The Department of Agrarian Reform
Provincial Office of Cagayan-Batanes (DARPO Cagayan-Batanes) hosted an Agrarian
Reform Beneficiaries Organization (ARBO) Summit on November 13 to 18, 2017 in
Tuguegarao City, Cagayan attended by more than 400 coop/organization leaders
and officers. It serves as a
platform for leaders and members of ARBOs—cooperatives and associations formed
by agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) in Cagayan province - to convene,
exchange knowledge, and strengthen their capacities in agricultural enterprise
development.
The ARBO
Summit aims to: (1) Enhance Agro-Enterprise Development: The summit focuses on
improving the implementation of DAR’s programs, projects, particularly its
agro-enterprise development component. This initiative seeks to connect
smallholder farmers to markets and microfinance opportunities, thereby boosting
their economic prospects; (2) Facilitate Knowledge Exchange: By bringing
together ARBO leaders and stakeholders, the summit provides a forum for sharing
best practices, experiences, and strategies to overcome challenges in agrarian
communities; and (3) Recognize Outstanding ARBOs: The event also serves to
acknowledge and celebrate the achievements of exemplary ARBOs.
The ARBO Summit is instrumental in advancing the goals of the Comprehensive
Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) by: (1) Empowering ARBOs: Providing training and
resources to enhance the organizational and entrepreneurial capabilities of
ARBOs; (2) Promoting Sustainable Agriculture: Encouraging the adoption of best
practices and innovative approaches to increase agricultural productivity and
sustainability; and (3) Strengthening Partnerships: Fostering collaboration
among ARBOs, government gencies, and development partners to support rural
development and poverty alleviation.
It is also a way of
promoting camaraderie among the different agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) and other farmer-leaders; provide opportunities for learning from specific good
practices of other successful ARBOs by meeting and talking about their
experiences; share their best innovative practices; and also promote unity and
cooperation among the different cooperatives and other organizations in the
province.
Presently, there are at least two
Agrarian Reform Community (ARC) Clusters in the province and two more are being
organized. An ARC Cluster is composed to two or more ARCs organized into groups
primarily to reduce poverty, and have
sustained improvements in incomes and quality of life through business
engagements proportionate to economies of scale, i.e., a proportionate saving
in costs gained by an increased level of production. Hence, unity among the
members and officers in the agrarian reform communities is essential value to
sustain the programs that will have an impact against poverty in the
countryside.
The participants of the ARBO Summit
also received updates on the DAR’s programs and thrusts particularly
on land tenure, farm mechanization, solar irrigation pump projects,
sugarcane block farms, livelihood programs, climate change mitigation and
adaptation activities, enterprise development, credit and microfinance
programs, institutional development programs, etc., all of which are relevant
to the management and operation of their coop enterprises towards poverty
alleviation in the countryside.
One of the major topics discussed
was on the Filipino Values affecting the relationships, particularly of rural
families and coop members/officers. In a business context, cited
examples of Filipino values among local entrepreneurs are the traditional relationships, which usually develop into regular customer-supplier
relationships. Suki relationships build on loyalty (repeat transactions over
time), which translates to favors like reduced prices, better quality, and even occasional
credit privileges. Examples of these are common in the small neighborhood
sari-sari stores (convenience stores). Suki relationships help build and create
platforms for personal relationships that bloom into friendships between individuals. This is also clearly the
norm among coop members patronizing the services of their cooperatives. Of some interest are Filipino entrepreneurs who have turned their businesses into multi-billion enterprises, such as Henry Sy and Lucio Tan
Generally, the distinct value system of
Filipinos is ingrained mainly in the personal alliance systems such as those in
kinship, obligation, friendship, beliefs in God and business relationships.
Other dominant values among the members of the ARBOs are: pakikipagkapwa-tao, family oriented, flexibility and adaptability, faith and religiosity, resiliency, hard work and industry. Felipe Landa
Jocano, a famous Filipino sociologist, said, “There are no negative Filipino
values, only the wrong use of values”. Values change from one family to another
depending on how strongly the family promotes them from one generation to
another.
The participants were also oriented
on the various innovative processes on grassroots implementation of the plans
and programs of the government, including how to react and address graft and
corruption. An orientation on Participatory Government was also conducted
wherein Resource Speakers from the Kilusang Pagbabago and from the Office of
Participatory Governance were invited to elaborate further about the government’s
efforts on empowerment of the agricultural workers sector. The ARBO Summit also
involved orientation on the new credit and microfinance facilities, in addition
to workshops on entrepreneurship and team-building exercises that promote
solidarity among the various ARBOs.
The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don't have any. -Alice Walker
