2nd Batch of BARC Officers in Sorsogon City undergo 2-day BARC Basic Training Course

(L-R; Top-Bottom) : The participants of BARC Basic Training Course; 

Selected participants doing a play as part of workshop; 

selected participant reading the feedback of the play 

written by other participants; and 

Participants before the workshop period.

Sorsogon City – a second round of Barangay Agrarian Reform Council (BARC) Basic Training Course was provided to BARC Officers of Barangays: Sta. Lucia; San Roque; San Juan; and Del Rosario, all in Bacon District ;and Barangays: Bucalbucalan; Peñafrancia; Pamurayan; Pangpang; Macabog; Piot and Tugos; Cabid-an; Balogo; and Basud of Sorsogon City by the Department of Agrarian Reform Provincial Office of Sorsogon headed by Felix E. Fruto, OIC PARPO II and LGU Sorsogon City through the Grassroots Participatory Budgeting.
    Their knowledge about the History of Land Reform was refreshed as Lucy G. Bailon, MARPO of Bacon District discussed it as well as about the Memorandum Circular No. 05, series of 2010 which is all about the new composition of BARC. Pamela F. Morcoso, Legal Officer had explained to them the salient features of CARP and CARPER which had helped them to be updated about agrarian laws.
   According to Marites Lucero, Barangay Chairperson of Pamurayan who was invited in this training, she had learned so many things about agrarian reform implementation thus this activity has truly helped them in enriching their knowledge especially to her because agrarian reform processes is very different from what she knows.
     The BARC Officers were also taught about the organization development skills by Maribel J. Lubiano, SILCAB Technical Assistant so that the next time they call for a meeting, they already know how to do it properly.
    They were also updated about the Leasehold System and Mediation Process by Norberto D. Laguna, MARPO of Sorsogon City in order for them to know the rights of every tenant (lessee); landowner (lessor); their limit; and the difference between the landholdings under leasehold and the landholdings which are under the coverage of land acquisition and distribution (LAD).
      “For a long time, we have not given a seminar like this, only hand-outs which we still have to read and try to understand. Unlike now, there is already somebody from the DAR who explains to us what agrarian law is. This way is much better,” said Romeo Llona, BARC Chairperson of San Roque, Bacon, Sorsogon City since 1988 and currently holding a seat in Barangay Council.
       Before this 2-day training ends, the participants were asked to group themselves into two. Group one presents a play depicting the role of each BARC members in an actual mediation conference, while group two expressed their feedback regarding the play.
      “We have waited for this kind of training that can give us idea how we can resolve the agrarian-related problems in our community,” said Marilou Yuson, BARC Chairperson and Barangay Councilor of Basud, Sorsogon City.
      Like the 1st batch of BARC Officers who were provided with BARC Strengthening, this batch is also expected to experience the same knowledge journey to expose them to BARC situations in other locales.

The Boss is an ARB

For so many years, majority of the farmers in our country depended mainly on the meager wage paid to them by the landlords in exchange of their labor in the farm. And this earning, evidently, wasn’t able to sustain the day to day needs of the farming families then, and still a sizable number of them now. This farmer’s living condition prompted the government to implement agrarian reform programs in the country. Most prominent of which is the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP).

These programs effected considerable change in the lives of the Filipino farmers, gradually transforming them from mere workers, into owner-cultivators and entrepreneurs. With the land and various interventions provided by the government, many farmers have now successfully augmented their farm production, enabling them to increase their income and do business at the same time.

This has been the story of a farmer from Casiguran, Sorsogon, in the name of Amador Mansus Masarate – a farmworker turned owner-manager of a well-run agri-enterprise. An enterprise that has also been helping stimulates trade in his place, and creates employment opportunities for his immediate neighbors.

Masarate is an upland farmer in a landholding owned by Tucidides De Castro located in Brgy. Escuala, Casiguran, Sorsogon and at the same time he used to be a laborer of Severino Listana whose property is located in Brgy. Inlagadian, Casiguran, Sorsogon sometime in 1977. “My salary during those times was only six pesos a day, and earns nothing when off season comes. I resorted to selling bamboos that grows in his property in order to make both ends meet,” he recounted.

