DAR allots P300-M to aid farmers during COVID19 pandemic

The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) has allotted PHP300 million to finance its ongoing project "The PaSSOver: ARBOld Move to Heal as One Deliverance of our ARBs from the Covid-19 Pandemic,” a project in response to the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act or Republic Act 11469, where the President Rodrigo Duterte directed all government agencies to provide, protect and promote the welfare of the people amid the COVID19 health crisis. Throughout the nation, there are thousands of CARP farmer-beneficiaries adversely affected by the COVID19 pandemic.

     Admittedly, the biggest and most important sector in the country affected by this crisis is the food service industry, the Philippines being a nation with a thriving agricultural backbone, the lockouts throughout Luzon (which later on expanded to some major provinces in Visayas and Mindanao) caused farmers and agricultural workers suddenly unable to produce, tend their farms, and market their products. It also resulted to laborers losing job opportunities resulting to massive loss of income.

     As the public were forced by the crisis to stay in their homes to protect themselves and their families, the local economy ground to a halt but expenses continue to pile up. Business establishments remain closed and some may never open up again. All of a sudden, the agri sector is experiencing the largest loss of income in human history due to the deadly and highly contagious COVID19 pandemic, putting a sudden stop to physical interactions and almost none on business transactions.

     According to DAR Secretary JohnR. Castriciones, the budget for the project will be taken from the realigned budget of the Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Development Sustainability Program (ARBDSP) and unobligated allotment from the different units of the DAR Support Services Office (SSO). The project aims to give essential support to ARBs for them to be able to perform their roles in ensuring food sufficiency in the country.

     The project intends to provide immediate and essential support services to men and women agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) to mitigate the impact of the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) measures due to the pandemic and to address the demands affecting the agricultural sector even after the ECQ has been lifted or upon the start of the “new normal.”

The PaSSOver: ARBOld Move project will provide enable the ARBs, individually and collectively, to continue performing their roles as frontliners in ensuring food sufficiency for the nation. DAR is assisting the farmers in the distribution and delivery of agri products by issuing quarantine passes so they could pass through checkpoints in critical areas under ECQ.

     The Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Organizations (ARBOs) will also be provided with farm inputs such as seedlings, fertilizers, pesticides, and farm tools to enable them to resume planting crops for continuous food supply. It will cover 7,000 hectares nationwide with 90,839 individual ARBs to benefit from the project. ARB identification cards (ARB IDs) are also being issued and distributed under the PaSSOver: ARBOld Move project. The ID cards are being given to identify ARBs and facilitate their access to the government's social amelioration programs (SAPs). As of April 24, a total of 77,119 ARB IDs have been distributed by the DAR.

     The project will also extend its support to 1,200 women ARBs nationwide by providing them with livelihood activities, especially in food production such as egg and poultry production, hog fattening, and similar activities based on their preferences and capabilities to ensure they have food on their tables and products to sell.

    According to DAR SSO Undersecretary Atty. Emily Padilla, “the project will also provide packages containing supplemental food, hygiene products and vitamins to ARB households. Each package will contain 4 kilos of rice, 4 canned sardines, 4 packs instant noodles, 2 pieces bath soap, 10 pieces face masks and a bottle of 50 pieces vitamin C. A total of 126,565 qualified ARBs will benefit from these packages. “Helping our ARBs will ensure that their agricultural production, livelihood and income will continue during this health crisis. It will also ensure sustained supply of adequate, affordable and safe food necessary for Filipino consumers even upon the 'new normal' will be implemented,"

     Meantime, in Cagayan province, the DAR Provincial Office personnel are presently going around different municipalities distributing initially the relief packs for agrarian reform farmer-beneficiaries, to be followed immediately with the distribution of farm inputs and livelihood kits, to help farmers get on and move on to the new normal. (Photos by: Mimi Atal-Mora)
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DAR-World Bank Project SPLIT to facilitate subdivision of collective to individual CLOAs for agrarian reform beneficiaries

Support to Parcelization of Lands to Individual Title (SPLIT), is a project that seeks to give farmer-beneficiaries covered under collective Certificates of Land Ownership Awards (cCLOA), the opportunity to have and own individual titles as evidence of ownership to the farmlot/s awarded to them under the agrarian reform program.

