LEGAZPI CITY, August 28 (PIA) – Garchitorena town in Camarines Sur became a buzz word in the late 1980s due to a controversial land deal involving the Garchitorena estate under the voluntary offer to sell (VOS) scheme during the infancy stage of the implementation of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP).
Today, Garchitorena is vindicating its tainted identity with the convergence of government agencies which are pouring resources to the once considered unproductive land.
“The 130-kilometer road from Naga City to Garchitorena was a tortuous and dusty five-hour ride then during summer, and slippery muddy road during rainy season, or through turbulent seas,” Municipal Agrarian Reform Office (MARO) chief Elmer Paris said.
Paris was one of the witnesses during the investigation process on the controversy in 1989 and now a retiring MARO in Goa town.
Absence of modern farming technologies, poor irrigation, and insurgency problem further complicated the dismal plight of the residents. Personnel of various government agencies who attempted to implement interventions were harassed by rebels. “Luckily, DAR was the only agency allowed access then,” Paris recalled.
Breakthrough finally came after 23 years with the recent approval of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) for the subdivision survey on lands under agrarian reform coverage. The long awaited and much needed support services intervention from DAR and other government agencies are now being geared for implementation.
To date, a total of P208,3481M from DAR-Agrarian Reform Communities Project Phase 2 (ARCP2), Department of Agriculture for production support and infrastructure projects, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA), Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has been committed, in response to the Indicative Development Plan of Garchitorena.
“We are overwhelmed with the community’s enthusiasm and hunger for interventions,” Provincial Agrarian Reform Program officer (PARPO) II Ramon Fuentebella said during a recent ground breaking ceremony for the rehabilitation of Poblacion-Ason farm-to-market-road (FMR) under the ARCP 2 funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) worth P14.6M.
"It is worthy to note, too, that other sub-projects under ARCP 2 totaling Php 47,992,585.84 million have either been completed or underway,"said DAR Bicol regional director Maria Celestina Manlañgit-TamDAR Bicol.
“Our convergence program is focused on the agrarian reform areas in Barangays Pambuhan and Canlong in Garchitorena for maximum and integrated intervention,” she added .
According to PARPO I Maria Gracia Sales, the Pambuhan Canlong Farmers Organization (PACAFO) was formed and registered with the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) last year with 106 initial members.
“The presence of an agrarian reform beneficiaries organization (ARBO) is required for the implementation of support services. At present, PACAFO already benefitted from at least three capacity development (CAPDEV) interventions of DAR," Sales added.
At present, the highlight of the convergence program in Garchitorena area is the Coconut Seedlings Dispersal Project (CSDP) which is the country’s pioneering collaborative effort of DAR and PCA in Bicol.
Earlier this year, Tam and PCA Administrator Euclides Forbers signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) to accelerate coconut planting and re-planting in the entire Bicol Region.
“A one-hectare coco seedling nursery was established in Pambuhan which targets to produce 75,000 seedlings for the 500-hectare portion of the former Garchitorena Estate to be distributed to almost 800 farmers,” Tam said.
“We were so impressed with the high turnout of ARBs numbering more than 300 during the orientation for the project, an indication of their enthusiasm for development intervention,” Fuentebella enthused. "The first three years of the project implementation needs close supervision to ensure high survival rate of seed nuts," Fuentebella added.
Early this year, 45,000 seed nuts were already delivered to PACAFO which will be nurtured for six months in the one-hectare facility that will be eventually distributed to the initial batch of about 345 beneficiaries. In the entire duration, PACAFO will provide the labor requirements for sorting of seed nuts, fencing, installation of water pumps, and watering of coco seedlings.
Meanwhile, DAR provided the water management equipment, paraphernalia, and fencing materials. Further, DAR hired caretakers for the six-month duration to help maintain the project site and most specifically to ensure the safety of the nursery equipment and seedlings considering the distance of the farmers’ home lots from the nursery site.
Under the project, each beneficiary is required to pay back after 7 years approximately half the number of seedlings availed which will in turn be distributed to other farmer-beneficiaries in a roll-over scheme. “This scheme instills upon the members of the organization their social responsibility toward fellow farmers to ensure project sustainability.” Sales said.
“The coco project is just the first among the many interventions being prepared for Garchitorena,” Tam said. Early this month, DAR, DA headed by Regional Director Abelardo Bragas, PCA Officer-in-Charge Eduardo Allorde, and the BFAR had an exploratory conference to enhance the convergence for interventions in Garchitorena.
Also, DAR Camarines Sur Provincial Information Officer Gerry Buensalida notes the tourism potential of Kinahulugan Falls in Barangay Ason and the nearby Baticarao Island with its white sand beach.
“Garchitorena has so many things to offer that needs to be developed,” Buensalida said.
