Access to 1,650 hectares under CBFM
In less than two years, the Project was able to facilitate the release of three Community Based Forest Management Agreements (CBFMA) covering 1,150 hectares and an Integrated Social Forestry (ISF) Certificates of Stewardship Contracts (CSC) covering 500 hectares distributed to 363 farmers under the Community Based Forest Management Program (CBFMP) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).
CBFMP addresses the continuing destruction of the Philippines' natural forests and responds to the problem of poverty among upland communities. It aims to simultaneously protect the environment, alleviate poverty and promote social justice by enlisting forest occupants to steward the uplands. It gives organized and empowered communities the right and responsibility to directly manage and benefit from forest resources through the issuance of different types of tenurial instruments. Among these instruments are the CBFMA and the CSC.
CBFMA is an agreement between the DENR and the participating people's organization that provides tenurial security and incentives to develop and manage specific portions of forest lands. The agreement has duration of 25 years renewable for another 25 years if terms and conditions of the contract are sufficiently met. CSC is similar to CBFMA but is awarded to individuals or families actually tilling portions of the area to be awarded or traditionally using the resource for all substantial portions of their livelihood. Each CSC covers a maximum of 5 hectares and has duration also of 25 years renewable for another 25 years. It is a type of co-management agreement between the Philippine Government and the farmers (http://www.forestsandcommunities.org/Country_Profiles/Philippines.html).
To award the vast tract of lands in less than two years is a phenomenal success as the feudal system is deeply rooted in the Philippine society. Any initiative to equitably distribute lands is fiercely resisted. The process involved organizing the farmers where each organization has to be officially accredited passing all the criteria of the Securities and Exchange Commission of the Philippine Government Then their applications have to go through the government bureaucracy that took some time as they were scrutinized very carefully because there was another contesting party to the land.
The other claimant is related to the former mayor of the city allegedly responsible for the logging activities in the area. As they have established their presence in the village and have the resources to influence the DENR personnel, many of the farmers initially believed that the CBFMA will be awarded to them. Fortunately, the unrelenting pressure from the communities and the NGOs with the support from the local government unit convinced the DENR to decide in favor of the upland farmers. The local government unit professed that without the Project, the lands would surely be awarded to the other claimant.
With the awarding of this tenurial instrument, the farmers have secured their place in the community, opened access to other services such as credit and started to make long term plans in increasing agricultural productivity and in conserving the resource base. Essentially, with secured access to land they graduated from merely surviving to becoming productive members of the community.
Environmentally aware and empowered communities
Five community organizations were established and strengthened during the project period. These organizations served as the main vehicle by which the upland farmers systematize their community activities, participate in government programs and relate with other external organizations. Through the organizational processes, they learn the importance of having policies and procedures, of conserving their environment and in linking with government agencies and other institutions. Ultimately, they learn to participate in development processes knowing their rights and responsibilities.
In exercising these rights and privileges, they were successful in getting access to their lands within the legal framework of a government program. The difficult struggle became a valuable learning experience for them. By organizing themselves, they become a force to reckon with. By officially registering the organization, they gain access to a number of development programs offered by the government.
The communities have also become active in protecting the remaining forest. In a nearby watershed area within the village, members of the community discovered massive illegal logging activities. They took pictures of hardwood flitches under the houses and cut logs found deep within the forest. It was doubly dangerous as the persons involved are government personnel working supposedly to protect the forests. Through a multisectoral effort involving the government, military, LGUs, NGOs, media and the church, the accused persons were brought to court and penalized. The officials of the said government agency were suspended and transferred to other assignments. Moreover, an effort to reforest the area was initiated.
At the city level, the communities participated in several multi-sectoral activities such as setting up of checkpoints to monitor transport of forest products, barricading logging trucks and holding rallies in government offices calling for greater environmental awareness. At a personal level, some leaders have been tapped as resource persons to share their experiences with other upland communities.
A more stable and productive farming system
As a result of various technical training, the farmers have adopted contour farming, diversified their crops and planted hardwood and fruit trees on very steep lands. More than 80,000 trees are now growing in severely deforested areas and on the banks of creeks and stream.
These farming technologies provided soil cover all year round and reduced soil erosion while enhancing agricultural productivity. Some farmers claimed an increase in farm income by as much as 25% though it cannot be generalized as there was no field evaluation conducted. Swidden cultivation or shifting agriculture, a common practice among the Higaonons, has been greatly reduced.
The project also provided working animals and appropriate farm tools to selected farming households. These greatly reduced the workload and working hours at the farm. This allowed them to cater to other livelihood activities. The women, in particular greatly benefited from this intervention. With the reduced time in the farm, they are now able to attend to their children's needs and do other household chores.
Improved health and sanitation practices
With the conduct of a short course on health and sanitation, the health center became more vibrant with the support from a core of health volunteers, the establishment of herbal medicine gardens and an functional referral system for those who have major sicknesses. Hygiene and sanitation was greatly improved.
Given the lack of doctors and resources for health services, the Project focused on preventive health care and on treating minor illnesses within the village. With the necessary training, it availed of the services of mothers to act as trained health volunteers to assist in health maintenance. The local government unit was impressed with the enhanced skills of the volunteer health workers that it decided to provide honorarium to two volunteers to perform their tasks on a regular basis.
An added bonus of the training program was the improvement in the literacy skills of the mothers. Before the training, most of the trainee-mothers have difficulties in writing and in comprehending concepts. After undergoing the health course, mothers showed an improvement in writing skills and in absorbing lessons. Moreover, their arithmetic skills also improved as the training included measurement problems.
Instituted collective action to protect the forests
At the initiative of the Project, the City Government created the Clean and Green Board to monitor the enforcement of forest laws and regulations and to investigate and prosecute illegal logging activities. The Board is a multi-sectoral body composed of government institutions, city council, NGOs, church, media, military, police and the National Bureau of Investigation. During the life of the Project, the Board apprehended and filed cases in court against DENR personnel involved in illegal logging activities in the project area that resulted to their suspension.
The formation of the Clean and Green Board reflects the high level of environmental awareness among various sectors in the city. This could be attributed to the strong environmental movement led by NGOs and organizations of farmers, fishermen and the urban poor. The contribution of the Project is more on establishing a mechanism for collective action participated in by the different sectors in addressing illegal logging.
