One for all

He was excited as the master of ceremony announces the winner in the Provincial Organic Preparation and Demonstration Competition. This was not the first time Manuel F. Gabitan joins in a competition like this. Last year, he was awarded with Best in Community Garden. However, that was under the barangay-base associate category, thus, the cash prize and padyak went to their Barangay. This time, the Department of Agriculture in Barcelona, Sorsogon encouraged him to compete for individual category which means, if he wins, the prizes Php1,000.00 cash and padyak will all be his. Equipped with positive attitude in agriculture and faith in God, suddenly he heard his name was called being the first placer for the 2015 Provincial Competition on Organic Preparation and Demonstration. A round of applause follows as he climbed the stage to receive the award. 

Upper Photo: Distribution of CSF to BAMUCO during the land preparation of their Vegetable Farm. 

Left Photo: Thomas Diesta testing the CSF while Manuel Gabitan is watching. Right Photo: Manuel Gabitan while holding the plaque of recognition.

His neighbors used to call him Tio Aue. He is an Agrarian Reform Beneficiary (ARB) under the leasehold system. Presently he was the Manager of Palay Trading of Bangate Multipurpose Cooperative, an agrarian reform beneficiary organization (ARBO) in Barcelona, Sorsogon. According to him, just after the martial law upon graduating in high school, the members of Samahang Nayon made him President. 

“During those times, if you’re a high school graduate, the community considers you already as somebody who is knowledgeable of many things,” he said. 

Until between 1991 to 1993 all Samahang Nayon were transformed into cooperative, so then, they registered their organization in the CDA under the name Bangate Multipurpose Cooperative otherwise known as BAMUCO. At this point, some political-minded people in their area became attracted to the organization. They thought they could use it in their campaigns, thus, they join and later secured position in the board of directors. Tio Aue then became the Secretary. 

“The Sorsogon Integrated Area Development Project lent us Php15,000.00 which we use in the establishment of nursery and vegetable production,” he said. 

Their nursery was planted with black pepper while their vegetable production area was planted with okra, beans, and sweet potato. BAMUCO has thirty five (35) active members during those times and their operation is doing well. Until crisis occurred when the DA grant them with 17x25 solar dryer worth Php50,000.00. 

“The policy of DA is we have to show first our accomplishment before we can receive that amount. So, we used the coop’s fund plus bayanihan effort to construct the solar dryer. Sadly, after the DA handed to us the fifty thousand pesos and the treasurer presented to us the financial statement it turns out that the cooperative is already running out of fund. Everybody was discouraged, members walked out. Their confidence to the management was lost,” he narrated. 

Since then, BAMUCO becomes dormant. In 1998 it was reorganized through his persistence. “I told the members that we better reorganize than create anew because to start a new organization means tedious paper works again. I convinced them in the end,” he said. 

To be able to have funds, they engaged in bayanihan where part of their individual income is kept on the cooperative. No yet borrowing, they were purely on the saving stage. Then, when there are birthdays, each member gives five pesos to the celebrator. So, that becomes his additional CBU. Five pesos then isn’t a small amount, after all. 

Then, one day they learned that one of their ARB members mortgaged a parcel of land, immediately BAMUCO redeem it and took over in the farm management. But it’s the same ARB who tills it. Every harvest season, the cooperative get some percentage of the ARB’s share until he was able to pay fully the amount of his mortgaged land. “In that way, we have spared him from losing his land and at the same time, he was able to pay his loans in the cooperative,” Tio Aue explains. 

With that achievement, BAMUCO became active again. Officers were inspired to attend series of seminars until they became a recipient of PhilGer Fund project where they were provided with a warehouse. Then, they invest on Credit Support for the purchase of fertilizer, pesticides, and Relending. However, when there is calamity there is also a very low return of investment because most members were not able to pay. Aside from that, the implementation of Republic Act 9520 where government officials are no longer allowed to hold a seat in the board of directors, made the organization members decrease in number because those political-minded people who once join started to back-out. 

Fortunately, the DA provided them with flat-bed mechanical dryer although the cooperative’s finance was used as equity. Later, BAMUCO was chosen by the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) to become a recipient of common service facilities wherein they received power cultivator for upland and two water pumps. Officers including Tio Aue were sent to Pili, Camarines Sur to learn how to use these machineries. 

In 2013, together with other officers, they went again to Pili, Camarines Sur to attend a seminar in organic agriculture on vegetable production. Upon return, they practiced what he learned in the training through the half-hectare land owned by their barangay. 

“Actually, that land including the adjoining area which now has a school was previously cultivated by my parents and me. But when the local government chose it to put-up school for secondary I waive my rights. I was just thinking about my children’s welfare because during my time, there’s no school here for secondary. I have to walk an almost two and a half kilometer to reach our school in barangay Buhang because there’s no yet roads and transportation. I don’t want my children to experience that. So, I gave up the land for the sake of the school,” he said. 

In those times, his family depended only their living from the income of the one third hectare irrigated riceland which is under leasehold wherein he harvest forty four kilos of palay twice a year. Seeing the idle half-hectare land which he previously cultivate, he asked the barangay chairperson to allow their organization to tend it. Right after the approval of his request, he with other thirty two members turned the idle lot into an area devoted to vegetable production. He made two big plots where he filled the first with beans and the second was planted with okra. Last year, was his first experience to harvest the produce of organic vegetable production where his total earnings is Php5,000.00. In October until November 2014 he got Php7,000.00 for the second reaping. This year, from April to May 2015 he earned Php10,000.00. 

“We have three markets, the canteens along the high school site in barangay Macabari and Buhang. We deliver to them on Mondays through Thursdays. But on Fridays, when there will be no more classes the next day, we brought our vegetables in barangay Bacacay,” said Tio Aue. 

This year, some of his companions became busier in other tasks that they can no longer assist him in vegetable production. Tio Aue’s wife and daughter were now the one who help him. “In the evening at around nine o’clock to twelve midnight when there’s nobody fetching water, my wife and daughter go out to gather water,” he said. 

Going up and down, the two females collect water for the two drums in the vegetable garden. At four o’clock in the morning, Tio Aue will go up to water his plants. That’s how they work hard not just for their family’s living but also for BAMUCO. 

“We have spent a lot of time, sweat, and effort for this organization to survive. That’s why I wanted to develop second liners who are as dedicate as I am because not all the time, I will be here,” he said. Just recently, BAMUCO officers attended a 3-day training on Policy Making under the Agrarian Production Credit Program (APCP) but according to Tio Aue, although he knows that the coop cannot function without fund, yet he want first to assure the staff that if ever they become a recipient of APCP, they can manage the finances wisely.