Welcome

Welcome to the MuCAARD-UK website.  Please look around and find out more about who we are and what we do.

MuCAARD-UK supports community based development organisations in developing countries to improve the lives of disadvantaged groups; enabling them to grow hope, gain confidence and strengthen their capabilities through non-violent action.

Registered Charity No. 1119065

Support us with donations and when shopping online:

Charity Website Hosting provided by 34sp.com

About us

MuCAARD has shown that impoverished people are resilient and resourceful, and with support, can work their way out of poverty and conflict. MuCAARD-UK is committed to supporting them in any way that they can with the limited, but generous gifts we receive. However to maintain this impact we need new avenues of support, either for one off projects or for more regular funding.

MuCAARD is a unique organisation, jointly set up by Muslims and Christians to work together for peace and development on the island of Mindanao in the Philippines.

The key to the work of MuCAARD is peace and sustainability.  Our aim is the  building of sustainable communities by increasing skills and capacity and by encouraging self help.

MuCAARD-UK is a Registered Charity  established in 2007 to raise money to support the work of MuCAARD in the Philippines.

MuCAARD Mindanao has been in existence since 1984.   It is a government registered NGO*.  It has a fine track record in co-coordinating projects carried out by its partner Member Teams:-

  • BISAP – Bukidnon Integrated Services Assistance Program Inc. situated in Damulog, Bukidnon.
  • CoSEED – Community Services for Education and Economic Development Inc. in Vincenzo  Sagun,  Zamboanga del Sur
  • POM – Panginam O Masa Inc. situated in Balindong, Lanao del Sur
  • RIAP – Ranao Integrated Assistance Programme Inc. in Marawi City but serving Lanao del Sur and Lanao del Norte

The areas of work for MuCAARD Mindanao are:

  • Peace Building between communities which have been divided through their cultural traditions and mutual suspicions and to bring harmony where discord has previously developed into conflict.
  • Sustainable Livelihoods enabling rural communities to implement projects to protect conserve and rehabilitate the environment together with providing economic growth.
  • Environmental Protection with projects such as the Kahoy Project and mangrove reforestation, which not only provides environmental protection for the local area in countering soil erosion and land degradation but also contributes to the global fight against Climate Change.
  • Good Governance and NGO-GO cooperation to encourage genuine partnership between community and local government,which is also a key to peace building
  • Disaster Risk Management – to reduce the toll of disasters through community participation in pre disaster risk reduction planning and strategies, emergency response and post-disaster rehabilitation and reconstruction.

Support us now

 

*Official address: 11th-15th Streets, Nazareth Subdivision, Cagayan de Oro City Misamis Oriental, Philippines.

Current Projects

Here is a list of our current projects, for further details please see Linda’s Blog and the update pages.

Banana Chips
Over the past year there has been intense interest from China in Bukidnon identifying seven products which Bukidnon can produce – pork, coffee, banana chips, rubber, bamboo, abaca and biomass generating stations – of which banana chips, rubber and bamboo were products that BISAP has been promoting.
Romy and BISAP were invited to attend a meeting of the Banana Industrial Development Association of Bukidnon (BIDAB).  They needed someone with community-based organizing skills.  At the end of the meeting Romy was invited to join the Technical Working Group of BIDAB and in September he was elected as Chair of BIDAB. BIDAB participated in the China International Fair on Investment and Trade (CIFIT) through an internet Webinar and a slide presentation based on BIDAB’s project proposal.    As a result three Chinese firms whether inquired if BIDAB could supply 30,000 kilos of banana chips every month!
We did not receive any investment offer in plantation development and in the establishment of an automated and modernized processing plant.  Without these, we could not produce the banana chips.  We have kept our silence with the Chinese inquiry.  But in mid-November, we had a visit from two Chinese businessmen.  One of them claimed that he was representing the company that inquired about the 28,000-kilo quota per month.  We told them BIDAB is composed of small cottage industry entrepreneurs.  Without external investments, we could not meet the demand for banana chips because we didn’t have the needed plantation nor a mechanized processing plant.  The meeting didn’t go anywhere because the mandate of the representative and his friend was focused on the purchase of banana chips.  They had no authority to discuss about investments in plantation development and processing plants.  At the moment, we are setting aside the China market.  It is unrealistically too big for us to handle.

MuCAARD-UK gave us funds to purchase and plant 5,000 suckers.  This is being carried out by an Indigenous Peoples (IP) group in San Fernando, Tigwahanon neg Kaduson to Batasan (TKB) in Bukidnon  There are small farmers in Damulog, Don Carlos, Maramag, Valencia, San Fernando, Lantapan (and Malaybalay – soon) who are planting the jumbo cardava variety of banana.  Twin Harvest Farmers Foundation in Maramag and BISAP have project proposals pending with Department of Agriculture, Region X.  We are expecting a reply in early January.  Both our proposals are for plantation and processing developments.
BIDAB has also been offered by Central Mindanao University 15 hectares where we can plant jumbo cardava.

This is the variety for producing banana chips.  It also offered another 10 hectares for a banana chips processing plant within an area it has designated as “Tourism Economic Zone Area” (TEZA).  On Sunday 27 December, BIDAB formally accepted the offer and hopefully our proposal with the Dept of Agriculture will be also be approved.

