Seaweed Farming

SPPI, through the assistance of the Regional and Provincial Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), re-established its seaweeds seedlings nursery in 2009. The first nursery was damaged by a typhoon.

The experience with the first nursery put the office in a lot of stress because of the human and environmental problems and constraints it faced. Despite the not so good experience, however, the nursery managers and SPPI’s technical officer for seaweeds pursued with the program because it showed a very promising social and economic returns on investment.

Their perseverance is now being rewarded! Despite all the threats of bad weather conditions, the nursery established in 2009 has survived and is now supplying seedlings to other seaweed farmers.

What this experience taught us is a valuable lesson of proper care and maintenance of the nursery as well as the correct site selection.

Currently, 10 farmers have planted seaweeds. Immediately, twenty (20) more are waiting for their turns to plant. We need farm capital of sixteen thousand pesos (P16,000.00) or three hundred fifty-five US dollars (US$355) to support each farmer or a total investment of seven thousand one hundred eleven dollars (US $7,111.00)

This amount will help 20 seaweed-farming households increase their income from three thousand pesos (Php3,000.00) per month to eight thousand pesos (Php8,000.00) or an increase in their monthly income of 160%.

We hope readers of this blog take an interest in finding out more about our seaweed farming activities and will find the generosity to help the seaweed farmers. Thank you.

BOUNTIFUL 2010 TO ALL

I received a text message today. It said " For 2010, 'as long as you are trying your very best, there can be no question of failure.' (m. gandhi) I wish you more fulfilling days!"

In SPPI we see to it that all of us try our very best. We desire the success of our local economy development program. May we find the funds to support all our endeavors.

SPPI wishes that all our good intentions bear fruit. We wish all of you more productive days! Here is a bountiful 2010 to all of us.

SPPI's Community Development Work 2.2 years after

SPPI believes that strong community organizations are the collective capacity of the people who create their own development goals and guarantee the sustainability of the project.

The Local Economy Development Program of SPPI (from January 2008 to June 2009) has been operating in three (3) provinces of Samar Island: sixty (60) barangays, eight (8) municipalities (Northern Samar - 21, Eastern Samar - 25, and Western Samar- 14).

4.1.1 Table below shows coverage of livelihood associations in LEDP.

Table 1 – Organizational Data

MUNICIPALITY (Number of Barangays/Federation)	Total House holds	Households Covered	Total PoP	PoP covered	Percentage of PoP coverage
CAPUL (5 +1)	988	351	851	204	24%
ROSARIO (8 +1)	1468	392	945	340	36%
MONDRAGON (5)	1286	186	685	186	27%
SAN ROQUE (3)	603	144	448	92	21%
DARAM (14+1)	1262	334	1151	236	21%
SALCEDO (6 +2)	459	222	230	187	81%
MERCEDES (12 +3)	923	294	708	257	36%
GUIUAN (7+1)	726	461	606	390	64%
(60/8) TOTAL	7715	2384	4624	1892	41%

Table 1 shows the organizing data in all municipalities covered by the LED program. The figures in parenthesis show the number of barangays and municipal federation in the area.

There are currently two (2) municipal sectoral livelihood associations in Northern Samar; the Mud Crab Producers Association of Rosario (MCPAR) and the Seaweeds Farmers’ Association of Capul (SFAC). There is one (1) sectoral livelihood association in Eastern Samar; the Mercedes Association of Persons with Disabilities (MAPD).

Upscaling the livelihood associations has resulted to four (4) municipal or inter-barangay federations of livelihood associations, two (2) inter-municipal federations (headed by councils); one (1) each in Eastern and Northern Samar.

There are two (2) province-based sustainable agriculture farmers associations, one (1) in Eastern Samar and the other, in Northern Samar; one (1) municipal-based association in Daram, Western Samar and one (1) island-wide federation organizing council.

There is one (1) municipal women’s association in Eastern Samar – the Kusog han Kababayen – an ha Salcedo.

4.1.2 There is a relatively broad participation in the leadership bodies of the livelihood associations.

Table 2 – Officers and Committees

Program Areas	Total Membership	Officers & Committee Members
		Total	Male	Female
1. Northern Samar	1716	246	53	193
2. Eastern Samar	1034	279	60	219
3. Western Samar	752	119	81	38
LEDP Total	3502	644	194	450
		100%	30.12%	69.88%

4.1.3 Periodic trainings were (and still are) conducted which deals with:

· Resolving problems faced by the respective organizations;

· Cultivating the right attitudes and values among leaders and members related to the resolution of said problems; and

· Developing skills in facilitating meetings and decision-making within the organization.

