Samar Baseline Study Report

Consortium for the Advancement and Development of Local Economies of Samar (CANDLES)

Samar Baseline Study Report Results of the survey on the major elements of local economy building in the identified pilot areas in Eastern and Northern Samar

Prepared for CANDLES by:

JAY BERTRAM T. LACSAMANA

Contributors: RICARDO CLARIN LENI MAGALIT MARIA MENDOZA ROMIL HERNANDEZ

Table of Contents Introduction....................................................................................................................................... i Chapter 1 Samar, the Philippine Economy and Poverty ................................................................1 I. Samar and its role in the Philippine Economy................................................................. 1 Population......................................................................................................1 Production......................................................................................................2 Family income and expenditures ..................................................................3 Labor Force and Employment.......................................................................4 Agricultural Production ..................................................................................5 Infrastructure..................................................................................................6 Road Network................................................................................................6 Electrification..................................................................................................6 Number of Establishments ............................................................................7 Housing..........................................................................................................8 Education and Literacy................................................................................10 II. Poverty Situation in Samar ........................................................................................... 11 Chapter 2 Community and Household Profiles.............................................................................15 I. Socio-Economic Profile of Pilot Communities ............................................................... 15 A. Eastern Samar .............................................................................................................15 1. Municipality of Borongan....................................................................15 2. Municipality of Guiuan........................................................................24 3. Municipality of Mercedes....................................................................33 B. Northern Samar............................................................................................................41 1. Municipality of Lavezares...................................................................41 2. Municipality of Mondragon .................................................................47 3. Municipality of San Jose ....................................................................50 II. Household Profiles ....................................................................................................... 58 A. Basic Information .........................................................................................................58

B. Demographic Profile ....................................................................................................58 C. Socio-Economic...........................................................................................................59 Chapter 3 LGU Institutional Development Landscape ...............................................................70 A. Basic Political Information............................................................................................70 B. Development vision and objectives .............................................................................70 C. LGU development plans and investment programs ...................................................74 D. Partnerships with national government, NGOs and private groups ...........................74 E. Microenterprise/Financial Institutions ..........................................................................75 F. LGU Capacity...............................................................................................................76 Chapter 4 Civil Society and NGOs in Samar ..............................................................................79 A. Introduction ..................................................................................................................79 B. Locating CSOs in Samar Island ..................................................................................80 C. The Political Climate in Samar ....................................................................................92 Chapter 5 Development Financing Institutions ...........................................................................94 Profile of Respondents.............................................................................94 Profile of Clients .......................................................................................94 Loaned Amount and Cost of Borrowing ..................................................95 Training extended by the Financing Institutions ......................................95 Average Repayment Rate .......................................................................95 Case Study...............................................................................................95 Chapter 6 Private Investments and Overseas Remittances.......................................................98 I. Small Private Investments in Northern and Eastern Samar.......................................... 98 II. Investment Potential of Remittances: Household Survey Results ............................. 106

ii

Introduction

T

his baseline study is undertaken for the Consortium for the Advancement and Development of Local Economies of Samar (CANDLES). It aims to establish relevant data and information necessary in coming up with an objective, well-informed and well-grounded blueprint or plan for the advancement of the local economy of Samar. The baseline data and information was culled from both primary and secondary sources, gathering the latest possible given the limited time and resources available for the researchers. While attempting to establish comprehensive baseline situation in the pilot areas, it is not in any way complete and would continuously need updating and enhancement. Suffice it to say that the initial results of this baseline are sufficient to formulate the major contours of the blueprint and indicative development strategies and interventions open for CANDLES in the target areas. Composed mostly of development-oriented NGOs, CANDLES in late 2004 adopted a common development framework and vision for the development of the local economies of Samar. This development framework is the embodiment of the various experiences in poverty reduction and development work of its lead convenors and member agencies with and among various development actors in government, private sector and fellow development NGOs, in and outside Samar. The framework is described as the five major pillars in poverty reduction and local economy building. (For a detailed elaboration of the framework, please find attached Research Framework, Design and Data Gathering Instruments Manual for the Formulation of the Blueprint for Samar Local Economy Building). These elements are: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Poor households and the entrepreneurial poor and their communities; Local governance and the public sector; Civil society and non-government sector; Development financing and microfinance institutions, and Private sector, external investments and the development potential of remittances of overseas Filipinos

This document contains the preliminary results of the baseline survey conducted on the above stated major elements of local economy building in identified pilot areas in Eastern and Northern Samar. A total of six municipalities were identified as pilot-survey areas in the two provinces. These are: Northern Samar -- (a) Lavezares, (b) Mondragon, (c) San Jose; and Eastern Samar – (d) Borongan, (e) Guiuan, and (f) Mercedes.

i

This report is outlined as follows: Chapter 1: Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6

(i) Samar and the National/Regional Economy; (ii) Poverty Situation in Samar Community and Household Profiles Inventory and mapping of LGU development vision, philosophy, interventions and capacity Civil Society Organizations in Samar Development Financing Institutions Private investments, external investors and remittances of overseas Filipinos

The presentation is basically limited to summarization and consolidation of the surveys and secondary data gathering undertaken by the researchers. As such, very limited analysis and technical judgments and alternatives can be gleaned from this report. This draft is thus a source book or material of data and information that would serve as basis for the subsequent blueprint or plan. It shall be continually augmented with distilled and cleansed data and information as may be needed in the course of drafting the Samar development plan or blueprint. In-depth analysis, findings and technical alternatives and recommendations will be contained in the draft blueprint that will be presented and discussed in the CANDLES investment conference in November 2005, signaling the start of Samar local economy building.

ii

Chapter

Samar, the Philippine Economy and Poverty

1

I. Samar and its role in the Philippine Economy

Population Region 8 or Eastern Visayas comprise about 5 percent of the national population of the country in 2000. The combined proportion of the three Samar provinces is only about 42 percent of the regional population, two percentage points lower than the proportion of Leyte province. Population wise, Leyte Province predominates the region. Nationwide, among 78 provinces in year 2000, Northern Samar ranked 50th and Eastern Samar ranked 59th in terms of number of inhabitants.

2000

Philippines Region 8 Eastern Visayas

Population (census-based) % Rank 1995

76,498,735

%

Ran k

68,616,536

3,610,355

5%

Biliran

140,274

4%

Eastern Samar

375,822

Land Area (sq km)

Density (persons/sq km) 2000

328,214.7 0

255

21,988

85

Ran k

3,366,917

5%

75

132,209

4%

72

528

264

53

10%

59

362,324

11%

58

4,431

84

14

1,592,336

44%

15

1,511,251

45%

13

6,520

241

48

Northern Samar

500,639

14%

50

454,195

13%

51

3,445

145

28

Southern Leyte

360,160

10%

61

317,565

9%

61

1,852

353

62

Western Samar

641,124

18%

38

589,373

18%

37

5,212

65

10

Leyte

Given its total land area, the three provinces of Samar are among the least densely populated provinces in the country. Western Samar is 10th nationwide in terms of density (persons per square kilometer), Eastern Samar is 14th and Northern Samar 28th. The average annual growth rate of Samar provinces is usually less than the national growth rate. Except for the growth rate of Northern Samar in the 1990-1995 period where its growth rate exceeded the national figure, average annual population growth rate is significantly lower than the national average.

Annual Average Growth Rate (in percent) 1980-1990

1990-1995

1995-2000

Philippines

2.35

2.32

Region 8 Eastern Visayas

0.88

1.84

1.51

2.15

1.28 0.79

Biliran

-

2.36

Eastern Samar

0.27

1.8

Leyte

1.32

1.89

1.13

Northern Samar

0.13

3.21

2.11

Southern Leyte

0.83

-0.26

2.73

Western Samar

0.63

1.87

1.82

Eastern and Northern Samar provinces are net out migration areas in years 1995 to 2000. Eastern Samar had a net migration rate of –10 percent while Northern Samar had a –6.5 percent net migration rate. Most out-migrants in Eastern Samar were women. In Northern Samar, more men went out of the province in search of opportunities elsewhere. MIGRATION BY SEX AND PROVINCE/CITY, REGION VIII 1995-2000 Province/City

Total

In-Migration Women

Men

Total

Out-Migration Women

Men

Total

Net Migration Women

Men

Net Migration Rate

Eastern Samar Northern Samar

11,405

5,661

5,744

48,955

24,478

24,477

(37,550)

(18,817)

(18,733)

(10.0)

11,897

5,919

5,978

44,661

22,214

22,447

(32,764)

(16,295)

(16,469)

(6.5)

Production GRDP at current prices in million pesos 2001 Philippines NCR

3,639,980 1,310,204 82,936

1 2

GRDP at constant 1985 prices in million pesos Rank

2001

Rank

1

989,259 305,204

12

24,229

106,648 77,076

8 14

29,963 22,615

3

284,726

3

89,525

4

511,583

2

150,585

5 6

100,526 233,333

9 5

27,629 69,557

7

255,876

4

8 9

83,488 80,884

11 13

10

134,484

11 12

203,544 89,986

ARMM

33,527

CARAGA

51,159

CAR

Per Capita GRDP at constant 1985 prices 2001

Rank

1

12,353 29,775

1

12

15,923

2

8 14

6,650 7,330

12 11

3

11,011

7

2

13,402

3

9 5

5,457 10,032

15 8

70,347

4

11,777

5

22,633 26,651

13 10

5,626 7,963

14 10

7

38,829

7

13,056

4

6 10

62,102 25,906

6 11

11,267 9,385

6 9

16

9,294

16

3,924

16

15

14,190

15

5,915

13

2

Eastern Visayas region is near the tail end among the sixteen (16) regions in the country, in terms of gross regional domestic production. Region 8 ranks 11th in GRDP in 2000 (current prices) and 13th in terms of constant prices (base: 1985 prices). With Eastern Visayas at the lower end of the ranking are the Cordillera, Zamboanga, Cagayan Valley, ARMM and CARAGA, regions of the country known for high poverty incidence and persistent peace and order problems. Denominating the GRDP with population (per capita GRDP), Eastern Visayas’ ranking even worsens to 14th among 16 other regions. The overall performance of Eastern Visayas is likewise reflected in its gross value added by sector (agriculture, manufacturing and services).

GVA in Agriculture, Fishery & Forestry, constant 1985 prices, in million pesos 2001 Philippines

Rank

197,736

GVA in Manufacturing constant 1985 prices, in million pesos 2001 Rank

GVA in the Services Sector constant 1985 prices, in million pesos 2001 Rank

244,084

454,824

NCR

-

-

95,822

1

191,195

1

CAR 1

3,485 12,626

15 6

9,676 1,563

7 12

5,216 12,968

14 8

2

11,708

7

671

14

6,931

13

3 4

22,071 35,386

2 1

27,078 47,280

3 2

32,683 52,233

4 2

5

9,206

10

391

16

12,341

9

6 7

20,552 9,136

4 11

11,228 14,296

5 4

31,389 38,739

5 3

8

7,274

12

4,597

10

7,768

11

9 10

13,885 10,390

5 8

2,360 9,552

11 8

8,882 15,617

10 7

11

21,934

3

10,673

6

24,193

6

12 ARMM

9,258 5,734

9 13

7,152 412

9 15

7,367 2,547

12 16

CARAGA

5,091

14

1,333

13

4,755

15

Family income and expenditures From 1994 to 1997, all provinces in the country had increases in average family income except E. Samar which declined by 8%).

Eastern Samar Northern Samar Western Samar

Ave Annual Family Income 55,694 60,081 72,751

Rank (78 provinces) 76 73 56

1994-1997 % increase (8.1) 32.1 58.6

Rank (78 provinces)

1994-1997 % increase

Eastern Samar Northern Samar Western Samar

Ave Annual Family Expenditures 47,625 44,939 53,250

72 76 68

20.7 25.0 52.7

3

Rank 73 56 26

Rank

69 64 26

In terms of family income and expenditures, Eastern and Northern Samar (survey areas of this study) lag behind most of the provinces in the country. Eastern Samar is 76th in average annual family income in 2000. On the other hand, Northern Samar is 76th in average annual family expenditures in 2000. On the positive note, Northern Samar had the third lowest inflation rate (0.9%) in 2000 among all the provinces in the Philippines. Labor Force and Employment Samar provinces have achieved modest performance in terms of employment and the employment growth rate from 2000 to 2001. Eastern and Northern Samar, in particular ranked 6th and 9th overall in employment growth rates, respectively from 2000 to 2001.

April 2001 Labor Force (in thousands) Employment Rate

Growth Rate in Emp rate 00-01

Employed

Unemployed

Total

29,160

4,461

33,621

86.73%

13.27

1,504

240

1,744

86.24%

13.76

67

11

78

85.90%

56

14.1

17.9

1

Eastern Samar

171

23

194

88.14%

37

11.9

10

6

Leyte

676

124

800

84.50%

67

15.5

7

12

Northern Samar

188

30

218

86.24%

51

13.8

8.6

9

Southern Leyte

131

20

151

86.75%

47

13.2

4.2

19

Western Samar

271

32

303

89.44%

31

10.6

1.4

32

Philippines Region 8 Eastern Visayas Biliran

%

Unemployment Rate

Rank

%

Rank

Employment by Type of Industry, Eastern Samar experienced negative growth rates in agriculture, industry and services from 2000 to 2001. Northern Samar, on the other hand experienced contraction on in Industry in during the same period.

Employed Persons by Type of Industry (in thousands)

Philippines Region 8 Eastern Visayas Biliran Eastern Samar

Apr-00

Agriculture Apr-01

10,558

10,915

Growth Rate 3.4

Apr-00

4,571

Industry Apr-01 Growth Rate

4.7

4,786

Apr-00

13,167

Service Apr-01

Growth Rate 2.2

13,459

28

43

53.6

3

4

33.3

20

20

123

122

-0.8

14

10

-28.6

61

39

-36.1

Leyte

315

313

-0.6

60

91

51.7

228

272

19.3

Northern Samar

104

108

3.8

22

12

-45.5

90

68

-24.4

Southern Leyte

84

59

-29.8

11

20

81.8

74

52

-29.7

Western Samar

128

160

25

15

21

40

66

90

36.4

4

Agricultural Production

Palay production in Samar provinces also ranks within the bottom 40 percent of the country’s regions. Per capita production is also at the same level of performance. Corn production in Eastern Samar in 2000 falls within the top 40 provinces in the country. In fact, it topped (ranked 1) the growth rate of corn production from 1999 to 2000.

Palay Production Per capita

2000 Metric Tons Philippines Region 8 Eastern Visayas

%

Rank

12,389,412

MT

Corn Production Growth

Rank

Rate fr '99

16.2

2000 Rank

5.1

Metric Tons

Growth %

Rank

Rate fr '99

Rank

22

4,511,104

517,558

4%

Biliran

53,375

10%

53

38.1

13

4.3

34

695

2%

65

7.8

Eastern Samar

26,796

5%

65

7.1

61

8.2

25

31,435

68%

27

44,807.1

1

282,160

55%

13

17.7

31

3.7

37

4,589

10%

49

-84.9

74

48,882

9%

56

9.8

55

-5.7

61

5,770

12%

46

2.6

33

Leyte Northern Samar

46,306

1%

Southern Leyte

50,633

10%

54

14.1

38

0

48

75

0%

73

-98.3

75

Western Samar

55,712

11%

50

8.7

57

-0.3

50

3,742

8%

51

-20.8

63

Banana production in Western Samar accounts for about a fourth of the Region’s production (together with Leyte) and is second to Southern Leyte in terms of overall contribution to the Region (Table 2-8). Banana production in the province ranks 30th compared to the other provinces nationwide. Overall, Western Samar and to a much lesser extent, Northern Samar, can play secondary role in banana production in the Region. Coconut production in Samar provinces falls within the top 20 provinces in the country. However, growth rates in coconut production from 1999 to 2001 had been negative or zero for the three Samar provinces. Banana Production Growth rate fr '99 % Rank

Coconut Production

2000 Metric Tons Philippines Region 8 Eastern Visayas

4,155,668

2000 Rank

7.4

Metric Tons

%

Rank

Growth rate fr '99

Rank

12,499,097,767

138,924

3%

Biliran

13,094

9%

39

-2.8

63

1,544,811,558 33,166,768

12% 2%

50

14.3

11

Eastern Samar

4,238

3%

58

0.4

51

229,090,420

15%

15

0

51

Leyte

32,083

23%

29

3.6

31

660,490,459

43%

5

0

52 62

Northern Samar

7,946

6%

46

0.3

53

214,063,126

14%

18

-3.8

Southern Leyte

50,086

36%

18

28.7

7

109,242,578

7%

36

0.5

48

Western Samar

31,477

23%

30

-0.4

57

298,758,207

19%

13

-9

58

Fish production is a dominant economic activity in Western Samar. Among the provinces in the country, fish production in Western Samar ranks 24th in 1999-2000. Eastern Samar ranks 53rd in fish production 1999-2000 and Northern Samar ranked 55th during the same period. 5

Fish Production (in metric tons) 2000

Philippines

Aquaculture

Commercial

1,044,433

946,485

Municipal

Total

945,945

Region 8 Eastern Visayas

%

2,936,863

-

Eastern Samar Leyte

Rank

2.1

74,829

Biliran

Rank

Growth rate fr '99

3%

2,637

1,025

3,662

5%

57

4

47

126

1,438

4,817

6,381

9%

53

10.1

29

1,175

18,810

6,608

36%

23

7.8

36

Northern Samar

34

961

4,417

26,593 5,412

7%

55

-4

68

Southern Leyte

65

1,801

4,559

6,425

9%

52

-0.9

61

Western Samar

3,017

6,850

16,489

35%

24

-0.3

60

26,356

Infrastructure Road Network

Eastern Samar ranks 73rd in terms of the total length of concrete national roads, making the province’s road network the least paved among both Region 8 provinces and all other provinces of the country. About 36 percent (or 114 kms) of the total length of Eastern Samar’s national roads is still with gravel-type surface. Fifty-one percent (51%) of Northern Samar’s total length of national roads is likewise of gravel type. Length of National Roads (in kilometers), 2000 Concrete

Philippines

Asphalt

Length

%

Rank

10,611.26

35.70

43.11

33

37

Length 6,636.47

Gravel

%

Length

22.30

11,875.18

Earth

Total

%

Length

%

39.90

609.95

2.10

29,732.85

0

130.78

Region 8 Eastern Visayas Biliran Eastern Samar

-

0

87.67

67

-

21.34

6.8

73

176.41

56.6

114

36.6

0

311.75

Leyte

562.08

58.8

14

30.56

3.2

333.83

34.9

29.58

3.1

956.05

Northern Samar

132.83

45.6

24

4.75

1.6

150.51

51.6

3.37

1.2

291.45

Southern Leyte

144.58

51.1

19

0

133.44

47.1

5.16

1.8

283.18

Western Samar

299.78

84.8

1

11.7

3.3

41.95

11.9

0

353.42

-

-

Electrification

A considerable number of potential barangays for electrification have not been energized by electric cooperatives. Only 77 percent of barangays in Eastern Samar are serviced by an electric cooperative while only 63 percent of potential barangays are serviced in Northern Samar in 2003.