BISAP is keeping pace with the growth of the local markets.  In Damulog, we have four women who have been trained and can now produce banana chips.

We are producing and selling to the local market four flavours: natural, sweetened, cheese and sour cream.  With our lack of resources, we are moving very slowly but we are definitely moving forward.

BISAP: Rubber
(Approximately 10 years ago we planted a hectare of rubber trees on our small farm.  But the price of rubber cup lumps is low and volatile.  There were even times when the Lando, the caretaker of the farm, and I agreed that the price was too low and it was not worth tapping the trees.)
Rubber is also of interest to the Chinese. To cut a long story short Romy was invited to attend a meeting of BRIDA (Bukidnon Rubber Industry Development) despite having no previous involvement (or knowledge) of the organisation.  When the meeting started Romy was astonished to discover that the first item on the agenda was to elect Romy as the Chairperson on BRIDA. Despite his protestations the members were insistent that he could ‘handle it’ and they promised to support him.
The farmers from the village of Kiraon, Damulog were the ones who pushed Romy to do something about the rubber industry.  They are very supportive of the BISAP  community health insurance scheme programme locally known as PuLPuG.  In spite of the pandemic they continue to meet every month, keep up their contribution to the common fund and are the first organized group to participate in the jumbo cardava banana chips project.  They are happy with the banana project, but they would be happier if I could do something about the price of the rubber cup lumps.  Traders were buying their cup lumps as low as P18.00 per kilo.  A number of them had stopped tapping their trees.

As a response, the four-person team of BISAP and the President of Poblacion-Old Damulog Farmers Association (PODFA) all went to meet with the Manager of the rubber plantation at Mountain View College (MVC). (PODFA is a people’s organization established by BISAP.  It has been trying to obtain funds to establish a rubber processing plant in Damulog)  While the price of cup lumps in Bukidnon in the entire year of 2020 floated within the range of Php 22.00 – 26.00 per kilo, the price in Mountain View College never went down below Php 36.00 per kilo.  BISAP wanted to know why and how MVC could sell their product at such a price.  On November 30, its stock of rubber cup lumps was bought at Php. 37.79 per kilo, although according to the Department of Trade and Industry announced that the prevailing price of cup lumps in Bukidnon was Php. 26.00 per kilo.
The group listened to Mr. Ric Aperocho, the Manager, on how to properly care for rubber trees.  He also taught us the proper way of tapping the trees.  It was a very enlightening and challenging experience since the famers had little knowledge about rubber farming.  But everyone found it inspiring and liberating to leave the college knowing that there was not much that BISAP could do to increase the price of the cup lumps.  The key players to get premium price for the rubber farmers’ product ARE THE FARMERS, THEMSELVES.
There are two main factors that influence the rise and fall of the price of cup lumps.

  1. Many farmers use cheap acids to induce coagulation of the rubber sap.  These low-cost coagulators destroy the elasticity and strength of the rubber.  MVC tappers only use formic acid.  They keep their cup lumps clean and dry, removing dirt, mud, soil, stones and any foreign objects from cup lumps.
  2. Over a hundred tappers have found a way of bringing their cup lumps together and sell them as ONE BIG BULK.

In short, the price of rubber cup lumps rises or falls depending on QUALITY and QUANTITY.  These are in the hands and minds and hearts of the farmers.  The farmers must help themselves.  The farmers must save themselves.
During the month of December and in spite of the pandemic, BISAP conducted  ‘Improve Quality and Increase Productivity’ campaign in 8 out of 9 targeted barangays.   There was a very positive and enthusiastic responses from the said villages.   If the farmers start tapping under the new protocol at the start of the January, and the farmers will make their first sale by the end of the month.  BISAP will be very pleased, if they get Php 33.00 per kilo.
The main concern is the need for capital to purchase the rubber cup lumps in bulk to get the best price.
In many ways 2020 has been a crippling year.  But Damulog is rural and remote.  Throughout 2020, it was consistently identified as “low risk” area for COVID 19. BISAP has stuck to the work, while observing the protocols issued by the Government.

A Pre-School Classroom for the Children of Kimadsil

Kimadsil is a very small hamlet of Damulog. It lies approximately 10miles from the centre of the town. There is a rough unmade-up road to within 600m of the hamlet. The rest of the way is only navigable by foot or by motorbike There are currently 66 young families and 84 children between the ages of 3 and 6 years who live within a mile of the centre of the village. Currently there is no opportunity for these children to attend a pre-school putting them at a disadvantage when they attend primary school at the age of 7. There is now a Government policy that no-one will be allowed to enter Grade 1 unless they have attended a pre-school. The hilly terrain and lack of decent roads make it hazardous for 3-6 year old children to make the 2 ½ mile journey to the next village where there is a primary school. The rainy season is particularly dangerous with flash floods. The children have little, if any, protective clothing. Umbrellas are flimsy and no protection for tropical winds and downpours.

