Negros Occidental
In 1986, the Foundation for Community Organisation and Management Technology installed the community management system in 5 municipalities in Negros Occidental -- Bago, Pulupandan, Valliadollid, Salvador-Benedicto and Murcia. The project was supported by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) for 2 years.
These 5 municipalities are integrated by a river system, with Salvador-Benedicto in the uplands, Murcia at mid level, Bago in the lowlands, and Valliadollid and Pulupandan on the coast. They are also economically linked because the central market town for all of them is Bago. The 5 municipalities form an economic district.
In the first year, 50,000 households were organised into neighbourhoods and then into district level teams. Weekly consultations were held in the neighbourhoods to collect socioeconomic data and to develop a holistic vision of the district. District and municipality management teams were simultaneously established.
In the second year, the management teams helped the households to identify potential livelihood projects that could garner funds.The department of environment and natural resources was asked to assist an afforestation project covering 18,000 ha in Salvador-Benedicto, while the department of agrarian reforms was approached to implement the voluntary land transfer programme. The Development Bank of the Philippines was asked to finance a cut flower production project. About 50 households were to be given 100 plots each to raise roses, anthuriums, etc. The flowers were to be marketed in Cebu. A credit assistance and savings mobilisation programme was initiated. The households were asked to contribute half a peso every day. The money was consolidated at the municipal level and the total sum was matched by the Visayas Cooperative Training Organisations. The households were given credit assistance for rice and corn cultivation and fishing. Some households were linked to the Monetary Meat Processing Company for a cattle fattening project.
In 1988, CIDA's support to the project came to an end and the project was abandoned. According to Peachy Forbes, manager of the Negros Occidenatal project, "It took too long to organise funds for the livelihood projects as the government agencies were slow and the commercial business houses were not ready for household production. As a result, people lost interest."
Also, the issue of land reform poses a threat to the landowners, who even tried to paint Roxas in a negative light by implying that he was squandering CIDA money for his personal use. Sadly, at the end of it all, the members of the provincial council and advisors to the governor, being landlords themselves, put a spanner in the plough.