The recently approved Department of Agrarian Reform-World Bank (DAR-WB) SPLIT project is a loan package amounting to Php24 Billion which shall be used to subdivide the cCLOAs - about 1.38 million hectares, into individual land titles so that the agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) may fully exercise their rights of ownership and possession over their landholding/s.

The issuance of CCLOAs has repercussion to the government as it could not collect taxes and amortization. The same can be said to many beneficiaries who are not engaged in collective farming. All these issues can be cured once these cCLOAs are split into individual titles, he said.

The project SPLIT also includes the acquisition for the DAR Provincial offices involved, of survey and other related equipment for the subdivision of each farm lot, four-wheel drive vehicles and motorcycles for the mobilization of DAR survey teams, including hiring of additional manpower. It also requires capability trainings due to advances in technology, such as on the use of new software/computer programs like the AutoCAD Google Earth (AGE) Mapping which is useful for the subdivision of individual land titles as it requires computing technical descriptions, conversion of coordinates, transporting KMZ files (used by Google Earth) to Andriod phones among others.

The DAR-WB SPLIT project is in response to President Rodrigo Roa Duterte’s order to the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) to conduct the survey and re-documentation of collective land titles to individual certificates of landownership awards (CLOAs). President Rodrigo R. Duterte requested the assistance of the World Bank in order to expedite the process of subdividing the lands covered by collective agrarian reform land titles. 

FAQs about the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps)

• The conditional cash transfer (CCT) program locally known as Pantawid Pamilya Pilipino Program, or 4Ps, is a government program that provides conditional cash grants to the poorest of the poor in the Philippines. The program aims to break the cycle of poverty by keeping children aged 0-18 healthy and in school, so they can have a better future.
• The program is implemented by the Department of Social Welfare and Development, with the Department of Health, the Department of Education and the National Economic and Development Authority as partners.
• Households receive cash grants if children stay in school and get regular health check-ups, have their growth monitored, and receive vaccines. Pregnant women must get pre-natal care, with their births attended to by professional health workers. Parents or guardians are required to participate in monthly community-based Family Development Sessions to learn about positive child discipline, disaster preparedness, and women’s rights.
• Beneficiaries are objectively selected through the National Household Targeting System, also known as Listahanan, which is based from a survey of the physical structure of their houses, the number of rooms and occupants, their access to running water, and other factors affecting their living conditions.
• The program has one of the most comprehensive poverty targeting databases in the world today, covering 75% of the country’s population. It has been used extensively to identify poor and near-poor beneficiaries for national and local government programs.
• Started in 2007, the government expanded the program in December 2016 to reach a total of 20 million Filipinos belonging to 4.4 million households. The program benefits about 20% of the population, the majority of the nation’s poor.
• 9 million children are currently benefiting from the program, 1.9 million of which are in high school. The program has also achieved almost universal enrollment for elementary age children of 4Ps households.
• Social protection programs, Pantawid included, have cushioned the poor from the adverse impacts of various shocks the country experienced over the past six years. A study estimates that the program has led to a poverty reduction of 1.4 percentage points per year or 1.5 million less poor Filipinos.
• The 4Ps is currently the world’s fourth-largest CCT program based on population coverage. It complements the government’s other development priorities such as generating jobs and creating livelihood opportunities for the poor.