“I believe, Garchitorena’s moment and time to shine is finally here, like a phoenix rising from the ashes,” Tam said. (MAL/JJJP-PIA5/Albay)
Today, Garchitorena is vindicating its tainted identity with the convergence of government agencies which are pouring resources to the once considered unproductive land.
“The 130-kilometer road from Naga City to Garchitorena was a tortuous and dusty five-hour ride then during summer, and slippery muddy road during rainy season, or through turbulent seas,” Municipal Agrarian Reform Office (MARO) chief Elmer Paris said.
Paris was one of the witnesses during the investigation process on the controversy in 1989 and now a retiring MARO in Goa town.
Absence of modern farming technologies, poor irrigation, and insurgency problem further complicated the dismal plight of the residents. Personnel of various government agencies who attempted to implement interventions were harassed by rebels. “Luckily, DAR was the only agency allowed access then,” Paris recalled.
Breakthrough finally came after 23 years with the recent approval of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) for the subdivision survey on lands under agrarian reform coverage. The long awaited and much needed support services intervention from DAR and other government agencies are now being geared for implementation.
To date, a total of P208,3481M from DAR-Agrarian Reform Communities Project Phase 2 (ARCP2), Department of Agriculture for production support and infrastructure projects, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA), Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has been committed, in response to the Indicative Development Plan of Garchitorena.
“We are overwhelmed with the community’s enthusiasm and hunger for interventions,” Provincial Agrarian Reform Program officer (PARPO) II Ramon Fuentebella said during a recent ground breaking ceremony for the rehabilitation of Poblacion-Ason farm-to-market-road (FMR) under the ARCP 2 funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) worth P14.6M.
"It is worthy to note, too, that other sub-projects under ARCP 2 totaling Php 47,992,585.84 million have either been completed or underway,"said DAR Bicol regional director Maria Celestina Manlañgit-TamDAR Bicol.
“Our convergence program is focused on the agrarian reform areas in Barangays Pambuhan and Canlong in Garchitorena for maximum and integrated intervention,” she added .
According to PARPO I Maria Gracia Sales, the Pambuhan Canlong Farmers Organization (PACAFO) was formed and registered with the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) last year with 106 initial members.
“The presence of an agrarian reform beneficiaries organization (ARBO) is required for the implementation of support services. At present, PACAFO already benefitted from at least three capacity development (CAPDEV) interventions of DAR," Sales added.
At present, the highlight of the convergence program in Garchitorena area is the Coconut Seedlings Dispersal Project (CSDP) which is the country’s pioneering collaborative effort of DAR and PCA in Bicol.
Earlier this year, Tam and PCA Administrator Euclides Forbers signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) to accelerate coconut planting and re-planting in the entire Bicol Region.
“A one-hectare coco seedling nursery was established in Pambuhan which targets to produce 75,000 seedlings for the 500-hectare portion of the former Garchitorena Estate to be distributed to almost 800 farmers,” Tam said.
“We were so impressed with the high turnout of ARBs numbering more than 300 during the orientation for the project, an indication of their enthusiasm for development intervention,” Fuentebella enthused. "The first three years of the project implementation needs close supervision to ensure high survival rate of seed nuts," Fuentebella added.
Early this year, 45,000 seed nuts were already delivered to PACAFO which will be nurtured for six months in the one-hectare facility that will be eventually distributed to the initial batch of about 345 beneficiaries. In the entire duration, PACAFO will provide the labor requirements for sorting of seed nuts, fencing, installation of water pumps, and watering of coco seedlings.
Meanwhile, DAR provided the water management equipment, paraphernalia, and fencing materials. Further, DAR hired caretakers for the six-month duration to help maintain the project site and most specifically to ensure the safety of the nursery equipment and seedlings considering the distance of the farmers’ home lots from the nursery site.
Under the project, each beneficiary is required to pay back after 7 years approximately half the number of seedlings availed which will in turn be distributed to other farmer-beneficiaries in a roll-over scheme. “This scheme instills upon the members of the organization their social responsibility toward fellow farmers to ensure project sustainability.” Sales said.
“The coco project is just the first among the many interventions being prepared for Garchitorena,” Tam said. Early this month, DAR, DA headed by Regional Director Abelardo Bragas, PCA Officer-in-Charge Eduardo Allorde, and the BFAR had an exploratory conference to enhance the convergence for interventions in Garchitorena.
Also, DAR Camarines Sur Provincial Information Officer Gerry Buensalida notes the tourism potential of Kinahulugan Falls in Barangay Ason and the nearby Baticarao Island with its white sand beach.
“Garchitorena has so many things to offer that needs to be developed,” Buensalida said.
“I believe, Garchitorena’s moment and time to shine is finally here, like a phoenix rising from the ashes,” Tam said. (MAL/JJJP-PIA5/Albay)
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