ProjectConverge Region 9

RPMO 9 Specialists conducted the turnover of project files to DAR Organic Staff under the Regional Program Beneficiaries Development Division (RPBDD).

DAR Organic Staff CARPO Florinda Depamaylo, SUARPO Edna Alameda and SARPO Arsenia Arabani were present during the activity alongside other staff.

The turnover of project files is done to sustain the knowledge gained as ConVERGE concluded.

RECAP:

The last and final stop of the PCR Mission Team was at Tungawan, Zamboanga Sibugay last June 10 to conduct a back-to-back Focused Group Discussion with the rubber farming ARBOs of both the Salipyasin Cluster (Zamboanga Sibugay) and Rubber Resettlement Cluster (Zamboanga del Norte).

RD Ramon Madroñal, ARD Agnes Maata, and their regional project management staff participated in the activity alongside the central and provincial project management teams to provide support on further data during the FGD.

Various ARBOs from ZSP and ZDN participated with separate discussions for Value Chain and Rural Infrastructure as well as Environmental and Social Safeguards.

The ARBOs shared their insights and the discussions highlighted the achievements of the project as well as the benefits it provided its beneficiaries such as being more capacitated in good agricultural practices, and experiencing remarkable increase in price for their rubber produce since the project introduced and supported a sub-cluster consolidation approach in their enterprise.

The activity also led up to a demonstration of proper rubber tapping by the farmers of TIMARBEMCO for IFAD’s Country Director Umit Manzis.

As Project ConVERGE finally draws into a close in June 30, the entire team envisions that enterprise will continue to sustain what they have learned and received.

RECAP: As part of their documentation and review, the IFAD Mission Team, accompanied by the CPMO, RPMO, and PPMOs of ConVERGE 9, recently visited the the warehouse infrastructure provided by ConVERGE to GARBENCO, an ARBO of the rice enterprise of the Salug Valley Cluster last June 9.

The RPMO was headed by the participation of RD Ramon Madroñal, Jr. and ARD Agnes Maata alongside their regional staff.

The team assessed the warehouse which stored the ARBO’s produce alongside checking the quality of the single-pass rice mill, an equipment also provided by ConVERGE that aided the farmers and the ARBOs in the rice harvest.

GARBENCO is one of the integrator-ARBOs playing a vital role in the consolidation of palay harvest and coordinating with the project’s lead ARBO MAFAMCO, which operationalizes the Salug Valley Cluster Value Chain.

The visit was also graced with the presence of the Tambulig Mayor, Hon. Charlotte Panal.

RECAP: Seven agrarian reform beneficiary organizations (ARBOs) participated in the focused group discussion conducted by the IFAD Mission Team as a supplementary discussion to be included in the Project Completion Review of Project ConVERGE as it completes its 6-year run on June 30. The FGD was held in the MAFAMCO meeting hall in Mahayag, Zamboanga del Sur yesterday, June 9.

The ARBOs present were the main beneficiaries and actors that played huge parts in operationalizing the rice enterprise of the Salug Valley Cluster. ARBOs for conventional rice were the following: MAFAMCO, GARBENCO, COCABEFAMCO, TARFIA, and MANTILIBA-FIAMCO. Meanwhile, two ARBOs for organic rice were the following: DOFA and RIMMPCO.

Insights were gathered by the Mission Team from the ARBOs that could be of great knowledge for IFAD’s upcoming projects in the future.

RECAP: The RPMO and PPMO 9 of Project ConVERGE welcomed earlier today the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) Mission Team headed by IFAD Country Director Umit Manzis, Country Programme Officer Mags Catindig Reyes, SECAP Specialist Mary Ann Botengan, and Rural Infrastructure Specialist Clovis Ike Payumo.

The RPMO 9 was led by RD Ramon Madroñal, Jr and ARD Agnes Maata along with the regional specialist and staff.

The Mission team, alongside the central, regional, and provincial project management teams of Project ConVERGE conducted the Project Completion Review Mission Kick-Off Meeting held in Pagadian, Zamboanga del Sur to jumpstart discussions on the project achievements, issues and concerns, as well as documentations of lessons learned to be included in the final project completion review as ConVERGE finally completes its 6-year run on June 30.

RD Madroñal welcomed the participants present as well as the partner stakeholders of the project and looked forward to a fruitful discussion. Country Director Umit Manzis commended the region for its 113% project accomplishment during his rationale.

The RPMO Specialists, with the introduction led by ARD Maata, then presented the project accomplishments for financial and physical, as well as the Value Chain achievements for the Zamboanga Peninsula region.

Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist Katrin Arcala presented the physical and financial accomplishments while Value Chain Specialist Leonardo Ablao presented updates on the main highlight of the project which is the Value Chain.