In those times, Listana’s property has an abundant plantation of abaca but it was in catastrophe due to the virus infestation. So, he transformed it into coconut land. Then, agrarian reform was implemented covering this property. Unfortunately, Masarate did not find luck to be chosen as one of its beneficiaries. He was rather given 2.4076 hectares upland from De Castro estate. In 1995, he got his Certificate of Landownership Award (CLOA) from the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) and immediately was installed thereon. Since then, he and his wife Maria Freda Blanqueza Masarate planted it with tomatoes, pineapple, banana, red pepper, eggplant, bitter cucumber, petchay, and cabbage. They plant these crops depending on its season. They use the rotating method in planting vegetables.

As a farmer, Masarate practices diversified farming, and adopts technologies such as UNLADSAKA, PALAYAMANIN, Hybrid Rice Commercialization, Multi-Storey Coco-based production, KASAKALIKASAN, FFS-Vegetable Production, and Greenhouse vegetable production.

The investment he has poured in for all his crops was almost P400,000.00. This capital returns back close to P1million in earnings, with the following breakdown: P112,000.00 at P32.00/kilo for tomatoes; P150,000.00 at P25.00/kilo for red pepper (these are for summer season crops); P150,000.00 at P20.00/kilo for bitter cucumber (this is usually planted in December); P150,000.00 at P30.00/kilo for eggplant; P150,000.00 per cropping of pechay and cabbage (but there are years that they have no plantation of these kinds); P20,000.00 at P8.00/fruit for pineapple, but that comes from only ¼ hectare plantation out of the total 1 ½ hectares pineapple plantation. “The pineapples are already aging, they need to be replaced in order to bear more and bigger fruits,” explained Masarate. For coconut, they earned 27,802.00 per 45 days for the 4.5 hectares plantation, however, upon the establishment of Peter Paul Philippines Corporation (PPPC), the largest manufacturer of coconut water drink, they opts to sell the fresh fruits. Just recently, they earned P23,303.00 out of their P9,200.00 investment. Apart from that, he was still given the privilege to manage some parts of coconut land in the nearby barangay by his former landlord, Listana. This year’s (2014) latest harvest is 700 cocofruits.

The Masarate also venture in poultry and livestocks. At present, they have fifty (50) chickens which just started in “paalaga”.  But these are only for household consumption. They have three (3) carabao’s from their P14,000.00 investment. Previously they have six (6) cows but this year, they removed them all. “They usually roam under the coconuts, then we discovered that their urine caused the decrease in coconut’s yield, so we removed them,” explained Masrate.

     Their large scale vegetable production has prompted them to buy two (2) service trucks to transport farm products to the market, these trucks are also “for hire”.  With the help of the farm-to-market road project of DAR under ARISP II, his trucking and other businesses have been doing well so far.

The finished product of coco juice which 

were given to Masarate by the producer.

       Last January 2010, they started venturing on copra trading with an investment of P100,000. They earn P3,000 a week for this business alone. Nowadays, most farmers prefer to sell the fresh cocofruit because it is more practical than doing the tedious copra production. Masarate buy them for P8.00 per kilo and sold it for P9.00 in the PPPC at Sorsogon City which he delivers once every two (2) days. As per record, his latest coco fruit delivery is 8,000 kilos.

       Furthermore, he was also tilling a more than 3 hectares (2 has. before) riceland of his mother-in-law in their barangay which is also an awarded land from Filomena Mateo. Out of his P60,000.00 investment, he earned a total of P224,400.00. This riceland is irrigated, but in summer time the water that flow is very few. It is tilled twice a year but because of water shortage, only one hectare can be planted, except in December.

Amador M. Masarate while counting the amount of coconuts
delivered to them by coconut farmers in their area.

