CAMP ABUBAKAR/ December 2024. Cultivating corn is a primary source of income to many families in a community located in Camp Abubakar, one of the major camps of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) which was once a battlefield in the past years. Particularly in Brgy. Tugaig, Barira, Maguindanao del Norte, Abubakar Buliok leads the farmers’ cooperative organized in line with the on-going decommissioning of MILF combatants.
Through the PROACTIVE, a program that supports the decommissioning combatants, the cooperative has been a recipient of farm machinery that they operate to help ease the agricultural processes in their community.
As a former combatant, Abubakar has witnessed the past and present life of Tugaig. And for him, there is no more direction but to look forward to possibilities of better life for their community once isolated and left behind due to situations in the past.
He is the president of their cooperative who has received 1 unit of farm tractor intended to support their livelihood activities.
Provided in January 2023, the operation of the farm equipment has been successful and sustainable with the unity and cooperation of every member of the group, as well as the barangay and the whole community.
With the farm tractor that they used to prepare lands, load of work has become lesser and so as with the time consumed.
“Before, we need one week to plow a farm field, now with this equipment, we can complete the work for just half-a-day”, Abubakar told.
According to him, the rental fee for the farm tractor is Php2, 700 per one hectare of land.
From their income, the cooperative was able to acquire 1-unit of corn sheller that provides the farmers easier ways to process corn crops.
One woman, who is mother of four, a resident of same village shared her story of war in the past, wherein she lost three of her children due to poor health condition and lack of nutrition while in the jungle where they flee during those times. Her husband was away joining the battle.
She described the difference of life during those times and the situation at present, wherein there is peace and development.
“Life is very different now. This place was isolated, no roads, no services. Now, development projects are coming”, she stated.
Tugaig has received various assistance such as the farm tractor for the cooperative with capacity building, and livelihood support to women group (vegetable production) and to men sector (fish condo).
Children in Madrasah (Islamic school) were joyful of the classrooms provided by the project. Farmers likewise benefit from the warehouse and solar dryer constructed through the project.
PROACTIVE: Programme on Assistance for Camp Transformation through Inclusion, Violence Prevention and Economic Empowerment is funded by the European Union (EU) and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).
In a visit on October 2024, EU Delegation to the Philippines stated that “We were here in past, we are here today, and we will be here in the coming days”.
With the Bangsamoro Development Agency (BDA Inc.) as the local implementing partner, the project has reached sixteen barangays across the six major camps of the MILF, identified in the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB).