The community is very excited at the thought of their children being able to go to school and have the opportunities they didn’t. The original site chosen has already become too small for the demand and the larger site has been donated by a village elder. The community is committed to building a two-room building, with a small ‘dirty’* kitchen, themselves. The commitment is for the community to give the children a simple lunchtime meal.
They have identified a skilled local carpenter and the wood needed. They need help with making the breeze blocks and the cement. The roof will be of Galvanized Iron corrugated sheeting. They have also identified a water source that we hope another charity will be able to help them develop.
Members of the community have agreed to create a building maintenance fund. BISAP is offering families the opportunity to plant an equivalent two hectares of bamboo. The list has been finalised and 60 households will receive 10 culms to plant and to look after. But it has not been decided how many bamboo poles each household will donate to the school per year. The fund will be used for the maintenance of the school and contribute to its sustainability

Climate Change and Carbon Capture – news of our new project.

The impact of climate change in the southern Philippines is very severe, and the changes in weather patterns, including the more unpredictable seasons and increasing numbers of droughts have impacted on farmers badly. Linda and Romy Tiongco have been researching ways of offsetting their carbon footprint, and have developed a new project in Damulog to grow bamboo. Bamboo is extremely fast growing, captures up to 4 times more carbon than trees and produces 35% more oxygen.  A Bamboo forest looks beautiful  and is useful in many ways as it can also be harvested to make natural, sustainable products  including building materials.  Bamboo shoots are also used as food.

MuCAARD-UK are pleased to support this project, which builds on our experience of working with farmers and fisherfolk.    It costs £5 a culm (seedling) to plant, care for and monitor over 3 years, by which time the forest should be well established. You can work out what your carbon footprint is on websites such as carbonfootprint.com or footprint.wwf.org.uk.

Would you join us and offset your own carbon footprint?  You can donate via PayPal Giving,  or email our Treasurer at stevensondoug58@gmail.com.

For more information on bamboo, the FAO have an article on their website called The Poor Man’s Carbon Sink. You can find it here: http://www.fao.org/tempref/docrep/fao/012/k6887e/k6887e00.pdf

GRACE: Grassroots Response Against Catastrophic Expenditure, AKA PuLPuG – BISAP

Supporting local communities to set up self-help groups to insure against costs associated with accessing medical help.

Some examples of how people travel to town and hopsital:

Land Redemption Programme – BISAP and CoSEED

Redeeming land which has been mortgaged (prenda), often to cover health and education costs, to allow them to take back the fruits of their land.

Marawi Crisis Response – RIAP and POM

Working with displaced communities following the siege of Marawi in May 2017.

Latest Updates

Mid Year Update 22/23

  • BISAP met Maharlika, Inc. in the middle of the election campaign period.  It is not
  • a political party but it was supporting a few candidates who were keenly supportive of organic farming, Atty. Harry Roque for Senator and Atty. Anthony Bravo for Congress.

We formed an alliance with the group and focused on the group’s organic farm products – their organic inputs.

None of our candidates won but we are continuing to work with Maharlika in assisting the farmers who come and seek our assistance to use Maharlika products.

  • After the elections, the entire community felt the impact of the phenomenal rise of the cost of planting corn.  This is aggravated by the increase in the price of fuel which has also increased the prices of many other consumer products.

The biggest corn middle-trader has stopped or abandoned his corn business venture.  He finds corn trading as a shaky and unsteady business venture.  A good number of his clients were not able to pay for their production loans.

Unfortunately, we do not have a data on the number of farmers who have abandoned corn farming

  • On the other hand, the cost of the Maharlika production system is 66.5% of the present cost of charge-to-crop loan system practiced by the middle-traders.  So far, the Maharlika experimental farms are doing well.  BISAP even received a request from the Barangay Captain of Busaon, Banasilan, North Cotabato for an orientation training for the farmers of the village.  We are going to Busaon tomorrow morning.

We are hopeful that we will gain more farmer cooperators after the corn harvest of our present partners.  This will surely happen if the corn production of our four farmer-demonstrators produces economically robust harvests.

  • By the end of the year, we will have around 5,000 banana clumps bearing fruits.  Our present partners responsible for processing the fruits into chips will cope with the work.  But our problem is the marketing.  We don’t have a marketing network to absorb the chip products.  This is our worry.
  • We are waiting for the response from the Cooperative Development Authority on our submission for the 11th step of the registration process.  Our submitted documents are now being reviewed and by next week, we should receive a ‘yes’ or a ‘no’ response to get our documents printed, notarized and submitted the Regional CDA office.  This is the 12th step.  Once this is done, the final step (13th) is the payment for our registration.  Once registered, we will then find out what doors and windows are opened to us to pursue for the development of our projects.
  • We have started to harvest bamboo poles.  We are waiting for the delivery of manual tools so we can try making Pinoy engineered bamboo doors and panel boards that can be used as pre-fabricated walling materials.

Romy P. Tiongco

20 September 2022

School Update

We finished our part in building the classrooms.  The building can accommodate three 6 x 8 meter classrooms.  But with the number of children qualified to go to school (at 81 and increasing), the Barangay Captain and the new Principal of Omonay schools have decided to explore the possibility of offering pre-school and day care PLUS elementary grades 1 to 3.  We need two more classrooms.  But the present building is big enough to accommodate five small classrooms.  We have turned over the building to Principal, the Barangay Captain and the community.  We also turned over the sum of P70,000 pesos to spend on the division of the building into five classroom and finish up the doors.