6

NUMBER OF MUNICIPALITIES AND BARANGAYS ENERGIZED BY ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE 1997-2003 Electric Cooperative Region VIII Municipalities Barangays ESAMELCO Municipalities Barangays NORSAMELCO Municipalities Barangays

Potential Barangays

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

4,389

143 2,343

143 2,412

143 2,912

143 2,921

143 3,043

143 3,228

143 3,618

596

23 119

23 128

23 316

23 327

23 331

23 352

23 458

569

24 176

24 179

24 211

24 229

24 244

24 270

24 356

Majority of the households in occupied dwelling units in both Eastern and Northern Samar in 2000 are still illuminated by kerosene. Only 33 percent of dwelling units of households in Northern Samar use electricity for lighting; 43 percent is the corresponding proportion for Eastern Samar. NUMBER OF HOUSEHOLDS IN OCCUPIED DWELLING UNITS BY KIND OF LIGHTING USED AND PROVINCE/CITY, URBAN-RURAL Census Years 1990 and 2000 1990 Province/City/Kind of Lighting Used 2000 Total Urban Rural Eastern Samar 60,720 23,118 37,602 73,032 Electricity 8,000 5,974 2,026 31,748 Kerosene 47,993 15,962 32,031 37,528 Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG) 4,388 1,112 3,276 928 Oil 19 19 346 Others 320 70 250 2,482 Northern Samar Electricity Kerosene Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG) Oil Others

72,365 8,152 58,906 4,882 170 255

24,568 6,119 17,417 868 52 32

47,797 1,953 41,489 4,014 118 223

94,410 31,619 57,516 2,686 392 2,197

Number of Establishments

Most of the establishments in Eastern and Northern Samar belong to the Wholesale and Retail Industry, Manufacturing and Personal Services. Hotels and restaurant establishments outnumber Personal Services in Northern Samar while the same are close fourth in Eastern Samar

7

NUMBER OF ESTABLISHMENTS BY MAJOR INDUSTRY DIVISION AND PROVINCE 1997-2002 Province/ Major Industry Division Region VIII Agriculture, Hunting and Forestry Fishery Mining and Quarrying Manufacturing Electricity, Gas and Water Construction Wholesale and Retail Trade Hotels and Restaurants Transport, Storage & Communication Financial Intermediation Real Estate, Renting & Business Services Education Health and Social Work Other Community, Social & Personal Services Eastern Samar Agriculture, Hunting and Forestry Fishery Mining and Quarrying Manufacturing Electricity, Gas and Water Construction Wholesale and Retail Trade Hotels and Restaurants Transport, Storage & Communication Financial Intermediation Real Estate, Renting & Business Services Education Health and Social Work Other Community, Social & Personal Services Northern Samar Agriculture, Hunting and Forestry Fishery Mining and Quarrying Manufacturing Electricity, Gas and Water Construction Wholesale and Retail Trade Hotels and Restaurants Transport, Storage & Communication Financial Intermediation Real Estate, Renting & Business Services Education Health and Social Work Other Community, Social & Personal Services

1997 21,966 99 69 4 4,109 69 120 11,696 1,800 966

1998 22,099 101 69 4 4,109 73 126 11,792 1,804 973

1999 21,794 119 107 1 3,803 102 108 11,869 1,937 786

2000 21,399 106 90 2 3,698 62 80 11,860 1,906 611

2001 21,153 100 85 2 3,641 66 72 11,799 1,894 595

2002 21,103 96 84 2 3,634 67 72 11,776 1,892 581

403 706

403 714

391 621

428 632

411 597

424 588

156 332 1,437

160 332 1,439

199 403 1,348

207 387 1,330

202 382 1,307

201 382 1,304

… … … … … … … … …

… … … … … … … … …

… …

1,970

1,974

1,942

1,936

5 2 355 8 6 974 115 69

5 4 353 6 6 983 114 45

6 4 347 4 6 974 113 43

5 4 347 4 6 973 113 40

… …

36 56

67 55

60 50

60 50

… … …

… … …

28 47 269

26 42 268

25 42 268

25 42 267

… … … … … … … … …

… … … … … … … … …

… … … … …

2,669

2,511

2,499

2,492

4 4 356 8 5 1,682 186 139

2 4 324 6 4 1,601 178 118

1 4 319 11 3 1,596 177 118

1 4 319 11 3 1,592 176 117

… …

22 60

24 62

24 62

24 61

… … …

21 41 141

22 38 128

21 37 126

21 37 126

Housing

Walls made of Bamboo/Sawali/Cogon/Nipa reinforced majority or about 46 percent of total occupied housing units in both Eastern and Northern Samar in 2000. Seventyone percent (71%) of the occupied housing units in Northern Samar were made of Cogon/Nipa/Anahaw while about 52 percent was the proportion in Eastern Samar in same year.

8

NUMBER OF OCCUPIED HOUSING UNITS BY CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS OF ROOF AND OUTERWALLS AND PROVINCE/CITY Census Year 2000 Province/Type of Outer Walls

Total Occupie d Housing Units

Galvaniz ed Iron/ Aluminu m

72,600 10,323 15,992 9,377

30,849 9,614 10,099 7,158

245 83 63 40

Half Galvaniz ed Iron and Half Concret e 2,076 147 388 1,079

483

246

5

34,286

3,200

306

Eastern Samar Concrete/Brick/Stone Wood Half Concrete/Brick/ Stone & Half Wood Galvanized Iron/ Aluminum Bamboo/Sawali/ Cogon/Nipa Makeshift/Salvaged/ Improvised Asbestos Glass Others/Not Reported No Walls Northern Samar Concrete/Brick/Stone Wood Half Concrete/Brick/ Stone & Half Wood Galvanized Iron/ Aluminum Bamboo/Sawali/ Cogon/Nipa Makeshift/Salvaged/ Improvised Asbestos Glass Others/Not Reported No Walls

Tile/ Concret e/ Clay Tile

Type of Roof Wood Cogon/N ipa/Anah aw

633 17 408 47

37,800 448 4,997 1,027

Makeshift/ Salvage d/ improvis ed 107 1 8 3

Asbesto s/ Others

Not Reporte d

162 13 29 23

728 -

54

15

160

2

1

-

-

374

131

30,515

29

37

-

72

-

4

3

165

60

2

-

140 12 1,596 85 93,332 11,655 25,294 9,583

78 5 331 46 20,981 8,841 6,591 4,168

39 5 8 2 328 182 58 55

6 2 21 1 2,496 251 550 1,357

5 6 1 1,175 23 657 40

458 30 66,512 2,330 17,319 3,916

2 2 292 5 36 12

12 42 3 330 23 83 35

728 1,218 -

312

119

8

39

20

121

4

1

-

43,610

1,073

-

269

412

41,670

72

112

2

684

38

-

2

2

470

159

13

-

57 11 2,080 46

23 3 105 20

18 4 3 -

4 2 21 1

3 17 1

664 22

3 1

9 2 51 1

1,216 -

A small percentage of the total housing units in both Eastern and Northern Samar have household appliances and other home conveniences in 2000. Most of these conveniences are radios (94 to 95%); a far second are with television sets (25 to 30%).

NUMBER OF HOUSEHOLDS IN OCCUPIED DWELLING UNITS WITH HOUSEHOLD APPLIANCES/CONVENIENCES AND PROVINCE/CITY, URBAN-RURAL Census Years 1990 and 2000 Province/City Type of Appliances/Conveniences Eastern Samar Radio/Radio Cassette Television Video Cassette/Recorder Refrigerator/Freezer Telephone/Cellphone Washing Machine Motor Vehicle Northern Samar Radio/Radio Cassette Television Video Cassette/Recorder Refrigerator/Freezer Telephone/Cellphone Washing Machine Motor Vehicle

1990 Urban

Total 31,679 26,218 1,179 .. 1,959 107 .. 2,216 36,416 31,022 999 .. 2,027 264 .. 2,104

2000

Rural 16,178 11,976 977 .. 1,646 80 .. 1,499 17,799 13,534 817 .. 1,703 232 .. 1,513

9

15,501 14,242 202 .. 313 27 .. 717 18,617 17,488 182 .. 324 32 .. 591

42,985 40,611 12,748 6,322 9,400 1,250 4,018 4,651 56,453 53,968 14,373 7,280 11,283 668 4,243 5,741

Education and Literacy Eastern Samar fared well above the regional and national indicators in terms of education and literacy indexes. SIMPLE LITERACY OF HOUSEHOLD POPULATION 10 TO 64 YEARS OLD BY SEX AND PROVINCE/CITY 2000 (Number in thousands) Province Total Women Men Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Region VIII 2,597 89.92 1,275 91.08 1,322 88.79 Eastern Samar 270 91.79 132 93.13 138 90.51 Northern Samar 346 88.33 170 89.46 175 87.25 Source: Functional Literacy, Education and Mass Media Survey, National Statistics Office

In contrast, Northern Samar education and literacy indicators were below the national and regional benchmarks. One positive development though is that Northern Samar was the third highest in percentage of social services expenditures to total (50.1%) among the provinces in the country in 2000.

Table 1.24 EDUCATION INDEX BY PROVINCE 1997 and 2000 Combined Enrolment Province Rate1 1997 2000 Philippines 82.9 84.5 Eastern Samar 90.7 87.2 Northern Samar 80.3 80.9

Functional Literacy2 1997 83.79 86.25 73.63

2000 83.79 86.25 73.63

Notes: 1.

Index 1997 0.835 0.877 0.759

2000 0.840 0.866 0.761

Combined Enrolment Rate refers to the ratio of the sum of elementary and secondary enrolment in the corresponding age group that should be enrolled at those levels to the sum of corresponding school age population. 2. Functional literacy represents a significantly higher level of literacy that includes reading, writing and numeracy skills. These skills must be sufficiently advanced to enable the individual to participate fully and effectively in activities commonly occurring in his life situation that require a reasonable capability beyond oral and written communication. Source: National Statistical Coordination Board

10

II. Poverty Situation in Samar The annual per capita poverty threshold in Region VIII was estimated at P9,518 in 2000. It increased to P10,802 in 2003, or a 13.5 percent increase. In 2000, poverty incidence of families is 37.5 percent for Region VIII, higher than the national rate of 27.5 percent. Likewise, the 43.3 percent poverty incidence among the population in Region VIII is higher than the 33 percent poverty incidence of population at the national level. Annual Per Capita Poverty Thresholds, Poverty Incidence of Families and Population by Region: 2000 and 2003 (preliminary estimates as of 24 January 2005)

Region

Annual Per Capita Poverty Threshold (in Pesos) 2000 Revised

2003

Poverty Incidence of Families (%)

Inc/Dec (%)

2000 Revised

2003

Diff

Poverty Incidence of Population (%) 2000 Revised

2003

Diff

PHILIPPINES

11,451

12,267

7.1

27.5

24.7

(2.7)

33.0

30.4

(2.5)

NCR

15,693

16,796

7.0

5.7

5.0

(0.7)

7.6

7.3

(0.3)

Region I

12,685

13,276

4.7

29.4

24.4

(5.0)

35.1

30.2

(5.0)

Region II

11,128

11,409

2.5

25.2

19.3

(5.9)

30.4

24.5

(5.9)

Region III

13,760

14,342

4.2

17.3

13.7

(3.6)

21.4

17.7

(3.6)

Region IV-A (CALABARZON)

13,657

14,616

7.0

15.2

14.9

(0.4)

19.1

18.8

(0.3)

Region IV-B (MIMAROPA)

11,995

12,406

3.4

36.3

39.7

3.4

45.2

47.9

2.7

Region V

11,372

12,354

8.6

45.3

40.5

(4.8)

52.6

48.4

(4.2)

Region VI

11,313

12,275

8.5

36.6

31.3

(5.3)

44.4

39.1

(5.3)

Region VII

9,656

9,779

1.3

31.5

23.7

(7.8)

36.2

28.4

(7.7)

Region VIII

9,518

10,802

13.5

37.5

35.5

(1.9)

45.1

43.3

(1.8)

Region IX

9,116

10,414

14.2

38.5

44.1

5.6

44.8

49.4

4.6

Region X

10,503

11,609

10.5

37.9

37.9

0.0

43.8

44.3

0.6

Region XI

10,264

11,276

9.9

27.7

28.1

0.4

33.1

34.4

1.3

Region XII

10,466

11,303

8.0

40.7

32.0

(8.7)

46.8

38.4

(8.4)

CAR

13,066

13,976

7.0

30.7

24.8

(5.9)

37.6

31.2

(6.4)

ARMM

12,192

12,739

4.5

53.7

45.7

(8.0)

59.8

53.1

(6.7)

Caraga

10,896

12,000

10.1

43.7

47.3

3.6

50.9

54.2

3.3

11

In 2003, poverty incidence in Region VIII was placed at 35.5 percent or a decrease by 1.9 percentage points after a period of three years. However, it is still higher than the national level poverty incidence of 24.7 percent. Similarly, poverty incidence in Region VIII was pegged at 43.3 percent in 2003, or 1.8 percentage points lower than the 2000 figure. It is still higher than the 30.4 percent national poverty incidence rate. Based on the table above, Region VIII ranked seven in terms of poverty incidence of families in 2000, with ARMM having the highest poverty incidence with 53.7 percent. In terms of poverty incidence per population, Region VIII ranked sixth, with ARMM still ranked first with a rate of 59.8 percent. In 2003, Region VIII remained in rank seven although there is a slight decrease in term of poverty incidence by families. In terms of poverty incidence by population, Region VIII ranked seventh in 2003. Poverty Incidence by Province, Region VIII Annual Per Capita Poverty PROVINCE Threshold 1/ (in Pesos) 1997

2000

Magnitude of Poor Families 2/ 1997

2000

Incidence of Poor Families 3/ (in Percent) 1997

2000

Philippines

9,843 11,605 3,982,766 4,338,780 28.1

28.4

Region VIII

8,319

9,623

299,733

278,486 39.9

37.8

Leyte

8,262

9,790

105,188

122,070 32.9

36.1

Biliran

8,626

10,072

11,877

9,975 39.6

34.8

Southern Leyte

8,194

9,674

31,389

20,856 33.6

28.5

Samar

8,470

9,574

45,140

52,110 41.1

40.7

Eastern Samar

8,577

9,516

51,341

35,067 58.1

47.3

Northern Samar

8,063

9,166

54,799

38,409 49.5

40.7

NEDA Region VIII website

In 2000, annual per capita income or poverty threshold was placed at P9,516 for Eastern Samar, P9,166 for Northern Samar and P9,574 for Western Samar. The magnitude of poor families who fall below the poverty threshold decreased for both Eastern and Northern Samar. From 51,341 poor families in 1997, the number of poor families in Eastern Samar went down to about 35,067 families in 2000. This translates to an incidence rate of 58.1 percent in 1997 to about 47.3 percent in 2000.

12

At the same time, number of poor families in Northern Samar decreased from 54,799 (49.5% of the total number of families) in 1997 to 38,409 (40.7%) in 2000. In Western Samar, the number of poor families increased from 45,140 in 1999 to 52,110. But poverty incidence by families decreased slightly from 41.1 percent to 40.7 percent. Based on the table above, Eastern Samar ranked first in terms of poverty incidence in 2000. It is followed by Northern Samar and Western Samar. Leyte Province ranked fourth with a poverty incidence rate of 36.1 percent, followed by Biliran with 34.8 percent, and Southern Leyte with 28.5 precent.