      Due to the expansion of his farm, he has hired laborers to aid him. He has seven (7) regular employees (13 before) who he paid P200.00 per day and a free 5 times a day meal (breakfast, AM snacks, lunch, PM snacks, and dinner). The once poor and underprivileged farmer Masarate, is now a boss.

Masarate and his family are now enjoying the comforts of life. They can now buy things they could not afford before, like electrical home appliances, furniture and motor vehicles. Add to these the modern farm implements they’ve acquired, such as hand tractor, thresher, and other mechanized tools. “But the Department of Agriculture has told us that we’ll be a recipient of a new hand tractor and a thresher,” said Maria Freda. In 2009, during the celebration of UNLADSAKA, Amador Masarate was awarded as the “2009 Gawad Saka Provincial Outstanding HVCC Farmer”. Moreover, the Provincial Agriculturist Office has chosen Masarate’s farm to be the site of green house where he can grow cabbage and cauliflower. “Sadly, that site was one of those that have been damaged by a strong whirlwind that throws some houses,” said Masarate.

Jessa, the daughter of Amador Masarate who at her 

very young age is already managing 

her very own sari-sari store.

But that is not the greatest challenged the couple had encountered in their life, it’s their willingness to help other relatives by giving free education. “We have already invited some nephews and nieces to stay with us so that we can provide them education, but after graduating high school, they leave,” said Masarate. Their eldest son is also one of those who quit school after third year. On the other hand, their youngest daughter, Jessa is very industrious in her studies. She’s in grade five now. This summer vacation, she was provided by the couple a “sari-sari” store which she personally managed. “She asked that from us because even when she was yet in prep, she is already fond of selling. At first, her store is just inside our house, now we had already set up a booth. When school days come, her sari-sari store is close but its content will be transferred again inside our house so that I can attend to it,” explained Maria Freda. Indeed, their neighbors are amazed seeing a very young businesswoman in their community.

“I am not boasting about what I achieved. I am just doing my duty as a land tiller while living in simplicity. It is my delight to help the community in the reduction of jobless residents and to aid other family members especially those young ones to have an access to education. To sustain the blessings which God bestow upon us, we have to share it with others and treat that values as a mission,” said Masarate.

The Family of Amador Masarate with their service truck.

According to him, their finances are mostly collectibles. Sometimes, there are borrowers who don’t pay unless they call a police. They have always wanted to do house repairs, but because they lack cash on hand, they were not able to do their plans. “Hopefully, when you come back, our house is already renovated,” said his wife.

9 ARBOs in Sorsogon undergo 3-day Training on Financial Management

The Participants of the 3-day Financial Management Training with

Maribel J. Lubiano, DAR-CDA Partnership Point Person, and Training Facilitator;

Ignacio B. Espinosa,CAO-STOD; and Evelyn Peña, resource speaker.

Sorsogon City – a 3-day training was provided to nine (9) Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries’ Organizations (ARBOs) by DAR Sorsogon headed by Felix E. Fruto, OIC PARPO II in partnership with South-Luzon Federation of Cooperatives (SIDECO) headed by Jenell P. Paghubasan, SIDECO Chairperson on September 17-19, 2014. Particularly, they learned the Basic Concepts of Cooperative Financial Management; and Elements of the Accounting System for Cooperatives which were discussed by Lucy G. Bailon. They were also taught by Evelyn B. Peña how to interpret and analyze financial statements of cooperative; the meaning of P.E.S.O.S. and its standards in evaluating cooperative performance; she also explained the basic of budgeting; and the basic of investment and banking.

“This training is very beneficial to us because through this knowledge which the speakers imparted to us, we realized that for a long time we have wrong practices in financial management. Now that we have already the understanding, we can correct our mistakes,” said by one of the participants, Felipe A. Castillo, vice chairperson of GASANAMUDECO.

This significant activity which was facilitated by Maribel J. Lubiano, DAR-CDA Partnership point person of DAR Sorsogon is part of DAR’s mission to capacitate cooperative leaders with basic knowledge, skills and the right attitude in managing the financial affairs of the organizations. Prior to this, the same participants have been attended another 3-day training on Cooperative Management and Governance.

