Written by Lounella Villanueva, Planning Officer III, City Planning and Development Office, Butuan City for the National Commission on the Role of Filipino Women

Originally published in the Gender-Responsive Local Governance: LGU Experiences in Using the GAD Budget

The GAD program herein described adheres to the longstanding advice of going directly to the target beneficiaries. But the proponents of this program took the advice one step further by choosing to work with a marginalized group, the Lumads, and embarking on their program guided by two basic rules: a) start with the beneficiaries' most basic needs and b) maintain a respect for their culture.

Overview

The Lumad literacy and livelihood program is one of the projects in the GAD plan for Butuan City. In the course of gathering data for this plan, it became apparent that there is a need for a program that would address the problems of illiteracy and poverty among the Lumads of Barangay Pianing.

Using the GAD budget and with support from various sectors, a literacy and numeracy program for the Lumads was launched. A Tribal Demo Park was constructed for the project. When the Lumads learned to read, write, and count, they were taught the skills they would need to be able to start a livelihood project. They were also assisted in organizing themselves so that they would have the legal personality that would allow them to enter into negotiations with the government and other institutions.

With follow up support from various groups, the Lumads have gained access to fund capital, and learned to do business among themselves and with other groups and barangays. Today, the Lumads are organized; they can read and write; and they can engage in business and participate in community activities. The Tribal Demo Park in Barangay Pianing has become a venue for community activities, meetings, and study lessons. Beyond equipping them with literacy and livelihood skills, the intervention has also raised the Lumads' social consciousness and facilitated their integration into the larger society.

Background of the program

Butuan City has a sizable indigenous population. Some 5,347 or 10.6% of households in the city belong to two major tribes - the Manobo/Lapaknons, representing two thirds of the tribal groups, and the Higaonons. The “Lumads” (generic term for indigenous people), are generally poorer than the rest of the poor sector because they are mostly illiterate. Such is the case with the Lumads in Barangay Pianing.

Barangay Pianing is one of the rural barangays of Butuan City where a Manobo tribe lives. It is made up of 54 households of Lumads. When the GAD facilitators conducted a survey in the area, they discovered that there was a high incidence of illiteracy among its residents. It was thus recommended that a program be launched to help the Lumads become literate so that they can learn productive skills, use modern technology, vote during elections, and participate in community forums. Implementing such program is consistent with the city government's advocacy for enhancing literacy as means for alleviating poverty.

The program design and implementation

The Lumad literacy and livelihood program is divided into two phases: Phase I involved the construction of the Tribal Demo Park, while Phase II consisted of the literacy and numeracy training program. For Phase I, Pianing's Sangguniang Barangay approved a resolution donating the northwest portion of the market site of the barangay, a 400 square meter lot, as the Tribal Demo Park. The city government allocated P30,000 from its GAD budget for the construction of the park. Funding for Phase II came from various sources. The city government allocated part of the GAD fund for the awareness-raising sessions. The organization PILIPINA donated P50,000 for the training program. The City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO) provided livelihood training and credit assistance. The Sangguniang Panglungsod also earmarked additional financial support for the livelihood project.

The Barangay GAD Focal Person conducted the monitoring and assessment of the project, in collaboration with the city GAD Focal Person and the supervisor of the Butuan Women Center. Special attention was given to the measures that would enhance the sustainability of the intervention, such as the strengthening of the Lumads' entrepreneurial skills.

A total of 134 Lumad adult learners - 107 females and 27 males - coming from the 54 households registered for the Literacy and Numeracy classes. The Literacy class was a six-month course where the Lumads were taught how to read, write, and understand simple messages. Gender awareness sessions were part of the literacy program. The facilitators discussed with the Lumads their rights as women and as IPs, as well as the various issues regarding gender and ethnicity. With the younger members, the facilitators engaged in further discussions about the Lumads' culture and traditions as a people. Joining these discussions was the tribe's leader, who became the class' para-teacher.