4.1.4 Local (community) part-time volunteers were enlisted in area clusters, from among the leaders, to take on some tasks in assisting the livelihood associations.

Table 3 – Local Volunteers

MUNICIPALITY	MALE	FEMALE	TOTAL
Capul	5	5	10
Rosario	3	5	8
Mondragon	0	6	6
San Roque	0	0	0
Daram	4	5	9
Salcedo	1	9	10
Meredes	1	8	9
Guiuan	1	7	8
Total	15	45	60

Table 3 shows gender segregated data for local volunteers.

Local volunteers’ mobilization also serves as training for leaders to take on tasks in community development work; in providing assistance to the associations at the barangay level. They perform financial audit of LCP operations (formed into area cluster audit teams) and assists PO’s in resolving organizational and program-related problems.

4.1.5 Focus for the period was on strengthening the associations, and resolving problems such as failures in leadership of the associations and problems in LCP management.

Table 4 - Capability Building Activities Conducted

The following are the capability building activities conducted by the organization which aimed at sustaining the implementation of the program:

Capability Building Activities	Purpose/s
Organizational Meetings (Regular and Special)	Served as venues for the organization to discuss problems, issues and concerns. The parliamentary procedure is practiced during meetings.
Annual General Assembly	Discussion sessions for annual accomplishment reports and financial statements as well as other concerns like past dues, overdues, issuance of promissory notes, and barangay mediations.
Leadership Training	Empowered the officers and members of their roles and obligations in the organization and in the community.
Gender Sensitivity Orientation	Enhanced appreciation of gender issues and development concerns.
Gender and Development Planning	Provided skills and raise knowledge on gender planning.
Savings Mobilization Orientation	Provided knowledge on proper recording and budgeting.
Barangay Development Planning thru Participatory Resource Appraisal (BDP-PRA)	Reinforced community processes that involve community people from decision-making, planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation.
Financial Literacy Training	Imparted skills on finance management to members of the livelihood associations.
Massage Therapy Training	Provided acupressure skills which can be an alternative source of income.
LEDP Conference	Shared best practices of the people’s organization covered by the program in the Samar island.
Social Enterprise for Grassroots Training	Assisted the community organizations in determining the feasibility of their planned social enterprises.
Agrarian Reform Orientation	Provided answers to people’s questions on land ownership.
Contour Farming (on-farm Coaching)	Advocated for sustainable agriculture practices.

Blog Action Day: Climate Change

Blog Action Day: Climate Change seems like the perfect day to talk about one of our sustainable enterprises, seaweed. Seaweed is a vital part of the marine ecosystem, along with mangroves and coral reefs and has an economic and environmental value to the community.

The Philippines is one of the top producers of seaweeds in the world, specifically the red seaweeds - next to China and Japan. Seaweeds are exported either in raw forms (fresh or dried seaweeds) or processed forms (semi-refined chips/carrageenan and refined carrageenan).

We currently have several seaweed nurseries around the island of Capul, Northern Samar, which exports seaweed in its raw forms. Through the development of alternative livelihoods for small-scale fishermen household incomes are given a boost and it helps reduce fishing pressure on over-exploited coastal communities. Plus the seaweed also absorbs damaging carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

Our enterprise has had its ups and downs, including severe typhoon damage earlier this year, but the nursery is now replenished and is due to be harvested at the end of next month.

To find out more about our environmentally-focused enterprises, visit our website.

The Mud Crab (Kinis) Festival, Rosario, October 5

The Kinis Festival is an event held to showcase Rosario as ‘the Kinis (mud crab) Capital of Northern Samar’. Nortehanons are encouraged to join this exciting and entertaining celebration.

The Festival will be a full-day event commencing 8am Monday, October 5, 2009. Previous years have been a marketplace for traders only, this year we are expanding the program to include cultural performances, Kinis Competitions, a marketplace of local dishes and hand crafts and mangrove replanting.

The event is jointly hosted by the Municipality of Rosario and local NGO, Sentro ha Pagpauswag ha Panginabuhi (SPPI). SPPI supports the local economy through livelihood and enterprise development in sustainable agriculture and coastal resource management. The event is also supported by the local mud crab farmers of the Mangrove Crab Producer Association of Rosario (MCPAR) who are generously donating their product for various Kinis Festival events. Event details and programme will be posted on this blog closer to the event.


If you wish to sponsor and become involved, please email Rowe Acibar our Enterprise Program Specialist, at rowe_acibar22@yahoo.com

Welcome to SPPI

SPPI is two years old on 17 September 2009; and like any two year olds, it is still in its formative years. Although we can say it is growing pretty sensibly, it needs to solidify its foundation for growth.

