PROMOTING ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION AMONG THE INDIGENOUS TRIBES IN OCCIDENTAL MINDORO THROUGH 4Ps: PUBLIC-PRIVATE-PEOPLE-PARTNERSHIP

Susanita G. Lumbo , Mary Yole Apple M. Declaro, and Venessa S. Casanova OCCIDENTAL MINDORO STATE COLLEGE Murtha Campus, San Jose, Occidental Mindoro

ABSTRACT This paper posits that the use of ecosystems-based, community-centered and holistic approaches brings out livelihood sustainability and natural resources conservation and management among the five major Mangyan tribes of Mindoro such as Hanunuo, Buhid, Batangan (Tau-Buhid), Iraya, Ratagnon, and HaGuRa (mixed tribe). The Occidental Mindoro State College (OMSC) implements various extension activities in partnership with the government, non-government and private organizations. This multisectoral partnership has jointly worked in the promotion of education and training on Sloping Agriculture Land Technology (SALT), soil and water conservation, and biodiversity conservation; and community-based livelihood options like banana plantation, organic fertilizer production, food processing, and handicraft among the IP communities. This paper also highlights the distinct cultural and social traditions of the Mangyans in relation to the environment, which, when ignored may lead to failure of the interventions. The project experiences suggest that the success of any development program is dictated by realistic and need-driven programs. The participation of the communities, particularly the women groups is highly observed in the implementation of economically-viable projects such as production of high value crops and handicraft production.

I. RATIONALE The island of Mindoro is a home to the Mangyans. In the 2000 official census of population registered a total of 380,250 population increase from 1995 to 2000 is 40,645 and a growth rate of 2.29%. The Mangyans, one of the countrys indigenous people (IP), comprise 15 percent of the total population of Occidental Mindoro, Philippines. There are at least six different groups scattered throughout the island, all speaking related dialects. The northern groups are the Iraya, Alangan, and Tadyawan. The southern groups are the Hanunoo, Buhid, and the Tau-buhid who are also known as "Batangan" or "Bangon". The Buhid and Batangan are closely related groups. The seventh group, the Ratagnon (sometimes called "Latagnon" or "Datagnon"), is said to be non-indigenous to Mindoro because they speak Cuyunon, a Visayan dialect. Some of the Mangyan groups are composed of smaller units or subgroups (Servano,2006). Mangyans are mainly subsistence agriculturalists, planting a variety of sweet potato, upland (dry cultivation) rice, and taro. They also trap small animals and wild pig. Many who live in close contact with lowland Filipinos sell cash crops such as bananas and ginger. Their settlements are in the uplands and near the riverbanksthe chief sources of their means of living. Their land holdings are generally small, sloping and communal. Their farm practices like the slash and-burn method of cultivation have caused the loss of water and deterioration of soil quality resulting in low agricultural productivity. The Mangyans occupy almost twenty five percent of the uplands of Occidental Mindoro. Their economy is basically dependent on agriculture, specifically the slash-and-burn or kaingin farming, which has essentially remained at subsistence level (Gapuz, 1995). The Mangyans are also engaged in backyard animal production for family consumption and as additional source of income. Other sources of livelihood include broom making from tiger grass and coconut midribs and native basket making, selling bamboos and cogon, and working as wage laborers in nearby 2

villages during planting and harvesting season. Young boys work as farm assistants while the girls work as household helpers. Forest products like orchids, honey, nito, and rattan are gathered by the natives and sold in the lowlands during summer. Many Mangyans are still engaged in charcoal making which is a major cause of forest destruction. The Mangyans are generally poor. income per household with five members is more or less PhP1000. The Mangyans have realized they too have contributed in the destruction of the environment due to their economic activities. They are convinced that things needed to be done to prevent further destructions that may result in the loss of human lives and economic resources. The traditional beliefs, which they value and cherish, however, prevent the implementation of development projects to address identified problems. This is the reason why some development workers have abandoned their desire to institute development among the Mangyan communities. Occidental Mindoro State College has been in the forefront in initiating programs intended to help uplift the quality of life of the IPs. The College adheres to the working philosophy of extension that people no matter how ignorant and submerged in the quagmire of poverty are capable of looking at things critically and in improving their levels of living. This is based on the conception that people are the means and ends of development (Cardenas, 1996). Given the right motivation, the Mangyans can be empowered to govern their lives more effectively through educational process. All efforts are directed towards assisting the IPs in natural resource management through trainings and seminars; strengthening the participation of women in domestic and community affairs; and generating sustainable communitybased livelihood options. Average monthly

II. OBJECTIVES 1. Describe the approaches used in the conduct of the natural resource management trainings and livelihood options seminars; 2. Enumerate the interventions introduced and the assistance provided by the different collaborating agencies/organizations involved; 3. Analyze the benefits earned by the agency and the observed effects of the program; and 4. Provide some recommendations on how to improve implementation of the project based on the experiences and lessons learned.

