OK, it's the last day of March. The first quarter of the year is gone. Tomorrow, we start a new quarter. So many things to do, so little time. There goes the familiar refrain. But, at this age, let's not fret about time. It's counterproductive. It's just that April is our birth month. And if you are my age, it always feels like time flies so fast.

We're busy on this research about micro-enterprises. Atty. Cambangay says it's important we come up with a program framework on sustainable livelihoods. We will start with this study on micro-enterprises. I have to finish the design for this rapid survey or assessment. We have to find out what the agencies and NGOs, as well as LGUs, are doing to support micro-entrepreneurs. Probably it will take us more than a month to do this province-wide survey.

Then we can talk about preparing that framework later.

Today, we had an interesting workshop, actually a baseline survey on the performance of the DILG-GTZ WSSPMO (Water Supply and Sanitation Project Management Office). A three-member DAP staff Center for Knowledge Management led by Vice President Elizabeth Manugue facilitated the activity. Good design, good time management.

Around 20 participants attended, including several Municipal Planning and Development Coordinators (MPDCs). There was even a participant from the Ilaw ng Buhay Water User Association of Guindulman municipality. He is Felix Licong. There was a loud applause. It warmed the heart to know the Ilaw ng Buhay is still alive in a few places despite the center being closed for more than 10 years.

This made my day. Guindulman Vice Mayor Eleno Laga called up. He's running for Mayor. He used to be an outstanding trainer and fieldworker of the UNICEF-assisted Ilaw ng Buhay (Light of Life) program of long ago. Hope he gets that post now in his town.

Memories are creeping in. I should stop now. It has been a long day as usual.

Good night to all.

Ms. Sylvia Clemente, FAO/UN Consultant, visited our office this morning. She was accompanied by Ms. Corazon Estocado of the Department of Agrarian Reform. Atty. Cambangay, the head of our office, the Provincial Planning and Development Office, invited me to join him in answering questions from the mission.

She was actually the 6th consultant from DAR to visit us since last year here at the Capitol. I remember one lady consultant who borrowed the CD version of the Poverty Reduction framework She said she would just copy it in her laptop back in the hotel. That was the last time we heard of her. Like all the hordes of consultants and researchers from all sorts of agencies before her, she did not give us even a draft copy of her report.

All the previous 5 consultants working on agrarian reform practically asked the same question: how do we integrate the ARC plans with the LGU planning process? It gets so taxing, for me at least, to answer the same question each time that a DAR consultant comes around, particularly if it's already phase 3 of the project. Don't they ever compare notes?

These consultants and researchers (from DAR Manila and other agencies) just appear here and we extend to them all the cooperation we can muster. We spend an average of two to three hours per visit of consultants and researchers to our office. In most instances, we even arrange their appointments with other agencies. Not that we are complaining; it's just that they should at least give us a summary of what they have found out here and their recommendations. We don't even bother to ask them about their TOR and credentials. Everything's taken in good faith. But it looks like they do not regard us as their equal; they do not even bother to tell us about the results of their mission.

All we want is for them to be fair with us. Perhaps we can learn a thing or two from their reports. Let's see if Ms. Clemente will be different from the rest of them.

There, I finally managed to say it. It has been bugging me for a long time, this unpleasant feeling that we are just being used by some people.

By next week, the third month of the year is gone. We have been busy with a lot of things lately. But this is not an excuse to neglect this journal thing. It's a question of finding the time, or is it a matter of will? Surely being busy is not an excuse. I must find the time to write, reflect ... It warms the heart to know 101 visited the journal this month. And to think I had only one entry!

What were we busy about in March? Let's see. First week, I went back to an old action item that I had really to dispose of. That was revising the draft Medium term development plan 2004-2009 of Bohol province. I had to put in the poverty reduction focus in each of the sectors. Well, I was able to do the revisions in five days' time.The ball is now with the sector heads. They are also awfully busy with a lot of things, but I hope they will be able to come up with the final draft by early next month.