The Kick-Off Meeting was a preliminary activity prior to the Focused Group Discussions that were held with the main actors/ARBOs who played vital roles in the Value Chain enterprise of the Salug Valley Cluster in Zamboanga del Sur.

RECAP: Various Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries, Partner Agencies, and DAR officials have successfully completed the Regional Stakeholders’ Consultation Workshop conducted by Project ConVERGE last May 16 in Hotel Guillermo, Pagadian, Zamboanga del Sur.

The activity aimed to assess the effects of the focused DAR subprojects on the intended beneficiaries, its potentials for sustainability, the performance of DAR project implementation partners, and the extent to which the objectives and goals were achieved by the project and partners.

With the results gathered, the Project will utilize the discussions received to further update ConVERGE’s Project Completion Report, as ConVERGE is set to fully close by June 2023.

The activity was participated by the heads Project Manager Gomer Tumbali, M&E Consultant Edgardo Soriano, DAR 9 Assistant Regional Director Agnes Maata, provincial heads alongside DAR regional and provincial staff.

The project envisions for its support interventions to be properly sustained by the beneficiaries and to continue the collaboration with partner agencies to maintain the support provided.

HAPPENING NOW: Project ConVERGE 9’s Regional-level Stakeholders’ Consultation Workshop held at Hotel Guillermo, Pagadian, Zamboanga del Sur. The activity aims to assess the progress of the intervention and support provided by Project ConVERGE to the beneficiaries of Region 9.

Various Agrarian Reform Beneficiary Organizations (ARBOs), line agencies/partner agencies as well as Central and Regional staff of DAR Project ConVERGE are present in today’s activity.

Regional Project Coordinator Engr. Florinda Depamaylo acknowledges the participants present.

The Project ConVERGE Region 9 staff wish our beloved ARDO Agnes Maata a Happy Birthday!

May you enjoy your day, ARDO!

As part of the Project Completion Review, Project ConVERGE conducted a series of focus group discussions (FGD) in all covered value chain enterprises. An environmental and social safeguards assessment (ESSA) as well as an economic financial analysis (EFA) were the main goals of the said field activity which was held together with environmental and economic specialists hired by the Project.

The FGDs in the separate topics were held simultaneously. Major rural infrastructure subprojects (i.e. warehouses and farm-to-market roads) were also inspected. Apart from the hired team, CPMO and RPMO specialists and staff were supported by PPMO officials. ARBO leaders and BLGU representatives also participated.

The field-level series of activities in Region 9 was held last January 29 to February 2, 2023.

HAPPENING NOW: Project ConVERGE 9 Regional Yearend Assessment being held at Garden Orchid Hotel, Zamboanga City.

The activity aims to review and assess the project updates from the ground as ConVERGE draws to a close in December 31, 2022.

As the chairman of the ConVERGE-supported ARBO Lumbia Rubber Producers Association, Raul Rocamora shares how technology has aided them in their conduct of the competitive rubber bidding in their area.

Read more of their story here: https://projectconverge.ph/2022/11/24/how-ict-puts-the-power-of-rubber-trading-and-marketing-at-the-farmers-fingertips-literally/

Marilyn Razo is a 32-year old Subanen Rubber Farmer in Zamboanga Sibugay. She is also the secretary of her respective cooperative, the Jo Rubber Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Cooperative.

Read more of her story and how she takes up space in society here: https://projectconverge.ph/2022/11/24/embracing-ethnicity-and-taking-up-spac/

The Salug Valley Cluster Rice Enterprise in Zamboanga del Sur, a Project ConVERGE-supported enterprise, is embracing the importance of teamwork to improve the production, consolidation, and marketing of its rice products.

Read more of this article here: https://projectconverge.ph/2022/11/23/steering-minds-towards-development-the-formation-of-a-decision-making-body-for-rice-farmer-leaders-in-the-salug-valley-cluster-of-zambo-sur/

CASE STUDY ON INTEGRATOR-CONSOLIDATOR APPROACH: How an Increase in Consolidation can be achieved through Multiple Subgroups of Rubber Producers in Zamboanga Sibugay

Read more of the case study here:https://projectconverge.ph/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Case-Study-Zambuanga-Sibugay-for-print.pdf

The Salug Valley Cluster in Zamboanga del Sur is supported by Project ConVERGE. Despite its contribution to rice production in Mindanao, farmers are constantly worried about access to quality inputs and fertilizers. This primary issue is the root cause of an intervention created through the collaborative work of farmer-leaders, project staff, and DAR representatives.

As a solution, the Project introduced the Production Rollover Scheme during its early days supporting the rice enterprise.