III. METHODOLOGY Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) in the IP communities was conducted to assess the identified communities and their resources. PRA is done to analyze the situation and come up with plans to address the specific needs of the communities. During the PRA, the community members and other stakeholders was involved in the assessment of their resources (internal and external) resources and emerging issues/problems. The community had also identified the trainings they needed based on preference ranking. With the PRA results and consultation with the gurangons, the RDE Unit together with the community formulated workable plans, and estimated project duration, budget, and the like. Each training-workshop had a training design for approval and funding by the Institution and collaborating agency. All extension projects were done in partnership with the concerned local government units or organizations.

The Unit had collaborated with other agencies and other development organizations for technical and financial assistance for the conduct of the different activities. Result demonstration was the most effective extension method used especially in the trainings for community-based livelihood options like organic fertilizer production, food processing, and handicraft making.

IV. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION The IP Communities Table 1 shows the different tribal communities served since 2004. They are the 13 IP communities that belong to six major tribes such as Hanunuo, Buhid, Batangan (Tau-Buhid), Iraya, Ratagnon, and HaGuRa (mixed tribe). Table 1 also shows that majority (52.39%) of the participants were women. This implies that many are now willing to participate in the socio-economic affairs in the community. Based on the study by Lumbo et al (2009) IP women do not only perform reproductive or household maintenance roles but also market or productive roles. Some of their works are tied up with housekeeping like washing clothes, cooking, and child rearing; and farm activities like planting, harvesting, post-harvest handling, marketing and raising of farm animals. They also fetch water and gather firewood. Elder women are equipped with bolo tied around their waists and body bags for economic purposes. Womens favorite past time is huntahan, and hingutuhan while savoring their nganga made of beetle nut and lime. As per continuous observation and consultation, women in the communities we visited are now vocal in expressing their concerns.

Table 1. The IP communities reached and number of individuals served.

TRIBE Hanunuo SITIO/BARANGAY/MUNICIPALITY (Occidental Mindoro) Quintal, Murtha, San Jose Lagnas, Batasan, San Jose Canabang, Paclolo, Magsaysay Emoc, Paclolo, Magsaysay Kalinisan,Bayotbot, San Jose Bato-ili, Monteclaro, San Jose Canturoy, Manoot, Rizal Danlog, Monteclaro, San Jose Poypoy, Calintaan Balani, Ligaya, Sablayan Balangabong, Malpalon, Calintaan Puricon, Balansay, Mamburao Bamban, Nicolas, Magsaysay Pugo, Gapasan, Magsaysay Grand Total Percent of Participants according to sex PARTICIPANTS Female 30 88 48 61 47 84 28 75 15 80 88 92 39 57 832 52.39

Buhid

Batangan (TauBuhid) Iraya Ratagnon HaGuRa (Mixed tribe)

Male 25 62 50 31 42 100 22 65 25 53 120 84 32 45 756 47.60

Total 55 150 98 92 89 184 50 140 40 133 208 176 71 102 1588 100

Table 2. Intervention introduced to the IP communities.

INTERVENTIONS EFFECTED Environmental Conservation TECHNOLOGIES PROMOTED NUMBER OF TIMES TACKLED 4 5 2 18 10 5 3 10 8 4 3 1 7 5 2 4

Livelihood

Health and Gender

Nursery Establishment Sloping Agriculture Land Technology (SALT) Soil and Water Conservation Biodiversity Conservation Solid Waste Management Integrated Pest Management Banana Plantation Organic Fertilizer Production Backyard Animal Raising Food Processing Handicraft Tilapia Culture Child Care Health and Nutrition Practical Cooking Prevention and Control of Family Diseases

Table 2 shows the different interventions and extended technologies in the 13 IP communities from 2004-2009. The topics of the trainings, seminars and 6

demonstration are agriculture, environmental conservation, livelihood, health, gender, and education. Most of the community-based livelihood interventions conducted was related to agriculture since Occidental Mindoro is an agricultural province and most of the economic activities of the Indigenous People are related to agriculture and environment. All interventions in the IP communities had integrated health and gender concerns in pursuant to the Convention on the Elimination of All forms of 7192 (Women in look into empowering women for Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and Republic Act Development and National Building Act, which better access and control of the dwindling resource-base. As per OMSC Medium Term Research Agenda (2004-2009), one of the priority research and extension area is the conduct of gender and cultural studies, training and seminars that is intended for IP women like food processing, child care, health and nutrition. Table 3. Agencies/organizations involved and assistance provided in the IP