The AusAID education sector mission came. We had to rush some references for them. We also gave the mission a copy of the proposal we drafted a year ago for the retrieval of school dropouts. This case of so many unemployed youth, in addition to school dropouts (6-14 yrs old), really needs to be addressed. Someone will have to match the abundant idle land with this phenomenon of having unemployed youth in the hundreds joining the labor force each year but finding no job at all.

Then I had to rush an accomplishment report for the unit and a proposal for availing volunteers from the Korea Overseas Volunteers program. I found time to direct the work being done on the formulation of a staff development plan for the 15 provincial agencies. This involves establishing the database for all of more than 600 regular employees of the Provincial Government. If we can have the plan and implement it in a 12-year period to coincide with the time frame for the poverty reduction framework, it can motivate employees to work harder; their career path will be clearer.

Lito de Vera came to attend a national conference of DED (German Development Cooperation) volunteers held here in Bohol. He dropped by in the office with a colleague. I know this guy from way back during our brief stint with NEDA. Our posting there was paid for by UNICEF.

On 07 March, Tony Irving, Arnold Seloterio and I met with the Purok Development Volunteers of our village. It was a Sunday, but all the volunteers turned up. The PDVs do not receive any honorarium. It's a great thing they come even on a Sunday. We usually meet with the 12 volunteers from the six puroks on a Sunday. That was their choice.

I found time to act as judge for an essay writing contest among first year high school students in Tagbilaran City.

For the month, I am back to the routine of riding in the van that brings children to school as early as 7.00 a.m. I know the doctor will again complain since I have had no time for my usual brisk walking up and down the hill. Still, I found no time to write on this journal regularly.

I hope I can do better next time...

Still too busy to get into this journal thing. Still waiting for AusAID PACAP to formally approve the LGU strengthening project in 17 municipalities here in Bohol. Still trying make head or tail of the new projects coming up as part of the poverty reduction efforts. Still wondering why donors seem not interested to monitor their projects here. Still trying to figure out what can be good motivating points so government employees will work hard from day to day. Still getting drowned by all these charges and countercharges among the politicians in this busy season. Still pretesting the survey methodology in Laya. Still. Still. Still...

0832. First journal entry for this year. Too busy with a lot of things as last year ended. Then there was this two-week training (12 – 24 Jan) held in Cebu for the MPDCs (Municipal Planning and Development Coordinators) of 17 municipalities in Bohol proposed for the implementation of the AusAID-assisted Strengthening Local Governance Project.

I attended the live-in training at Days Hotel in Mactan as one of three participants from the Provincial Planning and Development Office (PPDO). The other PPDO representatives were: Atty. Nitz Cambangay, the provincial planning and development coordinator, and Roger Alegado, head of the Project Development and Monitoring Unit (PDMU) of the PPDO.

That was actually Component 1 of the AusAID-funded training on Strengthening Local Governance for Poverty Reduction and Sustainable Development. The province requested for the training as start-up activity for poverty reduction project to be implemented with AusAID assistance in 17 municipalities in Bohol.

Component 2 is what we are having here now at the MetroCentre Hotel in Tagbilaran City. The MPDCs were joined by 5 other members of the Municipal Poverty Reduction Action Teams (MPRATs).

The total number of participants who attended reached 102 out of the expected 105. That was around noon time yesterday. Those who were not able to come for one reason or another (sick; on official business to Cebu, etc.) sent replacements. Unfortunately, the ten or so replacements could only be classified as observers.

Gov. Erico B. Aumentado welcomed the participants and trainers during yesterday’s opening program. He said the MPRAT members are the front-liners in the fight against poverty. The Governor challenged the MPRATs to work wholeheartedly in achieving poverty reduction targets.