URBAN AREAS

Province

Annual Per Capita Poverty Threshold 1/ (in Pesos) 1997

Philippines 10,914

2000

Magnitude of Poor Families 2/ 1997

2000

12,915 1,011,479 1,121,819

Incidence of Poor Families 3/ (in Percent) 1997

2000

15.0

15.0

Region VIII

8,860

9,969

50,416

40,661

25.0

19.6

Leyte

8,848

10,250

18,103

13,977

18.7

12.6

Biliran

8,682

9,914

1,417

1,931

18.8

27.0

Southern Leyte

8,726

10,405

5,095

4,336

28.3

31.0

Samar

9,622

10,181

5,385

4,545

23.6

16.9

Eastern Samar

8,845

10,317

9,209

7,715

34.1

33.6

Northern Samar

8,672

8,844

11,208

8,158

38.2

32.4

NEDA Region VIII website

In 2000, Eastern Samar has the highest poverty incidence by families of 33.6 percent in the urban areas. Northern Samar ranked second with 32.4 percent and Western Samar is fifth with 16.9 percent. Southern Leyte and Biliran ranked third with 31percent and fourth with 27 percent, respectively. Leyte had the lowest poverty incidence rate by families of 12.6 percent in urban areas.

13

RURAL AREAS

Province

Annual Per Capita Poverty Threshold 1/ (in Pesos)

Magnitude of Poor Families 2/ 1997

2000

Incidence of Poor Families 3/ (in Percent)

1997

2000

1997

2000

Philippines

9,458

11,125 2,971,288 3,216,961 39.9

Region VIII

8,204

9,562

249,317

237,825

45.4

44.9

Leyte

8,125

9,725

87,085

108,093

39.2

47.6

Biliran

8,617

10,116

10,461

8,044

46.7

37.4

Southern Leyte

8,085

9,498

26,294

16,520

34.9

27.9

Samar

8,332

9,517

39,755

47,565

45.7

47.0

Eastern Samar

8,526

9,277

42,132

27,351

68.8

53.5

Northern Samar

7,879

9,250

43,591

30,251

53.6

43.7

41.4

NEDA Region VIII website

In 2000, Eastern Samar still had the highest rate in terms of poverty incidence by families in the rural areas with 53.5 percent. Western Samar and Northern Samar were third and fourth with 47 and 43.7 percent, respectively. Leyte Province ranked second with 47.6 percent poverty incidence rate by families in the rural areas. Biliran ranked fifth with 37.4 percent and Southern Leyte ranked last having the lowest rate of 27.9 percent poverty incidence by families in the rural areas. 1/ The annual per capita income required or the amount to be spent to satisfy nutritional requirements (2,000 calories) and other basis needs. 2/ The number of families whose annual per capita income falls below the annual per capita poverty threshold. 3/ The proportion of poor families to the total number of families. 4/ Has coefficient of variation greater then 10 but less than 15 percent.

14

Chapter

Community and Household Profiles

2

I. Socio-Economic Profile of Pilot Communities A. Eastern Samar 1. Municipality of Borongan

Demography Population Growth 1990-2000 Year 1980 1990 1995 2000

Population 39,741 44,085 48,638 55,141

Ave. Growth Rate 1.04 1.86 2.56

The total population of Borongan is 55,141 (per NSO, 2001). It has an average growth rate of 1.86 for the period 1990-1995. Average population growth rate almost doubled for the period 1995-2000 at 2.56%. Total Population, Household Population and Number of Households (2000) Urban Rural Total

Total Population

% Share

22,494 32,647 55,141

40.79% 59.21% 100.00%

Household Population 22,200 32,623 54,823

No. of Households 4,417 6,282 10,699

Majority of the residents live in the rural area. 32,647 or 59.21% of the total population resides in the rural area. The remaining 40.79% live in the urban area.

15

Age-sex structure of the population, 2000 Age Group Under 1 1-4 5-9 10-14 14-19 20-24 25-29 30-34 35-39 40-44 45-49 50-54 55-59 60-64 65-69 70-74 75-79 80 and above All ages Percent to total 0-17 18 & above

Both Sexes 1563 5859 7231 6754 5755 4427 3792 3399 3151 2714 2197 1957 1699 1402 1161 926 585 569 55,141 25,080 30,061

Male 790 3073 3657 3432 3004 2274 1914 1732 1645 1412 1160 997 883 686 547 430 267 235 28,138 51% 12,829 15,309

Female 773 2786 3574 3322 2751 2153 1878 1667 1506 1302 1037 960 816 716 614 496 318 334 27,003 49% 12,251 14,752

There is a small difference between the male and female population. Male population accounts for 28,138 (or 51%), while female population is around 27,003 (49%). Distribution of Population by Age Group (2000) Age Group 0-14 15-64 65 and above Total

Number 21,407 30,493 3,241 55,141

Percent Share 38.9% 55.3% 5.8% 100.00%

In terms of distribution of population by age group, majority of the population, which is 30,493 (55.3%), belong to the economically active population (15.-64 years of age). Depend population is around 21,407 or 38.9% of the total population. In 2000, educational attainment of 20 years old and above is as follows: No Formal Education Elementary School Education High School Education Post Secondary College Undergraduate Academic Degree Holder Post Baccalaureate Not Stated Total

Number 875 9076 7874 1315 4720 3558 122 194 27734

Percent Share 3.2 32.8 28.4 4.7 17 12.8 0.4 0.7 100

Majority of the population belonging to the age bracket 20 years old and above have only acquired elementary school education, which are around 9,076 persons or 32.8%. This is followed by 7,874 persons (28.4%) who reached high school. Academic degree holders account for 12.8% of the age group. 16

Social Education Borongan has a literacy rate of 99.3%, the highest in Eastern Samar. Functional literacy was estimated at 74%. As compared with Eastern Samar, Borongan fared better in terms of achievement rate with 70.5% as compared with the provincial rate of 65.6. Likewise, Borongan has a higher cohort survival rate with 81.7% as compared with the provincial rate of 66.97%. In 2001, Borongan has 49 government elementary schools distributed in three different districts. South District has 16 schools, North District with 21 schools and East District with 12 schools. Missionary of Sacred Heart is the only private elementary school in Borongan which is located in Barangay Songco. There are six secondary schools in the municipality. Four of which are governmentowned, and two are privately-owned sectarian. Of the government-owned schools, one is a comprehensive high school, the other one is a laboratory school, and the other two are national high schools. There are four tertiary institutions in Borongan. These are: Eastern Samar State College, Our Lady of Mercy College, St. Mary’s College, and Eastern Samar Institute of Technology. In terms of number of classrooms, Borongan has a 354 academic classrooms and 43 non-academic classrooms in the elementary level.

Health and Nutrition According to the two RHUs in Borongan, there is a total of 3,617 reported cases of morbidity. The leading causes of morbidity in 2001 are URTI (with reported cases of 1,042), diarrhea (730 cases), anemia (692 cases) and Pneumonia (with 417 cases). Leading Causes of Morbidity, 2001 Causes of morbidity URTI Diarrhea Anemia Pneumonia Hypertension Parasitism Influenza TB Measles Chicken Pox Total

Number of cases 1042 730 692 417 298 260 91 76 9 2 3,617

Rate per 1000 population 18.89 13.24 12.55 7.56 5.40 4.72 1.65 1.38 0.16 0.08

The leading causes of mortality were pneumonia, tuberculosis, and hypertensive vascular disease. Of the 165 cases reported fatalities, eight causes had undetermined causes.

17

Leading Causes of Mortality Causes of mortality Pneumonia Tuberculosis Hypertensive Vascular Disease CHDF/IHD Diabetes Wounds Asphyxia Cancer Post-Partum Hemorrhage Accidents Peptic Ulcer Meningitis Vehicular Accidents Undetermined Total

Number of cases 53 28 26 10 7 12 5 4 4 4 2 1 1 8 165

Rate per 1000 population 0.96 0.51 0.47 0.18 0.13 0.22 0.09 0.07 0.07 0.07 0.04 0.02 0.02 0.15

In terms of government hospitals, there are two hospitals, Eastern Samar Provincial Hospital (with 100-bed capacity) and Borongan Doctor’s Hospital (with 20-bed capacity). There are two rural health units in the municipality and 15 barangay health stations. There are also four private clinics operating in the municipality. Nutritional Status of Pre-school Children, 2001 Normal Mild Moderate Severe Overweight Total

Number 4853 2799 720 88 475 8935

% 54.3 31.3 8.4 1.0 5.3 100

In terms of nutritional status, 54.3% of the 8,935 pre-school children have normal weight. There were 720 moderately and 88 severely malnourished children. While those who are overweight accounts for 5.3%. Nutritional Status of Elementary Children, 2001 Normal Mild Moderate Severe Overweight Total

Number 7,410 1,826 261 62 381 9,940

% 74.6 18.4 2.6 0.6 3.8 100

In terms of nutritional status of weighed elementary children, 7,410 (74.6%) of the total have normal weight. Moderate and severely malnourished children are 261 and 62, respectively. About 381 elementary children are overweight. In terms of day care centers, there are 42 functional centers in Borongan in 2002. These have benefited some 1,167 children ages 3-5 years old. Economic 1. Agriculture and Fishery The total agricultural land of Borongan is 12,461.90 hectares. Crops cultivated in the municipality are rice, root crops, banana, and fruits, among others. The commercial crops planted in the area are coconut and abaca.

18

Crops Rice Irrigated Rainfed Upland Corn Rootcrops Camote Cassava Gabi/Ubi Palawan Legumes Peanut Mongo Vegetables Leafy Fruit Fruit Trees Pineapple Banana Coffee/Cacao Abaca Coconut Total

Area (has) 1541.75 120.75 1318.00 103.00 15.00 1038.00 476 227 282.5 52.5 34.5 25 9.5 100.05 44.8 55.25 146.5 79 406 22.9 220 8858.2 12,461.9

Percent 12.37 0.97 10.57 0.83 0.12 8.33 3.82 1.82 2.27 0.42 0.28 0.20 0.08 0.8 0.36 0.44 1.18 0.63 3.26 0.18 1.77 71.08 100.00

Annual Production (MT) 5146.42 985.40 3989 172.1 22.1 5197 2259.55 1273.6 1313.9 349.95 46.9 34.07 12.83 425.94 120.44 305.5 1172 899.5 1965.1 30.44 363.85 11585.34 26,853.59

Based on the table above, main crop cultivated in the municipality is coconut, which is planted to 71.08% of the total agricultural land, with an annual production of 11,585.34 MT. This is followed by rice that is planted to 12.37% of the total agricultural lands, with an annual production of 5146.42 MT. This is followed by the aggregate of root crops with a total annual production of 5,197 MT. Abaca has an annual production of 363.85 MT. In terms of livestock production, there are 1,281 heads of carabao, 257 cattle, 6,486 swine and 79 goats. For poultry production, there are 25,444 native chickens and 3,644 broilers/slayers. Ducks and turkey-raising was minimal with a population of 525 and 21, respectively. Fishing is also one of the major sources of income in Borongan. In 2001, there are 1,181 full-time and 500 part-time fisherfolks. Of the full-time fisherfolks, 536 have motorized bancas, 506 have non-motorized bancas, and the remaining 139 have no bancas. The total fish production in 2001 was estimated at 2,402.516 MT. Fishing areas are the bay of the municipality and the Pacific Ocean. Deep-sea fishing is also popular because it leads to bigger catch. Inland fishing is undeveloped despite the presence of suitable sites for fishpond development. The municipality has an estimated area of 55 hectares suitable for developing fishponds. As of 2001, there were only four operators of fishponds with a total area of four hectares. 2. Commerce and Trade Borongan is the center of commerce and trade in Eastern Samar. Based on reports, half of the business establishments in the province are found in Borongan. In 2001, there were 589 registered business establishments with a combined investment of P378.2M.

19

Number of Business Establishments by Type, 2000 Type

No. of firms

Trading Manufacturing Service Others Total

441 28 102 18 589

Investment (P 000) 334,856,114 3,844,048 27,027,610 12,449,988 378,177,760

% share 74.87 4.75 17.32 3.06 100

% share 88.54 1.02 7.15 3.29 100

Trading dominates the business sector with 441 firms, constituting 74.87% of the total number of business establishments in Borongan. Its total investment accounts for 88.54% of the total investment of the business sector. There are no large-scale manufacturing activities in Borongan. Commercial activities consisted of bakeries, furniture and handicrafts makers, iron works and food processors. Borongan’s public market is located in Barangay Campesao. There are 112 registered business establishments. Bus and jeepney terminal is also temporarily located within the area. 3. Tourism Tourist attractions in Borongan include white beaches, caves, scuba diving sites, and rapids. There area also existing hotels, restaurants and developed beach resorts, among others. 4. Financial Institutions There are four commercial banks in the municipality. Three of these are government banks: Philippine National Bank, Land Bank of the Philippines, and Development Bank of the Philippines. Metropolitan Bank is the only private commercial bank in Borongan. There are also two rural banks and several pawnshops operating in the municipality. Land Use Existing General Land Use Land Use Category Built-up area Agricultural land Forest area Grassland Wetland/mangrove area Total

Area (has.) 1,156.65 9,785.15 42, 498.88 4,373.32 475.60 58,289.00

% Share 1.98 16.79 72.91 7.50 0.81 100.00

Existing Urban Land Use Land Use Category Residential Commercial Institutional Parks, open spaces, roads Swamps, marshes and mangroves Agricultural Total

Area (has.) 148.4 7.04 58.61 72 3 1,889 2,179

% Share 6.81 0.32 2.69 3.30 0.14 86.69 100.00

The forest area accounts for 72.91% of the land area of the municipality. This is followed by agricultural land use with around 16.79% of the total land area.

20

In the urban area, majority of the land is for agricultural use (86.69%). Followed by residential which comprises 6.81% and parks/open spaces, which is around 3.3%. Infrastructure 1. Water supply Existing water system in Borongan ranges from level I to level III water system. There is one level III water system that is operated by the Borongan Water District serving the urban barangays only. There are 22 level II water system and 686 level I water systems. These water systems serve 10,186 households representing 95.20% of the total households in the municipality. 2. Roads and bridges Inventory of Roads Administrative Classification National Provincial Municipal Barangay Total Percent

Length (km)

Concrete

28 38 17 155 238 100%

6 4 9 22 41 7.23%

Road Surface Asphalt Gravel 22 34 8 89 22 131 9.24% 55.04%

Earth

44 44 18.49%

The road network in Borongan has a total length of 238 km. The National road is a combination of concrete and asphalt. Major road surface of the road network in Borongan is of gravel (55.04%). Inventory of Bridges Bridge Name National: 1. Bugas 2. Bayaran 3. Balacdas 4. Mypangdan 5. Borongan 6. Loom 7. Can-obing 8. Suribao Subtotal

Lenth (LM)

Type

39.90 24.00 36.00 45.00 90.00 45.00 60.00 270.00 609.90

Concrete Concrete Concrete Concrete Concrete Concrete Concrete Concrete

Provincial: 1. San Gabriel Station 7 2. San Gabriel Station 6 3. San Gabriel Station 9 4. San Mateo Station 4 5. Bugas-Can-aga Station 0 6. Pepelitan Station 3 Subtotal

12.30 9.30 12.20 12.00 6.00 9.00

Timber Timber Timber Timber Timber Bailey

Total

681.90

72.00

There are eight existing concrete bridges in Borongan administratively classified as national bridges. There are six provincial bridges in the municipality, five of which are timber and the other one is a bailey bridge. Borongan is very accessible by land transportation from any point in Eastern Visayas. There are two road gateways leading to Borongan, namely: Taft-Wright Road and the South Samar Coastal Road. Several bus companies and van operators 21

serve the Borongan-Tacloban city route. There are two major bus companies plying the Manila-Borongan route: Philtranco and Eagle Star. Number of Land Vehicle Ownership, 2000 Type

Number 25 94 143 104 94 868 513 1,372 3,213

Bus Jeepney Private Cars Private Jeeps Trucks Tricycles Motorcycles Bicycles Total

As of 2000, land motor vehicles in Borongan reached 1,841 units. Motorcycles and tricycles are the most common with a combined number of 1,381 units. The number of registered private cars is 143 units, and jeepneys, 104 units. There is a good number of public utility buses, jeepneys, and trucks operating in Borongan which are owned by local operators. The number of registered bicycles is 1,372 units. 3. Port and Airport There is an existing airport in Borongan. It is located in barangay Punta Maria which is about 15.5 km from the town proper. The runway is concrete with a length of 1,600 m. There are no commercial flights to the municipality and air travelers in Borongan use the Tacloban airport. There is a seaport in Borongan. It is classified as a subport that is located in barangay Alang-Alang. It has a water draft of 6.8 m and a length of 203 m. Its main use is for handling cargos coming from Cebu City and Tacloban City. 4. Communication In 2002, there were three telephone companies operating in Borongan. These were: Eastern Visayas Telephone Company (EVTELCO), which is a Bayan Tel company; the government-owned Telecommunication Office; and Globelines. As of 2001, EVTELCO had provided 825 telephone connections, while TELOF had 287 subscribers. Smart Telecommunications has a cell site located in Barangay AlangAlang. PLDT, Samar Tel, and Bayan Tel offer long distance call services to the residents of Borongan. The Philippine Postal Corporation has three post offices operating since 2001. This includes its main provincial office in Barangay Songco. There are also private cargos forwarding companies operating in the municipalities, namely: Aboitiz Cargo, LBC and JRS. There is also two AM and one FM radio stations operating in Borongan. These are DYVW, DYES Radyo ng Bayan and the Radyo Natin FM station. GMA Network has already put up its television facility at Barangay Songco. Two cable TV service providers also operate in the municipality, namely: Reliance CATV and Amboy CATV. 5.Power The Eastern Samar Electric Cooperative (ESAMELCO) provides electricity. As of December 2005, 50 barangays or 81.97% of all barangays in the municipality had been connected to the power grid serving 7,848 households or 73.35% of the total number of households in the municipality.