General Impact 1.5 million less poor Filipinos or an estimated poverty reduction impact of 1.4 percentage points per year Household heads, spouses, and other adults are more encouraged to work and set up their own businesses  87% of 4Ps parents are now more optimistic about their situation and their children’s futures

Health Reduction in severe stunting among beneficiary children Lower maternal mortality in the past five years because more mothers deliver babies in health facilities (7/10 live births) Drastic decrease in alcoholism in 4Ps households (spending on vices was lower by 39%) 4Ps beneficiaries consume more rice and cereals than non-beneficiaries

Education 10.18 million children currently benefit from CCT, 1.9 million of which are in high school Near universal school enrolment of elementary age children for 4Ps households (98%) 6% higher gross enrollment rate for beneficiary high school students Higher spending on education among 4Ps households (206 Pesos more per school-aged child per month vs non-4Ps) Decrease in child labor days (7 days less a month for 4Ps households) 333,673 graduated from high-school in 2015, 13,400 of which received honors

Local Economies P households invest more in working assets (livestock, machineries) than non-beneficiaries 4Ps households spend more on basic needs such as food, education and medicine that stimulate the growth of the local economy                         SOURCE: WORLD BANK RELATED LITERATURE: UPDATE OF PHILIPPINE 4Ps

DAR to provide low-cost housing for farmer-beneficiaries

QUEZON CITY—As the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) celebrated the 30^th anniversary of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP), it also disclosed its latest package of assistance for agrarian reform beneficiaries, that is, the provision of affordable housing for agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) as part of its support services under CARP.

ARB housing program for the CARP farmer-beneficiaries.

Model unit located at the Nueva Vizcaya State University. 

According to DAR Secretary  John Castriciones, the farmers’ and farmworkers’ housing program shall be part of President Rodrigo Duterte’s order for a “rebirth” of land reform in the country, as he directed the DAR to launch what he described as a second phase of the program. Under the second phase of agrarian reform, the ARBs housing program shall be one of the major programs that would greatly improve the living condition of agrarian reform beneficiaries citing that most of the farmers and farmworkers do not own houses of their own. He further said that the ARB housing program is one of the means to achieve inclusive growth and improve the lives of ARBs and their families.

A model design located at the DAR Central Office in Quezon City. 

The ARB housing program shall be implemented through the convergence program of several government agencies and the private sector such as the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council’s (HUDCC) Balay Filipino Program, National Housing Authority (NHA), Pag-IBIG Fund, Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board (HLURB), Social Housing Finance Corp. (SHFC), Home Guarantee Corp. (HGC) and the National Home Mortgage Finance Corp. (NHMFC).  These agencies will extend their respective programs, activities, and expertise in assisting and tapping subdivision developers in the housing industry to join the DAR’s ARB housing program.

The ARBs may use their emancipation patent, certificate of land ownership award (CLOA) and other titles issued to them as security. Housing loans for house construction or improvement in lands covered by CLOA will be treated as additional loans by Land Bank and other lending institutions.  The maximum term of housing loan will be at 30 years.

At present there are two model houses with different designs. One is located at DAR Central Office in Diliman, Quezon City and the other is located at the Nueva Vizcaya State University. The housing units are the duplex type with two bedrooms each, covering 37 square meters. Other model houses will also be put up in the Visayas and Mindanao where interested ARBs can view these units.

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DAR-Cagayan revives and strengthens the BARANGAY AGRARIAN REFORM COMMITTEE (BARC)

The Department of Agrarian Reform-Cagayan Provincial Office in Tuguegarao recently conducted a two-day seminar for barangay leaders, farmer-leaders and agrarian reform beneficiaries to enable them to reorganize and strengthen the Barangay Agrarian Reform Committee (BARC) in their respective barangays.

The BARC shall effect and facilitate the land transfer program in the barangays. It shall establish questions of fact, e.g. identification of lands to be covered and distributed, identification, screening and qualification of beneficiaries, identification of landowners, land valuation, perimeter surveys, information dissemination, etc.