Communities.
Agency/Organization Involved A. Government Agencies 1. Department of Agriculture Nature of Assistance and Collaboration Provided technical assistance; they served as resource persons Provided secondary data for profiling of the community Provided funds Sent Barangay Health Workers during the conduct of training for women i.e. child care and nutrition Allowed free use of facilities such as training hall, chairs, tables, and sound system Helped in the conduct of PRA Provided technical assistance and seedlings for nursery establishment

2. Local Government Units (Mayors Office and Barangay Council)

Table 3 (continued). 3. Department

of Environment and Natural Resources

 4. Department of Education 5. Department of Health B. Non-Governmental Organization/Peoples Organization 1. Plan San Jose

Helped in the conduct of PRA Provided free use of school facilities in the conduct of training, seminar, and symposium Trained IP school children in the jingle making and singing contest Facilitated the conduct of PRA in IP community Sent municipal health officer, and nutritionist during the training on child care and nutrition Assisted in the planning of interventions

Provided training funds and materials Sent experts in community organizing

2. Farmers Organizations Cooperatives

and

Helped in the generation of funds for the conduct of training and seminars Facilitated the conduct of training Helped in the conduct of PRA Provided training funds

3. Occidental Mindoro National College Teachers and Employees Multi-purpose Cooperative (OMINACOTEMUPC) 4. Catholic Mangyan Mission

Facilitated the entry of OMSC in Buhid communities Supplied secondary data for planning and implementation of projects Facilitated the entry of OMSC in Buhid Mangyan community Assisted in the conduct of PRA and interventions Helped monitor projects and sustain participation of the Buhids Provided training funds and materials Provided free accommodation and transportation for OMSC instructors, students, and invited experts during the conduct of training and seminar

5. Habanan Buhid

C. Private individuals

The Public- Private People Partnership (4Ps) strategy was employed in extending information and technology in the community. This could establish beneficial alliances and complementation among the different organizations. Moreover, partnership is essential since it had already been realized that delivery of goods and services is no longer a monopoly of the government. Events at the global and national levels have enabled the government to change its role from that of service delivery to enabling the private sector and NGOs in social services. These have provided opportunities to build partnership through sharing and exchanging skills to create a better life for the people.

The conduct of the extension activities on environmental conservation, livelihood, and gender and health has been largely sustained by the concerted and continuing support given by the different government agencies, non-government organization, and the community itself, which provided both technical and financial assistance. All organizations have its own unique and specialized mandate, OMSC as an academic institution are generators and disseminators of information and technology, while NGOs are effective in community organizing and funding. So with the very little resources of SUCs, the need to link with other organizations is an act of survival. The interventions in the IP community are matched with the priority programs of the partner agencies. Department of Agriculture (DA) was one of the most active partners among the local government agencies. Both the LGUs and the NGOs like PLAN International are supportive of the programs extended to the IP community in their locality especially when they see their constituents benefit the most from the projects. Build partnerships had bring mutual benefit among and between the different agencies (see Table 3). These interventions could take at least five years to establish and take-off at the adopters end. The role of the IP leaders, local government units, and other non9

government organizations is very important in monitoring and evaluating this intervention started by the academe. Table 4. Fund support from the Institution from 2004-2009* YEAR 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 Total *as per RDE Record Table 4 presents the fund support given by the institution from 2004-2009. The project is self supported, it ask assistance from other agencies and the community it serves. It employs counter parting strategies. Benefits Earned by the Lead Agency 1. The program had served as vehicle in the strengthening of the working relationships between the College and other development organizations. This had facilitated the institutions/organizations to pool resources and work together towards a common goal-- the enabling of the IP communities to become stewards of their natural resources. 2. The outputs had contributed significantly in the agency performance rating (APR) and in the achievement of VMGO in Extension. 3. The extension activities in the IP Communities served as vehicle for OMSC to conduct course campaign. To date, there are 24 IP students enrolled at Agriculture Department of OMSC. FUND SUPPORT 10,000.00 15,000.00 8,000.00 26,000.00 39,000.00 52,000.00 150,000.00