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6. Flooding 20 coastal and interior barangays are flood-prone areas. However, flooding is more severe in interior barangays specially those situated along the river banks such as Benuangan, Baras and Pinanag-an. Flood in these areas is capable of causing heavy damage to crops, properties and infrastructure. 7. Irrigation Systems In 2001, the total area of irrigated rice lands is around 120.75 hectares or only 8.39% of the potential irrigable area estimated at 1,438.75 hectares. Three communal irrigation systems (CIS), two diversion dams, 13 shallow tube wells, two small waterimpounding projects (SWIP), and four small farm reservoirs service the irrigated area. 8. Pre and Post Harvest Facilities As of 2001, the following is the number of pre and post harvest facilities in the municipality: Type Pre-Harvest Facilities 1. Plow (pcs) 2. Harrow (pcs) 3. Sprayer (pcs) 4. Rotary weeder (pcs) 5. Spade (pcs) 6. Hand Tractors (units) 7. 4-wheel Tractors (units) Post-Harvest Facilities 1. Solar (MPDP) Dryer 2. Mechanical Dryer 3. Warehouses 4. Rice Mill (Kiskisan, Cono) 5. Rice Thresher 6. Trucks (units)

Number 203 177 124 8 120 11 4 10 1 6 (75,020 tons total capacity) 13 1 94

Agrarian Reform Malbog Settlement has been declared an Agrarian Reform Community covering 6 barangays. A total of 3,718.23 hectares in 30 barangays covering 3,084 farmer beneficiaries are under the comprehensive agrarian reform program. As of 1999, the land acquisition and distribution program of DAR has already covered an area of 1,615.91 hectares. STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES, OPPORTUNITIES AND THREATS Strengths Borongan has four key elements needed to attract investors. It is very accessible from any point in Eastern Visayas given its vast road network and existing seaport. Communication infrastructure is established. Good peace and order situation. And “already” existing business sectors operating in the area. In addition, there are already four commercial banks operating in the municipality. The presence of big business sectors and financial institutions helps project that there is a strong private sector’s confidence in Borongan.

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The existence of tourist sites could further help in the influx of investments and opportunities in the municipality. These provide additional sources of income for the community. Weaknesses In terms of labor force, the highest levels of education attained by the majority of economically active population are elementary and high school levels. This could affect the marketability of its labor force especially to investors relying on labor force that are highly skilled and put a premium to the level of education attained. Opportunities Further development of its tourism industry can boost the local economy and provide additional sources of income to the local residents. Given the high literacy rate of the elementary children population, the LGU should invest in improving the quality of education in public schools. This will have a positive impact in the development of the community in the long term when this generation are the ones running the community. Further development of inland fishing will contribute in improving the economic performance of Borongan. It will provide residents with additional source income. As mentioned above, Borongan has significant number of suitable sites for fishpond industry. This can be tapped by the LGU to further boost its economy.

2. Municipality of Guiuan

Demography Distribution of Rural-Urban Household Population (2000) Total Population % Share Urban 14,562 38% Rural 24,132 62% Total 38,694 100.00% Guiuan has a total population of 38,694. 24,132 of which or 62% live in the rural areas. The remaining 38% reside in the urban area. Population Growth 1990-2000 Year Population 1980 30,689 1990 33,825 1995 35,447 2000 38,694

Increase 3,136 1,622 3,247

Ave. Growth Rate 0.98 0.88 1.9

For the period 1995 to 2000, the population increased by 3,247 yielding an average growth rate of 1.9%.

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Population by age group and sex (2000) Age Group Male Female Under 1 619 619 1-4 2322 2245 5-9 2670 2709 10-14 2476 2439 15-19 1973 1588 20-24 1393 1199 25-29 1315 1200 30-34 1199 1123 35-39 1083 1006 40-44 890 812 45-49 851 774 50-54 696 736 55-59 658 657 60-64 542 619 65-69 387 464 70-74 348 348 75-79 193 193 80-84 116 116 85 & above 58 58 Total 19,789 18,905

Total 1238 4567 5379 4915 3561 2592 2515 2322 2089 1702 1625 1432 1315 1161 851 696 386 232 116 38,694

Comparative Age & Economic Dependency Ratio (2000) Total Population Age Group Male Female Total 0-14 yrs. Old 8,087 8,012 16,099 15-64 yrs. Old 10,600 9,714 20,314 65 & above 1,102 1,179 2,281 Total 19,789 18,905 38,694

Percentage 41.6% 52.5% 5.9% 100%

Based on the table above, a total of 20,314 or 52.5% of the total population belong to the economically active population and are part of the labor force. There is a high dependent population that is 16,099 persons or 41.6% of the population. Education Elementary School Performance Indicators: SY 2000-2001 School District Performance Indicators Guiuan East Guiuan North Graduation Rate 99.5 99.55 Transition Rate 101.02 95.15 Participation Rate 97.07 94.04 Survival Rate 70.59 87.34 100 99.4 Retention Rate Achievement Rate 70.71 78.12 62.48 77.73 Completion Rate Drop-out Rate 1.05 3.0 Failure Rate 1.00 3.0

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Guiuan South 99.97 90.51 97.93 77.43 96.83 62.81 90.56 0.99 1.32

Guiuan has a high graduation rate of 99.5% for the Eastern District, 99.55 for the north and 99.97% for the south district. Participation rate is also high, 97.07% for the East, 95.15% for the North and 97.93% for the South district. Total Enrolment, Teacher and Classroom per District: SY 2004-2005 Enrolment TeacherNumber of Number of ClassroomDistrict Pupil Teachers Classroom Pupil Ratio Male Female Ratio Guiuan East 2,180 2,167 120 1:36 101 1:46 Guiuan 1,523 1,433 71 1:41 64 1:46 North 1,790 1,691 88 1:39 80 1:43 Guiuan South Total 5,493 5,291 279

The number of pupils is still manageable given the teacher-pupil ratio of 1:36 in the East district, 1:41 in the North and 1:39 in the South District. Likewise, at present, there are enough classrooms to cater to the number of students, 1:46 in the East and North districts and 1:43 in the South district. Secondary School Enrolment By Year Level Year Level SY 2003-2004 First Year 1,084 Second Year 982 Third Year 1,020 Fourth Year 705 Total 3,791

SY 2004-2005 1,015 1,013 981 879 3,888

The number of enrollees increased in the secondary level: from 3,791 to 3,888 pupils. However, the number of those who were in the first level in SY 2003-2004 decreased from 1,084 to 1,013. The same is true with those who were in the second level during SY 2003-2004, from 982 to 981; and in those in the third level from 1,020 to 879. Health and Nutrition Health Facilities and Bed Capacity, 2001 Health Facilities Government: Southern Samar General Hospital Homonhon Community Hospital Private Hospitals & Clinics: Agpalo Hospitals Immaculate Conception Clinic Health Station Guiuan RHU (Poblacion) Guiuan RHU II (Sulangan) Brgy. Health Stations Brgy. Baras Brgy. Sulu-an Brgy. Culasi Brgy. Casuguran Brgy. Surok Brgy. Hamor-awon Brgy. Camparang Brgy. Sapao

Bed Capacity 50 10 17 25 102

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There are two government hospitals in Guiuan and two private hospitals. There are also two rural health units situated in the Poblacion and Sulangan, and nine barangay health stations. Comparative Vital Health Statistics, 2000-2003 Particulars Crude Birth Rate Crude Death Rate Maternal Mortality Rate Infant Mortality Rate

2000

2001

2002

26.56 4.04 4.9

15.73 2.83 3.27

0.6

3.72

21.28

1.8

2003 Male Female Number Rate Number Rate 480 54% 405 46%

The leading causes of infant mortality rate are Pneumonia (2 cases) and Hydrocephalus (1 case). Leading causes of maternal mortality in 1999 are Eclampsia due to hypertension; in 2000, PP bleeding 2nd degree, Post Partum Eclampsia, and Septic Shock 2nd degree duto cepticemia abortion; and in 2001, Pre-Eclampsia and Puerpheral Hemorrhage. Leading Causes of Mortality, 2003 Cause 1. Hypertension 2. Influenza 3. Pneumonia 4. Diarrhea 5. Bronchitis 6. Chicken Pox 7. Parasitism 8. ARI (Acute Respiratory Infection) 9. Bronchial Asthma 10. Conjunctivitis

Number 193 191 138 137 85 54 42 31 17 5

Rate/10,000 Population 6% 6% 5% 2% 2% 1% 1% 1% 1% 0.5%

The leading causes of mortality are hypertension (with 193 cases), influenza (191), Pneumonia (with 138 cases) and diarrhea (with 137 cases) Leading causes of morbidity are pneumonia (78 cases), MI (17) and COPD (17). Leading Causes of Morbidity, 2003 Cause 1. Pneumonia 2. MI (Myocardial Infection) 3. COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) 4. Cancer 5. Diabetes Mellitus 6. Congestive Heart Failure 7. Accidents 8. Septicemia 9. Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever 10. Gunshot wound

Number

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78 17

Rate/10,000 Population 26% 6%

17 16 7 7 7 4 3 3

6% 6% 2% 2% 2% 1% 1% 1%

Total Number of Health Manpower by Profession and Services rendered in 2001 Profession/Designation Number Percentage Share 1. Doctors 6 8.82 2. Nurses 16 23.53 14 20.59 3. Midwives 4. Med. Technicians 5 7.35 5. Attendants 11 16.18 6. Others: a. Janitor 12 17.65 2 2.94 b. Laundry 1 1.47 c. Seamstress d. X-ray 1 1.47 technologist Total 68 There are six available doctors in Guiuan, who are assisted by 16 nurses. 14 midwives alternately work in the barangay health stations. The total number of health workers is 68. Nutrition In 1998, Guiuan ranked third in malnutrition rate from among the 23 municipalities of Eastern Samar. In 2002, Guiuan ranked 10. And in 2003, Guiuan ranked 15. Improvement of the nutrition among children may be attributed to the efforts of the LGU in the effective and efficient implementation of health and nutrition programs. Economic Labor force Labor Force and Employment Status of Household Population 15 years and above (2000) Population 15 yrs. Old and above 20,314 Labor Force 10,547 Labor Force Participation Rate 51% Employed 8,561 Employment Rate 42% Unemployed 1,986 Unemployment Rate 9.78% In 2000, the number of the economically active population is 20,314 or 52.5% of the total population. 10,547 or 51% are in the labor force. Agriculture In 2001, land planted to coconut was around 5,943 hectare. Banana covers 150 hectares, while vegetables, pineapple and corn cover around 68 hectares. Rainfed and upland palay is estimated at 13 hectares which are situated at Barangays Homonhon and Tubabao Islands. Root crops including cassava, camote, ubi and gabi were estimated to cover 175 hectares of land. Fruit trees have an estimated area of 87 hectares where citrus plantation covers 15 hectares. Guyabano is planted to 10 hectares and Bread Fruit to 20 hectares.

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Livestock & Poultry by kind, 1999-2000 1999 Kind Backyard Commercial Farm Farm Livestock: Cattle 150 Goat 112 Hog 10,570 Poultry: Chicken 18,650 Duck 358 Total 29,840

2000 Backyard Farm

Commercial Farm

198 128 12,530 19,850 484 33,190

The total number of livestock and poultry production increased from a total combined 29,840 heads in 1999 to 33,190 in 2000. Hog is the major the livestock production accounting for 12,530 heads in 2000 and chicken for poultry which is 19,850 heads in 2000. Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Number of Fishing Households (2000) Percent Distribution

Fulltime Fishing Households

2,569

65

Percent to total Households 36

Part-time Fishing Households

1,383

35

20

Total

3,952

100

56%

Number

There are 2,569 full-time fishing household (or 36% of the total households) and 1,383 part-time fishing households. This brings the total number of fishing households to 3,952. About 608 fisherfolks have motorized boats, 384 have nonmotorized and the remaining have no boats. Number of Fishing Boats (2000) Type of Fishing Boat Motorized

Number 608

Percent Share 61.29%

Non-motorized

384

38.71%

Total

992

100%

Authorities consider the seacoast of Guiuan as one of the best fishing belts in the region. Guiuan is abundant with species: eucheuma, trepang, abalone, ornamental fish, lobster, and the famous Golden Cowry (considered as a marine rarity due to its novelty and unusual golden sheen and very expensive). Fishing grounds are the Leyte Gulf and the Philippine Sea. Fishing season is whole year round at the Leyte Gulf, while at the Philippine Sea it starts from March to October.

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In 2000, fish production reached up to 18 tons per day. Municipal fisherfolks and seasonal commercial fisherfolks from Leyte, Mindanao and Luzon contributed to the bulk of fish production. Fishing is the most dominant industry and the major source of income of more than 50% of the Guiuan’s populace. Because of this, the LGU has identified the construction of a Fishing Port as one of the development interventions that would respond to the needs of the industry. Fish Production By Type (in Metric Tons), 2000-2001 2000 Type Quantity % Share Seasonal Commercial Fishing 90 1.35 from Leyte, Mindanao & Luzon

2001 Quantity % Share 100 1.31

Municipal Fishing

6,570

98.5

7,500

98.53

Aquaculture Total

10 6,670

0.15 100

12 7,612

0.16 100

Majority of the fish production comes from municipal fishing which is 6,570 MT (98.5% of total production) in 2000 and 7,500 MT (98.53%) in 2001. Trade and Industry About 452 commercial and industrial establishments registered in 2003. This represents 23.23% of the total registered firms in the entire province. Seventy-two percent (72%) of them are into trading, 17% are engaged in services, 7% are in manufacturing, and 5% are engaged in other economic ventures. Commercial Establishment, Estimated Investment & Labor Force, Per Type Type of Labor Number % Share Investment (P) % Share Establishment Force Trading 330 73% 27,988,911.00 24.93% 537 Manufacturing 36 7% 2,323,989.00 2.07% 74 Services 72 16.74% 79,127,896.00 70.48% 493 Others 14 2.93% 2,829,204.00 2.52% 40 Total 452 112,270,000.00 1144

% Share 46.94% 6.47% 43.09% 3.50%

Tourism Guiuan is blessed with numerous natural tourist attractions and is famous for its great history. It was in Guiuan where Ferdinand Magellan first set foot in the Philippine soil. It has significant involvement in WWII. The Municipal Tourist Council has also cited Homonhon Island, Sulu-an Island, Tubabao Island, navy 3149 Base, WW II Operating Base, the Immaculate Conception Church, white sand beaches and natural rock formations. In 2003, tourist attractions cited by the MTC: Aguing Cave, American Airport, American Depots Remnants, Dumpao Paradise Beach, 16th Century Catholic Church, Guiuan Church Tower, Magellan Landing Site, Pearl Island, Philippine Radar Station, Sapao Sunrise Beach Resort, Sulangan Mecca, Sulu-an Lighthouse, Walled Patio and Tubabao Island.

