TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol (PIA) –Beggars cannot be choosers, but in the case of Ambuan and Bagtic in Catigbian, Bohol, barangay dads wished they were consulted first before being made to get what they found out to be useless equipment.
During the Talakayan ng Mamamayan at the Dagyawan held in Barangay Bagtic in Catigbian town, some 30 kilometers northeast of Tagbilaran, national government agencies and offices stated their commitments in line with the two barangay’s identified Barangay Development Plans, and how these agencies can still help the barangays in their other development priorities.
A critical segment of Dagyawan, Talakayan sa Mamamayan allows the community to directly talk and level off with the government agencies to generate the commitment and pledges on how the government can help the community in their problems.
Both barangays Bagtic and Ambuan have identified as geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas, and this has become a leverage for the insurgents to instigate the people into sowing dissent against the government, forming from the string mass base.
But with the government’s Whole of Nation approach as embodied in President Duterte’s Executive Order No 70, the government, led by the Department of Interior and Local Government, the Philippine National Police and the Armed Forces of the Philippines brought the government service caravan participated by key service agencies bringing their key services to Bagtic to serve the residents of these two disadvantaged barangays.
With the Provincial Task Force on Ending Local Communist Armed Conflict prominently giving their presence to the community, and the DILG in tandem, brought in the Retooled Community Support Program (RCSP) which was envisioned to address issues identified by the communities, local government facilitators also guided the community to expand the development gaps through the provision of the needed government programs, projects and activities.
DILG believes that this would ensure a sustained development momentum and could hammer in a nest for peace and progress.
In this same context, and with the platform now cleared for the people to air out their observations, Barangay Bagtic Chairman Edgar Sabijon Omapas said that his barangay is fast losing young farm hands, noting that younger generations are not anymore keen on getting their hands dirty.
With rice production really waning and the workers getting fewer, he said mechanization could possibly bridge the production gap.
However, the undulating hills in his barangay affords only small rice paddies carved out from the hills and roadsides, that the large equipment from the Department of Agriculture cannot be used here.
The paddies are small and the plots are carved too high for the harvesters and planters to negotiate, that the equipment are practically useless here.
His position is shared by Ambuan Barangay Chairman Juan Palma.
Was there any feasibility study done before giving these equipment? He asked as he pointed out that a mechanical drier given by the government to Ambuan is placed in an area that is not accessible, so that the equipment is now rotting in a corner, unused.
There are huge planters and harvesters available, but these are for much larger farms. Due to their size, we even have problems transporting these, and finding people who could operate such huge machinery.
They remains unused, and would most likely remain that way, as we would gladly pay for anyone who could use the equipment, if only for these to be used, both barangay chairmen jokingly said.
If only the government first sent its expert to see what we need, there could be no more problems with sending the improper equipment, Palma said. (PIA-7/Bohol)