They will start working on the five classrooms next week.  The parents are very happy that small children will not have to walk very far to go to school.

Daghan, daghan, daghan kaayong salamat.

MuCAARD gets a mention
At around 24 mins MuCAARD is cited as an example of Christians and Muslims working together.


Romy’s Report for the 2021 Garden Party

Soldiering on . . . . .

The pandemic has not been a help.  It has been damaging, disruptive and a big obstacle to community organizing work.  Though we have been crippled, we are soldiering on in our work.  We are quite fortunate, compared to some of our neighbouring municipalities because Damulog has very few cases of Covid 19.

2021 has been a bleak year for farmers.  Since the municipality is an agricultural economy, it has been a painful and difficult year.  Our estimate is that only 20% of last year’s corn fields were replanted this year.  We had a very short dry season.  Since the fields cannot be ploughed by tractor, soil preparation takes a lot of time.  There was not enough time to prepare the fields for planting.  Another factor that stopped farmers in some specific areas was rat infestation.  Sections or areas in Omonay, San Isidro, Tangkulan, Anggaan, Migcawayan, Kiraon, Lagandang and Kitingting.were severely infested.  

  1. Rubber Cup Lumps
    From 2007 to 2016 the Local Government Unit, in partnership with BISAP, promoted the planting of trees.  Three species were quite popular for this project.  Gmelina and falcatta were planted and intended to be harvested in seven to ten years.  Gmelina is a fast-growing tree and popular in building houses.  Falcatta is an even-faster growing tree for the paper industry.
    The LGU of Damulog during this time set aside P500,000 each year for the planting of rubber trees under the ‘Plant Now, Pay Later’ programme.  Today there are a thousand hectares planted with rubber trees.  BISAP did a lot of the organizing of farmers groups.  By 2014 the first batch of project participants started to tap their trees.  But at the end of 2016, the LGU stopped supporting the rubber program.
    It is unfortunate that about two weeks after the Bukidnon Rubber Industry Development Association was organized in March 2020, the COVID 19 pandemic was declared.  The Department of Agriculture, backed by the Department of Trade and Industry, spear-headed the venture.  Then there was a stand still.  There were just too many ‘don’ts’. 
    In November Poblacion-Old Damulog Farmers’ Association (PODFA) decided to take an initiative.  The price rubber cup lumps went down to P18.00 per kilo.  A number of rubber tappers and small rubber farmers decided to stop tapping their trees.  In March the price was between P22-24/kilo.  Mico, Cef, Inday, Dodong and I went to Mountain View College.  The college has about 200 hectares of mature rubber trees.  It sells its produce through the internet by publishing its asking price.  The college bases its selling price on the international buying price of Malaysia and Singapore.  The big buyers in Bukidnon bid against each other.  MVC sells its cup lumps to the highest bidder.
    During the special seminar organized for us by MVC, we learned that the biggest factor in the rise or fall of rubber cup lumps was in the hands of the tappers and the owners.
    There are only local buyers and a handful of them, as many as ten.  But the big buyers used to come to Damulog to buy rubber latex.  They all stopped coming around five years ago.  Damulog was known to have the dirtiest raw rubber blocks in Bukidnon.  Damulog farmers sold their raw rubber in blocks of 1’ x 2’ x 3’.  Farmers mixed water, coagulating chemicals, mud, stones – RUBBISH – hidden and buried in ‘rubber’ blocks.
    After the seminar, BISAP staff went to the villages where there are significant number of rubber farms and met with the farmers and tappers in small groups the whole of November and December.  We called our initiative: QQ Campaign.  We explained that they could help increase the price of rubber if their products were clean – Quality.  They could further increase the price, if they brought their rubber products in designated pick-up points.  PODFA would NOT rubber blocks.
    Tappers collect rubber latex using half a coconut shell.  To speed up the solidification of the rubber latex into cup lumps, we campaigned that the farmers can only use formic acid diluted in water.  This is organic and does not make the dried latex crumbly.  If they tap the trees in the morning, the cup lumps can be harvested in the afternoon and stored into sacks.  The Manager of Mountain View College the company buyers.  At first, they declined because of their previous experiences.  He pleaded with them to give a chance to one organized group of farmers – PODFA.  At the end of January two big buyers came to Lagandang at different times.  They took a look at the collected stocks and telephoned PODFA their bidding prices.
    Three buyers now come every 15th and 30th of the month to buy our cup lumps.  Currently, the price of rubber cup lumps in our neighbour municipalities is P24 per kilo in the town centres of Kibawe, Kadingilan, Dangcagan, Kitaotao and Don Carlos.  In the interior villages the price can go as low P18 per kilo.  In all the designated pick-up points in Damulog, PODFA purchases cup lumps at P28 per kilo.  Our total purchase at the start was only 5,000 kilos every 15 days.  It gradually went up and in the last two purchasing days, we already total 20,000 kilos.
    One of the big buyers informed us that he is willing to sell our cup lumps to Malaysia.  He will provide the lorry and all the necessary documentation.  He will just charge us a service fee.  But he will do this on two conditions: 1) Each shipment must be, at least, 22,000 kilos.  2)  All the rubber must be as loose cup lumps.  We need to go back to the villages and meet with the farmers and tappers.  DELTA is behaving as a KILL JOY.  
  2. Banana Chips
    The Bukidnon-wide enthusiasm for the banana project was short-lived.  We were invited to join the China International Fair on Investment and Trade.  We participated in a Zoom conference on September 10, 2020.  Six hours after the conference we received inquiries from three Chinese firms to supply 30 tons of banana chips every month.  Unfortunately, we could not move forward because there was no interest in the plantation and processing development phases.     
    The local market for banana chips remains quite vibrant .  But at the moment, we are focused on plantation development.  In 14 months, we should be producing banana chips from the initial investment from MuCAARD-UK in San Fernando.  We have also established contacts with banana tissue seedling producers.  Using local resources, BISAP has facilitated the purchase of 5,000 seedlings worth Php 175,000.00 pesos for Damulog-based groups.  We are also in touch with two export corporations who are willing to sign purchase orders when we are ready.  Full production of this first batch of tissue culture planting materials will be in two years’ time.  We have five women groups from five different barangays who are interested in the banana chips project.  We are not planning to go into the export market, but it is in our plan to manufacture chips for the local Mindanao market.
    There are agricultural production resources available from different government agencies.  But the said agencies will only help organizations registered with the Cooperative Development Authority.  The National Government is tightening its control of cooperatives because of the abuses committed in the past through ‘fly-by-night’ cooperative organizations.  BISAP has decided to apply for registration with CDA.  20 of us attended a Zoom webinar on Pre-Registration Seminar (PRS).  We will download the application form this week and, hopefully, submit our application the following week.
  3. Bamboo
    Global warming, climate change or whatever name we give it, is now a FELT reality.  We’ve been experiencing extremes of weather conditions.  Before July 15, we were groaning over the strong winds and blustery winds.  The barrages did not last very long but enough to damage crops and dirt trails and road construction projects.  But since mid-July, typhoons hit Luzon one after another, but left Mindanao very hot and very dry.  In just a week, the ground started to crack.
    The loss of the planting season and the disappearance of a clear rainy and dry weather pattern is an experiential warning of the environmental crisis we are facing.
    Many houses now are no longer using wood because of the shortage wooden building materials.  Lumber is also getting very expensive.  People who do not like plastic or metal alternatives are looking at bamboo.  Bamboo furniture and housing materials are growing in popularity.  There are bamboo industrial plants in Bukidnon producing semi-processed bamboo materials for export to the United States.  There are also small and local initiatives producing home and office furniture and floor boards and bamboo plywood.
    With the assistance from an American NGO, Bamboo Ecologic Corporation, we provided slightly more than twice the number of planting materials we targeted.  We produced 12,000 seedlings.  We are presently asking the groups make an inventory of live bamboo plants to determine how many seedlings we need to carry out a re-planting scheme.
    Bamboo has a bright future and a very suitable farm project given the terrain of Damulog.  But one hitch is that farmers will have to wait for six years before they can earn P20,000 per hectare per month.  This is the estimate given by the Mindanao Development Authority under the former Secretary of the Department of Agriculture, Manny Piñol.