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Infrastructure Water system In 2003, 6,856 households have access to potable water (90% of the total households). Majority of these households source their water supply through level I systems totaling to 369 units. Thirty-five (35) barangays are served by level II water system facilities, 34 of which are beneficiaries of the Municipal Solar Infrastructure Projects (MISP). Road and Bridges Guiuan has a total road network length of 208.247 kilometers administratively classified into national, provincial, municipal and barangay roads. The main road network of the municipality runs through the major settlements and along the coastal areas in the mainland and the island barangays. Existing Road Network of Guiuan, Eastern Samar Type of Road Concrete (km) Asphalt (km) National 5.407 Provincial 21.000 7.500 Municipal 8.790 2.100 Barangay 13.7000 Total 43.49 15.007

Gravel (km) 18.200 7.200 124.350 149.75

Total (km) 5.407 46.700 18.090 138.050 208.247

There is an existing bridge about six linear meters at Botong Creek in Poblacion 10. There are also footbridges in Bungtod, Pagnamitan, Sulangan and Homonhon Islands. Transportation 1. Land. The total number of registered motor vehicles in the municipality was 322 in 2000. Likewise, there are buses from other municipalities, provinces and cities as far as Manila that crosses the province going to provinces as far as Mindanao. There are available cargo trucks to transport heavy cargoes such as copra, rice and other cereals, lumber, cement and other construction materials to and from and within Guiuan. There are also jeepneys, tricycles, motorcycles and pedicabs that service the commuting public. There are also regular trips of buses and jeepneys plying the routes Guiuan-Borongan, Guiuan-Tacloban, Guiuan-Catbalogan and Guiuan-Metro Manila. There are also regular trips by mega taxi going to Tacloban City via southern coastal road. 2. Air. Guiuan has an existing airport with a 2.8 km all-weather runway, considered by many as an engineering marvel. American Construction Battalions built it under wartime specifications. According to reports, this vital airstrip serviced the famed 13th Infantry Battalion during World War II. 3. Water. Guiuan has two seaports, municipal and national ports. The national port is operational and serviceable throughout the year. Said ports are the only shipping ports along Leyte Gulf in direct linkage with the commercial centers of Tacloban City, Cebu City, Manila, among others. Commuter launch are available catering to both passengers and cargoes that ply the Guiuan-Tacloban route. There are also small motor vessels that load cargoes from

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Cebu and Tacloban to the area. There are also fishing vessels from Leyte and Mindanao that are loading marine products from the area to their place. Communication PLDT and Bayantel started operating in Guiuan in July 2004. These were additional to the existing telephone companies operating in the municipality, namely: TELECOM, GLOBELINES and BAYANTEL. Smart and Globe have been operating in the municipality. Postal service. There is one post office operating in Guiuan. It has five mail carriers and one mail car. LBC have been operating in the municipality since the middle of 2000. it is a private company providing cargo forwarding services. Radio Stations and Cable TV. There is one FM station operating in Guiuan and Two Cable TV stations that are servicing the Poblacion are and its adjacent barangays. Power Guiuan mainland and from Calico-an Island up to Barangay Sulangan is provided with electricity b the Eastern Samar Cooperative (ESAMELCO). It sources out its power supply from the NAPOCOR taking its source from the Tongonan Geothermal Power Plant in Isabel, Leyte. Island barangays are served with generators either privately-owned or operated by the barangay council. Strengths Guiuan represents 23.23% of the total registered business firms in the entire province. It has taken advantage of its accessibility to different sectors from different provinces that are attributed to its road networks and existing two seaports. The tourist landmarks of Guiuan help in revitalizing the local enemies. The tourists visiting the municipality help in keeping the local businesses alive, particularly the small businesses. Opportunities Guiuan is known for its richness in marine and aquatic resources. It possesses natural tourist attractions, historical sites, shrines and landmarks. Moreover, with the presence of active and trainable labor force and non-government organizations, the private sector and the favorable peace and order situation, it can attract many investors. Not to mention the accessibility of Guiuan given its existing ports, good condition road networks and functioning airport. The thrust of the LGU is to develop its eco-tourism, small-scale processing, trading and services that will complement the establishment of an economic zone. The following are some of the investment opportunities from marine and aquaculture: cold storage, deep sea fishing, grouper fishing, lobster fishing, pearl oyster, eucheuma and shell craft industry. Said investments can spur local economies that will greatly contribute in the economic growth of Guiuan. Linking with line agencies may also help in attracting tourists and investors.

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3. Municipality of Mercedes

Demography Total Population, Household Population and Number of Households (2000) Total Household No. of % Share Population Population Households Urban 944 19.44% 942 186 Rural 3,914 80.56% 3,913 759 Total 4,858 100.00% 4,855 945 Majority of the population resides in the rural area that is 3,914 or 80.56% of the total population. Only 944 live in the urban center, per NSO data. Population Growth 1990-2000 Year Population 1980 4,848 1990 4,505 1995 5,473 2000 4,857

Increase

Ave. Growth Rate

-343 968 -616

-0.73 -3.72 -2.53

Based on the table above, there is a downward trend in the average growth rate of the population; this is attributable to out-migration by the active population who are in search of economic opportunities outside Mercedes. Household population by age group and sex (2000) Age Group Male Female Under 1 59 42 1-4 238 233 5-9 288 296 10-14 335 286 15-19 284 245 20-24 213 174 25-29 140 162 30-34 157 139 35-39 141 120 40-44 103 106 45-49 100 97 50-54 107 99 55-59 75 82 60-64 80 77 65-69 73 65 70-74 50 52 75-79 41 33 80 & above 22 41 All Ages 2,506 2,349 % to Total 51.6% 48.4%

Total 101 471 584 621 529 387 302 296 261 209 197 206 157 157 138 102 74 63 4,855 100%

Based on records of 2000 census on the total population, 55.63% belong to the economically active population (15-64 years of age) and are part of the labor force. These people are engaged in agriculture, fishery, white collared jobs, domestic help and other jobs here and abroad. On the other hand, dependent population accounted for 36.6% 33

Distribution of Population by Age Group (2000) Age Group Number 0-14 1,777 15-64 2,701 65 and above 377 Total 4,855

Percent Share 36.6% 55.63% 7.77% 100.00%

Education Education and Literacy (2001) Basic Literacy Rate Functional Literacy Rate

Mercedes 97.4 66

Eastern Samar 97.2 67.9

Mercedes’ basic and functional literacy rates are comparable to that of the provincial average literacy rates. In 2001, basic literacy rate in Mercedes is slightly higher than the provincial rate, 97.4% as against 97.2%. In terms of functional literacy rate, Mercedes registered a bit lower than the provincial average rate by 1.9%. Facilities There are Poblacion Mercedes education, schools.

11 public elementary schools in Mercedes. All barangays outside the have their own elementary school. Children in Poblacion enroll at Central School. Based on records, five are complete elementary two are complete primary school, and four offer incomplete primary

Pre-school education is available at the Mercedes Central School. For barangays outside the Poblacion, there are day care centers that offer the same service supervised by the Municipal Social Welfare Office. Mercedes has two national high schools. These are the Mercedes National High School and the Bobon National High School. Both schools offer complete secondary education. Since the municipality has no tertiary school, majority of the high school graduates enroll at the Salcedo and Guiuan campuses of the Eastern Samar State College (ESSC). Others pursue their college education in Tacloban City, while others enroll at the main campus of ESSC in Borongan that offers many courses. Elementary Performance Indicators (SY 2002-2003) Mercedes Eastern Samar

Participation Rate 92.26 93.53

Cohort Survival Rate 90 68.21

Retention Rate 76.60 88.48

Achievement Rate 74.27 65.54

Drop-out Rate

Based on the table above, the proportion of school age children in Mercedes enrolled in elementary schools in the municipality was 92.26%. This elementary participation rate is slightly lower than the provincial average rate of 93.53%. Based on records, Mercedes’ cohort survival rate of 90% was the second highest in Eastern Samar in 2002. Its achievement rate of 74.27% is higher than the provincial rate of 65.54%.

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0.003

Health and Nutrition The ten leading causes of mortality and number of incidence by age group and sex in 2003 are the following:

1. Cardio-Vascular Diseases 2. Pneumonia 3. Bleeding Peptic Ulcer 4. Koch’s Pulmonary 5. Cancer 6. Diarrhea 7. Hemorrhagic Shock due to stab wounds 8. Accident 9. Food poisoning 10. Sepsis S/P amputation

Age

M

F

Total

65 up 50-64 15-49 65 up 65 up 65 up 65 up 1-4 15-49 50-64 5-14 65 up

3

1 1 1 1 1 1

4 1 1 3 3 3 1 1 1 1 2 1

2 2 2 1 1 1 1 1

1 1

Cardio vascular disease is the leading cause of mortality in Mercedes with 5 reported cases. This is followed by Pneumonia with 4 reported cases. Leading causes of morbidity are Bronchitis, URI and Streptococal diseases as shown in the table below. The ten leading causes of morbidity and number of incidence by age group and sex in 2003 are the following: 1. Bronchitis/Bronchiditis

2. Upper Respiratory Infection

3. Streptococcal Disease

4. Pneumonia

5. Hypertension

Age 0-11 mos. 1-4 5-14 15-49 50-64 65 up 0-11 mos. 1-4 5-14 15-49 50-64 65 up 0-11 mos. 1-4 5-14 15-49 50-64 65 up 0-11 mos. 1-4 5-14 15-49 50-64 65 up 15-49 50-64

M 24 57 37 16 4 6 13 45 33 27 8 6 4 21 21 14 6 4 9 6 10 3 2 3 2 5 35

F 18 78 42 22 6 3 19 51 36 52 11 10 7 29 21 21 6 2 5 10 8 2 2 3 8 22

Total 42 135 79 38 10 9 32 96 69 79 19 16 11 50 42 35 12 6 14 16 18 5 4 6 10 27

6. Diarrhea

7. Arthritis 8. APD

9. Amoebas

10. Typhoid

65 up 0-11 mos. 1-4 5-14 15-49 50-64 65 up 15-49 50-64 65 up 5-14 15-49 50-64 65 up 1-4 5-14 15-49 50-64 5-14 15-49

11 7 10 6

11 3 11 6 1

1 3 3 5 1 4 4 3 2 4 2 3 3

2 7 7 8 1 14 1 5 4 2

22 10 21 12 1 1 2 10 10 13 2 18 1 9 7 2 6 2 3 3

Nutritional Status In 2002, 1,033 pre-school children were weighed. It was discovered that the proportion of severely and moderately malnourished children reached 5.42%, an improvement over 2001 malnutrition rate of 7.6% Nutrition Profile of children 0-5 years old (2002) Nutritional Status No. of 0-5 children Malnourished children 120 Severely 2 Moderately 56 Mild 62 Normal 913 Overweight 0 Total Children Weighed 1,033

% Share 11.62 0.2 5.42 6 88.38 0

Nutrition Profile of Elementary Pupils: SY 2003-2004 Nutritional Status No. of 0-5 children Malnourished children 118 Severely 3 Moderately 56 Mild 59 Normal 713 Overweight 0 Total Children Weighed 949

% Share 14.2 0.36 6.74 7.10 85.8 0

Of the elementary pupils weighed, majority (85.8%) have normal weight. Although, there were 3 pupils who are severely malnourished and 56 who are moderately malnourished.

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Health Facilities Health services are provided by the Rural Health Unit located in the Poblacion. There is also Barangay Health Station located in Barangay Bobon. Services provided by the RHU are maternal and childcare, immunizations, under-five clinic, nutrition services, family planning, control of diarrhea, TB, and acute respiratory infections. Emergency cases that require hospitalization are referred to the Southern Samar General Hospital located in Guiuan. Cases that are more serious are referred to the provincial hospital in the capital town of Borongan and hospitals in Tacloban City. Health workers In 2003, the RHU has a regular work force of 7 health workers composed of a doctor, dentist, a nurse, two midwives, one dental aide and a sanitary inspector who is a licensed medical technologist. They visit barangays outside the Poblacion on a monthly basis. The two midwives alternately hold clinic at the BHS who are assisted by the barangay health workers. There are 42 BHWs and six trained birth attendants. BHWs serve as regular health care providers in the 11 barangay health nutrition posts. Social Welfare A single social worker staffs the municipal social welfare development office. Services provided by the MSWDO: Family Welfare Program extended in the form of Parents Effectiveness and Responsible Parenthood Sessions and Marriage Counseling; and community Welfare Program through social preparation to lay the groundwork for people’s participation and develop a higher level of social awareness and volunteerism. In 2003, Mercedes has 12-day care centers that benefited 234 children ages 3-5 in the 12 barangays. Trained day care workers jointly funded by MLGU and barangay council manage the day care centers. Households By Tenure Status of the Housing Unit (2000) Tenure Status of the Number of HHs Housing unit Owned/Being amortized 784 Rented 8 Rent free w/ the consent 40 of owner Rent free w/o the consent 0 of owner Not reported 113 Not applicable 0 Total 945

Percent Share 83% 0.8% 4.2% 0% 12% 0% 100.00%

About 784 housing units are owned or are still being amortized by its owners; forty (40) households are renting the land area free with the consent of the owner. Economic Agriculture The economy of Mercedes largely depends on agriculture and fishery. Out of the total area of 2,360 hectares, 2,046 hectares (86.69%) is devoted to agriculture. Coconut is cultivated in around 1,625 has. (79.42%) and dominate Mercedes’

37

agricultural land. Corn is planted to 12.75 has. (0.62%) and root crops occupy 41.09 has. (2.01%). Other agricultural uses comprise 319.16 has. (15.6%). Mercedes has no rice land. Area Devoted to Agricultural Production by Major Crops (2001) Crops 1. Coconut 2. Rice: Irrigated Rainfed Upland 3. Corn 4. Other Crops Citrus Rimas Banana Pineapple Watermelon 5. Rootcrops: Camote Cassava Gabi/ubi Palawan 6. Legumes: Peanut 7. Vegetables: Leafy Fruit Total

Area (has.)

Percent

Annual Production (MT) 3,592.99

1,625

95.15%

12.75

0.75%

38.25

1.75 3.44 13 0.5 0.5

0.1% 0.2% 0.76% 0.03% 0.03%

10.5 27.5 104 3 3

14.97 18.75 4.62 2.75 0.25

0.88% 1.1% 0.27% 0.16% 0.01%

89.82 150 32.34 27.5 0.5

3.5 6 1,706.88

0.21% 0.35% 100%

7 24

Coconut is the major crop cultivated in the municipality covering 1,625 hectares or 95.15% of the total land area devoted to agriculture with an annual production of 3,592.99 MT. Other crops planted by the farmers are corn and other crops. Mercedes is along the Pacific Ocean and Leyte Gulf. It has a potential for commercial fishing production. At present, there are no commercial fishing ventures in Mercedes. Most of its fisherfolks lack modern fishing gears and technology. There are 222 full-time fisherfolks and 93 part-time fisherfolks giving a total of 315 fishermen distributed in the eight coastal barangays of the municipality. 74 of them have motorized bancas, 156 have non-motorized bancas and 85 of them have no bancas at all. The total fish production of Mercedes was estimated at 417 MT annually. Some fisherfolks have recently ventured into marine fish culture, particularly grouper using fish cages. This venture is export-oriented and is tied up with the growers in Guiiuan for marketing support.

38

Livestock and Poultry Inventory (2001) Livestock Carabao

Cattle 1

Swine 104

Goat 464

Poultry Native Broiler Chicken 65 1,282

25

As of 2001, the total livestock production is 634 heads. Swine accounts for around 73% of the total production. Poultry production is 1,307 heads. Native chicken accounts for more than 98% of the total production. Trade, Commerce and Industry Number of Registered Business Establishments (1999) Type of business No. of Establishments Trading 22 Manufacturing 1 Service 1 Other 9 Total 33

% 66.67 3.03 3.03 27.27 100

Majority of the business establishments are into trading which is around 66%. The slow growth of trade and industry in Mercedes may be attributed to its proximity to Guiuan, which is the trading center in the south. It is only 8 km. away and is very accessible through the national highway. Most residents prefer to buy at the big stores in the commercial and shopping center in Guiuan. Handicraft is one of the sources of income for Barangays Cabunga-an ans San Jose. Particularly, hat and mat weaving which attracts tourists. Due to lack of promotion, marketing and new technology, the handicraft does not flourish despite the availability of raw materials for this industry in the barangays. Tourism Mercedes is a historical site being an adjacent town of Guiuan where a US Navy Base was located during World War II. The Port Kennedy used to service big naval and supply vessels of the US Navy. There are other historical sites in Mercedes such as the American Fleet Hospital, American Cemetery and WWII water dam. There are white beaches, rivers and one cave that have the potential for eco-tourism development. Infrastructure Water system Based on records of the provincial health office, Mercedes has one of the highest potable water access in the province. In 2003, the same report shows that potable water access was as high as 98% despite the absence of a level III water system. Of the 1,069 households in Mercedes, 1,039 have access to safe water (as of December 2003). Number of Potable Water Systems (2003) Type Number

HH served

Level I Level II Level III Total 39

104 8

778 251

112

1,029

Level I PWS serve majority of the households (104) and the remaining 251 households obtain their water supply using level II PWS. Pre and Post Harvest Facilities Mercedes has limited pre and post harvest facilities. In 2002, it has the following preharvest equipments: one plow, one harrow, and two sprayers. These are located in Barangays Busay and Sung-an. Post-harvest facilities include two solar dryers located in Barangays Anuron and Bobon. Road and Bridges Inventory of Roads (2002) Road Classification National Provincial Municipal Barangay Total Percent

Length Kms. % 16 9.10 10 28 63.1

25.36% 14.42% 15.85% 44.37% 100%

Concrete

Road Surface (Length in Km) Asphalt Gravel

Earth

16 1 4 5 10 15.85%

8.10

16 25.36%

8 16.10 25.51%

6 15 21 33.28%

Majority of the road networks in Mercedes are a combination of asphalt (25.36%), gravel (25.51%) and earth roads (33.28%). Mercedes has three concrete bridges and one timber bridge. Inventory of Bridges (2003) Bridge Classification and Location Buyayawon Bridge Cambante Sung-an Cabunga-an Total

Length (L.M.) 17.90 8 7 6.85 39.75

Number of Land Vehicle Ownership (2000) Type Jeepney (Multi-cab) Private car Private jeep Truck Tricycle Motorcycle Bicycle Total

Type Concrete Concrete Timber Concrete

Number 2 3 4 4 25 38 76 152

Majority of the registered vehicles in Mercedes are motorcycles (38 units), tricycles (25 units) and bicycles (76 units). There are only a few multi-cab and privately owned cars and jeepneys. Port Mercedes is the site of Port Kennedy constructed by the American Navy during World War II. It used to serve big naval vessels of the US Navy in the adjacent Guiuan. It is one of the historical tourist sites of the province. At present, Port

40

Kennedy is not operational. Mercedes is dependent on the municipal and subnational ports of Guiuan. Power As of February 2003, only seven (43.8%) of the 16 barangays are connected to the power grid. The Eastern Samar Electric Cooperative (ESAMELCO) provides the electricity to 145 households, which is 24% of the 816 potential household consumers. Telecoms Mercedes has a public calling office in the Telecommunication office of DOTC. Postal office also operates in Mercedes. Both are located in the municipal hall. Opportunities Rehabilitation of Port Kennedy could sufficiently provide services needed by the proposed Guiuan Economic Zone. The rehabilitation of the port will give way to the influx of investments in Mercedes. Major investment opportunities and commercial venture in Mercedes are tapping the agricultural potential for both farming and aqua-projects and tourism development. Possible new industries in Mercedes are buko juice commercial production, coco lumber processing, coconut shell charcoal making, and root crop processing. A host of other micro-industries that have potentials are also present such as shell craft, hat and weaving, coconut candy, salt and vinegar making. Threats The proximity of Mercedes to Guiuan, which is the trading center in the south, hampers its economy. As mentioned above, most residents prefer to buy at the big stores in the commercial and shopping center in Guiuan.