“We’re not just giving trainings but we would be monitoring the growth of your cooperatives in order for us to know whether DAR’s intervention has really helped you,” said Liza B. Repotente, CARPO-PBDD to the participants.

PHP implementation in Castilla, visited by Brazilian Consultant

(L-R; Top-Bottom) : Recipients of PHP program in Brgy. Miluya, Castilla, Sorsogon; DAR and DSWD representatives with the Brazilian Consultant on the way to Vegetable Production area in Brgy. Miluya; DAR and DSWD representatives at the Vegetable area owned by Vicente Matamorosa; and Gemma Matabuena, day care center teacher in Brgy. Poblacion, Castilla, Sorsogon having a conversation with Flavio Luiz Fretas, Brazilian Consultant.

Castilla, Sorsogon – after series of consultation meetings to thirty four barangays, Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries’ Organizations (ARBOs) are now preparing nutritious food for the Day Care Centers through the establishment of Vegetable Production Area which was visited by Flavio Luis M. Fretas, a Brazilian Consultant for the Partnership Against Hunger and Poverty (PHP) program. This PHP is a partnership program of Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR), the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), and the Department of Agriculture (DA) which aims to continue the feeding program of DSWD while patronizing the products of ARBOs who in turn will produce nutritious vegetables that are free of chemicals.
     “It would be beneficial for us because there’s no need for us to spend money for transportation in going to the commercial center to purchase out needed vegetable. The ARBOs will be the one to deliver it to us,” said Gemma B. Matabuena, a 20-year Day Care Center Teacher.
     This visitation unfold the actual situation of Day Care Centers to Fretas wherein he saw that aside from nutritious food, the centers also needed more learning materials such as educational toys, story books to lengthen the children’s attention span; ceilings and electric fans to protect them from severe heat. However, according to Joli J. Greigo, OIC MSWDO, the situation of Day Care Centers in the Costal areas are more pathetic because there are no chairs, tables, and the whole center is made up of light materials, while the children just sit on the sandy ground. Aside from that, there are places in the costal areas which are rocky that no foliage can ever grow due to the absence of soil.
     “That’s why the Department of Agriculture is our partner here because DAR’s coverage is for CARP areas only. Whereas, the real face of poverty can be seen in costal areas, which are no longer covered by DAR. It is where DA will work out,” said Herman Ongkiko of ARCP II.
     “The success of this program relies more on the ARBOs because with or without them, the DSWD’s feeding program will go on. If the ARBOs have no produce, we will buy our needed raw food to others,” said Griego.

Daybreak

When the cock crows at nearly dawn, it indicates that the sun will soon rise and consequently will give light and warmth upon the earth. It’s another new day to live. There’s hope and opportunities. That is Tio Tony’s viewpoint why he is very fond of roosters since his youth. No matter how long he had slept, they always remind him to get up and keep on going. This is the story of Mr. Antonio Sicad Jetajobe or Tio Tony as he opts to be called. He is a farmworker /tenant who got his break in life through the land awarded to him under the Land Tenure Services and Agrarian Justice Delivery, both crucial components of the CARP.

His success story highlights the significance and importance of the interventions of DAR’s program on land acquisition and distribution and delivery of agrarian justice.

At a young age, Tio Tony is already helping his father, Mr. Pacifico Jetajobe in the coconut land located at Brgy. Macabog, Sorsogon City formerly owned by Cecilio Paras. “We used to sleep in the agunan during the making of copra so that we can watch it carefully. Today, it’s already my wife who accompanied me,” said Tio Tony.