Dr. Benjie Gonzales-Flor of AusAID-Phil-Australia Short-Term Training Facility (PASTTF) also came for the opening program yesterday. She opened her talk by saying she believes that as a woman, she can do anything. Good opening! It got the attention of the audience. She also cited the characteristics of more developed countries: ethics; integrity; respect for laws; responsibility; punctuality, etc.

Dr. Vicky A. Bautista, director of the Center for Leadership, Citizenship and Democracy, UP National College of Public Administration and Governance, discussed key issues and concepts related to understanding poverty. She talked about innovative strategies which have been so far tried by the national government.

This is starting to sound like a news story and not a journal. Now I have to focus on the input. This is quite a big group. Fortunately, the audio system is excellent. Still, there is no way of knowing if they get the messages fully. Perhaps, in the future, we have to think in repeating inputs in small groups and minimize lectures in big groups.

We know this from way back, but we are victims of circumstances. The time frame is too short to have all these inputs.

1625 Christmas party here at the office. No-frills celebration. Just eating and karaoke singing; no formal program. I was not here for the party last year. There’s something new technology-wise. The LCD projector was linked to the VCD player. Hence, you see the text and the accompanying of the song on a big screen. There was exchange of gifts. I received a gift, marked number 2. It was donated by a medical company. It’s a miniature soft pillow, good to protect the eyes actually while sleeping. That was how I made of it. There is no label on this thing so I can’t tell what it is really for. Anyway, thank you for the gift whose number I had picked out of pure luck.

Same Xmas party is being held during this time of the year in hundreds of offices, public and private, here in the province. The stores enjoy brisk sales of gifts, xmas lights, lanterns, xmas trees … Christmas is indeed good for the local economy.

Hard to think about poverty when you have this round of parties. Christmas, like fiestas, must be a way to distribute proteins and blessings.

2100 Preparing to go to bed. Remember the book I have been intending to write the past two decades. Too many hindrances to fulfill this one great act. I again revisit my notes, scattered in notebooks, floppies and hard disks. Now another year will be gone and still there is no draft manuscript for the book. When will we find the time to sort out these notes?

That’s the question for 2004. Or, perhaps, this is just ego trip. Who cares about a book about development fieldworkers? I have the conviction the world needs one as a weapon against cynicism that has crept into the psyche of people everywhere in recent times. Now, may I proceed to sleep and dream and wake up again refresh in the thought that the world needs fieldworkers?

Amen.

1145 Bob and Belen Mendoza, our visitors from Sydney, are leaving today. Actually, we left them at the airport. The plane was supposed to arrive 9 but after two hours at the airport, there was no plane in sight. We reluctantly left them at the airport to wait for the plane on their own.

Now I am back at the office. It’s a few minutes before the noon break. Let me just look back at this brief visit of the couple. I have learned quite a lot from them.

For instance, they were telling us about the new teaching method (combining email, one-on-one tutorial, assignments, practical work) being applied in the school where Bob works as a teacher. He is actually handling an IT course. His students are mostly children of Asian who have settled in Australia. He says the method is based on the observation that students learn at different paces; no two students learn at the same pace. Hence, the method adjusts to the unique profile of each learner.

This method is being tried for almost two years. It evolved from the frustrations of educators about the high unemployment rate among college graduates and the lack of pertinence of what students learn to the needs of industry. A survey was conducted on what exactly industry needs and the curriculum planners take this into account. Hence, the skills being imparted to students are particularly designed to the actual needs of industry.

The other idea we have found useful is this concept of a Neighborhood Technology Center being tried in Australia. I think this can be tried here with a little imagination and efforts. I have discussed this with Tony Irving, and he says we actually can try it as a project in the barangay where we are pretesting the household survey. It can be a project to engage the large number of unemployed youth in the area.

Bob and Belen have stayed in Sydney for more than 20 years. Their five daughters were born there; all have their own families there. The Mendozas are originally from Lucena City, Quezon. They have their roots there and regularly visit relatives.