Observed Effects of Program 10

1. Planting of forest and fruit trees in the idle lands surrounding the villages. Most Mangyan villages are barren since they prefer to till lands far from their homestead. This is because their backyard animals destroy whatever plants growing around their areas. They started to construct fences and tend their animals. Community nurseries were established. 2. Practice of organic agriculture. The Mangyans trained in the fast and easy way of producing organic fertilizers that they use in raising their crops especially lowland rice and vegetable production. 3. Generation of livelihood. The IPs started to produce handicraft and bead

products and processed food for sale using materials within the community. 4. Building of greener and cleaner villages. The Manyans used to believe that they should not plant trees because these naturally grow and replenish. The activities had increased their awareness on the importance of reforestation. They started planting after attending several seminars and trainings conducted in their community. established nursery. They had used the seedlings from the Fruit bearing trees were also planted around their

individual farms. Sanitation in the village was improved as they have learned to dispose garbage properly. Farm animal manure usually found scattered everywhere were utilized for organic fertilizer production. 5. Public-Private-People-Partnerships. The Mangyans who used to be very aloof with outsiders or damunong have established cordial working relationship with OMSC. If they needed technical assistance they now coordinate with the institution and even during extension activities in their community they take part in preparing the venue and wood for cooking.

PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED AND ACTIONS UNDERTAKEN 11

1. Political interference. Constant dialogue with concerned individuals was done whenever necessary to clear things out and to ensure smooth implementation of the interventions. politics was likewise avoided. 2. Peace and order. Most IP communities are located in far flung areas and Since, Consent of local leaders was sought

before the proponents immersed in the communities. Engaging in partisan

security of the proponents in entering the places was necessary.

many IP communities have witnessed the conflicts between the military and the rebels and some of their relatives and friends have been victims of atrocities being suspected as supporter of the underground movement or as informer of the military. In order to avoid being linked with any organization getting clearance from the military and local leaders was done. 3. Lack of unity and dole-out mentality among the IPs. Continuing education like reorientation of values, conscientization, and dialogue with the Manyans were initiated. 4. Un sustained voluntary and active participation of the IPs. Consultation

meetings and continuing education were likewise done to let them realize that development is possible only when they collectively work together to attain their goals and aspirations. V. CONCLUSIONS 1. Development in the IP communities is possible when the programs initiated are realistic, dictated by the people, and responsive to their felt needs. This is attainable when the people fully understand their potential and actively involved in the activities.

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2. The Manyans are generally dogmatic and fatalistic. They believe that things happen because God allows them. Poverty and ignorance are lifes realities that they embrace and accept. Continuing education is necessary to redeem them from the quagmire of helplessness and fatalistic beliefs. 3. Many organizations (government, non-government, private) and even individuals are altruistic and are willing to share their resources such as time, talent and treasure. They can be tapped to help institute development in the Mangyan communities. 4. Women have graduated from their role as baby makers and homemakers. They now participate in development activities. They can be trained to lead or handle projects since men are busy minding their economic needs. VI. RECOMMENDATIONS 1. Institute more viable projects in the IP communities like high value crops production and increase volume of handicraft production. 2. Institutionalize the program and build partnership with organizations and individuals with similar vision through Memorandum of Agreement to help monitor, evaluate, and sustain the extension projects in the different IP communities. 3. Educate and organize women that will increase the capability of women in functional literacy, income generation, values orientation, skills training, and natural resource stewardship. 4. An impact study should be conducted to find out if the projects had contributed in the socio-economic upliftment of the IP Communities.

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VII. REFERENCES: Axinn, George,1998. Extension Approach, FAO,Rome. Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources Research and Development. 1998. Building Partnerships and Capacities: A Centennial Achievement of PCARRD. Los Baos, Laguna.PCARRD Cardenas, Virginia R. 1996. The Philosophy of Extension Work. Paper presented during the Symposium Workshop on the The Role of Pahinuhod Program in the Mission of the University on October 2, 1996 at Bahay Kalinaw, UP Diliman, Quezon City. Extension Accomplishment Reports. Occidental Mindoro State College 2004-2008. Lumbo, Susanita G. 2006. Workbook in Agricultural Extension. Occidental Mindoro National College. Lumbo,S.G, Declaro,M.M., Casanova,V.S., and Ruedas,E.G. 2009. The Indigenous Women of Occidental Mindoro, Philippines in Perspective OMNC Research Journal 2009. Occidental Mindoro National College Advocacy Plan for Extension AY 2005-2006 2006 Participatory Rural Appraisal Result of Sitio Salafay, San Jose, Occidental Mindoro Servano, M. 2006. Mangyan. www.yahoo.com (retrieved: 29 July 2006) Students Agricultural Extension Project Reports AY 2004-2008. Occidental Mindoro National College.

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