In the process, SPPI has implemented its Local Economy Development Program (LEDP) on a phased manner, assessed the relevance of its vision, its mission, and its five pillars for local economy development.

In the midst of SPPI assessment and re-design is the timely transfer of our office; timely because this spells, for us, a fresh start. SPPI now has a new logo, a new brochure, even a revised mission statement.

And, SPPI’s new address is:

Sentro ha Pagpauswag ha Panginabuhi, Inc.
(SPPI or Center for Local Economy Dvelopment)
San Roque St., Brgy Cawayan
Catarman 6400 Northern Samar

The building is hard to miss as it has the SPPI logo-in bold, huge letters-proudly displayed along its side. Look for the red gate then allow us to say, WELCOME TO SPPI!

Be careful not to bump your head on the way up, though, if you are over 5’2” in height : }

Work or Lifestyle?

Y don't U work abroad?

i was drinking tuba with some of the women and fisherfolks in one island barangay when one of my drinking friends asked me "so why do you stay here and not work abroad?"

i am asked this question too often.
my college friend once told me - "alam mo, hindi ko maintindihan kung bakit nagtitiyaga ka sa ganitong buhay...wala ka bang balak mag-abroad" (you know, I cannot understand why you have to endure this kind of life…don’t you have plans of working overseas?)
my former co-teacher asked - "bakit ka ba nagtitiyaga diyan sa trabaho mo eh puwede ka namang mag-abroad?" (why do you have to suffer that kind of work when you can always work overseas?)
my sisters tell me - "may, puwede ka namang mag-abroad anytime ah. ba't di mo gawin?" (you can work overseas anytime you want, why don’t you?)
my in-laws ask me - "wala ka bang balak mag-abroad?" (don’t you have plans of working overseas?)

so i ask myself - "wala nga ba akong balak mag-abroad?" (don’t I really have plans to work overseas?)

funny how i do a tunganga (literally, open mouthed) after asking myself this question...
funny how a part of me thinks i should work abroad to save for my children's education
funny how that part of me is saying that you don't get education in schools alone...that the exposure the kids get from going with me around samar is a great educational exercise

"wala nga ba talaga akong balak mag-abroad?"

but i have found my mission here...
i believe in finding one's own mission in life and pursuing that mission
i believe that finding one's mission defines one's happiness
and i am happy...
i have been happy for quite sometime...
actually since i came to samar...
since i started doing the rounds of the fishing and farming barangays

i get humbled when i compute people's monthly income during our livelihood planning exercises and realize that most of them earn roughly 1,7++ a month and yet they still manage to smile while computing with me...
i cried when i gave out my kids' old clothes to this family and heard their grandmother told the kids to fold them neatly so they can use them when they go to the city...
i cried harder when i heard that school children walk to school without breakfast and have to wait till lunch to eat...
i still cry...because there are still sob stories...

but how i would laugh
i laugh when i dance the cha-cha and the curacha in the barangays
i laugh when the waves hit the boat and mader beka starts to panic
i laugh when i drink tuba
i laugh after a successful meeting
i laugh when it rains while we are in the middle of the sea and we get wet
i laugh a lot...because there are also success stories...

so, wala nga ba akong balak mag-abroad?

wag muna ngayon... (not now…not yet)
marami pang dapat gawin... (there are still lots to do)

our Kenyan VSO volunteer once said - "but the very reasons for why you are working are sacrificed..."
he meant my kids...

my eldest wants to study in manila
he misses his old school...
he misses the fast life...
i just hope he understands in a short while...
i hope he appreciates the sun, the wind, not covered by smog
i hope he appreciates the sea, the sand, the waves...
i really hope he does...
i hope he gets educated by life, by experiences...
i hope he learns from people and the environment...
and enjoys while he learns...
i hope he does...

my youngest?
ah, well, he's still enjoying his feeling of being the baby in the family...
i just hope he stays happy...
i hope he learns...
and enjoys while he does...
i hope he does...

my soulmate?
love binds us. what more can i ask for...
i just hope he surrenders to his mission in life...
i hope he does...

funny how a write up about working abroad can end this way
ah, maybe, i just let my spirit be...

so do i have plans of going abroad?
if someone spends for my vacation, why not?

but to work?
ahhh, not yet
there are still things to do here...
people to meet...
missions to accomplish...
more happiness to feel...

but who knows? maybe when the kids become adults
me and soulmate can do missionary work...
where? abroad?

Written in August 2004, two months after the BIAGs arrived in Catarman, NS. Five years later, the author still feel the same. Happy-most of the time...insecure with the organizational budget-sometimes...Life is worth living : )

The kids are now happy too. Thank you. (Despite the brownouts :( no thanks to?)

Joelyn Biag
Executive Officer of SPPI