For this visit, they will have time to attend class reunions of the Quezon National High School (formerly Quezon Provincial High School). Bob and Belen belong to Class 67 and Class 70 of this school. In Sydney, they have helped our class, Class 58, produce its website and a powerpoint presentation to be used by Milwida Sevilla-Reyes for the class reunion scheduled 27-28 Dec.

11 Dec 2003, Thursday

1915 He introduced himself as Peter Turingan, a consultant from GTZ. A lady employee from DAR accompanied him. They were looking for “the one in-charge of rural development.” There’s no such officer at the planning office. Rural development cuts across sectors. What Roger Alegado and I do at our unit is focus on developing a poverty reduction, a key concern in rural development.

Peter decided to talk with us. Later, we were joined by Atty. Cambangay, the PPDC. Peter asked us to recommend a project that GTZ could look into to find out some best practices in project implementation. We recommended the livelihood dispersal project being implemented by the Office of the Provincial Veterinarian with assistance from Heifer International.

Peter also asked us questions as part of a survey on best practices. It was a lively exchange. Peter has the skill of making people talk. He did not give us any copy of his TOR nor any contact address. Because he was accompanied by someone from DAR, we cooperated fully with him. Frankly, we do not know how he will use the information elicited from us.

On hindsight, we should have asked for a copy of his TOR and his business address. It’s a usual phenomenon here that year after year we entertain hordes of consultants. Only very few gave us a copy of their findings. We have to establish a clear link to our development agenda in dealing with consultants. In the first place, we spend government time and resources entertaining them. It’s just fair the Government and the people of the province should also benefit from a consultant’s visit.

1900. Tired. Many people came for the fiesta. My colleagues from PPDO. Family friends and relatives. Ilona and Christoph, young German couple next door. Tony Irving and Sally. Sibyl, a German volunteer. Some people from the barangay. Too tired to reflect.

Only one thought. It’s about the reasons for having fiestas, obviously from our Spanish past.
But the particular reason I like most was the one cited by a friend from our UNICEF days decades ago. He said fiestas are a way of distributing protein. Smart guy!

If you will sum up the money spent for a town fiesta by individual families, communities and local governments, the figure will run up to millions of persons from year to year. Looks like everyone is saving money to be spent for a two-day celebration.

Something in this town was the street lamps and the colorful arches put up by all the barangays along the national highway. There was a contest and several barangays won cash awards.

There was the usual cockfighting. Another to circulate the money around? Games like this with money bets do not produce goods and services to add value to the local economy. Big money only changes hands among the rural elites; no contribution to local production. Besides, gambling sends the message it’s good luck rather than hard work that counts in improving one’s station in life.

Development workers have raged and ranted and fought against gambling and other vices. In the case of fiestas, a senator now dead organized a crusade many decades ago to at least temper or channel the spending during fiestas to productive activities. The campaign failed miserably.

Fiestas are a way to bring family members together in a grand reunion carried out by local communities and supported by their government. The economy may falter, but the expensive celebrations go on.

Some celebrations have taken on development aspects: agro-industrial fair; cultural shows; contests among barangays (cleanest barangay, etc.). Perhaps this is the way to go, rather than fight fiestas. Integrate progressive elements into the centuries-old tradition.

2145. Dodong Manalo rang the bell at the gate and said when ushered into the house, that it would be a brief visit. Actually, he was in the neighborhood, a guest in another home at the eve of the fiesta in Baclayon. In a few minutes, he was saying goodbye in his familiar American accent, having stayed in the US for most of his adult life. More than a year ago, Dodong retired from his US job and decided he had to go back to Bohol, back to his roots, he said. He used to teach philosophy at a local university (Holy Name University) in Tagbilaran City. Now he teaches English in the same institution.

In the brief time that he stayed in the house, he was able to say that he would like to be of some help to the community in Bohol. That was one reason he came back, he said. He had built a house in Dauis to show probably he was serious in settling down in the land of his birth. He said he had been invited to attend a meeting of the purok in his place and wondered if the activity was linked somehow to our Foundation, which seeks to strengthen local settlements such as the purok.