When his work in coconut land was through, he will go to his roosters. If girls are fond of dolls, he is fond of roosters to play. It removes his exhaustion from a tiresome day work. That’s why for him, as an upland farmer, if carabao is a partner in working, rooster is a partner in relaxing. This is usually his daily routine until the full responsibility of taking care of the land was left to him as his father passed away. That time, the sharing practice every cropping is fifty percent (50%) for him and fifty percent (50%) to the landowner. That is after the deduction of inputs such as expenses in weeding, coconut harvesting or gathering, husking, pag-tigkal, and hauling. But this inputs were came from the farmer not from the landowner. Thus, he needed an extra job to sustain the farming activities. Fortunately, the Sorsogon Water District hired him as Watch Man of the water pump located in their barangay. Later, he became a regular employee. “Well, the activities in copra farming are usually occur every after forty five days only. So, there is so much time to do other jobs. Weeding can be done during Saturdays,” explained Tio Tony. Usually, he borrows his capital to the copra buyer which is to be deducted upon their delivery of copras, without interest.

One day, while relaxing with his roosters, he heard over the radio that agrarian reform is being implemented and the land he is cultivating is under the coverage of the program. The information he heard was confirmed by Ignacio Salandanan, Jr., the Agrarian Reform Program Technologist (ARPT) assigned in their area who came to personally informed them. Upon the ARPT’s instruction, they went to the Department of Agrarian Reform to register as a bonafide tenant.

Meanwhile that the land acquisition and distribution (LAD) is still in the process, he continue what he used to do in the land especially in the giving of fifty percent share to the landowner. Not long after, he was able to produce seven college graduates out of his thirteen children. “Two of them are graduates in Computer Science, another two are graduates in Automotive, one is a graduate of midwifery, then the other is a graduate of Civil Technology, and the other one is a graduate of Mechanical Technology. Next school year, one of my sons will be graduating in Electronics,” said Tio Tony. One of his two children who graduated in Computer Science had pursued nursing and now she is already a Nurse in the United States. Other children who did not pursue their college education are the ones who help him in the farm.

The acquisition of that land took long due to strong resistance on the part of the landowner such as finding ways to be exempted from CARP coverage. The subject landholding was under CARP coverage since August 6, 2007 with thirteen (13) tenants including Tio Tony. However, the heirs of the landowner filed an application for the issuance of exemption clearance. Despite the order of the regional director to dismiss the case on December 28, 2007 with order of Finality on February 20, 2009, the landowner still persisted for its exclusion, that’s why it was only on February 1, 2012 that the Certificate of Landownership Award (CLOA) was distributed to him. “I was so happy as MARO De Jesus and ARPT Salandanan handed to me the land title with my name in it. It’s a daybreak in my life,” said Tio Tony.

But the landowner still filed to the City Agrarian Reform Office their Sworn Application for Exemption Clearance with the Notice of Exemption Clearance on April 23, 2012. This was followed by their filing for Petition for Exemption at DAR Central Office on May 29, 2012. Likewise, they submitted to CLUPPI Secretariat the requirements that were asked to them by the said office. On June 15-16, 2012 the CLUPPI Inspection Team conducted an on-site inspection and investigation on the subject landholding. On the other hand, MARO Luzviminda De Jesus who is fighting for the rights of the farmer-tenants sent them the copy of Order of Finality to show them that landowners’ Petition for Exemption has been dismissed. On December 4, 2012 the CLUPPI Secretariat has ordered the MARO to submit Comprehensive Status Report regarding this land. That time, the MARO in Sorsogon City is MARO Norberto Laguna who complied promptly to the CLUPPI Secretariat’s order. However, it seems that they did not receive it, so MARO Laguna sent again the MARO Comprehensive Report on Jan. 8, 2013. In his report, he had mentioned that the said landholding is planted with coconuts and other fruit bearing trees which has several tenants. It is also stated there that the landholding is a twenty two (22) hectares agricultural land but since there was already a five (5) hectares Notice of Attachment issued by the Regional Trial Court, Fifth Judicial Region, Sorsogon, Sorsogon under Civil Case No. 96-6222, RTC Branch 51 concerning the property before its documentation, only 17.1615 hectares of it was subjected for coverage which includes the area of Tio Tony.