B. Northern Samar 1. Municipality of Lavezares

Social Demography Table 1.1 – Population growth from 1990-2000 Population Population 1990 2000 Region VIII 3,054,490 3,610,355 Northern Samar 329,335 375,822 Lavezares 19,058 23,991 Total Number of Households: Population Density: Average Household Size:

Increase 555,865 46,487 4,933

4,691 176.48/sq.km. 4.49

41

Percent Increase 18.2% 14.12% 25.88%

1990-2000 Growth rates 1.68% 1.33% 2.33%

Table 1.2 – Urban-Rural Population growth Population Population 1990 2000 Urban 4,971 6,017 Rural 14.078 17,974

1990-2000 Growth rates 1.9% 2.5%

Percent to Population 2000 25% 75%

Table 1.3 – Age-sex structure of the population 1999 Age Group 1-3 4-7 8-12 13-16 17-20 21-24 25-28 29-32 33-36 37-40 41-44 45-48 49-52 53-56 57-60 61-64 65-68 69-72 73-76 77-80 81-84 85-88 89-92 93-96

Female 1062 979 1367 988 908 696 608 573 441 425 299 297 318 277 294 169 147 116 102 75 24 28 14 2

Male 1202 1075 1525 1033 973 812 653 585 456 451 318 309 320 251 301 176 133 124 85 52 27 10 10 0

Total Population 2264 2054 2892 2021 1881 1508 1261 1158 897 876 617 606 638 528 595 345 280 240 187 127 51 38 24 2

Education Table 2.1 – Literacy rate Literacy Rate 88.79% 98.23% 93.56%

Regional VIII Northern Samar Municipal Average

There are five primary schools in the municipality. There are 18 intermediate schools, 1 secondary school and 1 vocational school. Among these schools, Lavezares Central Elementary School has the highest enrolment for the school year 2001, with 958 enrollees for both primary and elementary level, and 284 for the secondary level. From 1996-2001, enrolment rate has been fluctuating. This is due to the number of dropouts due to poverty and other reasons. Total Population and School Age Population Of the total population, 2,623 or 12.9% belong to primary level (ages 6-9); 2,254 or 11.04% are in intermediate level (10-14); 9.97% are in secondary level (ages 15-19). Number of Classrooms and enrollees There are 25 classrooms for the primary level with 770 enrollees, which gives a student-classroom ratio of 31. 42

2. Health & Nutrition There is one rural health unit in Lavezares and six barangay health stations. The Rural Health Center has one doctor, one midwife and one sanitary inspector. The ratio of medical personnel as against 1995 population is as follows: Doctor 1:22,093 Midwife 1:22,093 Sanitary Inspector: 1:22,093 There are three barangay health stations out of the 26 barangays, aside from the main health center at the Poblacion. One midwife serves each health station. Services provided by the municipal health officer and the midwife: general services, minor surgery, normal deliveries and at times retained placenta, pediatrics, nutrition, health education, internal medicine and environmental sanitation. In the Rural Health Center, they also admit patients with diarrhea, typhoid fever, bronchopneumonia, PTB, and asthma. However, major cases like appendicitis, caesarian operation are referred to the district hospital. Current services provided by the RHU are: • Medical, minor surgery, pediatrics • MCH: (a) Nutrition program (operation timbang, Vitamin A, iron and iodine supplementation, and de-worming; (b) tetanus immunization to all pregnant women; (c) clinic for children under six years of age; (d) family planning counseling; and (e) lecture on breastfeeding. • Control of communicable diseases: (a) expanded program immunization; (b) TB control program; (c) ARI program; and (d) control of diarrhea diseases • Supply of essential drugs • Environmental sanitation: (a) construction of water-sealed toilet facilities; and (b) clean and green program • Araw ng Sangkap Pinoy (DOH program) Services provided by the barangay health stations: • MCH: (a) Nutrition program (operation timbang, Vitamin A, iron and iodine supplementation, and de-worming; (b) tetanus immunization to all pregnant women; (c) clinic for children under six years of age; (d) family planning counseling; and (e) lecture on breastfeeding. • Control of communicable diseases: (a) expanded program immunization; (b) TB control program; (c) ARI program; and (d) control of diarrhea diseases • Supply of essential drugs • Treatment of communicable diseases • Environmental sanitation • Araw ng Sangkap Pinoy Majority of the households, which is 996 (71.4%) do not have toilet facilities. This poses a big problem since improper waste disposal may lead to an epidemic. Nutrition In 2000, out of the total number of children, 1,609 (37%) are malnourished in the first degree. 794 (18%) are malnourished in the second degree. Moreover, around 100 (2%) are in the third degree. Out of the 1,123 children weighed, 443 (36%) are malnourished. 363 (29%) are malnourished in the first degree. 77 (6%) are in the second degree, and 3 (.25%) in 43

the third degree. This may be due to inadequate food intake or wrong choice of food that makes the child susceptible to diseases. 3. Mortality and Morbidity Based on the records of RHU, Lavezares, the leading causes of mortality are Pneumonia (41 fatalities), Cardiovascular disease (27 deaths) and Diarrhea (25). 4. Social Welfare Existing services provided by the Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office (MSWDO) are family planning and counseling, family life, nutrition and child care, operation and supervision of day care centers, and other child welfare programs. Other programs by the LGU are self-employment assistance program (SEAP), food for growth, and others. 5. Housing Of the 4,637 households, 4,548 (98%) have their own housing units. 15 households (0.32%) are renters, and 69 households (1.48%) occupies housing unit with owners permission and without paying any rent. At present, the municipality has no problem on squatting. The LGU is planning to construct 50 low cost dwelling units for 50 depressed families under the BLISS program by the National Housing Commission. Economic Employment rate is 58%. The average family income is between P2,600 to 3,000. Other pertinent statistics: Labor force – 12,580 (6,542-M; 6,038-F) Employed: 6,730 (4,615-M; 2,115-F) Unemployed: 5,850 (2,281-M; 3,569-F)

Agriculture The total agricultural crop area of Lavezares is 8,363.3 hectares or 70.07% of its total land area of 11,959 hectares. Agricultural land is distributed into the following: Coconut is planted to 7,093 has. (59.36%), rice is cultivated in 1,117 has. (9.39%), both irrigated and rain-fed areas, abaca has 153.3 has (1.32%). The area planted to coconut is inter-cropped with some high value commercial crops (HVCC) like banana, cacao, pineapple, pili and root crops. Production The Agricultural area of Lavezares is around 76,946,170.15 sq. m. This is divided as follows: Type Rice field: Irrigated Rainfed Coco area Abaca Grassland Shrubs Fishpond Area Forest Mangrove

Area (in has.) 139 995 7,093 153.03 519.6 653.9 261 487.7 1,325.1

Built-up Areas

66

Nipa Area

218.9 44

Riceland has an average yield of 90 cavans per hectare. At present, there are 2,460 rice farmers. The sharing scheme between landowner is 50-50. Rice production is at 1,619.9 MT per cropping. Coconut production is at 6,853,770 MT per year. Livestock production are as follows: cattle,17 heads; carabao, 320 heads; and swine, 2,5000. Marine fish production is pegged at 1.5MT per month. 3. Commerce and Trade There are 57 retail stores, located mostly in the Poblacion. Some stores are selling spare parts of motorcycles and bicycles. Majority of the stores are engaged in sarisari commodities that cater to the needs of the public. There are 22 general merchants and copra dealers (four are in the Poblacion). There is an existing public market in the Poblacion. There are 22 business establishments in Lavezares. At present, Rural Bank of Lavazares is the only existing banking institution in the municipality.

Infrastructure and Utilities Sector Water Supply Sources of potable water in the municipality are dug wells (which covers 1,695 HH), tubod/piped walls (which covers 1,162 HH), upspring and faucets tapped from community water system units with 368 HH. Artesian wells are also located in Barangays Ocad, Sabang-Tabok and Caragas. Electric water pumps are in Barangays Ocad and Caragas. The developed Sigad spring is located in Barangay Ocad. Roads and Bridges Lavezares is along the national highway connecting to the capital town of Catarman and Allen, and stretches to Tacloban. The concrete highway from Enriqueta to Brgy Libas is around 13 km, with five concrete bridges. The following are the existing farm-to-market roads found in the barangays: 1. Villa Hermosa – Libas Feeder Road (2 km, w/ 2 concrete bridges and 2 wooden bridges) 2. Villa – Libas Road (2 km) 3. Villa – Balicuatro Road (1.5 km w/ 1 wooden bridge) 4. San Miguel – San Jose – Datag – Salvacion Road (9 km w/ 3 concrete and 3 wooden bridges) 5. Mac Arthur – Toog Road (6.5 km w/ 2 wooden bridges) 6. Enriqueta – Chansvilla Road (3 km w/1 wooden bridge) 7. Libertad – San Agustin Road (4 km w/ 2 wooden bridges) 8. Urdaneta – Barobaybay Road (3 km w/ 2 wooden bridges) 9. San Miguel – Barobaybay Road (3 km) The 26 barangays of Lavezares already have existing concrete pavements but some still need completion or concreting. 45

Seaports. Wharves are in the following coastal barangays: Bani, Magsaysay, San Isidro, Maravilla, San Agustin, San Juan and Villa. Power Thirteen (13) of the 26 barangays of Lavezares are already connected to the power grid. Electricity is distributed by NORSAMELCO. Around 789 HH in the rural area and 303 HH in the urban area still need to be connected to the power grid. (NORSAMELCO, 2001) Communications Existing service provider for telecommunications are TELECOM and PT&T. The Philippine Postal Corporation also operates in Lavezares. Priority Infrastructure Projects 1. Construction of irrigation facilities at BALIMASAMIN area 2. Road improvement/concreting along San Miguel-San Jose-Datag-Salvacion Road 3. Road concreting along San Miguel-Barobaybay-Urdaneta Road 4. Road concreting along Libas-Villa Road 5. Construction of potable water facilities at the Poblacion

STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES, OPPORTUNITIES AND THREATS Strengths Health • Lavezares has more medical workers than what is required. The present number of medical manpower is still well within the standard having a population of 21,399 (1990) • Lavezares has vast resources of water that may be tapped. Weaknesses Education • Not enough classrooms • Lack of teachers for both elementary and secondary level to cater to the growing population of students • Traditional teaching-learning methods in the school Economic • Not enough space (bigger area) for commercial establishment to cater to the needs of the growing population especially in the following industries: fishing, agriculture and other marine products • Lack of access to the public market Infrastructure • Lavezares does not have a waterworks system. However, most barangays are sourcing out their water from wells, springs, and community water system (such as jetmatic water pumps and faucets).

46

Opportunities •

•

•

•

•

Existing government line agencies that can provide basic socio-econ assistance/ services: BFAR, DA, TESDA and DTI, among others that could help develop agriculture and cottage industries in the municipality. Provision of more classrooms, additional teachers for both elementary and secondary levels and more school facilities, and the shift from traditional teaching-learning methods to more advanced techniques (e.g. adopting computer technology) are priorities of the DECS Regional Office, Division Office, and the Office of the Principal-in-Charge of the District for the next ten years. Intensify nutrition and health education to improve knowledge, attitudes and practices of mothers on childcare and feeding practices particularly on breastfeeding, and proper choice of food. The LGU has already tied up with DOH implement its program from 2002-2010. This include provision of medicine and medical equipments, MCH program, health education, Family Planning program, National tuberculosis program, dental program, among others. Existence of other institutions such as socio-religious, economic and civic-minded groups may be tapped for additional funding for the construction of day care centers in other barangays.

Threats • • •

•

Geology, flooding hazards and erosion potential area (around 5,404 has. are severely eroded) contributes to the deterrent of its socio-economic growth. Municipality’s development is constrained by its rugged and hilly terrain. Although the municipality is rich in natural resources, marine products and tourist spots, it cannot be developed due to: o Distance from the capital town o No available investors interest/attracted due to geographical location o The municipality is along the side of San Bernardino Strait, which is a “turbulent wavy area” within the Pacific side Although the area is a rich fishing ground, its weather condition during the northeast monsoon months does not allow fishing

2. Municipality of Mondragon

Social Demography Distribution of Rural-Urban Household Population (2000) Total Population % Share Urban 8,461 30.11% Rural 19,637 69.89% Total 28,098 100.00% Mondragon has a total population of 28,098. Majority of its population reside in the rural area which is 19,637 or almost 70%. Based on records, from 1990 to 2000, population in the urban grew by 1.546%, from 7,248. Likewise, rural population from 1990 to 2000 grew by 3.4% from 14,115.

47

Population Growth 1990-2000 Year Population 1980 20,423 1990 21,399 1995 25,504 2000 28,098

Ave. Growth Rate 0.47 3.35 2.10

For the period 1995 to 2000, the population increased by 2,594 or an average growth rate of 2.10%. In 2000, Mondragon has 5,301 households, 3,705 (69.89%) of which are in the rural areas. Education (N. Samar) Northern Samar has a simple literacy rate of 89.92% as of 2000. The teacher-pupil ratio in elementary is 1:43 and 1:37 for high school. The classroom-pupil ratio is 1:31 for both elementary and high school levels. Health (N. Samar) In 1995, Northern Samar has infant mortality rate of 66.45. It has a child mortality rate of 31.79, which is slightly higher than the regional rate of 30.22. Maternal mortality rate is 185.05, lower than the regional rate of 189.76. Economic Agriculture Mondragon has a total land area of 28,890 hectares, 13,169.70 has of which is devoted to agriculture. Coconut, rice and other cash crops are commonly cultivated in the area. It has a vast plain level slightly rolling to hilly portion. Plain or level areas include the Poblacion to the eastern and northern portion that are primarily devoted to lowland rice, coconut and other cash crops. Planted in slightly rolling areas are abaca, coconut bananas and fruit trees. Rolling to hilly terrain is associated with commercial forest in most areas in the western about five (5) to 10 kilometers from the road network Coconut is the major crop cultivated in Mondragon. It occupies a land area of 6,693 hectares. Abaca is planted in 3,900 hectares of land area. Root crops, which include camote, palawan, gabi, and bagong, among others cover a total land area of 85 hectares. It has an annual production of 340MT. Fishing Fishing is the usual activity in the Makiwalo Gulf. Major Marine Products are tuna fish, galunggong, coral fishes, crabs, shrimps, lobsters, oysters and seashells. AGRICULTURAL FISHERY MODERNIZATION PLAN 1. Provision of Post Harvest Facilities thru the Department of Agriculture the following; a. Hand Tractors b. Rice Threshers c. Multi-purpose Drying Pavement

48

2. Establishment of Irrigation System thru DA a. Small Farm Reservoir b. Shallow Tube Wells 3. Upgrading of Seeds thru the used of Certified Seeds-an increase of 10-15 cavans per hectare from farmer 4. Use of Post Management System 5. Improvement of Livestock Breed 6. Implementation of Coastal Resource Management Program thru: a. Organization of Brgy Fishery and Aquatic Resource Program b. Organization of Fish Warden c. Establishment of Fish Sanctuary d. Establishment of Fish Shelter Livestock and poultry Livestock production in Mondragon includes carabao (2,500 heads), cattle (75 heads), and goat (50 heads). The total poultry production is around 19,000 heads. Mineral Resources Mineral resources found in Mondragon includes spring water, sand and gravel, boulders and other aggregate (like pebbles) Forest Resources Forest area covers 13,411.50 hectares. Timber, rattan and wild fruits such as kalapi, rambutan, and ubod, are commonly found in the forest areas. Other land uses Open grassland covers 403.10 hectares. Swamps in Mondragon has a total combined area of 1,646.70 has. Total area of open water spaces is around 123.43 has. The following is the breakdown of land use in the municipality: food crop development zone is devoted to around 2,220 hectares; agri-tourism, 200 hectares.; high value crop, 1,500 hectares; agro-industrial, 8,655 hectares; pasture/livestock 1,010 hectares; agro-forestry, 1380 hectares; fishing, 1369 hectares; forestry/watershed, 11,021 hectares; and built-up areas 932 hectares. Trade and Industry There are 10 rice mills, welding shops, cottage and home industries, tailoring, dressmaking, furniture making, hollow block making, oil milling, car making, hammock, basketry, and bakery. Other establishments include: 20 sari-sari stores, three copra traders, one pharmacy, two eateries, three slaughter houses (carabao), and four bakeries. Tourism The territorial limit of the municipality is defined by the following boundaries, about 16 kilometers of irregular shorelines with its fine beaches and rich corals in the north. 49

Another interesting feature of Mondragon is the Cyrstal Mountain that could be a tourist spot.