The BARC functions as contained in Sec. 47 of R.A. 6657 are as follows: (1)  Assist in the identification of qualified beneficiaries and landowners in the barangay; (2)   Attest to the accuracy of the initial parcellary mapping of the beneficiary's tillage; (3) Assist in the initial determination of the value of the land; (4) Mediating local agrarian disputes among farmers and landowners alike, among others. The BARC shall endeavor to resolve these disputes as far as practicable, within the confines of the community. The BARC shall closely coordinate and establish linkages with local conflict resolution bodies such as the Lupong Tagapayapa on issues which shall expedite CARP implementation and avoid delays brought about by tedious courtroom procedures.

Further, the BARC shall identify possible opportunities for the provision of specific support services based on felt needs, such as coordinate the delivery of support services to beneficiaries and assist qualified beneficiaries in obtaining credit from lending institutions

A related purpose shall be that of providing the community a forum for ventilating agrarian reform issues whereupon local farmers organizations shall be given the opportunity to directly propose and advocate policies.

The Philippine Constitution also expressly provides that the state shall recognize the right of the farmers, farmworkers, and landowners, as well as cooperatives and other independent farmers organizations to participate in the planning, organization and management of the (agrarian reform) program (ART. XIII, Sec. 5). The provision embodies the goal of "people empowerment" as an indispensable element in broadening the base of our democracy.

The passage of Executive Order No. 229 further affirmed this commitment to building a community-based implementing and coordinating mechanism for the agrarian reform program by providing for the establishment of the Barangay Agrarian Reform Council. In line with the policy of encouraging people's initiative and self-reliance, the law provided that the BARC shall operate on a self-help bases.

Subsequently, R.A. 6657 (CARP) restated the government's adherence to participatory development and vested the BARC with additional functions such as among others, identification of beneficiaries, land valuation, etc. The CARL likewise changed the nomenclature of the BARC from "council" to "committee".

The composition of the BARC shall be in accordance with proportionate sectoral representation on the basis of the land-to-the-tiller principle. Hence, bigger sectors shall have bigger representation in the BARC.

The membership of the BARC shall be in accord with the basic requirements of E.O. 229 and shall have regular voting members and ex-officio non-voting members. Regular members shall be limited to residents of the barangay. On the other hand, the ex-officio members shall comprise representatives of government agencies and the barangay council. With the predominance of barangay residents in its membership, the regular functioning of the BARC shall be ensured.

The BARC shall have:

A. Seven REGULAR VOTING MEMBERS composed of: Four representatives of farmer/farmworker beneficiaries which shall be composed of representatives of the following sectors: (a) landless farmworkers (whether regular, seasonal, or other farmworkers); (b) share tenant; (c) lessee (to include ISF beneficiaries); and (d) amortizing owner (EP/CLT holder, etc.). One representative of farmer/farmworker non-beneficiaries. This sector shall be represented by small owner-cultivators i.e., those who own not more than 5 hectares of agricultural land and are actually tilling the land either by himself or with the help of family labor and/or hired farmworkers. One representative of agricultural cooperatives/farmers organization. This sector shall be represented from a functional and barangay-based farmers organization or a cooperative. The cooperative should have a majority of tillers in its membership. One representative of landowner. The sector shall include small (w/5 hectares or less) but non-cultivating landowners.

B. Six EX-OFFICIO NON-VOTING MEMBERS composed of one (1) representative each from the following: Department of Agrarian Reform - (DAR Agrarian Reform Technologist assigned to the area who shall act as the Secretary); Department of Agriculture; Department of Environment and Natural Resources; Land Bank of the Philippines; Barangay Council; and Locally based non-government organizational (NGO). These are NGOs based on the municipal or provincial level.

The BARC shall also have its Officers and Committees. The elected sectoral representatives shall elect among themselves a Chairman, a Vice Chairman, and an Assistant Secretary. All elected BARC officers shall be residents of the barangay. The BARC (consisting of both the voting and non-voting members) shall form different committees based on need and priority activities. The BARC representatives shall likewise select the committee heads as appropriate.