Projects on hold:

There are other projects and we are seriously looking into their suitability – viable and sustainable – as economic ventures:  integrated coconut processing, piggery and corn production.  We are also waiting for the suitable time to revive the whole of PuLPuG.  There are still three active health organizations functioning: Kiraon, Lagandang and Pocopoco.

Best wishes – Romy. 

We have to go to Migcawayan in an hour.

June 2021 Updates on BISAP Areas and Projects

 Rat plague
In a month or two there will be wide-spread hunger in three barangays, namely, Omonay, Anggaan and Tangkulan.  Less severely affected are the villages of Kiraon, Migcawayan, San Isidro, Kitingting, Pocopoco and Lagandang. 

The three barangays have been severely attacked by a rat.  Unharvested corn cubs but approaching maturity have almost all been devoured by this pest.  Until now, farmers have not replanted because the rats would just eat the seeds.  In some of these villages even the barks of ipil ipil (Leucaena) and bungalon, grass used by farmers as fodder for their working animals, have been eaten by the rats.  We expect hunger because farmers are dependent on corn crop.  Even middle traders who have given out production loans are giving up hope that the loans will be paid.  This gloomy projection arose after couple from Pocopoco committed suicide.  They suffered two crop failures.

We hope that what is happening in Lagandang will not spread out to the rest of Damulog.  This week we heard of army worms attacking corn plants.  Army worms are more devastating than rats.

BISAP has not ‘interfered’ with rat infestation because we do not want to raise hopes for something we cannot deliver.  We didn’t make any surveys to avoid any false hopes.  But we know that the Government is struggling to cope with the needs of people due low harvest caused by a spell of dry weather just when the corn started to tussle and followed the rat infestation and COVID miseries.

