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Home » At least PhP 155-M committed to fund barangays projects

At least PhP 155-M committed to fund barangays projects

Barangay Chairmen with Mayor Oca Moreno

AT LEAST PhP 155 million was committed by various government agencies and non-government organizations to fund programs and projects in at least 15 barangays in this city.

The amount does not include the PhP 200 million that Rep. Rolando “Klarex” Uy (LP) has already allotted for this year’s concreting projects of the road networks of hinterland barangays in the city’s first legislative district.

This does not include the amount Rep. Rufus Rodriguez (CDP) has allocated for various programs and projects that will benefit the barangays in the city’s second congressional district.

A representative of Rep. Maximo Rodriguez (Abante Mindanao partylist) who attended the Stakeholders’ Forum at the VIP Hotel on Tuesday gathered all the barangays’ programs and projects and promised to “choose from among these those that we will be able to help fund for this year and the following year.”

Initially, the ABAMIN partylist committed PhP15 million for the barangays’ livelihood programs/projects.  The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) committed PhP6 million for this year and another PhP4 million for 2016 to fund product development, including peanut butter, cashew nuts, dried mango, and skills training.

The international NGO Johanniter International – a long-time partner of BMFI – committed PhP8 million for Disaster Preparedness and Risk Reduction Program such as capacity-building, equipment, improvement of health centers, and assistance to dengue hotspot barangays.

Balay Mindanaw’s sister NGO, the Gingoog City-based Global Mindanaw Polytechnic, Inc. (GMPI) committed PhP1 million worth of scholarships of 150 students who will take courses in heavy equipment operation, and housekeeping courses.

Another Balay Mindanaw sister NGO, the Katilingbanong Pagbarog, Pagbangon ug Pamahandi sa Mindanaw Foundation, Inc. (KP3MFI) committed PhP1.5 million worth of business development services such as technical assistance in project/business development and consultancy.

Porticus committed PhP1 million for DRR programs such as capacity-building and equipment. Misereor committed PhP2 million for peacebuilding program such as strengthening of local leaders, cliniquing and organizing.

The administration of Mayor Oscar Moreno committed PhP17,231,000 for the barangays’ agriculture programs and projects such as farm equipment and implements, production, and training. It also committed another PhP7 million for solid waste management project in the barangays.

The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) committed PhP57 million for various projects such as household survey (CBMS), concreting of diversion roads, strengthening of BBIs, conduct of feasibility studies, construction of evacuation centers and water systems.

Programs, Projects identified in BDPs:

The programs and projects contained in the barangays’ respective 5-Year Barangay Development Plans (BDPs) are those that the communities identified during the conduct of a participatory and democratic process that included representatives of various sectors and organizations present in the barangay.

The BDP is an official barangay document, incorporating the profile, needs, concerns, goals, priority programs, projects and targets of the locality and identified and prioritized interventions based on the available resources coming from internal and external sources.

Each barangay underwent the process of Participatory Resource/Rural Appraisal (PRA) as the basis for formulation of their BDPs.

The PRAs were facilitated by the Balay Mindanaw Foundation, Inc. (BMFI) with the active involvement of the City Planning and Development Office (CPDO), the City Department of Interior and Local Government (CILG) and other government agencies and institutions.

“This participatory process was done through a community consultation and focus group discussions, especially with the Barangay Development Councils (BDCs),” said Sabrina Garcia-Balais, team leader of the CDO Team of Balay Mindanaw Foundation, Inc.

To ensure a holistic approach and integration of the barangays’ concerns on peacebuilding, disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation (CCA-DRR) in the conduct of the PRA,  the participants were usually grouped into four sectors, namely: (1) Land Use Development and Environment ; (2) Agri-Economic Development; (3) Social-Human Resource Development;  and (4) Local Governance/Development Administration.

Locus and Focus of Intervention:

BMFI has been in existence for almost 20 years. But it is only recently that it began to focus its interventions to its home city of Cagayan de Oro. Initially, the foundation partnered with five “Sendong barangays” — Carmen, Macasandig, Bonbon, Iponan and Indahag — where it provided CCA-DRR interventions through trainings, capacity-building and equipage.

Believing that it can do more to help the city build empowered, peaceful and resilient communities, the foundation signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the City Government of Cagayan de Oro. This resulted to meaningful partnership with eight more barangays from the upland and urban areas (Balulang, Bulua, Gusa, Pagatpat, Camaman-an, Tuburan, Pigsag-an) in 2014. And this Year 2015, five more partner barangays were added: Bayanga, Tumpagon, Dansolihon, Tignapoloan and Lapasan.

BMFI is presently groundworking to add four more partner barangays: Mambuaya, Patag, Kauswagan and Tablon.

“Balay Mindanaw is indeed fortunate to have rediscovered the barangay about 20 years ago. Since then, the barangay has always been the locus and focus of our work. Balay Mindanaw’s main brand and flagship is our community-based and barangay-based work. This is where we get our energies and inspiration from as we engage the other levels in the Philippines, in Asia and in the world,” said Kaloy Manlupig, Balay Mindanaw pioneer and chairman emeritus.

Manlupig said he is very thankful to the officials of the barangays, especially to the people for allowing Balay Mindanaw “to accompany you in your journey.”

“Partners, thank you very much for allowing us to accompany you in your journey. We also thank Balay Mindanaw’s resource partners Misereor, among others, for their continuing support,” he said.

Partnership is nothing without action:

Mayor Oscar Moreno, in his keynote speech, expressed gratefulness to Balay Mindanaw for helping the government accomplish its goal of sustainable development.

Moreno narrated that his 18-years of partnership with Balay Mindanaw started when he was still a neophyte congressman representing the first district of Misamis Oriental. He then urged the barangays to nurture the partnership they have started with the Foundation.

However, he reminded the barangays that “that partnership will just be on paper without us [doing our responsibilities]. Naa gyud sa ato ang pagpalihok nianaAng Balay Mindanaw igo lang mogiya kanato, igo lang mohatag og coaching sa ato, igo lang mohatag og ideas sa ato but the real action will be done by us. Kaya nato na, I have no doubt of that.” (Bong D. Fabe)