Read more of the article and the benefits it has provided here: https://projectconverge.ph/2022/08/09/the-improvement-of-the-salug-valley-arcs-rice-value-chain-through-the-implementation-of-the-production-rollover-scheme/

In this era where development is fast becoming one of the constants in society, technology has proved to provide various influences on how we live today. Connecting people through electronic means and other forms influenced how society works.

But it is far beyond just entertainment and connection. Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) brought about a transformation in gathering, analyzing, and packaging data and information in the workplace. In essence, ICT is deemed to be one of the important assets in this generation, most especially in developmental work.

Read more of this article here: https://projectconverge.ph/2022/07/22/tech-trends-in-development-projects-the-creation-of-a-combined-geotagging-and-profiling-app-for-dar-ifad-project-in-zambo-norte/

Promoting inclusivity in the enterprises it supports is one the heart of ConVERGE's goals. As such, forums are being conducted to provide the beneficiaries the avenue to share their stories and experiences.

Recently, the Project conducted a project-wide Women and Youth Forum last September 22-23 in Cagayan de Oro City, highlighting stories from the field, and from the women and youth of Regions 9, 10, and CARAGA.

Read more of the activity and the stories highlighted here: https://projectconverge.ph/2022/10/10/putting-women-and-youth-on-the-centerstage-of-rural-development/

Putting Women and Youth on the Centerstage of Rural Development Project ConVERGE conducts Women and Youth Forum and Action Planning 2022 Just like extras or supporting characters in dramas and films, women and youth are traditionally not treated with the same relevance as other sectors

No data, no story — such is the statement of author Carlos Perez-Brito in 2011. The absence of Indigenous Peoples-specific data is a staggering concern still being addressed today.

As such, one of Project ConVERGE's goals is to document the stories of its indigenous beneficiaries. A project-wide Indigenous Peoples' forum was recently conducted bringing forth stories from Regions 9, 10, and CARAGA last July 28-29, 2022 held in Dipolog, Zamboanga del Norte.

Check out more of their stories here: https://projectconverge.ph/2022/08/19/beyond-statistics-the-multi-faceted-sector-of-indigenous-peoples/

Beyond Statistics: the Multi-Faceted Sector of Indigenous Peoples Beyond Statistics: the Multi-Faceted Sector of Indigenous Peoples by ckrubillos | Aug 19, 2022 | News Project ConVERGE Indigenous Peoples’ Forum dives into stories of IP beneficiaries No data, no story — such is the statement of author Carlos Perez-Brito in 2011. The absence of Indigenous People...

The recent 2022 Country Strategic Opportunities Programme (COSOP) conducted last October 2022 highlighted the participation of Indigenous Tribes in the participating projects. Project ConVERGE documented IP stories from the respective regions of 9, 10, and CARAGA.

In Zamboanga Sibugay, the story of Marlyn Razo from the Jo Rubber Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Cooperative (JARBECO) is documented as she shares her life story and experiences as a beneficiary of Project ConVERGE, as well as being an Indigenous Person.

Watch the full video here:
https://youtu.be/Rrn8BzQ2BhI

Indigenous Rubber Farmers in Zamboanga A narrative of how the indigenous rubber farmers in Zamboanga are aided by Project ConVERGE.

The last stop for the recent Supervision and Implementation Support Mission was the organic and conventional rice enterprises in the Salug Valley ARC Cluster, Zamboanga del Sur. IFAD Environmental Safeguards Specialist Saib Ahmad led the discussions with organic rice farmers lst November 18, focusing on the impact of climate change on farming practices as well as lessons learned from the ground. Being the last of the missions conducted in ConVERGE, validation of project outcomes at the enterprise and household levels was given emphasis. The SISM will culminate on November 30 and will provide the immediate next steps for implementation which will be useful to the remaining months of the programme.

HAPPENING NOW: Field Visit in the Rubber Resettlement Cluster of Zamboanga del Norte, assessing the state of the turned over Cabong-Tininggaan Farm-to-Market Road (FMR) and the Focused Group Dialogue that followed held at the Tampilisan covered court.

ARBOs present in the activity were the Cabong Tampilisan Multi-purpose Cooperative (CATAMCO), and Camul Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Multi-purpose Cooperative (CARBEMCO)

IFAD RI Consultant Engr. Clovis Ike Payumo commended the team for a “job well done” pertaining to the successful state of the FMR, one of the longest road turned over by the project.

Regional and Provincial staff were present, especially CARPO Florinda Depamaylo, PARO Rizzel Villanueva, PARPO Alfonso Tan, and other staff from the regional and provincial offices.

HAPPENING NOW: Focused Group Dialogue with the LARBOs and PARBOs of the Salipyasin Cluster in Zamboanga Sibugay.