The Numeracy or functional literacy class taught the Lumads how to count. Alongside numeracy, the Lumads were introduced to livelihood skills - which they applied in gumamela jelly making and food preservation - where they were able to make use of their knowledge of numeracy.

The Lumads' response

The Lumads showed extraordinary interest in the project, and this greatly facilitated the work of the project managers. The Lumads attended the planning meetings, carefully learned the procedures, and cooperated during the program implementation.

Led by 20 women who gained both literacy and numeracy skills, the Lumads formed the Tribal Women's Organization and registered it with the National Commission on Indigenous People, as a tribal association, and with the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), as a rural women's association. Equipped with skills and legal personality, and having met the requirements for loan applications (i.e., attendance in capacity building seminars particularly on GAD, leadership, team building, value formation, and simple book-keeping), the Lumads availed of the livelihood assistance fund of the CSWDO. They loaned P20,000 at zero interest, which they used as start up capital for their livelihood projects. Moreover, the organization collected a P20 membership fee, a monthly due of P5, and penalty fees for absences (P30) and tardiness (P20) from their members, and added the collections to their revolving fund. They also received P30,000 from columnist Rina Jimenez David.

The group's first investment was in a Floriculture Project. They invested P5,000.00 of their CSWD loan in cut flower production (gladioli). This initially earned them P3,000.00. To make sure that the flowers were properly cared for, the members divided themselves into groups and each group was given a specific schedule for tending the plants.

The remaining P15,000 of the CSWD loan was used to start a small lending business to a neighboring area, Barangay Anticala. From their investment in their lending business, they earned P17,000.00 from interests, from June 2002 to May 2003. This income enabled them to make an initial loan payment to the CSWD, in the amount of P5,365.00. They re-invested P10,000.00 in the lending business and earned another P25,000.00 from interests from June 2003 to May 2004. Initial share per member was P500, which they reinvested in the same venture.

Towards a brighter future

The 134 Lumads who joined the Literacy and Numeracy program now know how to read, write, and count. They now have a livelihood undertaking that they can nurture and expand. They have learned to transact business with government and other groups. Most importantly, whereas they used to be just spectators during community activities and in barangay governance, they now actively take part in these affairs. They have greater awareness of their rights as women and as IPs and have been empowered to assert these. Their voice is brought to and heard in the Barangay Development Council through their representative, Mrs. Margarita S. Calo, the president of the Tribal Women's Organization.

The Manobos have also come to appreciate what education, no matter how basic, can do in terms of opening up opportunities for them and their children. They are now interested in sending their children to school. For its part, the National Commission for Indigenous People has opened scholarship slots for elementary and high school students.

The future is starting to look good for the Lumads. This optimism about their future is reflected in their plans to expand the space for the Tribal Demo Park. The Lumads are putting their resources together so that they can purchase an adjacent one-hectare lot, which is being offered to them for P200,000.

Inspired by the success of the project, a similar intervention was implemented among the IPs in Lamosig, Barangay Tungao. Collaborating with the city government in this project is the Eductional Research and Development Assistance Foundation, Inc., which provides free uniforms and school supplies for elementary students. The CSWDO also extended loans to support the livelihood projects of the children's parents.

Lessons and insights

The GAD program for the Lumads in Barangay Pianing provides several lessons and insights for enhancing the success of GAD mainstreaming efforts:

• It is important to go directly to the target beneficiaries: Through the barangay survey and profiling that they did, the GAD facilitators were able to identify and isolate the most concrete problems of the Lumads, and consequently formulate and implement the appropriate measures to address these problems.

• In addressing poverty among marginalized groups, it is important to start with the most basic things, i.e., the tools that these groups need to elevate themselves from their unfortunate situation. In the case of the Lumads in Barangay Pianing, these tools are basic literacy, numeracy, and livelihood skills.

• There is power in numbers: Organizing the Lumads strengthened their position. As an organized group, they were able to gain access to resources and negotiate with the government. Organizing also taught them responsibility and discipline, and made them appreciate the importance of unity and concern for everyone.