We told him that the Foundation has not yet reached Dauis. Launched 14 Aug, the Foundation operates in Baclayon on a limited scale due to scarce resources. Baclayon is where the Foundation’s office is located. The BLDF does not yet seek foreign funding for its activities. We do not want to compete with other NGOs on this aspect. At the same time, we would to try in new modality and find out if an NGO can sustain its operations through local resources and fund raising without involving foreign donors.

We were able to give him our brochure. It’s hard to tell what he really thinks about this development niche we are trying to feel.

Earlier, the BLDF chair, Former Tagbilaran City Mayor Jose Ma. Rocha came with two daughters, Inda and Mitos and a grandchild, Carla. We were able to review with him the content of the website. Inday, who works as nurse in Germany, said this would be useful to Boholanos leaving abroad. Sometimes they are asked facts and figures about Bohol and its municipalities and they do not know where to get reliable references. This website solves the problem, she said.

Was at Holy Name University to attend Family Day. The gym was full of students and parents. When I arrived, somebody was talking about the need to organize a cooperative among us parents. There were hundreds of people there and it was simply impossible to hear anything clearly. Perhaps a separate meeting with parents could have avoided this situation.

The rest of the program was better appreciated; you did not have to hear anything. Representative groups from the students, parents and teachers presented songs and dance numbers. As expected, they were all into Western-style songs and dances. Everybody took for granted these were all part of popular culture. This is basically a school for children from middle class families. I wonder what the situation is like in public schools. Do they have native songs and dances there?

Now I am again beginning to understand what the late Renato Constantino said about our miseducation and the poverty of culture.

Through Ms.Imelda Borromeo, head of the PPDO economic development sector, I was able to get a copy of the Belgian Integrated Agrarian Reform Support Program (BIARSP Phase III) Technical and Financial File.

I learned a lot from it. It’s quite an important document. The Kingdom of Belgium first supported the country’s Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) in 1995 with the Belgian Agrarian Support Program (BARSP). The first phase was succeeded in 2000 by Phase II which ended in August, 2003.

Phase III will be implemented for 48 months. It seeks to “properly integrate management and implementation into the existing relevant institutions in order for them to be fully prepared to carry on the work without external assistance.”

This document also says that due attention will be given “to convergence, coordination and networking with partners and other organizations, in order to optimize the impact of the Programme, and of similar programmes focusing on the same target groups.”

We remember that a week ago we were called to the Governor’s office to attend a meeting with two consultants and the head of the provincial DAR. They were talking about Phase III of BIARSP. The first key activity would be the six-month activity for the consultants to review all proposed ARC projects and to link them to the municipal and development plans.

This is, of course, implicitly saying that these projects were identified and proposed outside the provincial and local planning process.

On returning to the office, I was handed the training plan and budget for BIARSP III in Bohol. I summarized the activities and was astounded to find out that more than P2 million would be spent for orientation, consultation and negotiations, as well as skills training, for something like 2,000 participants. I calculated the cost to be about PhP900 per pax.

It will be interesting to find out comparable costs from the previous phases. Perhaps, at this stage, training costs per participant should go down with the LGUs absorbing part of the cost. In almost a decade, LGUs and other partners should have integrated some of the activities into their planning and budgeting. If this has not been done, the next 40 months or so will not be enough to make LGUs and other partners take most of the responsibilities after this phase.

2030. One key issue stressed during yesterday’s strategic planning workshop for the BCDS (Bohol Center for Development Studies) was the need to “coordinate” the activities of Filipino and foreign consultants doing research in Bohol. They actually come and go without anyone in provincial government knowing their TOR and the results of their research. Most of them get data from offices such as PPDO, BEMO, CCAD, but they never bother to submit any copy of their research findings so that these can be used somehow to improve development-related database.