Bamboo:
Over-all, we are pleased with the bamboo project.  For the 5,000 culms planted up to the end of December, the mortality was less than 5%.  But those that we planted at the end of January and the whole of February, the mortality rate went up to 20% and there was one area, Mikasili, where the loss went up to 40% percent. 

Pag-asa, the National Weather Bureau predicted that the La Niña would last until the end of May.  This was why we still planted in January and February.  But by the end of February and in March and April we went through very dry and hot months.  The mortality rate in Mikasili was aggravated by the damaged to the culms during their  transport.  The percentage is high but in real numbers, we are talking about 40 culms dying out of 100 seedlings.

A total of 10,000 culms were planted along river banks, watershed area protecting village water supplies and steep lands to prevent soil erosion.  Seven farmers organizations and two women’s associations took responsibility of the planting. 

https://www.guaduabamboo.com/why-bamboo

Banana:
BISAP’s of our agricultural livelihood projects, namely: rubber, coconut, bamboo, and banana, the last has the highest chance of succeeding.

There are inquiries about banana chips from China, the middle East and Japan that reached the Provincial Office of the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Trade and Industry.  These inquiries arose from the virtual participation of the Banana Industrial Development Association of Bukidnon (BIDAB) in September during the China International Fair on Investment and Trade (CIFIT).  Unfortunately, the interests were all focused – a total of 30 tons of banana chips every month – on the purchase of banana chips.  There was no inquiry on investing in agriculture and the processing of chips.

In San Fernando, very opposite results arose from two groups of Manobo farmers that participated in the program.  Datu Inggo’s group had a 95% success rate in its banana planting project.  But Datu Moroy’s group had an 80% failure.  Unfortunately, Datu Inggo’s group allocation of planting materials was only 25%.  The political turmoil between the Local Government Unit officials and the leaders of the Indigenous People is a big hindrance for us to visit the area. 

The first delivery of seedlings went on very smoothly.  Each of the 50 participating families were allocated 10 plantlets each.  They had prepared the holes and planted the seedlings as soon as the families received their allocation.

We thought that the same arrangement was made with Datu Moroy’s group.  After all the meetings were held at the training/meeting centre of Datu Moroy.  We didn’t know that majority of Datu Moroy’s farmer members refused to receive the seedlings.  They wanted the equivalent in money.  Datu Moroy held his ground and refused the demand of the members.  The minority who was willing to receive allocations of a hundred seedlings or more were completely unprepared.  We were no longer in the area when this turnover happened.  The members who were given a hundred or more planting materials were all from the San Fernando Poblacion.  They did not expect to handle so many planting materials.  The resultant delay stressed the planting materials.  A good number of the banana plantlets were planted in the dried-up rice paddies.  When the rains came, the tender plants were drowned.

We stopped the funding from Manoy Zubiri.  We have not yet sorted the situation.  Datu Moroy’s group behaved just like the Manobo people in the centre of Anggaan.  We will go back to area to help the Lumad population of San Fernando but we will spend more time to get to know the group and not just trust the recommendation of the leaders of municipality.  We will more closely into the community organizing work that needs to be done before going into any project.

Rubber
When PODFA formally started its marketing venture, the price of cup lumps among the traders in Damulog was P24 per kilo.  In Kiraon and other hamlets, the price went as low as P18 per kilo.  PODFA buys at P28.50 per kilo in its buying station in Old Damulog.  But in the buying centre in Kibawe, the price is only P22 per kilo.

Today (May 29) buys rubber cup lumps at P28.50 per kilo.  There are three companies that are involved in the buy-and-sell of cup lumps and rubber crumbs processing.  We sell to the highest bidder.  These companies were introduced to PODFA by the Manager of a Seventh Day Adventist-owned Rubber Plantation. 

Before PODFA entered the cup lumps marketing scene, no big-time buyers entered Damulog.  They were not interested in buying rubber sap blocks because they were adulterated and dirty.  These buyers made it clear that they were interested in buying cup lumps, NOT water, stones, ground lime stones, mud.  But apparently, Damulog farmers (some) refused to change their ways.  The big buyers stopped coming to Damulog. 

We started our 2Qs campaign in late November.  On January 30 we undertook our first buying venture and we purchased 5,991 kilos.  The Manager of the SDA Rubber Plantation persuaded the Managers of Pioneer and FARMA processing companies.  They both very pleased with our commodity.   2Qs advocacy made a difference.

  1. Improve
  2. Increase

We visited rubber farmers in several villages and shared Manager Ric Aperocho’s advise that the most critical factors in the increase and maintenance of the price of cup lumps, aside from the international price, are the QUALITY and QUANTITY of cup lumps.  Farmers are cooperating.   

Kimadsil school
The start of the construction has been much delayed.  During the dry spell the construction firm started to bulldoze the road from Sarawagon to Kimadsil.  The access road from Anggaan to Kimadsil was ‘abandoned’.  So, when the rains came, the construction stopped and Kimadsil became inaccessible to bring construction materials to Kimadsil.  When the weather permits, we will start the cement work to build the pedestals so we can then erect the posts.  When the posts are up, the rest of the construction will follow.

Annual Garden Party (2019)

A good crowd turned up to hear updates on the work of MuCAARD member agencies and share food and friendship.