3. Municipality of San Jose

Social Demography San Jose has a population of 4,933 that accounts for 14.12% of the total population of the province. For the period 1990-2000, the population of San Jose grew by 2.33% Population growth from 1990-2000 Population Increase 2000 Region VIII Northern Samar San Jose

3,610,355 375,822

555,865 46,487

18.2% 14.12%

1990-2000 Growth rates 1.68% 1.33%

13,901

4,933

25.88%

2.33%

Age-sex structure of the population 1995 Age Both Sexes Male Female Group Under 402 213 189 1 1-4 1522 790 732 5-9 1740 916 824 10-14 1637 872 765 14-19 1379 733 646 20-24 1010 493 517 25-29 925 473 452 30-34 779 390 389 35-39 637 316 321 40-44 561 302 259 45-49 453 238 215 50-54 410 196 214 55-59 382 172 210 60-64 273 143 130 65-69 172 76 96 70-74 122 54 68 75-79 77 33 44 80-84 49 19 30 85 and 26 7 19 above Total 12556 6436 6120

Percent Increase

Both Sexes

2001 Male

2001 population

14,186

Female

454

240

214

1720 1966 1850 1558 1141 1045 880 720 634 512 463 432 308 194 138 87 55 29

893 1035 985 828 557 534 441 362 341 269 221 194 161 86 61 37 21 8

827 931 865 730 584 511 439 358 293 243 242 237 147 108 77 50 34 21

14186

7274

6911

Based on Table above, there are more males than females residing in San Jose. Sex ratio is 1:05 male for every female.

50

In terms of economic dependency, youth groups’ ages 0-14 years old totaled to 5,989 constituting 42% of the total population. The elderly population ages 65 years old and above totaled to 496 that is about 4% of the total population. Therefore, majority of the population belong to the labor/working age group. School age population is 38% of the population. Ages 6-12 years old constitute 19% of the total population. 13-16 years old is around 9% of the population, and 17-21 years of age is around 10%. Of the school age population, 49% are population ages 6-12 years old, 25% are ages 13-16 years old, and 26% are ages 17-21 years old. Population 5 years Old and Above by Highest Grade Completed Highest Grade Completed Population (1995) Population (2001) No grade completed 1,141 1,289 Pre-School 269 304 Elementary Education 6,013 6,793 Primary (3,349) (3,783) Intermediate (2,264) (3,010) High School Education 2,238 2,528 Undergraduate (1,420) (1,604) Graduate (918) (924) College Graduate 438 495 Academic Degree Holder 427 482 Post Baccalaureate Degree 8 9 Not stated 32 36 Total 10,632 12,012 Urban-Rural Population

Urban Rural Total

2000 Population HH Population 6,997 1,413 6,904 1,358 13,901 2,771

2001 Population 7,140 7,046 14,186

HH population 1,428 1,409 2,837

There is a little difference between those who living in the urban and rural areas. In 2001, the number of urban settlers is around 7,140 as compared with those residing in the rural area that is 7,046. Education There are 12 government elementary institutions in San Jose, 1 government high school and 1 private academy run by the Raparatrix sisters. However, because San Jose is contiguous to open seas, roofing materials of several structures continue to deteriorate.

51

Health and Nutrition Mortality and Morbidity Table - Fertility, Mortality and Morbidity Rates (2000) Crude Birth Rate Population

14,633

Number

Rate

442

30.2

General Medicare Consultation

Mortality Death 57

3.89

Infant Mortality

Young Child Mortality

Maternal Mortality

6

8

0

13.57

2.84

Number

Rate

10.71

13.19

In 2000, causes of deaths to 1 to 4 years old are: shock to secondary to hemorrhage and severe traumatic injuries (1 male, 3 years old); Bronchopneumonia (4 males, ages 1-3 years old); Infectious diarrhea (1 female, 1 yr. old); Gastroenteritis (1 male, 1 yr. old); and Meningitis (1 female, 3 yrs. Old). In 2000, the ten leading causes of mortality are: CVA Hypertension, Kock’s Pulmonary, Congestive Heart Failure, Bronchopneumonia, Pneumonia, Drowning, Cardiac Arrest, Acute Gastroenteritis, Cancer and Schistosomiasis. Nutrition (weight and nourishment) Table - Frequency and Degree of Malnutrition(2000) Number and Percent of Malnourished Children 1st degree 2nd degree 3rd degree Total No. % No. % No. % No. % San 632 4.3 205 0.03 18 0.12 855 5.8 Jose Around 632 children are found to be malnourished in the 1st degree that is 4.3% of the total population. About 205 (0.03%) are malnourished in the 2nd degree and 18 are already in the third degree. One central rural health unit is located in the municipal hall compound serving all the 16 barangays. Two barangay health stations are located in Barangays Geratag and San Lorenzo. Both are catering to the needs of near-by barangays. Health Programs: 1. Expanded program on immunization (from live birth to 1 year immunization) 2. Disease Surveillance 3. Control of acute respiratory infections 4. Control diarrhea diseases 5. Micro-nutrient supplementation/nutrition 6. Family Planning 7. Tuberculosis Control Program 8. STD/AIDS 9. Environmental Health and Sanitation Program 10. Cancer Control Program (Cervical Cancer Screening Program)

52

Households by Usual Manner of Garbage Disposal Usual Manner of Garbage Disposal 1. Picked up service garbage trucks/carts 2. Dumping in individual open pit (not burned) 3. Burning 4. Composting 5. Burying 6. Feeding to animals 7. Others

No. of HH

%

75 330 220

3.11 13.72 9.23

192

7.98

Around 1,545 (64.21%) have water sealed, sewer/septic tank used exclusively by the household. In 2001, San Jose has one PHN, one dentist, 3 RSI, 1 Medical Technician and 16 BHWs. Social Welfare There are 13 child day care centers for ages 3 to 6 years old. There are 10 PAG-ASA (Youth Associations of the Philippines) serving the development of disadvantaged youth and out-of-school-youth. There are 14 women’s organizations established in different barangays. In addition, there are 14 Senior Citizen’s Organizations in San Jose. Housing Sector Housing Units Occupied and Vacant (2000) Housing Units Occupied 2,505 Vacant 160 Total 2,665

Owner HH & Occupied Housing Units by Tenure Status of Lot Area Classification Urban Rural Total

Total Owner HH in occupied Housing Unit 1,018 1,455 2,473

Owned/ Amortized

Rented

Being Occupied for free w/ consent of owner

53 113 166

493 927 1,420

420 380 800

Being Occupied for free w/o consent of owner 52 35 87

As of 2001, 1,507 households or 60.94% of the total households are squatters. This means that they constructed their houses with or without the consent of the landowners. About 20% of the total HH purchased or amortized their occupied lands, 9% represent housing units constructed their dwellings by hiring skilled workers, and 0.6% represents housing units that were inherited. The following is the sources of financing of HH who had purchased/constructed their housing units: • 91.8% constructed at their own resources • 1.2% constructed w/ govt assistance (GSIS, PAG-IBIG, SSS & DBP) • 3.4% assisted by other sources (not specified) • 99% constructed w/ the assistance of employees. 53

Economic Table – Population 15 years old and above by employment status In the labor force Age Group Population Employed Unemployed 15-80 years old and above

8,195

4,045

954

Not in the labor force 3,196

The labor force of San Jose is around 58% of the total population. Of the total labor force, 49% are employed, 12% are unemployed, while 39% are not in the labor force. Agriculture Of the total 556 hectares of Riceland, only 55 has. are irrigated. That is why palay production of San Jose is not high. Intercropping between coconut plantations is minimal. San Miguel Corporation, Cargyl Philippines and Granexport buy copra. Livestock is availed by farmer through dispersal program of the national government. San Jose has vast marine resources. However, due to the absence of a functional ice plant for preservation purposes, the municipality cannot fully maximize it. Commerce and Trade There are 200 business establishments in San Jose, 111 of which are in the poblacion barangays and 89 are in the adjacent barangays. There are 19 types of business establishments in the municipality. There are 132 sari-sari stores in San Jose. There are seven copra dealers and three big copra-buying stations. There are 13 passenger jeepney operators. There are seven general merchandise stores, six dry goods store and eight restaurants and refreshment parlors. Other commercial establishments include one pharmacy/drug store, one lumber dealer, six welding shops, one cable TV station, one FM station, three video houses and two construction firms. Industry Kind of Establishment 1. Bakery 2. Rice Mills 3. Concrete Products 4. Ice Plant 5. Construction Firm Total

Number 5 3 2 1 2 13

There are native food makers in San Jose. Their products are cakes, leche flan and pastries, which can be found in the Poblacion. There are also puto and suman sold in the rural areas within the poblacion. The ice plant in Barangay Balite is no longer operational.

54

Infrastructure Water system There is an existing water system in Barangays Mandugang, Bonglas and Tubigdanao. However, these are no longer operational. The only sources of potable water in the whole municipality are pumps (manual and motor-driven) and shallow wells. An existing San Jose Water District delivers potable water to all barangays. It implementing, in coordination with LGU and LWUA, water works project (level III, phase 1) that will cover 12 barangays. Transportation The road network in the San Jose has a total length of 29.431 km, which is comprised of national, provincial, and barangay roads. Almost all municipal streets are concrete. Considerable portion of the provincial road is also paved. The national highway that passes through San Jose has a total length of 7.466 km (concrete pavement). It starts from Barangay Geratag and ends at Brgy. Dao. There are three bridges along the highway with a total length of 89 m and two reinforced concrete box culverts with a total length of 18 m. The total length of the provincial road is 14.8 km that stars form San Jose to San Lorenzo road from junction to Mandugang and Bongals roads. There are 14 existing bridges along barangay roads. The port of San Jose has a deep harbor (32 fathoms). It is protected by its surrounding islands from the open sea. It is categorized a national harbor and its port facilities are used for loading and unloading passengers and cargoes. It can become an international port. Having abundant supply of fish, the public market of San Jose caters to neighboring municipalities for their fish-meat demands. There are existing stalls both for dry and wet products. Adjacent to the market is a slaughterhouse and public toilet. The market stands improvement due to space constraints. There is an existing bus and jeepney terminal and parking facilities in San Jose. It is located in Barangay North. It has a capacity of 20 light vehicles. Communication PLDT, RCPI, Bayantel, National Telecommunications Office and Globe Telecommunication provide telecommunication services. ISLACOM has already invested in the municipality. Its structures are already ongoing construction. The Philippine Postal Corporation is also operating in San Jose. As mentioned above, there is one FM station operating in San Jose, located in Brgy. Balite. It broadcasts in Lavezares, Rosario, Biri and Bobon. There is also an existing cable network (South Cable TV) located in Brgy. East that airs 10 TV stations and 1 local TV station.

55

Power Power supply is provided by NAPOCOR through Northern Samar Electric Cooperative (NORSAMELCO). Power source is from Tongonan, Leyte. It can supply power requirements of the entire Region VIII, Cebu and part of Luzon. At present, power is supplied 24 hours, except during typhoons that interrupt it by power tripping along Catarman-Lope de Vega-Calbayog City Section. As of 2001, 14 barangays are already connected to the power grid, with 1,069 registered households, 940 of which is composed of residential consumers. The remaining 129 are commercial and institutional consumers. Drainage and Sewerage There is an existing 1.23 km drainage system in the urban area. From 1997 to 2000, flash floods were experienced during the months of August to November. This was due to the combination of high tide and heavy rains brought by monsoon. Strengths Promotion of eco-tourism is one of the priorities of the LGU. This can give way to influx of additional investments in the municipality. This could also help boost the local economy. The LGU sees the need for the conduct of skills and capability-building trainings to make them more development-oriented and remove their pessimism. Weaknesses The occurrence of flash flood does not only hamper economic activity in San Jose but also prevents it from attracting investors. The attitude of the residents toward management of the coastal resources could significantly affect the supply of marine resources of the community in the long run. This may be aggravated by their wrong garbage disposal practices along Geratag River that cause trash to clog along the coastline. Years of inaction by the LGU in improving the port has left the place with a few entertainment and food service facilities. At the same time, lack of private sector participation and the competition among the bus and trucking companies has diverted passenger ships to other ports. Opportunities With the entry of ISLACOM (SMART) in the area, landline telephones will be operational in a year’s time. Cellular phone service by SMART will also augment costly antenna installations by private individuals. The existing port is of international caliber. The development and expansion of the San Jose Port may give way to the influx of tourism, and influx of investments (both commercial and industrial) in San Jose. The expanded port will be able to accommodate huge shipping vessels. This can even help the municipality to become one of the centers of commerce and trade in the region. The existence of a beach in San Jose could help, simultaneously with the expansion of the port, attract tourists in the municipality that could help boost the local economy. At the same time, the continuous effort of DENR is advantageous in restoring the coastal resources of San Jose. DENR has played a major role in establishing fishponds in Dao Bay and plantation of mangroves at the same time. 56

With the partnership between the LGU and University of Eastern Philippines, training of farmers on scientific farming will be introduced through a diploma in agriculture technology. This could help them increase their productivity. Model farms shall be implemented which will further enhance their skills. With the assistance of NHA and other government lending institutions, agreements between squatters, landowners and the government to acquire the concerned lands based on latest zonal valuation is afoot. The squatter-beneficiary of the program shall amortize in return.

57

II. Household Profiles

A. Basic Information A total of 1,061 respondents in the pilot municipalities were surveyed, 55.8 percent or 593 respondents from the Eastern Samar and 44.1 percent or 468 respondents from Northern Samar. In each of the municipalities, respondents were taken from the urban (29% of total respondents) and rural areas (71%). Respondents from the urban and rural areas were further classified as coming from poor and non-poor households. About 50.23 percent of the total respondents are from poor households while 51.21percent come from non-poor households.

Surveyed Areas Eastern Samar Borongan Guiuan Mercedes Northern Samar Lavezares Mondragon San Jose TOTAL

593 330 225 38 468 157 201 110 1061 100%

Number of Respondents / Head of Households Urban Rural Total Poor Total Poor Non Poor Non Poor 47 55 102 243 248 491 43 287 21 22 144 143 53 172 24 29 83 89 2 4 6 16 16 32 36 166 202 207 59 266 37 120 10 27 98 22 130 71 15 115 71 0 11 24 35 38 37 75 304 757 83 221 450 307 29% 42% 71% 8% 21% 29%

Notes: a. 95% confidence level at confidence interval of 4 (sampling range of 1 to 3%) b. Annual per capita income threshold for Region 8 (Eastern Visayas) is P9,623 or P48,115 a year for a family of 5. This was used to determine poor and non-poor respondents. Urban and rural annual per capita threshold is P9,969 And P9,562, respectively. [Source: NEDA Region 8, 2000] c. Urban and rural barangays were determined using National Statistics Office criteria d. Household survey was administered from undertaken from 8 February to 15 May 2005

B. Demographic Profile Respondents (representative for the household) Gender Of the total 1,061 respondents interviewed to represent the household, 71 percent were female and 29 percent were male. Total Male Female

1061 308 753

29% 71%

58

Age and Civil Status About half of the respondents come from the age range of 31 to 50 years old, while 33 percent of the respondents are aged 51 years old and above as of the time of the survey. Ninety two percent or 971 of the respondents are married. Age Range Less than or equal to 20 21 to 30 31 to 40 41 to 50 51 to 60 61 above No response

Status Married Single Separated Widowed Blank

No 12 149 274 272 179 166 9 1061

No

% 1% 14% 26% 26% 17% 16% 1%

% 971 24 7 54 5 1061

92% 2% 1% 5% 0.47% 100%

C. Socio-Economic Educational Level About 73 percent of the respondents have reached high school and elementary education. Only 22 percent of them have reached or finished college. Educational Level College High School Elementary Vocational NA

No

% 232 386 397 9 37 1061

22% 36% 37% 1% 3% 100%

Occupation About 43 percent of the heads of households/respondents (456) are preoccupied with housekeeping, 18 percent (187) farming/fishing, 43 percent (158) registered “other occupation” and 9 percent (92) of the respondents are government/barangay officials or employees. Six percent or 66 persons are engaged in business or buy and sell and 4 percent or 38 are teachers.

59

Occupation Farming/Fishing Govt/Brgy Official/employee Businessperson/buy & sell Teachers Crafts/Skilled work Sari-sari store Housekeeping Others No response

No 187 92 66 38 12 41 456 158 11 1061

% 18% 9% 6% 4% 1% 4% 43% 15% 1% 100%

Household membership, size, age, and pre-occupation The average household size of the respondents is 5.7 members. Males outnumber females at the first five members of the household. The average age range (from oldest member of the household to the youngest) is 14 years old to 20 years old. The predominant occupation of the household members is as follows in the following order of frequency: student (membership groups 1 to 4), non-farm workers, farming and assorted occupations. The frequency of the pre-occupation of the 5th household member is usually “jobless”, “stand-by”, retired, and senior citizen.