The Department shall facilitate the formation of BARCs in barangays which have expressed needs for one and primarily in, but not limited to, priority areas and municipalities. The process of organizing shall reflect to the fullest extent, the intention of the law to allow meaningful participation of all concerned sectors.

Elected representatives shall serve a maximum of two (2) years. Any elected BARC representatives who fails to fulfill his duties and responsibilities or fails to live up to the expectations of the sector he represents may be removed before the expiration of his term by majority vote of the members of the sectoral group. Officers of the BARC shall serve at the pleasure of the committee and may be removed by simple majority vote or upon serving the maximum period of two (2) years.

The DAR’s thrusts and programs were also discussed during the event wherein the participants expressed their sincere desire to strengthen and seriously participate in the implementation of the agrarian reform program to bring about the benefits of rural development in their respective communities.

Supreme Court says Deeds of Sale and TCTs executed without DAR Clearance may be cancelled by DARAB.

In a Decision issued by the Supreme Court in the case of DEPARTMENT OF AGRARIAN REFORM v. IGMIDIO D. ROBLES (GR No. 190482, Dec 09, 2015), the Court ruled that the DAR Adjudication Board (DARAB) has jurisdiction over cancellation of deeds of absolute sale and the Transfer Certificates of Titles where such transactions were executed without prior DAR Clearance. 

DAR clearance is required for the transfer or sale of any agricultural land to ensure that the transferee or buyer will not own more than 5 hectares of agricultural land as a result of the transfer or sale pursuant to Section 6, R.A. 6657 which provides: 

SECTION 6. Retention Limits. — Except as otherwise provided in this Act, no person may own or retain, directly or indirectly, any public or private agricultural land, the size of which shall vary according to factors governing a viable family-size farm, such as commodity produced, terrain, infrastructure, and soil fertility as determined by the Presidential Agrarian Reform Council (PARC) created hereunder, but in no case shall retention by the landowner exceed five (5) hectares. Three (3) hectares may be awarded to each child of the landowner, subject to the following qualifications: (1) that he is at least fifteen (15) years of age; and (2) that he is actually tilling the land or directly managing the farm: Provided, That landowners whose lands have been covered by Presidential Decree No. 27 shall be allowed to keep the areas originally retained by them thereunder: Provided, further, That original homestead grantees or their direct compulsory heirs who still own the original homestead at the time of the approval of this Act shall retain the same areas as long as they continue to cultivate said homestead.

The right to choose the area to be retained, which shall be compact or contiguous, shall pertain to the landowner: Provided, however, That in case the area selected for retention by the landowner is tenanted, the tenant shall have the option to choose whether to remain therein or be a beneficiary in the same or another agricultural land with similar or comparable features. In case the tenant chooses to remain in the retained area, he shall be considered a leaseholder and shall lose his right to be a beneficiary under this Act. In case the tenant chooses to be a beneficiary in another agricultural land, he loses his right as a leaseholder to the land retained by the landowner. The tenant must exercise this option within a period of one (1) year from the time the landowner manifests his choice of the area for retention. In all cases, the security of tenure of the farmers or farm workers on the land prior to the approval of this Act shall be respected.

Upon the effectivity of this Act, any sale, disposition, lease, management, contract or transfer of possession of private lands executed by the original landowner in violation of the Act shall be null and void: Provided, however, That those executed prior to this Act shall be valid only when registered with the Register of Deeds within a period of three (3) months after the effectivity of this Act. Thereafter, all Registers of Deeds shall inform the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) within thirty (30) days of any transaction involving agricultural lands in excess of five (5) hectares.

