Friday, January 18, 2008 N. Cotabato towns named beneficiaries of Neda programs By Ben O. Tesiorna
FOUR municipalities in North Cotabato have been considered as beneficiaries of the National Economic Development Authority-Kennedy Round 2 (Neda-KR2) in its Productivity Enhancement Program for the protection of the environment.
The four towns were identified as Pikit, Kabacan, M'lang and Tulunan. All four are located in the periphery of the vast Liguasan Marsh.
In a meeting with Governor Jesus Sacdalan, Neda regional director Ma. Lourdes Lim said the project would cover community-based mangrove rehabilitation, coastal resource management, sanctuaries preservation and development, and community-based replanting projects.
Muslim Development Foundation Inc. (MDFI) director Dausay Daulog said their target is to develop at least 40 hectares of community forest, one kilometer of bank protection, and plant 2 hectares of freshwater mangroves and other indigenous flora in each of the four beneficiary municipalities.
Daulog said they hope to address the environmental degradation of Liguasan Marsh due to deforestation, pollution, siltation, flooding, conversion to agriculture, and destructive fishing practices. The project also seeks to help improve the economic situation of the communities involved.
"About 70% of the people in these areas are 'core' poor, surviving on P3,000 monthly income or less," Daulog said.
Beneficiary communities of the project include the barangays of Galidan, Popoyon, Dungos and Tambac in Tulunan; Gaunan, Dugong, Dungguan and New Antique in Mlang; Malamote, Cuyapos, Magatus, and Kilagasan in Kabacan. Beneficiary communities in Pikit still have to be identified, as the municipality is a recent addition to the project following the request of Governor Sacdalan for its inclusion.
Sacdalan meanwhile urged Neda and the MDFI to adopt a more comprehensive approach to ensure the sustainability of environmental and development interventions in Liguasan Marsh.
"Livelihood and other projects that would ensure the economic security of the beneficiaries should be considered. Otherwise, the community forests might again be compromised," the governor said.
"The question of security of tenure should also be addressed. The people in the communities at the periphery of Liguasan should have the assurance that they cannot just be eased out of the lands that they presently occupy and till. This is best done by titling the lands to them, individually or collectively," he added.
Neda-KR2 PEP is a small-scale community-based environmental rehabilitation and conservation program where Neda through its partner NGO, Muslim Development Foundation Inc. (MDFI), will be implementing projects in support of environmental conservation and rehabilitation of Liguasan Marsh. Approximately 55,000 hectares of the marsh are within the boundaries of (North) Cotabato.
