Saturday, August 29, 2009

MAINSTREAMING DRR&CRR IN DEVELOPMENT PLANNING AND BUDGETING PROCESSES AND ESTABLISHING ALTERNATIVE LIVELIHOODS IN MARINDUQUE

PROJECT BACKGROUND

MACEC is currently implementing a project with Christian Aid (under a supplemental
agreement) for a period of one (1) year which is due to end on December 2008
[INTEGRATING DRR IN DEVELOPMENT PLANNING AND BUDGETING MECHANISMS OF
PRIORITY BARANGAYS IN MARINDUQUE];

• It is intended to support a series of workshops for 100 barangays (with established MACEC chapters) or 420 individuals composed of (Punong Barangay, Chairman of the Barangay Committee on Appropriation, Barangay Treasurer, and a Member of MACEC who is a member of the Expanded Barangay Development Council);

• The project aims to assist the Barangays in coming up with a DRR/CRR-enhanced Barangay Development and Investment Plan (6 years), Annual Investment Plan (2009), and Annual Budget 2009—in accordance with the mandate of the Joint Memorandum Circular No. 1, series of 2007 of the DILG, COA, DBM and NEDA providing for the harmonization and integration of plans at the local level;

• It is also a timely intervention because of the mandate of the new Budgeting Operations Manual for Barangays (BOMB) which has mandatory processes and standards forms that were used in the workshop design and distributed to the participating Barangays;

• MACEC is soon to finish the fifth and last batch of the workshop on September 10-12, 2008. The workshops were directly coordinated with the provincial development council and the provincial disaster coordinating council, DILG-Marinduque, COA-Marinduque, the Presidents of the Municipal Chapters of the Liga ng mga Barangay and the Municipal Mayors.

• After the three batches of the workshops, there are now clamors among the remaining Barangays to be given also the same opportunity to undergo the workshops in order for them to come up with the mandated LDIP, AIP 2009 and Annual Budget 2009. They argued that since the standard forms on planning and budgeting were newly-introduced, they should be properly briefed on the same. The DILG has no fund to convene the barangays for the workshop.

• The municipal planning and development coordinators also requested that the workshop be opened to 100% of the Barangays so that it would make sense for them to consolidate the thrusts and priorities of 100% also of Barangay plans and be introduced significantly and serve as baseline in the crafting of municipal development plans as mandated in the Joint Memorandum Circular No.1;

• The Sangguniang Panlalawigan of Marinduque also requested MACEC to find ways and means in making the workshops accessible to the remaining Barangays of Marinduque so that the integration of DRR/CRR in development planning and budgeting can have visible impacts in the frontline government units and can facilitate considerably the dovetailing of plans of the municipal and provincial governments;

• The full implementation of the JMC No. 1, series of 2007 shall be rolled over in fiscal year 2009. By then, the whole of Marinduque (if 100% of the Barangays were able to undergo the workshops) can already be a reference model and source of research data on how can the implementation of JMC No. 1 in the Barangay level can be done in other provinces; and on how DRR/CRR and even other issues and concerns can be integrated and mainstreamed in the Barangay development planning and budgeting processes;

• There are 100 remaining Barangays which are not included or given the opportunity to
participate in the integration workshops. They are areas with no MACEC chapters. The
potential participants from these areas will be composed of the Punong Barangay, Barangay Treasurer and the Chairman of the Sanggunian’s Committee on Appropriation or a total of three (3) participants per Barangay. Four workshops can be organized for the remaining Barangays;

• The workshops should be finished before the second week of October because Barangaysand all local government units are mandated to submit all development plans and annual budgets on or before October 15th of each year


COMPONENT 1:
MAINSTREAMING DRR/CRR IN DEVELOPMENT
PLANNING AND BUDGETING PROCESSES OF
THE REMAINING 100 BARANGAYS IN MARINDUQUE

Since the on-going project through a supplemental agreement with Christian Aid under
MACEC’s core program has already produced the manual and modules for the workshop
package there is no need of any preparatory activities for the current project. It will only entail a renegotiation with the provincial governor for the issuance of an appropriate order for the attendance of the concerned public officials, and renegotiation with the municipal mayors and barangay league presidents for the issuance of travel orders.

As in the preceding integration workshops, participants shall be complied to accomplish individual profile form and expectations before the conduct of the workshop and a feedback evaluation form to register their comments, insights and learning from the workshop proper. They will also be obliged to furnish MACEC with their duly approved barangay LDIP, AnnualInvestment Plan 2009 and Annual Budget 2009 for records purposes, or to aid the documentation or research needs of MACEC and its partners in the future.

There will be a total of 300 participants from the remaining 100 barangays. In order to give ample time for the remaining barangays to finalize their workshop outputs with their respective Expanded Barangay Development Councils before finally submitting them in their respective Sangguniang Barangay on or before the legally mandated deadline on October 15, 2009, the workshops will be held in three (3) batches: (September 24-26; October 1-3; and October 8-10, 2009.)

COMPONENT 2:
ESTABLISHING ALTERNATIVE LIVELIHOODS
CUM NATURAL RESOURCES PROTECTION
TOWARDS COMMUNITY RESILIENCY

In order to ensure the successful implementation of the livelihood components envisioned herein, the following processes detailed below shall be ensured. Gender concerns shall be considered in all phases and processes that will be employed. Participatory approach shall be employed in the whole process of implementation so that the cooperator-beneficiaries shall be involved in every phase of the project until the terminal evaluation. The Inter-agency Task
Force on Livelihood Development shall have regular meeting to monitor and oversee the
development, progress, problems and technical needs of the project packages.

