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Bangsamoro farmers near MILF camps enjoy dividends of peace

Mindanao Peace Process • 22:15 PM Fri Nov 6, 2020
1
By: 
Hana Kabagani/BDA
Farmer Akmad Kamensa and his wife harvest corn in Maguindanao. (BDA photo)

The family of Akmad Kamensa has to leave their home in 2002 to find safer place from the on-going conflict during that year in Barangay Talibadok, Datu Hoffer, Maguindanao under the geographical territory of Camp Omar of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

It was difficult for Akmad, with his wife and their nine children to vacate their home but it was their only choice to protect their children and the whole family from the threat of war.

They moved to other town in Maguindanao and found new home for the family. After 10 years, the family decided to return in Barangay Talibadok because for the wife of Akmad there is no place like home.

During this year, the peace process between the GPH and the MILF was in significant progress so as the peace and order situation in the region.

Akmad and family was hopeful that they can regain their former life and recover to move on for better life.

Just like many families in the barangay, farming is the source of income of Akmad to sustain the family needs. In an interview on July 2020, Akmad shared that revenue from farming is less fair.

“For corn, usually, we have to borrow money for farm inputs, fertilizers and also during the harvest period, the processing requires money as we need to pay for workers to cut the crop and separate the grain from the plant,” Akmad said.

He added that “We are old already and have less energy for such task. Then we have to pay for transportation to mill the corn in the other barangay that also needs payment.”

Normally, it takes three months to harvest corn so farmers have to find for other source to feed their families during this period.

During harvest time and pay is totaled, almost half of which will be allocated for the debts that were used during the whole process of corn farming.

Support to farmers in camp communities

The story of Akmad is common among farmers in Maguindanao. It is a repeated tale from years ago that needs support and action.

In 2018, with the common aspiration to sustain the momentum of the peace process between the GPH-MILF, the project, building on the 10 years of experience of community-driven development (CDD), was conceptualized this time focus on the six previously acknowledged major camps of the MILF as informed by the Normalization Annex of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB).

It was named Mindanao Trust Fund Reconstruction and Development Project Phase II (MTFRDP/2), abstracted from the Phase I of the MTFRDP (then Mindanao Fund Reconstruction and Development Program).

From 2018-2019, the MTFRDP/2 was operationalized to support the Joint Task Forces on Camps Transformation (JTFCT-MILF) towards the objective of making them productive member of the society.

JTFCT are former combatants selected to undergo capacity building to transition their outlook from conflict to development.

Part of the community development in the camps is the implementation of the socio-economic infrastructure (SEI) that aims to improve the access of communities to basic services.

In Barangay Talibadok, the agri-facility building with solar dryer and corn sheller was agreed to be implemented wherein the Task Force on Camps Transformation (TFCT) Camp Omar played vital role on selecting and deciding about the project.

This farming facility package was intended to support the needs of the farmers for post-harvest facility to improve the processing of their products.

Farming is the major source of income of many families in Barangay Talibadok, and even in whole Maguindanao province.

It is noted that identification of sub-projects for each community is decided based on the series of consultations and meetings with TFCT supported by BDA Inc. and partners together with key stakeholders of the project like the local government unit and the community members.

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