• Stakeholders working with IPs must maintain respect for the culture of these groups: The GAD program was successful because it gave due recognition to the culture of the Lumads. In addition to training them on literacy, numeracy and livelihood, the program promoted discussion about the Lumads' own culture and traditions, and about the issues confronting them as IPs and as women and men. Moreover, their ideas were considered in the planning and implementation of the program.

Ensuring sustainability: the Butuan City GAD program

The Lumad literacy and livelihood program owes its beginnings and its sustainability to the Butuan City Gender and Development (GAD) Program, which has been actively supported by Mayor Leonides Theresa Plaza. The program is anchored on a GAD plan, the primary thrust of which is gender mainstreaming. With this thrust, it is envisioned that the city's plans, programs, and projects effectively respond to the needs of women and men. Towards this end several activities have been - and are being - conducted, including seminars and training programs on gender awareness and sensitization, gender responsive planning, literacy and education, livelihood, and organization of women into POs or cooperatives. Sex disaggregation of the city's data base is also being done.

Butuan City's GAD program has been largely guided by the GAD Council of Region XIII or CARAGA. Its GAD Program and GAD mechanisms conform to the provisions of RA 7192 and related circulars from such as agencies as the NCRFW, NEDA, and DBM. Implementation of the GAD Program is primarily the responsibility of the Butuan City GAD Coordinating Council. Providing support to the Council are the GAD Focal Persons in each of the offices and 86 barangays of the city.

To promote exchange and sharing of knowledge and skills on GAD, the Barangay GAD Focal Persons were organized into the Barangay GAD Focal Persons' Federation. Working with them are the Federation of Women's Organizations, and the lady employees at the City Hall who form the local chapter of the Women in Government Service (WinGS). Other groups involved in GAD are the Committee on Decorum and Investigation (CODI), which handles the sexual harassment cases; and the Reproductive Health Team, which looks into the cases of violence against women. The Project Paglaum (Pink Room) was established at the Butuan City Medical Center as a walking clinic for victims of violence.

The yearly GAD budgetary allocation of the city conforms with Section 28 of the 1998 General Appropriation Act (RA 8522) and Local Budget Memorandum No. 28 dated June 15, 1998. These legal issuances direct LGUs to set aside a minimum amount of five percent of their appropriations to be used for programs, projects, and activities designed to address gender issues. For the period 2001-2003, the GAD budget of the city was approximately P500,000. The barangays put up a GAD budget equivalent to 0.7% of their Barangay Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) to augment the city provision. The Sangguniang Panglungsod granted P260,000 from the Countrywide Development Fund for GAD activities. A separate allocation of P300,000.00 is set aside by the City Government for the yearly Women's Day Celebration.

In addition to government contributions, the city's GAD program is part of and benefits from a network of support from various GOs, NGOs and donors. For example, CEFE International, an organization that provides technical and financial assistance to women, provided free training and donated cash assistance of P50,000.00 to Novelty Items Manufacturing, a livelihood program initiated by the city. The NCRFW, JICA, DAP, LGSP-CIDA, NEDA, and UNFPA have also extended assistance to the city's GAD programs in various ways. Non-government organizations like the Butuan Host Lions Club, Pilipina Inc., Butuan Women's Business Council, Flos Carmeli Productions, Babaye ug Lalaki alang sa Kalambuan sa Butuan, Inc. (BULAK sa Butuan), and the Women in Government Service (WinGS) have likewise contributed to the program's accomplishments.

In recognition of its work and accomplishments, the CARAGA Regional Development Council - GADCC awarded Butuan City as Most Gender-Responsive Local Government Unit of the region for 2003. It can very well be said that the city's GAD program thrives and is doing relatively well, despite the many constraints that it faces. One of these is the need to enhance the knowledge and skills of GAD focal persons in implementing GAD activities, particularly at the Barangay level. To address this need, seminars on GST and skills development in gender planning and gender analysis are continuously being implemented.

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