HAPPENING NOW: Day 2 of field visit in the Salipyasin Cluster of Zamboanga Sibugay. The IFAD Team and CPMO assessed the progress of the Tambanan, Naga Farm-to-Market Road today, prior to the Focused Group Dialogue that is to be held in the Tambanan Barangay Hall, Zamboanga Sibugay.

RECAP DAY 1: Field visit on the CIS in Aurora, Zamboanga del Sur prior to the Focused Group Dialogue with the LARBOs and PARBOs of the Salug Valley Cluster.

HAPPENING NOW: Focused Group Dialogue with the LARBOs and PARBOs of the Salug Valley Cluster (Conventional Rice) held at the Aurora Municipal Hall, Aurora, Zamboanga del Sur.

As part of the series of field visits conducted by IFAD and Project ConVERGE for its last Supervision Implementation Support Mission (SISM), staff from IFAD and the central office are present in the activity: Environmental and Safeguard Consultant Mr. Saib Ahmad and IFAD RI Consultant Mr. Ike Payumo spearheaded th discussions alongside staff from MLO.

RPMO and PPMO 9 provided assistance and participation in the activity.

LARBOs and PARBOs present were the following: MAFAMCO, GARBENCO, CIVCABEFAMCO, TARFIA, and MANTILIBA-FIAMCO.

ProjectConverge Region 9 recently participated in the IFAD-hosted 6th global consultation meeting of the indigenous peoples last October 31 in Ipil, Zamboanga Sibugay.

The consultation meeting was organized to ensure that the forum reflected the diversity of perspectives and recommendations gathered from the IP beneficiaries of the IFAD-supported projects. The activity was hosted via Zoom by IFAD in Rome, and was attended by the Subanen Tribe in Region 9.

IPs MIFA and JARBECO in Zamboanga Sibugay were present, as well as members from MARBA in Zamboanga del Norte. The participation was spearheaded by Regional GID Specialist Ms. Pamela Nandu and Regional GID Coordinator Ms. Liza Saavedra in collaboration with the Provincial GID Coordinator and Development Facilitators.

Project ConVERGE Zamboanga Sibugay
Project ConVERGE Zamboanga del Norte

HAPPENING NOW: 3rd Quarter Regional Assessment for Project ConVERGE 9.

The Salipyasin Cluster in Zamboanga Sibugay and the Rubber Resettlement Cluster in Zamboanga del Norte has conducted the ARBO System Assessment and Hands-on Re- capacitation on the
Implementation of the Financial Inventory Management, and Savings and Credit Systems earlier today.

The Activity is spearheaded by the RPMO (GID and Finance) with the goal of 1) examining and evaluating the gap identified in the system installed with the recipient ARBOs, 2) evaluating areas needing major updates on the systems to have efficient usage, 3) re-capacitating the ARBO Officers as well as the development facilitator by providing in-depth coaching on the use of both systems, 4) and discussing other relevant issues in handling the system.

The activity was attended by the ARBOs in Zamboanga Sibugay and Zamboanga del Norte they are TIMARBENCO, LURPA, MMPC, CATAMCO, GARBEMCO, SIRFA and SARBEMCO.

The activity was held in Sibugay Grand Plaza, Ipil City, facilitated by the service provider Zenitram Technology and Services, and Garry Zamoras.

HAPPENING NOW: Women and Youth Forum and Action Planning held at De Luxe Hotel, Cagayan de Oro City

A consultation and planning session with ConVERGE-assisted rubber cooperstives in Zamboanga Sibugay and Zamboanga del Norte was conducted last September 2, 2022 at Jackies’ Hotel, Zamboanga Sibugay.

5 rubber cooperatives from ZSP were GARBEMCO, TARBEMCO, SARBEMCO, JARBECO, and TIMARBENCO. Meanwhile, 2 rubber cooperatives from ZDN were also present: CATAMCO and GOFAMUCO.

The activity was graced by PM Gomer Tumbali along with CPMO, RPMO, and PPMO staff. Presentation on project updates was done by RVC Associate Jay Babiera.

The activity covered discussions on the rubber enterprise updates from the cooperatives as well as planning for the next steps of the enterprises.

The Regional Assessment, Planning Workshop, and Learning Session on the Production Capitalization Fund implementation was recently concluded last August 30 - September 1 2022 at Sibugay Plaza Hotel.

ARBO members from the rubber enterprises of Salipyasin Cluster (ZSP) and Resettlement Cluster (ZDN) participated in the three-day event spearheaded by the RPMO 9. It was graced with the presence of NPD Merlita Capinpuyan and PM Gomer Tumbali. Project staff from Project ConVERGE Zamboanga Sibugay and Project ConVERGE Zamboanga del Norte also participated in the activity.

Participants also shared updates on their PCF implementation and provided their insights on the next steps of the said scheme through a planning workshop for their rubber enterprises.