Furthermore, the landholding is also a recipient of two (2) denied Orders and Orders of Finality as a result of the Petitions filed by the landowners. It was issued a Notice of Coverage through publication dated August 6, 2007, was duly documented and was issued a Memorandum of Valuation by the Land Bank of the Philippines in January 4, 2011. MARO Laguna also mentioned in the status of his report that the identified ARBs of the subject land were already issued their CLOAs a few months before the CLUPPI inspection and are currently paying their monthly amortization at the Land Bank of the Philippines.

     In spite of the odds, the family of Tio Tony went on with what they had started in the land. They had intercropped the coconuts with cacao, banana, rambutan, guyabano, and pineapple. They had also replaced the aging coconuts with new ones. According to him, these are the things which they can’t do prior to the implementation of CARP.

Antonio S. Jetajobe, Sr. in his coconut farm

Then he had increased his collection of cocks. Right now, he had forty five (45) roosters ready for cockfight. It only started with a couple of chicken which he had bought amounting P100.00 when he was still young and single. Sometimes, there are fellow cock-lovers who want to buy cocks that he sold P1,000.00 to P2,500.00 each. But his main purpose for collecting roosters is for pleasure not for business.

With the intercropped cacao, his wife, Aurora was able to make tablea purposely for household consumption but when there is excess, she sell it in the neighborhood for P10.00 per dozen. Likewise, their bananas, when there is excess for household consumption they sell it in the neighborhood. Lately, they earned P1,000.00. The other fruits they gathered are mainly for household consumption.

As to their coconuts, they spend P4,000.00 for the start of production of 2,000 gathered cocofruits. After processing into copra they got an earnings of P22,440.00. Then, they were also able to make thirteen (13) sacks of charcoal from its coco shell which amounts to P2,600.00 when sold, but usually they prefer to keep it for household consumption. At present, they sell the coconuts as fruits, just like what other coconut farmers were doing. “I found it much better because from the two thousand two hundred coconuts we gathered, we earned P22,500.00. The good thing is, we didn’t spend any capital for it. The disadvantage is, we don’t have charcoal,” said Tio Tony.

They were glad to hear that there are already geotextiles processing in the province. They are looking forward to know how their cocohusks can be purchased by those who managed geotextiles processing.

“Without the agrarian reform program, we cannot escape the fifty-fifty sharing scheme with the landowner and we cannot do whatever we want to do in this land. That’s why we thanked God for this opportunity.We are also grateful to Salandanan and De Jesus because without their effort and determination, I don’t know if we can win this fight,” said Tio Tony.

Unlike other farmers who benefited from Program Beneficiaries’ Development, Tio Tony sustains his farm from other sources, such as from his salary in Sorsogon Water District. It is because his farm is in a non-ARC area and there is no available ARB Organization in his area where he can be a member. Aside from that, he doesn’t want to try borrowing money from Microfinance Projects because according to him, he would rather borrow from his own savings because there will be no collector who will look for him everyday, and there’s no need for him to pay the interest because it is his own money. Eventhough he did not avail the support services from DAR, it did not discourage him from developing his farm. Instead, his philosophy about farming is: “Farming is good because it is where we get food. But don’t just rely to it for your living if you want a better quality of life. Look for a full time job that can sustain the family’s needs as well as for the maintenance of the farm. Remember, we have three basic needs to live: food, shelter, and clothing. In a family-size farm, we can only get ‘food’, to have ‘shelter’ and ‘clothing’ you must have a high paying job. There are countries that are prosperous and agriculture is abundant because farming is just a part time job for them. That’s why I sent my children to college so that with high paying jobs outside, agriculture can be sustained.”

The family of Antonio Jetajobe, Sr. (L-R: his son, Arnel;
his wife Auror; Tio Tony; his daughter, Alma; and his son,
Aaron). His other ten children are already
working in different places.

Soon, Tio Tony will be retiring from Sorsogon Water District. His plan after retirement aside from going to cockfights is to improve his coconut land so that it will be more pleasing in the eyes of his family especially when his children would come home for vacation. And for sure, Tio Tony’s roosters will always be a part of the landscape he’s planning to do in his coconut farm to remind him to get up at daybreak.   [aaj]