Press Release: 

DAR Clarifies Issue Of Land Clearance

 DAR crafts new rules on land transfer 

Farmers experience increased production under Sugacane Block Farms

Sometime in the year 2013, the Department ofAgrarian Reform (DAR) and the Department of Agriculture (DA) through the SugarRegulatory Authority (SRA) started the Sugarcane Block Farms project, with nineteen (19) pilot sites most of which are in Negros Occidental. As a consequence thereof, it was shown that the pilot sites posted an average increase of 29 percent in farm productivity for the crop year 2013-2014 after a year of operation. It was also established that the block farms had an average increase from 50.78 tons cane per hectare (TC/Ha) to 65.29 TC/Ha during the period. All the pilot block farms showed increases in productivity ranging from 7.47 percent to 100 percent after receiving capacity-building, technical assistance, farm planning, and farm management support from SRA.

The Sugarcane Block Farm in Cadiz City, Negros Occidental, specially, the Hacienda Bernardita Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Multi-Purpose Cooperative experienced a 7.47 percent increase in production, from its traditional production of 77 TC/Ha to 82.75 TC/Ha. A similar experience was also posted by the North Cluster Producers Cooperative in Paniqui, Tarlac which involved a 100 percent increase in productivity from 50 TC/Ha to 100 TC/Ha. Consequently, the average 29 percent increase in productivity resulted to an average increase of the agrarian reform beneficiaries’ (ARBs) income by P39,815 per hectare, at 1.96 Lkg per TC.

The SBF project includes trainings on Sugarcane high-yeild varieties production and management. 

In Cagayan province, Sugarcane Block Farms started in 2016-2017 through the Agrarian Reform Community Connectivity and Economic Support Services (ARCCESS) project covering the Bugnay Farmers Marketing Cooperative in Tuao, Cagayan and the Mabuhay Agri-Crops MPC in Piat, Cagayan. The 2017-2018 FBS project included the Bantay Farmers Producers Cooperative in Solana, Cagayan and Pinoy Bagong Pagasa Marketing Cooperative in Tuao, Cagayan. For the 2018-2019 SBF projects, the ARBOs to be enrolled are Roma Sur MPC in Enrile, Cagayan and Villarey ARB Cooperative in Piat, Cagayan.

Cagayan SBF ARBOs enrolled under the SBF project are provided farm machines to ensure the sustainability of the project. 

The DAR-DA/SRA Sugarcane Block Farms (SBF) project involves the consolidation of the management of small farms of less than five hectares, into a bigger but contiguous unit of at least 30 hectares for purposes of improving farm productivity while individual ownership by the ARB is maintained.

Information gathered from SRA shows that about 85 percent of sugarcane farms in the country have areas below five hectares due the widespread coverage of agri lands under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP), subdivision of lands by inheritance, sale, etc.

Sugarcane is a plantation crop and its cost-efficiency ratio is achieved with large farm sizes such as 30 hectares and above, small sugarcane farmers cannot avail of the benefits of economies of scale, such as reduced prices of inputs for bulk purchases, etc. The present ARB-land owners also do not have the capability to provide the needed farm inputs resulting to lower production, it is also aggravated by the lower price offered by millers except for large volume transactions. 

The Sugarcane Block Farms project aims to consolidated small sugarcane farms into larger agribusiness ventures, improved farm management and mechanized farming by the ARB’s through provision of essential technical, financial, production and marketing support services under the project. At the end of their enrollment under the SBF project, these ARBOs shall be able to operate the sugarcane block farms as a business and become a major industry player through economies of scale.

ARB management skills enhanced by DAR-CDA Partnership II

     The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) in Cagayan province is presently assisting 59 agrarian reform beneficiaries organizations (ARBOs) composed of more than forty agrarian reform beneficiaries’ cooperatives. One component of DAR’s assistance is the organizational management aspect composed of local capability building activities for the proper management of these farmers’ cooperatives by the Coop officers. This is being undertaken in partnership with the Cooperative Development Authority (CDA).

   Being the lead agency in cooperative development, the Cooperative Development Authority provides technical assistance to the ARB Cooperatives which include trainings, pre-registration seminars, mentoring, coaching, consultancy, bookkeeping, accounting, auditing, assistance on regulatory requirements, etc. The CDA also provides assistance for the rehabilitation of agrarian reform beneficiaries’ cooperatives.

