaon tribe. Leaders were trained in some aspects of leadership, coop trainings and project feasibility study preparations.

The project is significant and appropriate particularly in relation to the Banwaon tribe in Binicalan. Considered as a breakthrough in terms of owning and managing their business enterprises that has been at the mercy of rattan Dicers and Traders, the Project envisaged the building of collective confidence in marketing their semi-processed rattan poles through the Coop. It opens opportunity in engaging with different development actors who were once beyond reach due to area’s remoteness/inaccessibility.  The Project supplements the local government’s service delivery. The social services: alternative school, water project and continuing Coop education are now accessible. The BMPCI expressed to nurture and manage the multiple projects they believe are what has been deprived to them. The tribe has discussed critical problems such as accessing social services, the lack of safe drinking water, and economic opportunities for the tribe’s well being. The absence of safe drinking water for example has caused a diarrhea outbreak in 2006 killing 39 people and sent 100 other individuals severely ill in the area.

The three year old SIKAT school installed during the NMCIREMP implementation continue to teach Banwaon tribe’s indigenous knowledge, skills and practices. Local Datu’s and Bae’s impart their wisdom, knowledge to the youth and children enrolled.  Site infrastructures in three sitios need major repairs for the safety and welfare of the IP students and additional classrooms are badly needed to accommodate the 200 youths and children attending alternative learning sessions. The roof of one SIKAT infrastructure also needs major repairs.
To improve the socio-economic conditions in the area, the Banwaon cooperative seeks to expand its operations with three (3) intertwining enterprises namely:

• Consumer cooperative satellite store to serve one of the farthest three sitios of the barangay.  The Banwaons would be able to access basic household goods and items and would be able to save a lot of time and effort in trekking the 15 kilometers to the barangay center. The two (2) other sitios – Galong-galong and Mintakee, will have their satellite consumer store later whenever the BMPCI’s savings and earnings.

• Rattan Pole Semi-Processing and Marketing. Considered to be the main product of Binicalan, Rattan (uway) is abundant in the barangay and in the nearby areas. It has been reported that the barangay supply 80% of the rattan poles in the province. The average monthly rattan pole production per sitio is 6,000 during peak months and 2,000/month for lean months.Total annual estimated volume of rattan poles (peak and lean months) is pegged at 160,000. The Binicalan pole gatherer haul 3 trips per week for peak season – (October to March) where a total of 5 trips per month is observed. One trip per week for lean months of April to September. However, raw rattan poles fetch cheap farm gate prices. The Banwaon Cooperative aims to supply a semi-processed rattan poles to Cebu at a higher price index. The coop aims to do this by acquiring a Rattan Sizing and Stripper Machine and consolidate the rattan pole supply of the members. The coop expects that this additional process will generate higher prices and higher income returns for the tribal Banwaon families. BMPCI started to familiarize the marketing of their rattan products via local traders’ introduction to Cebu buyers. It has been their practice to “ride-on” with other Coop downstream. Reflecting on the mechanics of what they have observed, the Coop decided to find their way to market their product direct to Cebu buyers.

• Transport Service. Due to the difficult terrain, transportation vehicles to carry passengers and transport goods are few and costly. The coop seeks to acquire a 10-wheeler truck known commonly in the area as the Sadam vehicle. It has been acknowledged that this type of 10-wheeler truck is the most appropriate for transporting cargo goods, primarily rattan poles, and for ferrying passengers as well. It has also been highly recommended that certain portions of the road in the barangay need repairs badly. This will not only be advantageous for the trading of rattan farm products from the area but it will be also highly beneficial to students and other commuters using the road on a daily basis. BMPCI will continue their working relationship with the municipal government for the road repairs.

Problems to be addressed:

1.    Insufficient and unsafe drinking water. The diarrhea outbreak in 2006 that killed 39 lives and affected more than 100 individuals was traced to unsanitary drinking water. Residents collect water for domestic use and drink in open springs and rivers. The water was contaminated with human waste due to the absence sanitary toilets. Children collect spring water early in the morning far from their homes and could be exposed in harms way as well as miss their school. The provincial and municipal governments had constructed six (6) six units of spring box water system in the area, however, two (2) more spring box water system units are needed to complete the seven (7) affected sitios during the diarrhea outbreak. The spring boxes will be installed in sitios of Galong-galong (27 HH) and Pigdusuan (70 HH) or a total of 97 HH beneficiaries.

2.    Poor and lack of School Buildings. The indigenous peoples’ organization in Binicalan started to embark on Alternative Learning System, or the SIKAT. To date, they have 200 students. The roof is made of light materials and some portions of the roof had seen better days and rain and sun gets into the classroom. Classes have been put on hold from time to time to keep the students from safe from weather and the elements. Additional SIKAT rooms are also needed in two other satellite sitios to accommodate the number of students.

3.    Very high cost of transportation due to inaccessibility of farm to market roads. The scarcity of transport service to the barangay and outlying sitios from the town center in San Luis drives single mortorcycles or habal-habal and the occasional Sadam-type vehicle to service the area at exorbitant rates. Transportation cost P3,000.00 per person for a full round trip to the barangay from the town center and P30,000 for a round trip utilizing the Sadam-type of vehicle. The 10 wheeler trucks are used normally to transport goods and farm products and, sometimes, for urgent trips like bringing critically sick people to hospitals. Private vehicles enter the barangay only during harvest season to pick-up farm products peddled by outside buyers and traders. It takes at least a day or two to reach barangay Binicalan by foot coming from San Luis town center. The Banwaon Cooperative intends to purchase one unit of Sadam-type vehicle, which could serve as an income-generating and self-sustaining project for the Cooperative.

4.    Low farm gate price for local rattan product (uway). Binicalan is known as a supplier of rattan pole products in the province. Eighty (80%) per cent of the rattan supply of the province comes from the barangay. Traders come to Binicalan to purchase uway poles at P 27.00 per pole (big ones) and for smaller ones, P17.00 per piece of pole. Farmers want to semi-process the rattan product by using a Rattan sizing with stripping machine which will derive higher prices. With the sizing machine, farmers will be able to cut production cost, improve the quality of rattan poles and earn higher incomes.