Belgian Ambassador Braves Basilan To Inspect Brussels-Funded Projects

Ambassador Gregoire Vardakis, of Beligum, during his visit to Basilan island in the southern Philippines, Thursday 09 June 2006, to inspect Brussels-funded agrarian reform projects. Vardakis is accompanied by Peter D' Huys, a Belgian agrarian expert , Julita Ragandang, regional director of the Department of Agrarian Reform in Western Mindanao, and Mayor Roderick Furigay, of Lamitan town. (Zamboanga Journal)

BASILAN ISLAND (Zamboanga Journal / 08 Jun) Belgian Ambassador to Manila Gregoire Vardakis inspected Thursday a huge rubber plantation on a mountain in Basilan, where Brussels is funding several agrarian reform program in the restive southern Philippine island, a known stronghold of the al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf group.

Vardakis, accompanied by Peter D' Huys, a Belgian agrarian expert, and Julita Ragandang, the Filipino Agrarian regional chief, inspected Thursday a 500-ha. rubber farm operated by the Lamitan Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Cooperative, one of eight supported by Brussels under the Belgian Integrated Agrarian Reform Support Programme (BIARSP).

"The program brought a lot of hope for many people in Basilan and we will continue to support the agrarian reform projects on the island as part of Belgium's assistance to the Philippines," Vardakis told the Zamboanga Journal.

Security was tight in Basilan and soldiers and policemen were guarding Vardakis as he toured other rubber plantations in Lamitan town, where the mayor, Roderick Furigay, briefed him about the progress of the agrarian reform communities and ongoing government land reform programs on the island.

It was the first visit of a high-ranking Belgian government official in Basilan since 1998 after renegade members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front seized two Belgian nationals, Lieven dela Marche, an agrarian expert, and Erck Brack, a journalist. They were snatched while boating off Basilan and freed weeks later after negotiators paid a ransom.

Vardakis said he was not afraid in Basilan and toured two school houses where he inaugurated a public latrine and a school building and an ongoing farm-to-market road projects in three villages in the town. "I am not afraid at all and I feel safe in the company of all these kind people," Vardakis said.

Hundreds of school children, waving small replicas of Filipino and Belgian flags, greeted Vardakis at the Baungos Elementary School where he led local officials in the inauguration of a two-classroom building.

"Before, we used to walk on those dirt roads. Farmers and villagers and school children had to walk three kilometers of dirt roads and that road was hell to us every time it rains. With the Belgian support, we now have good roads and you can even bring your sports car here and race," said Muner Ladjamatli.

Many school children were also happy with the Belgian aid. "We are really so happy and now we have a new school building where we can study comfortably. Thanks to the foreigners who are helping us Muslim here," an eight-year old student, Omar Ibrahim, said.

The town's mayor said they have submitted new project proposals, mostly on agrarian reforms, to the Belgian officials. "We have submitted new project proposals to the BIARSP to further help us and support the government land reform program in Lamitan," Furigay said.

Ragandang said the BIARSP is a joint effort between the governments of Belgium and the Philippines to make the agrarian reform agenda in the country succeed. "We are really lucky that Brussels is helping us in the Department of Agrarian Reform and thousands of people are benefiting from this Belgian assistance," she said.

In Basilan alone, the Belgian government spent over P45 million since 1999 to support agrarian reform programs of the different cooperatives on the island, Ragandang said.

She said almost all of the agrarian reform communities in Basilan were recipients of many awards and recognitions from Land Bank of the Philippines and Cooperative Development of the Philippines and other financial institutions because of their successful programs.

"We are proud of what we have achieved in Basilan and DAR and Belgium have transformed the island into a productive agrarian model in the country," she said.

This Belgian aid stands out as a morale-booster for the still unfinished agrarian reform process. It is touted to be the biggest grant ever given to the agrarian reform sector in the Philippines. The aid converges within the framework of poverty alleviation and partnerships within broad sections of society.

Brussels has supported the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program in the Philippines since 1995. The first project, the Belgian Agrarian Reform Support Project (BARSP) covered 3 provinces of Region VII and was limited to the enhancement of agricultural productivity.

In March 1998, the programme played a pioneering role compared to other foreign projects assisting the agrarian reform communities by adding a social dimension to it -- health and education aside from rural infrastructure and water supply and sanitation.

The area coverage extended to the whole of Central Visayas and Western Mindanao and Basilan island, which is part of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

The BIARSP is implemented in phases: Phase 1 started in March 1998 to August 2000. Phase II commenced in September 2000 and ended in August of 2003. A Phase III was granted and planned for duration of 4 years starting September 2003. It will end in August 2007, according to D' Huys.

He said the last and third phase of BIARSP is a logical continuation of the work carried out under the previous phases to properly integrate management and implementation into the existing relevant institutions for them to be fully prepared to continue the work without essential assistance.

"Due assistance is given to convergence, coordination, and networking with partners and other organizations to optimize the impact of the programme and of similar rural development projects," D' Huys said, adding, Belgium has granted more than P800 million in grants and assistance to help the agrarian reform programs in the Philippines.

Last week, Philippine Agrarian Secretary Nasser Pangandaman and Ragandang also visited Basilan to inspect government projects on the island.

Pangandaman said the government is pursuing to implement the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program in the whole country to benefit the poor farmers, especially in Basilan island and Mindanao. "We are working hard to complete the agrarian reform program not only in Basilan island, but the whole country and the government is sincere in pursuing these reforms for the benefit of our farmers," he said.

At present, there are 13 agrarian reform communities (ARC) in Basilan: The United Workers Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Multi-purpose Cooperative in Isabela City; The Latuan Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Association Inc., also in Isabela; Sta. Clara Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Integrated Development Cooperative, Inc., in Lamitan town; Lamitan Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Cooperative also in the same town; the Tipo-Tipo Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Agricultural Development Cooperative in Tipo-Tipo town; the Tipo-Tipo Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Cooperative; the Tumahubong Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Integrated Development Cooperative in Sumisip town.

The others are the East Sumisip Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Cooperative in Sumisip town; the Cabato Tahajid Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Cooperative also in Sumisip; Mangal Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries in Sumisip town; Canas Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Agricultural Development Cooperative in the town of Maluso and the Tairan Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Agricultural Multi-purpose Cooperative in Lantawan town.

Aside from the ARCs, he said the Department of Agrarian Reform als helped in putting up a resettlement area in Sumisip with 4 agrarian reform Cooperatives — the Alih, Ismael, Muhtamad Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Multi-purpose Cooperative; the Sampinit Agrarian Reform Program Beneficiaries Integrated Development Cooperative; the Baiwas Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Integrated Development Cooperative and East Mahatallang Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Multi-purpose Cooperative.

Almost half of Basilan's 135,892 hectares are planted to coconut (67,638 has.), coffee (16,546 has.) and rubber (10,660 has.) and the rest to bananas, cassava, corn, rice, cacao and black pepper, but some 40,650 hectares are still covered by thick forests.