In recent months, we have had consultants and researchers asking information and borrowing reports from PPDO. They promised to give copies of their research outputs in return. Well, you have guessed it, they have not turned up to date. Worst, their respective host agencies have told us they had left weeks ago. These agencies were not also given any report on their research at all. They also reported during the workshop that they had to assign staff to accompany the researchers, who had to do their assignment at their own expense.

We have been told informally that foreign consultants are doing research in various parts of the province. Nobody knows what they are up to. In recent memory, an Italian consultant from FAO and a Japanese researcher obtained data from our files and promised to touch base with us later; then they just disappeared. Not a phone call nor email from them.

The BCDS will probably draft an executive order to compel these researchers to at least discuss their TORs and submit to the provincial government copies of their reports. Probably the EO will help make the researchers have some respect for us.

Which reminds us of some consultants who come here, do their assignments (not necessarily research), promise to keep us at least posted on what happens after all the consultations, field visits and validation missions … and then they do not even bother to inform us on what happens to the proposed project. In one case, we happened to know through a third party that the proposed micro-credit is already being implemented in Mindanao. Can they at least spare us the agony of a long wait? Even consultants should know basic courtesy.

Yes, this is how shabbily we are being treated by donors. And they endlessly talk about partnership in their glossy brochures.

1935. Home. Have received via email the documents (Plan of Operations; Minutes of Meeting) on the water project finalized by Ulli of GTZ. The revisions capture faithfully the discussions last Tuesday. I will send the attachments to Atty. Cambangay, Roger and Hermilo for their comments. Hopefully, we can finalize arrangements between the Provincial Government and GTZ within the month.

Meanwhile, the project office is still being set up. Part of the old library is being renovated. This has been taking quite a long time. I asked the officer assigned to this task and he said this was due to the usual red tape associated with the procurement of construction materials. GTZ has already purchased the chairs, desks, etc. and they are there stored in the office under renovation.

Perhaps we should start with procurement procedures to make things flow smoothly with regard to starting a project at provincial level.

I do not know if NGOs have a similar problem regarding slow-moving bureaucracies. In that meeting I attended with some NGOs and AusAID-PACAP last 01 Oct, the NGOs seemed to be bothered by the LGU’s inability to implement properly some livelihood projects in Candijay. An NGO represented openly expressed distrust in LGU’s capacity to handle project funds from donors.

It was pointed out, however, that a sharply focused project on strengthening local governance is needed and that NGOs should not give up partnership with LGUs in the implementation of projects. In the first place, the role of NGOs is primarily to field-test and innovate approaches and make them available for replication by Government. Otherwise, if donors will continue expanding assistance to NGOs beyond the pilot phase, the risk is there that a parallel service delivery structure will be established to perform tasks that LGUs are mandated to do.

The debate on this issue seems to be beclouded by perceived competition between LGUs and NGOs (and even among NGOs themselves) for scarce donor resources.

This is one reason why BLDF does not seek foreign donor assistance. It wants to pursue projects based on available local resources. In the end, this will be good for local development.

1615. We met starting late morning until the afternoon with Ulli from GTZ (German Technical Cooperation). In the meeting were Attty. Cambangay, PPDC; Roger Alegado and Engr. Hermilo Arcaya all of PPDO. The plan of operations was finalized for a water project to be implemented for three years, starting 2004, here in Bohol.

The minutes of the workshop held 11 to 13 Nov was also reviewed and the final version agreed upon.

The project seeks to strengthen government capacities to plan and implement the effective management of water resources in the province.

Some of the expected outputs: integration of the provincial water supply, sanitation and solid wastes management master plan, now on its final preparation stage, with the annual development plan and the medium term development plan; integration of the master plan with the GIS database at the PPDO; formation of an integrated water resources management team; setting up demonstration sites on water supply and sanitation technologies, etc.

It’s more a capability-building project. Hopefully, we can package projects within the three-year time frame to make available safe water to most households in the province, as well as for other uses.