     To strengthen this joint efforts, the DAR and the CDA entered into a Memorandum of Agreement renewing their respective commitments to promote and strengthen the ARB cooperatives and to ensure the sustainability of the cooperative enterprise activities.  The program, which is dubbed as DAR-CDA Partnership II, intends to put in place a capacity development (CAPDEV) initiative, among others, to improve service delivery to their members and positively giving impact to their business performance and operations.

   For the DAR Provincial Office of Cagayan, most of the ARBO-cooperatives have already completed the mandatory trainings for cooperatives under the partnership except for the newly organized cooperatives and the ARB organizations/associations who have recently decided to convert into agrarian reform beneficiaries’ cooperatives who need to undergo trainings on cooperative operation and management.

    These capability building activities and enterprise management trainings are significantly important at present because these ARBOs in Cagayan are recipients of farm machineries such as hand-tractors, mechanical tillers, four-wheel drive tractors, combine harvesters, hauling trucks, etc. As such, it is essential that they are equipped with the knowledge and capacities to operate these multi-million peso assets into a viable income generating business enterprises for their cooperatives.

    The present government under the Duterte Administration has made it possible for viable ARB cooperatives to access farm machineries to maximize farm productivity pursuant to the food security program and increase their income to counter the adverse effects of climate change.

   The Memorandum of Agreement seeks to renew DAR and CDA’s commitment to develop functional agrarian reform cooperatives managing profitable and sustainable enterprises in order to better serve their members and contribute in improving the quality of life of ARBs, their household and rural women. Generally, it aims to support the government’s program of reducing poverty through cooperatives.

Biyaya ng Pagbabago to bring poverty alleviation programs to the communities

   Biyaya ng Pagbabago Tungo sa Masagana at Matiwasay na Buhay Pilipino (Biyaya ng Pagbabago) program was initiated by the Office of the CabinetSecretary (OCS), in partnership with the KilusangPagbabago movement, to bring various poverty alleviation programs of the national government to the communities.  It was officially launched sometime in December 2017.

    It is a national program on self-reliance and active citizenship, a movement that intertwines the different communities throughout the country, with the threads of capacity building and participatory governance. This initiative is in response to President Rodrigo Duterte’s call to create a better and more developed country for all Filipinos. It also enjoins other agencies and civil society groups to commit to the administration’s goal of alleviating poverty.

   There are three key objectives of the program: (1) for government services to become more responsive, adequate, timely and effectively delivered to those that need it the most; (2) for citizens to be more proactive and communities more empowered in participatory governance and in inclusive economic development; and (3) for a whole of government, sector and area-focused poverty alleviation strategy to be fully operationalized.

     The venture is also in line with the administration’s promise to empower Filipino families and, subsequently, to meet the Philippine Development Plan (PDP) ‎2017-2022 target of reducing poverty from 21.6 percent to 14 percent (approximately 6 million Filipinos) by 2022.

    Participating agencies for the “Biyaya ng Pagbabago” include the Cooperative Development Authority (CDA); Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC); National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC); National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP); National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF); National Food Authority (NFA); National Youth Commission (NYC); Presidential Action Center (PACE); Philippine Commission on Women (PCW); Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA); Presidential Commission for the Urban Poor (PCUP); and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA). 
     The Kilusang Pagbabago acknowledges the importance of community participation for programs and services to reach the grassroots level. One of its roles, having members in every barangay, is to help the Office of the Participatory Governance in identifying the needs of people at the communities. It will likewise serve as a watchdog in the implementation of the Biyaya ng Pagbabago program, as well as in the criminality and anti-illegal drugs programs of the Duterte administration. The Kilusang Pagbabago will continue to push for communities' awareness on the poverty alleviation, criminality, and anti-drugs programs of the President. Source: PCOO, PIA