1. SOCIAL PREPARATION. The General Program of Action (2009-2013) of MACEC shall be the reference in identifying and selecting areas or communities that will be piloted and enlisted as cooperators of the various livelihood packages that will be established. Areas shall be selected based also from the feasibility of the livelihood package in their area, capability of the chapter/family, coherence of the project with the plan of the barangay, degree of vulnerability, geographical setting, and such other criteria as may be added by the Provincial Inter-agency Task Force on Livelihood Development. After the selection process, reorientation workshops shall be conducted in the selected areas to emphasize to the cooperators the importance of the project in relation to disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation, and the commensurate responsibility of the cooperators in the conservation and protection of their natural resource. MACEC shall re-convene the Provincial Inter-agency Task Force on Livelihood Development in order to tap the technical expertise of the concerned government agencies in the preparation and implementation of the livelihood packages. The livelihood projects shall form part of MACEC’s conscious efforts of participating significantly in local governance via the local development councils.

2. EXECUTION OF MEMORANDUM OF AGREEMENT. A memorandum of agreement
between the family/community cooperator-beneficiary and MACEC shall be designed
and executed to lay down the terms of reference of the partnership, the areas of
cooperation between partiers, and specifically to provide for the conditions on the
repayment of at least 40% of the total amount of the livelihood package to MACEC to
serve as revolving fund for other communities; and to make their community available,
in the event researches and studies are to be conducted on their projects. The
agreement shall also provide for the monitoring and evaluation processes by MACEC
with the direct participation of the cooperators.

3. INSTALLATION AND ESTABLISHMENT. Once the community/family cooperatorsbeneficiarieswere fully prepared and the memorandum of agreement duly executed, the following livelihood packages shall be installed and established:

(a) FAMILY-BASED BUTTERFLY CULTURE AND PROPAGATION. Butterflies are indicators
of a rich biodiversity. Butterfly farming in Marinduque has widely recognized by the
farmers since 1965, especially in the agro-ecological areas. The technology they
developed through the years of involvement is deemed indigenous, yet environmentfriendly,since it requires both the cultivation and preservation of larval-host plants and the over-all habitat. Majority of the cultivated larval-host plants and breeding stocks are gathered from the forested areas of Bagtingon, the proposed site of the project. (Labay, P.M. 200. The socioeconomics of butterfly livelihood in Marinduque. Research Services Unit, Marinduque State College, Tanza, Boac (4900) Marinduque.)

(b) BIO-ORGANIC NATIVE CHICKEN PROPAGATION. The considerable increase in native
chicken population in the province will eventually redound to a long-term impact of
food protein source for a significant sector of the population. It will help significantly in warding-off the ever-existing malnutrition problems among the vulnerable group as a result of the increase in protein and calorie intake.

(c) COMMUNITY ROOT CROPS PROPAGATION. Different varieties of root crops abound
in the island, which in the olden days were considered as secondary staple food of
families. While there are significant stocks in the forests, farmers started to plant
them in the backyards to have them readily available when necessities occur. Until
now, root crops serve as staple food for poor families in the far flung areas. They
can be planted in massive scale in various types of lands. Mature tubers can be left
under the soil for quite a longer period serving as stockpiled food items or can be
harvested easily when calamities occur. Root crops are naturally disaster resilient
plants

(d) COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIC CUTFLOWER PROPAGATION. Another major livelihood
opportunity that needs to be harnessed to support community’s economic activities
and resiliency is the propagation, farming and marketing of cut flowers with various
species still with great number of stocks in communities at the foot of Mt. Malindig.
They have naturally rich soils and cold climate throughout the year suitable for the
cultivation of various species of cutflowers, some are even endemic in their areas.

(e) FISH DRYING LIVELIHOD. During fishing season, fisher folks catch so much volume
of various species of fishes that are more than enough for local consumption so that
prices are not commensurate or able to support the economic needs of fishing
families. There are times that fishes are almost given free at source.
Ironically, during seasons like ‘habagat’ and ‘amihan’ when fisher folks cannot go to
sea because of strong winds and dangerous waves, traders are forces to import
dried fishes and other similar products from other provinces to meet the local
demand. During disasters, same products come from the mainland. These are
resorted to despite the availability of local technology for fish drying and food
preservation because of the lack of small capital on the part of small fisher folks.

Negotiated Strategies and Indicators

  • Integration of DRR in annual development plans and budgets of target barangays.
  • Appreciation for the role of butterflies in biodiversity in target communities (where the 12 HHs involved in butterfly propagation)
  • Livelihood diversification in target barangays in 8 communities and 20 households

Name of Organization

Marinduque Council for Environmental Concerns

Location

Marinduque

Contact Person

Miguel Magalang

Address

Second Floor, Sacred Heart Diocesan Pastoral Center,

Cathedral Compound, Boac, 4900 Marinduque, The Philippines

Contact Number

(06342)332-2713

Email address

marinduque.macec@yahoo.com, marinduque.macec@gmail.com , macec.secretariat@yahoo.com




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