We remember what Andreas Kanzler, the GTZ water programme director, said in that workshop the other week. He said the project would teach us “how to fish, rather than give you fish.” This is a pet expression from community development workers the world over. Donors often say this too especially if resources are scarce and there is not much hardware to dispense. That’s why a program approach is important. Other donors who can afford hardware must come in with the gears so we can fish.

We did not hear this htf (how to fish) line from the Social Welfare people who launched the KALAHI-CIDSS-KKK program here in Bohol several months ago. The project has PhP263 million in World Bank laon to spend for 293 barangays in 12 municipalities in the province. It will be interesting to find out how much of these funds will be spent for capability building vis-à-vis the amount spent for highly visible projects (translation: infrastructure). If a project has plenty of money, the tendency is to go ahead and fish without regard to building local skills; everything will be just for show.

1104. Tagbilaran City. Now I am feeling the weight of the years. I woke up with ill-defined ache somewhere in my body. Now I understand the phrase “dragging one’s carcass” for the simple routine of getting out of bed and starting a new day. But I managed somehow to put on my jogging pants and shoes and fooled myself I could make it to the front lawn and up the hill for the usual morning ritual of walking and, for the most part, just staring at grasses, trees, and the distant sea. All these intimations of mortality …

Now at the office. Have been here since 9.30 a.m. It’s now almost noon. I have just rushed revisions to a draft agreement with AusAid. I wonder when will this project start. We thought this could start a month back. The approval process is stuck somewhere as usual. If it’s not the bureaucracy either with government or the partner donor agency, it’s the typical inertia of rest that afflicts the paper trail. Everything stops on its track. Worst, you sometimes get lost yourself just trying to figure out how to restart the stalled process.

We submitted the proposal to the donor as early as July. Several meetings were held with them, each meeting resulting in some revisions to the document. There as a time in September, the PPDC and I flew to Manila for a two-hour meeting. Then we decided to propose a pilot phase for the next eight months so there would be limited implementation during the election period.

We prepared the Memorandum of Agreement and the proposal for a pilot phase. Now we are still waiting for the go signal from the donor. Everything is prepared at this end, but we have not heard for quite a well from our AusAid partners.

Hope we will not wait a long time. By this time, we at the provincial planning office should be used to this kind of waiting. In 2000, a scooping study was undertaken for a provincial support project. Another scooping study was undertaken in 2002. A project proposal was prepared; it was going to be a AUD3 million project for five years. For one reason or another, the project did not push through. Probably 9/11 has something to do with it.

Now we have this new proposal focused on 17 out of the 47 municipalities which rank high on levels of deprivation (child malnutrition; school dropout rate; unsafe water source; poor sanitation). Hope we can put something on the ground soon.

For the PATSARRD, there was a consultation meeting last 19 Nov. Manila-based consultants came to facilitate the consultations with stakeholders. The output was an agreement on a work plan for Jan to Apr 04. As explained by the facilitator, the objective was to focus on 9 ARCs in Bohol which have prepared development plans. These ARCs are in 8 municipalities and a total of 62 barangays. It was explained that the strategy was “partnership, convergence, collaboration or complementation.”

Translated, the strategy means for each participating agency to allocate resources to priority ARCs based on certain criteria. These criteria are as follows:

-Strategically located
-Accessible
-Supportive LGUs
-Coops levels 3 to 5
-Rice is the main crop
-With irrigation facilities
-With potential for off-farm activities

ARC Estaca with 10 barangays emerged with the most number of points (34) for the convergence of agency resources. The criteria used will ensure agency accomplishments in the most developed ARC. It was clarified that government services are designed not only for agrarian beneficiaries, but for all individuals and households in the ARC. It’s the standard government extension service for the whole population then. If the real poor or the agrarian reform beneficiaries are not singled out for service delivery, will they miss out in the end as it was in the past? Just a thought.