Chapter
37
We Turned Barren Mountain Sides Into
Forests to Control Irosion & Landslide
For twenty
years people living under
threats of erosions, floods and
landslides, we patiently planted hundred
thousands of trees on barren mountains,
practically, removing the dangers
they faced after every typhoon or heavy
rains. They did this through their
different organization and and associations, securing resources from both the
government and private sectors.
These was some stories of their involvements for change. Mr. Rafael Nacuray, former
President of their Cooperative passed away after a few months of the interview.
This story in Libacao, Aklan, we share.
It is one story their struggles for
change and development.
“My
name is Rafael Nacuray. I am now old. I was elected President of Rosal Ortega Farmers
Multi-Purpose Cooperative (ROMPC). I was
president for six years. The
organization needs younger blood and mind to make it more dynamic. Mr.Giovanni
Iguiz, also a member of our Coop, provided the leadership after me. I am
still member of ROMPC together with my son and daughters.
“Before,
we always fear when there was a storm
coming, because it was usually followed by a flood. Our Sitio, “Mamalang Sapa”
(Dried Streams), in Rosal, Libacao, Aklan is at the foot of the mountain..
There were no trees on the sides and the top of the mountain, only Cogon,
grasses with long resistant leaves and
Tigbaw, a wild cane growing in open
fields. Typhoons and floods, endanger
our lives and damaged our crops and properties. Our barangay is
situated in the mountain boundaries of
the provinces of Capiz, Iloilo,
Antique and Aklan.
“In 1985 Bromma
Baptist Church in Sweden assisted our church with funds for our ecological
farming project. Through the project, we learned practical and scientific
farming –chicken and animal raising, rice, corn, bananas, fruits and skills on environmental protection. We
learned the importance of ecology. Bromma Baptist Church, with Mr. Ake Svalfors
encouraged us to organized ourselves into
a cooperative. They taught us how cooperatives improved the economy and lives
in Sweden. With financial assistance from them, we started to organize the
cooperative.
.
“Pastor Domingo
Bernal, our pastor and my son-in-law,
initiated the organization of the cooperative. He showed us that with our
cooperative we can pool our resources to start bigger project. With a Legal
Personality, we can access to services
and resources from private sector and
government.
We can also participate as
contractor in the reforestation project of the government, to address
the problems of soil erosions and landslides. Our initial members are still with the cooperative
today like Video Salonzo, Joel Nacuray, Ernesto Salonzo, Prospera Bernal and
others.
“The members of the
cooperative are small farmers – some with a few hectares of land, but some do
not own even the place where their homes
are built. They were tenants to
landholders. Some rent their lands.
“With new farming
methods, specially multi-crop and
intercropping methods, members
who have small parcels of land decided that we plant more fruit trees. We also planted bamboos for use in our houses
and also for sale. We planted Palm Trees for roofing. The surplus we sold.
To address the problems of soil erosion and fear of landslides, we started to
plant timber trees –gmelina, mahogany and acacia. Together, we have
planted more than 15,000 fruit trees and
timber trees, bamboos and palm trees in
our small parcel of land near our
houses.
“Then, our
cooperative negotiated with the Department
of Energy and Natural Resources
(DENR), to plant trees in government idle lands
under it’s Stewardship Reforestation program. DENR awarded ROMPC to
reforest 75 hectares of idle and barren
mountain lands. Planting 2,500 trees per hectare, we planted some 187,500 trees in the 75 hectares barren land. Our cooperative provided manpower and
management.
DENR provided funds
to pay labor and seedlings. These was
significant, for with the growth of trees in the sides and tops of the mountain, erosion and landslide begun
lessen eventually stopped.
“In 1994, I joined another organization, RISA, an Non-government
organization. I was the Chairman of the
organization. Some members of RISA came from ROMPC. In our place, DENR allow
only two projects for each organization. It was ROMPC who first negotiated with
DENR for reforestation of 75 hectares
project. RISA later negotiated for
another reforestation project in another barangay. RISA was awarded 45 hectares barren land to reforest. It planted 100,000 trees of
different kinds.
“We continued
planting trees., abaca and other crops for the last 20 years. Now we do not experience soil erosion and landslide. The 327,500 trees we jointly planted guarded our soil and land against erosion and
landslide.
“Then, we started to
plant abaca in our farms. We planted abaca in the vacant parts of our farms. We purchased land
and started scientific planting of
abaca. We shared our knowledge and technology to other barangays around
Rosal-Ortega. We expanded our abaca
planations. We studied the technology of planting, caring, harvesting and
fiber stripping of abaca.
We shared the knowledge and technology to
other barangay people. We bought a
Stripping Machine and learned the technics of abaca fiber stripping, drying and
marketing. We were on our way to a better life.”
Why Selected as
Most Significant Story?
When Diakonia
approved our Abaca planting project in 1996, we were able to buy 21 hectares of
land for our tenant members. In these lands
we developed the Abaca Pilot Farm. We planted abaca and trees of
different kinds – the trees to serve as cover or shades for abaca. We planted about 18,000 more trees in the 21
hectares of land.
We also organized
farmers associations that were affiliates of ROMPC in 12 barangays and sitios
in the hinterlands of Libacao. The cooperative, through Diakonia, provided them with financial assistance for
planting abaca. The primary target was to plant abaca. But the natural shading
system that is part of the culture, has mobilized them to plant more fruit
trees, coconuts and other leguminous trees in the pilot farm. These strenghtend
and expanded the tree-planting activities of the project.
Added Values by Diakonia
We thank Bromma
Baptist Church for the Ecological Farming program that led us to organized our
cooperative and enabled us to start reforestation program in idle government lands. We also express our gratitude to Diakonia for
helping us sustain our educational works and expand our reforestation program
that successfully addressed the problems
of erosion and landslide in several villages
in Libacao, Aklan.
Lessons Learned
and Recommendations
We leared that all problems have solutions. Solutions
to problems were not done in a day, or a year, or five years. But little by little, year by year, we worked
to provide solutions to our problems. Jesus said, with faith we can move
mountains to the sea. We transformed an idle and barren mountain land into a
forest.
__________________________________________________________________________
Project Title: - Abaca Plantation & Production Pilot Project 1996-1999
Implementing Partner - Rosal-Ortega Multi-Purpose Cooperative
Project Location -Rosal, Libacao, Aklan
Story Teller -Rafael Nacuray
Story Writer -Giovanni Iguiz; December 7, 2006
Translated to English by - Hesther Bernal
(Original story written in Ilonggo)
Domain 2 -Change in People’s Participation in Development Activities
PARTNERSHIP IN DIVERSITY
Best Practice and Lessons Learned
Post Evaluation of DIAKONIA Philippine Program
PARTNERSHIP IN DIVERSITY was published December
2007 by Diakonia, Sweden
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