BISAP is one of the member teams of MuCAARD Mindanao based in Damulog, Bukidnon.  They have two main programmes:

CHARGE TO CROP (CtC) corn production project

The issue: farmers are too poor to have savings. They feel that as farmers they are failures.  They have no money so every planting time they have to ‘buy’ a production package from a local trader, this package includes – seeds, chemical fertilisers and pesticides.  The trader charges the famers between £205 – £235/acre for this package. At harvest time the trader takes his cut many times leaving farmers with nothing.

BISAP decided to use their small amount of capital to start an alternative CtC but only had enough capital to fund 55acres. They then linked up with the local radio station and a small company developing alternative seeds to compete with multinationals like Cargill, Pioneer. The company is called ‘My Mates Seeds’ and they also aim to wean farmers off chemical to organic foliar fertilisers within 5 cropping seasons. Also includes teaching how to rehabilitate the soil, burning of farm waste is forbidden and composting is taught.

BISAP have been able to increase acres covered to 180 acres and only charge the farmers £130/acre. At the last harvest the farmers in the scheme were earning £70 – 105/acre depending on soil fertility. If the harvest is good the demand for the seeds could skyrocket. Planning to establish an 11acre seed production area in Damulog.

At the moment we offer this project to families who are members of PuLPug/GRACE set up over 2 years ago. Families/communities who joined this had to resist pressure from the then mayor and his supporters who denied them government help and threatened to and did discontinue their employment as daily workers / day care workers.

PuLPuG / GRACE

The government provides free basic health care, PhilHealth is free at the point of delivery. Health care at local government health clinics provides free access to a doctor/midwives and medicines are free (if available) also at Government Hospitals emergency care is free BUT e.g. blood, reading of x-rays and non-urgent operations not free.

The problem: why were so many of the poorest not taking advantage of this service and still delaying going to a hospital until the situation became critical

It was identified working with the local health team that the health programme known as PuLPuG in Visayan or GRACE (Grassroots Response Against Catastrophic Expenditure) that the biggest cause was the cost of transport to get to the hospital. They would delay until critical and then have to Prenda or pawn their land / coconut tree/ water buffalo/ motorbike to get the cash to pay their medical bills.  The Prenda system dates to Spanish times.

The problem: the Lender takes all the income earned from the pawned items until the loan is repaid in a single lump sum.  This is impossible to achieve as they have often lost their main/only source of income.

We had no idea of the extent of the problem until we were approached by families asking for help, some pawned their land for £300 over 20 yeas ago.

GRACE is the missing link in understanding why poorest were not taking advantage of the government PhilHealth programme.

Alongside the Charge to Crop production project BISAP are also advocating that farmers learn to save, cash in their pocket is easily spent!  Maramag Community Multi-Purpose Cooperative (MACO) (Maramag is a big town about 40min away) approached and came to Damulog to promote their savings schemes. Farmers have to attend pre-membership seminars. From an initial 10 there are now 60 people who have joined. BISAP has a highly ambitious target of recruiting 450 by the end of the year.  When one local indigenous farmer asked why he joined he said ‘ I joined MACO because I want to liberate myself from the exorbitant charges that the traders impose on the charge-to-crop production loans!’ This is a major change in attitude from a subsistence mentality to seeing himself as an entrepreneur.

PuLPug/GRACE was the gateway through which these 2 economic projects could be introduced. With the new mayor  and the ant-poverty projects of BISAP being adopted by the local government  there is hope that these programmes will expand.

BBC Report on the situation in Marawi

BBC Marawi Report

CoSEED: Root Crops and Vegetable Production and Marketing Update

Key areas of development:

1.  Coaching and mentoring of individual farmer-beneficiaries for project orientation.

2. Project Orientation and Vegetable and Crop Production Training.  11 attended the training and developed individual Farm Plans. Crops identified for the project are peanur, vegetables, ginger and tumeric.

3. Procurement of seeds and organic fertilisers.

4. Land preparation and planting

View the full Project Update.

PuLPuG Stories

Mecha Grace and her mother Lilibeth.

After visiting the Rural Health unit in July with a fever, Mecha was sent to the hopsital. Support from PuLPuG meant they were able to pay for her treatment.

Lilibeth says, “we really want to thank PuLPuG so much for helping us when our daughter was sick. We were lucky that we only had to buy a few medicines from outside the hospital but it was still a problem as we have no money saved for illnesses. We would have been forced to go to a money lender who charge really high interest rates.We had to sell our cow last month to pay for our children’s schooling and other necessities. We had nothing left.My family is not afraid to be part of PuLPuG because its aim is to help people which is our aim too. We want to other families to be helped the way we have. P50/month is not much compared to the help we got from our local group and the Federation. We cannot predict when we will get sick but we don’t want to get sick.We are happy to pay our monthly dues to our group just in case but we’d prefer it if we never needed to use it again.”

Mary Jane’s story

“Lea Jane is my 4th child.  I spent a long time in hospital because as I had to have an emergency Caesarian my baby needed to be incubated.

