BONTOC, Mountain Province – A five-man team from Asian Development Bank (ADB), in coordination with DENR-CAR, made an audience with the Local Government Units (LGU) and Indigenous Peoples’/ Peoples’ Organizations (IP/PO) of Mt. Province concerned with the on-going Integrated Natural Resources and Environmental Management Project (INREMP).
“We are here to learn, find out more about your current activities and give ideas for the betterment of the project” Syarifah Aman-Wooster, a Social Safeguard Specialist and the team leader of the group, stated.
The forum was held in Bontoc, Mt. Province on January 27-30, 2016 and was actively participated in by 27 IP/POs belonging to the KABAMAAM (Kalawitan Bayudan Malitep Amsolong) and BAAGMADOLI (Balitian Aggoyo Maligcong Doclican Lingoy) Groups. KABAMAAM and BAAGMADOLI are the water tributaries of the Chico River on the Mountain Province side.
Queries raised were mostly on the financial aspect, detailed procedures of INREMP, and the state of the areas being utilized for the project. “Nandiyan lang yung pera. All we have to do is comply with all the requirements”, Amie Rabang, Project Manager, National Project Coordinating Office said.
ADB also affirmed that they “do no harm” but they “do good” for the community covered by INREMP considering the rules and regulations of the Philippine government especially those on Indigenous People.
The team also had site visits in Mt. Data to view the tri-boundary where the Chico River passes through, and the IP/PO, MITSO (Mabisil, Insigidan, Tibungaen, Sadsad Organization), in Sagada. Representatives of Provincial/ Community Environment and Natural Resources Office (P/C ENRO) Mt. Province carefully explained where the tri-boundary is located and how the watershed affects the places where it passes through. Visiting MITSO, ADB representatives interviewed some of the officers of this PO to evaluate the efficiency of the project. The PO had a positive response regarding INREMP. One of the representatives of the PO testified that INREMP has been of great help to her and her family, stating that she no longer need to push herself to do hard work – gardening, for their income considering her age.
INREMP is a seven-year foreign-funded project thru a grant from the Asian Development Bank to address the problems of watershed degradation in priority river basins of the country and, in a way, provides financial support to local communities, LGUs & DENR for improving natural resources according to the project’s objective. In the Cordilleras, it is implemented in the provinces of Mt. Province, Ifugao, Apayao, Kalinga, and within the tri-boundaries of Benguet, Ifugao and Mt. Province where the Chico River traverses.
In addition to INREMP activities, the regional staff conducted an orientation & planning workshop last January 25-27, 2016 in Baguio City to equip newly hired employees of the different P/C ENROs.
Newly hired staffs were given an overview of the nature of work through set of questions from Watershed Management Officers which were answered by the different provincial focal persons. Old timers say that working with INREMP requires sacrifice, participation, and knowledge with what and/or who they are working with. To gain further knowledge, they must also read the so-called “Bible of INREMP,” the Project Administration Manual.
During the 3-day event, representatives of ADB, one of the financial supporters of INREMP, gave a lecture and forum on environmental and social safeguard.
Ending the 3-day event, a planning workshop for 2016 was conducted.
By Abner Villanueva