It would have been very hard if we hadn’t been a member of PuLPuG. We were so happy that the Federation were able to help as we had no-one else to turn to. It would have made life very difficult if we’d been forced to borrow money as interest rates are very high (at least 20percent a month).

Our monthly dues are small compared to the enormous help that we were given by our local PuLPuG and the Federation.”

Rosanna’s story

The assistance of the Federation was a huge help to our family and we are extremely grateful.

We didn’t have to pay any expenses as we kept all the receipts from the medicines we had to buy that weren’t available in the hospital.

I am encouraging families in my village to join PuLPuG as it is clear how much we can help each other and our families.

The monthly dues are nothing compared to the help we receive if members of opur family get sick.

Even if the local officials are unhappy with us for organizing PuLPuG (because they think it is a political organization) in our village we will continue regardless as it is a great help at times when we are sick.

Roaslie’s story

I am 38 years old, with 2 children one of whom is now married and expecting her first baby so soon I will be a grandmother!

We are happy we have PuLPuG as there is no-one else who will help us if we don’t help ourselves.We are really happy and grateful for the help of the Federation it gives us confidence that we can buy the medicines we need if they are not available in the hospital.If there was no PuLPuG we would have to borrow at high interest rates to pay for the medicines. We could be forced to sell our chickens and pigs which is not possible as they are our only source of income and only just enough for our needs.

Despite threats from local officials I am not afraid to attend meetings as the group’s aim is to help each other.

The P25/month is affordable as it covers the travel expenses if we need to go to the hospital and food for the person who has to stay and look after you. The group buolds up savings and pay a monthly membership to the Federation to cover any expenses not covered by the Government health scheme (PhilHealth). I have received a lot of help from the Federation.

The local government have their own health insurance scheme but it doesn’t help in getting you to the hospital and they only reimburse expenses which have complete  receipts but no travel cost


Ramadan Assistance

The siege of Marawi City in May 2017 left over 300,000 people displaced, more than 94% of them sought refuge with relatives and fellow clan members in towns and villages surrounding Marawi City and Lake Lanao. This placed greater strain on already stretched resources.

The Ramadan Assistance programme funded by MuCAARD UK extended assistance to forty displaced families with nutritious food needed to survive during the period of fasting.

Read the full report: Ramadhan Assistance Narrative & Financial Report


Sometime ago, the farmers only produced corn and upland rice.  Today, they already tap the rubber trees that were planted through the “Plant Now, Pay Later” rubber production program in 2008.

“We no longer teach our children how to dismantle and assemble guns.  Instead, we teach them how to tap rubber trees”, one leader said.

Coconut and other permanent crops (coffee and cacao) are on the bearing stage. Those engaged in banana production have been enjoying the good harvest. Backyard poultry and livestock are prominent. These are the dividends of peace.

Once, the people relied on animals of burden (carabao and horses) in bringing their products to the town.  Now, the people transport their products using motorcycles and four-wheeled vehicles.

Ustadz Anwar Montawal calls: “We used to start our journey to Damulog centro at dawn and arrive home at seven in the evening.  Now, we can go to the town at any given time because of the road that the local government built. Today, many of us own a motorcycle.  Ustadz Thong Ibrahem (another leader) owns two Suzuki multi-cabs, he contined.


CRISTENE AND ALTHEA ARE MY TREASURES!

Cristene and Althea are Gretchen Siva’s treasures.  She is a young mother who would do everything to keep her girls safe and healthy at all times.  With that in mind, she believes that the self-help concept of PuLPuG is relevant to her family’s need as preparation in times of sickness.

“It is heart-warming to be able to help others.  I never wish for my loved ones to get sick.  My P20.00 per month contribution is a small amount.  What inspires me is the spirit of cooperative endeavour in the community.”

Cristene and Althea were admitted to the hospital on November 23, 2017, due to fever convulsions.   Cristene contracted UTI, while Althea had pneumonia. 

“We received financial support from our local group without delay. My worries lessened knowing that I can quickly bring my two girls to the hospital.  The Federation also reimbursed all the medicines that we bought outside the hospital.  We are grateful for what this project has done to my family and to our community.”


Rheana, Gretchen:  ‘Please Don’t Forget What They Did for You.’

Life is tough for Romeo and Gina Ybañez. They have two children; they are also taking care of their three nieces. Romeo is a farmer but he doesn’t own a farm. He is a share-tenant of two landowners.

I am thankful for our Pastor because it was through him that we heard of an organization called PuLPuG. With eagerness we joined the organization.  Php 20 per month per household is not a heavy burden.

We will have a good harvest if take care of our maize farm. This is my perception of the program.  Even if we do not benefit from the money we contribute, it will be a joy to know that our monthly contribution can help a neighbour in need.

We do not want to get sick, but when my daughter Rheana and my niece, Gretchen, had pneumonia at the same time, we were able to bring the two sick girls to Kibawe Provincial Hospital because our group paid for the transport and provided food for the watchers.  The Federation also paid Php 2,210 worth of medicines which were not available in the hospital pharmacy.

Without PuLPuG we would have been in a complete loss where to find the money.  We are very grateful that we bonded together to help each other in times of need.  We will continue to do this and pray that more families will join the organization.