HH member 1

2

Household size, membership and age 3 4 5 6 7

8

9

10

Total (2 prov, 6 mun) Average Household size: 5.73 Average Age Total No.

20.02 17.93 16.57 15.81 15.14 14.37 14.37 15.12 14.35 14.57 973 880 741 585 434 290 185 100 46 20 Male 511 452 383 295 218 144 90 44 22 10 Female 462 428 358 290 216 146 95 56 24 10 Predominant occupation 1. Student (College, high school, elementary) in membership groups 1 to 4 (in order of frequency): 2. Non-farm worker (frequent in membership groups 1 to 5) 3. Farming and assorted occupations 4. 5th HH member up are: jobless, "stand-by", retired, senior citizens N. Samar Average Age 20 18 17 17 17 17 18 20 21 18 Total No. 424 377 301 226 169 116 67 39 15 4 Male

221

195

163

113

87

57

29

19

6

1

Female

203

182

138

113

82

59

38

20

9

3

Male Female

20 549 290 259

18 503 257 246

16 440 220 220

15 359 182 177

14 265 131 134

13 174 87 87

12 118 61 57

12 61 25 36

11 31 16 15

14 16 9 7

E. Samar Average Age Total No.

60

Ownership of Real Properties Of the total 1,049 respondents who responded on the question on real properties, 86 percent or 903 have at least one real property or asset. The dominant type of property identified is house and lot and majority of them inherited these properties. The average age of these properties is 17 years (acquired in the late 1980s). The average fair market value of the assets P114,346. Those who possess second properties number about 289 or 28 percent and these are mostly agricultural land planted to rice/coconut with an average worth of P155,403. Forty-nine (49) respondents or 4.7 percent have three properties. Only 0.5 percent or 6 households reported that they have 4 real properties.

Real Property 1 Yr Acquired (modal year among samples)

Total n

Mode of Acquisition

Average Fair Market Value

No w/ Prop Dominant Type Eastern Samar Borongan Urban Poor

21

21 House & Lot

1987 90% inherited

21,933

Non Poor

22

22 House & Lot

1990 80% inherited

71,579

Poor

144

138 House & Lot

1977 73% inherited

Non Poor

147

127 House & Lot

1974 60% inherited

Poor

24

19 House & Lot

1988 56% inherited

Non Poor

29

25 House & Lot

1990 90% purchased

Poor

83

60 House & Lot

1992 82% inherited

49,837

Non Poor

89

83 House & Lot

1989 70% inherited

114,649

Rural 22,041 108,510

Guiuan Urban 47,533 172,527

Rural

Mercedes Urban Poor

2

2 House

1993 100% purchased

35,000

Non Poor

4

4 House & Lot

1998 100% purchased

58,750

16

15 House & Lot

1992 80% owned

34,867

Rural Poor Non Poor Northern Samar Lavezares Urban Poor

10

1995 62% inherited

29,167

Non Poor

27

20 House & lot

9 Rice, coco land

1987 43% inherited

116,154

Poor

98

77 House & lot

1988 33% inherited

113,093

Non Poor

22

18 House & lot

1986 60% purchased

266,923

Rural

Mondragon Urban Poor Non Poor

15 115

14 House & lot 112 H&L, Rice, Coco

Rural

61

1991 50% purchased

25,091

1982 61% purchased

705,725

Poor Non Poor

71 -

53 House & lot -

-

1999 25% inherited -

-

21,539 -

San Jose Urban Poor

11

8 House & lot

1988 28% purchased

106,000

Non Poor

24

18 House & lot

1991 44% purchased

110,731

Poor

38

35 House, Coco

1993 25% purchased

89,145

Non Poor

37

23 House & lot

1987 50% purchased

194,823

Rural

Real Property 2 Yr Acquired (modal year among samples)

Total n No w/ Prop

Mode of Acquisition

Average Fair Market Value

Dominant Type

Eastern Samar Borongan Urban Poor

21

Non Poor

22

Rural Poor

144

32 H&L, Coco farm

1969 77% inherited

26,667

Non Poor

147

34 H&L, Agri land

1991 65% inherited

125,905

Guiuan Urban Poor

24

1995 50% inherited

205,000

Non Poor

29

10 Coco land

4 Land, coco land

1988 75% inherited

96,889

Poor

83

16 H&L, Agri land

1969 30% inherited

96,250

Non Poor

89

33 H&L, Agri land

1982 51% inherited

229,079

Rural

Mercedes Urban Poor

2

2 Land/Lot

2002 100% inherited

50,000

Non Poor

4

2 House/store

1994

-

20,000

33% purchased

80,000

Rural Poor

16

4 Agri land, land

-

Non Poor Northern Samar Lavezares Urban Poor

10

1999 50% inherited

40,000

Non Poor

27

10 Coco land

4 House & lot, coco

1985 30% inherited

123,500

Poor

98

39 House & lot, agri

1985 31% inherited

Non Poor

22

10 Rice & coco land

1989 77% purchased

Rural 99,808 195,200

Mondragon Urban Poor

15

Non Poor

2 H&L, farmland

115

-

55 Coco land

1982 50% purchased

7,000 139,402

Rural Poor Non Poor

71 -

12 House & lot -

-

2000 18% inherited -

San Jose Urban

62

-

26,251 -

Poor

11

3 House & lot

1983 33% inherited

50,000

Non Poor

24

6 Coco land

1985 50% inherited

920,000

Poor

38

8 Farmland

1991 28% purchased

503,800

Non Poor

37

3 Coco land

1999 66% purchased

73,312

Rural

Real Property 3 Yr Acquired (modal year among samples)

Total n No w/ Prop

Mode of Acquisition

Average Fair Market Value

Dominant Type

Eastern Samar Borongan Urban Poor

21

Non Poor

22

Rural Poor

144

2 Coco farm

50% inherited

Non Poor

147

3 Farm land

50% inherited

-

Poor

24

1 Agri land

2005

Non Poor

29

1 Agri land

1997 100% purchased

30,000

Poor

83

Non Poor

89

3 Agri land

1989 66% inherited

41,667

107,500

Guiuan Urban -

5,000

Rural

Mercedes Urban Poor

2

Non Poor

4

Rural Poor

16

Non Poor Northern Samar Lavezares Urban Poor

10

1 House & lot

2003 100% inherited

65,000

Non Poor

27

6 House & lot

1988 66% purchased

168,000

Poor

98

Non Poor

22

Rural 10 House & lot, agri

1978 33% inherited

201,667

7 Coco land

1982 100% purchased

254,000

12 H&L, Rice

1984 100% purchased

242,857

Mondragon Urban Poor

15

Non Poor

115

Rural Poor Non Poor

71 -

-

-

-

-

-

San Jose Urban Poor

11

Non Poor

24

1 Rice land

1965 100% purchased

1,000,000

Poor

38

2 H&L

2002 100% purchased

17,500

Non Poor

37

Rural

63

Real Property 4 Yr Acquired Mode of (modal year Acquisition among samples)

Total n No w/ Prop

Average Fair Market Value

Dominant Type

Eastern Samar Borongan Urban Poor

21

Non Poor

22

Rural Poor

144

Non Poor

147

Guiuan Urban Poor

24

Non Poor

29

Poor

83

Non Poor

89

Rural

Mercedes Urban Poor

2

Non Poor

4

Rural Poor

16

Non Poor Northern Samar Lavezares Urban Poor

10

Non Poor

27

Poor

98

2 Coco land

1965

Non Poor

22

4 house & lot

1982 50% purchased

Rural -

228,750

Mondragon Urban Poor

15

Non Poor

115

Rural Poor Non Poor

71 -

-

-

-

San Jose Urban Poor

11

Non Poor

24

Poor

38

Non Poor

37

Rural

64

-

-

Ownership of Personal Properties About 58 percent of the respondents reported ownership of personal properties, the dominant typologies of which are appliances, small vehicles and work animals, some jewelry and bank accounts/cash.

Total n No w/ Prop Northern Samar Non Poor

Personal Property 1 Yr Acquired Acquired by (modal year purchase among samples) Dominant Type 150 1. Appliances

225

Average Fair Market Value

1998

77

40,913

1998

88

17,417

2000

137

41,259

2001

54

15,267

2. Motor/Tricycle 3. Carabao

Poor

116 1. Appliances

243

2. Carabao 3. Pedicab

Eastern Samar Non Poor

251 1. Appliances

303

2. Motor/Tricycle 3. Tractor 4. Pumpboat

Poor

97 1. Appliances

290

2. Jewelry

Total n No w/ Prop Northern Samar Non Poor

225

Personal Property 2 Yr Acquired Acquired by (modal year purchase among samples) Dominant Type 86 1. Appliances

Average Fair Market Value

1969

51

35,248

2000.166667

26

1999

67

28,214

2000

12

8,596

2. Bank Account

Poor

243

31 1. Appliances

21,257

2. Jewelries

Eastern Samar Non Poor

303

132 1. Appliances 2. Jewelries

Poor

290

36 1. Appliances 2. Furniture

65

Personal Property 3 Yr Acquired Acquired (modal year by among purchase samples) Dominant Type

Total n No w/ Prop Northern Samar Non Poor

Average Fair Market Value

225

54 Appliances

2000

35

27,499

Poor

243

9 Appliances

2001

8

19,625

Non Poor

303

65 1. Appliances

2000

33

17,897

2000

4

6,433

Eastern Samar 2. Jewelries 3. Cash

Poor

12 Appliances

290

Personal Property 4 Yr Acquired Acquired (modal year by among purchase Dominant samples) Type

Total n No w/ Prop Northern Samar Non Poor

Average Fair Market Value

225

34 Appliances

2000

22

32,685

Poor

243

4 Appliances

2002

3

9,667

Non Poor

303

39 Appliances

2000

17

18,062

Poor

290

4 Appliances

1996

0

41,500

Eastern Samar

Personal Property 5 Yr Acquired Acquired Average Fair (modal year by Market Value among purchase samples) Dominant Type

Total n No w/ Prop Northern Samar Non Poor

225

18 Appliances

1999

9

13,007

Poor

243

1 Appliances

2003

0

4000

1999

6

16,000

Non Poor

303

Poor

290

1985

0

10,000

14

Eastern Samar

1 Appliances

66

Personal Property 6 Yr Acquired Acquired Average Fair (modal year by Market Value among purchase samples) Dominant Type

Total n No w/ Prop Northern Samar Non Poor

225

Poor

243

Non Poor

303

Poor

290

Eastern Samar

7 Appliances

1996

3

7,700

8

1999

4

22,186

Personal Property 7 Yr Acquired Acquired Average Fair (modal year by Market among purchase Value samples) Dominant Type

Total n No w/ Prop Northern Samar Non Poor

225

3 Appliances

1997

1 10,000

Poor

243

Non Poor

303

Poor

290

2

Eastern Samar

1999

1 2,950

Loans Less than half of the respondents from both provinces and from the poor and nonpoor classes have existing loans. A higher proportion of the respondents in Northern Samar have existing loans (48 percent for the poor and 42 percent from the non-poor group). In Eastern Samar, about 38 percent from the non-poor group have existing loans while only 23 percent from the poor group accessed the same. The nature of these loans is as follows in the following order of frequency: microfinance/livelihood, salary/emergency loan, group, food, farming purposes. The creditors are predominantly NGOs and some government lending institutions and private individuals. The average amount of the loan for the non-poor group is P21,326 and the average loan amount for the poor group is P12,720.

67

Loan/Credit 1

Province/Category TOTAL Northern Samar Non Poor

Poor

Eastern Samar Non Poor

Poor

No.

%

225

95

243

Nature

Creditors 1. NGO (TKSI, etc.) 2. GSIS/govt

2003

28,033

117

48% 1. Livelihood 2. Food 3. Farming

1. GSIS/govt 2. Private individuals (5/6) 3. NGO

2003

10,819

303

114

38% 1. Livelihood 2. Salary

1. NGO/Coop 2. Rural Bank 3. GSIS/govt

2003

14,620

290

68

23% 1. Livelihood 2. Food

1. NGO/Coop 2. Rural Bank 3. Private

2004

5,567

Loan/Credit 2 TOTAL

Northern Samar Non Poor

Poor

Eastern Samar Non Poor

Poor

No.

%

225

19

243

Nature

Creditors

8% 1. Microfinance 2. Salary/ multipurpose

39,571

10 #REF! 1. Livelihood 2. Emergency

1. Govt 2. NGO 3. Private individuals (5/6)

2002

17,207

303

19

6% 1. Livelihood 2. Salary

1. NGO 2. Govt

2003

290

4

1% 1. Livelihood 2. Food

1. Private 2. Relatives

2004

20630

7,875

Loan/Credit 3

Northern Samar Non Poor Poor Eastern Samar Non Poor Poor

No. %

Nature

Creditors

Yr Acquired

Amount

225

5

2%

2002

17,400

243

3

1%

2004

15,667

303

4

1%

2002

9,250

290

Loan/Credit 4

Province/Category TOTAL

Poor

Amount

2004

TOTAL

Eastern Samar Non Poor

Yr Acquired

1. NGO 2. Pag-Ibig

Province/Category

Poor

Amount

42% 1. Microfinance/ Livelihood 2. Salary/ emergency 3. Group loan

Province/Category

Northern Samar Non Poor

Yr Acquired

No.

%

Nature

Creditors

Yr Acquired

Amount

225

3

1%

2004

12,000

243

1 0.4%

2004

10,000

303

2

2003

14,667

1%

290

68

Loan/Credit 5

Province/Category TOTAL Northern Samar Non Poor Poor Eastern Samar Non Poor Poor

No. 225

% 2

Nature

Creditors

1%

Yr Acquired 2004

243 303 290

69

Amount 5,000

Chapter

LGU Institutional Development Landscape

3

Inventory and mapping of LGU development vision, philosophy, development interventions, institutional and organizational capacities and capabilities for poverty reduction and local economic development

A. Basic Political Information

Eastern Samar

Basic Information

Northern Samar

Basic Information

Provincial Level Governor Political Party Affiliation Term No.

Ben P. Evardone Lakas First

Provincial Level Governor Political Party Affiliation Term No

Raul Daza Liberal Party Second

Municipality • Borongan Municipal Class Mayor Political Party Affiliation Term No.

2ndClass Fidel Anacta, Jr Lakas-NPC Second term

•

Guiuan Municipal Class Mayor Political Party Affiliation Term No. • Mercedes Municipal Class Mayor Political Party Affiliation Term No.

3rd Class Analiza Gonzales Kwan Lakas First Term

•

Lavezares Municipal Class Mayor Political Party Affiliation Term No.

•

Mondragon Municipal Class Mayor Political Party Affiliation Term No. San Jose Municipal Class Mayor Political Party Affiliation Term No.

•

6th Class Benito Cabos NPC First Term

5th Class Celodonio Saludaga Jr Liberal Party Second Term

4th Class Ishmael Bugna Liberal Party First, ex-Vice Mayor (3 terms) 5th Class Lazaro Ballesta Liberal Party Second Term

B. Development vision and objectives 1. Development orientation and political interests of the local leadership LGU Level Provincial Government Eastern Samar

Key informant information on the background of the LCE/political interest groups

• •

Province is led by a young governor who was once a student leader and inclined to be associated with progressive causes Governor is current spokesperson of the Union of Local Authorities of the

70

Northern Samar

• • • •

Philippines and has access to all political groupings Provincial leadership can be a good partner in development-oriented projects Overall, the Liberal Party dominates politics in the province which is a known opposition bailiwick Governor, vice governor & provincial board members, most mayors and the house representative are all LP members Progressive party list groups got an overwhelming number of votes in the province in the last election particularly in the interior barangays

Municipal Government Level

Formal information shared on development orientation and philosophy Eastern Samar Guiuan

“God-loving municipality where everyone is happy, healthy and enjoying quality of life under an ecologically balanced environment”

Key informant information on the background of the LCE/political interest groups • • • •

• •

Borongan

• • Mercedes

Infrastructure development (farm to market roads) Livelihood Promote tourism Social services

•

•

• Northern Samar Lavezares Mondragon San Jose

“A model community of progress, peace, prosperity, cleanliness, orderliness and beautiful where a healthy, educated and Godfearing people live happily in harmony with nature”

• • •

•

•

71

Relatively young and a former student leader Belongs to an elite and business-minded clan Favors loading mine deposits in the municipality Not identified with progressive causes although a claimed ally of a militant women’s group/party Considered to practice traditional politics Knows personalities in the progressive bloc but not associated with them Practices traditional politics and approachable Known to not compromise welfare of the municipality, a good prospect for partnership in development projects Incumbent mayor is a former teacher and perceived as a little passive on some issues affecting the development of the town Not closely associated with progressive causes but treated as ally of the Akbayan party list Easily approachable

Incumbent is a lawyer by profession and a three-term provincial board member Ran unopposed in his second term and may run for a third term An articulate politician whose family has political and financial clout; a potential candidate for congressman Has manifested commitment to make the municipality progressive, achieve significant headway in poverty alleviation and make the area attractive to investors Open to working with NGOs on community-based projects

2. Development concerns Eastern Samar Guiuan

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

Borongan

1. 2. 3.

Mercedes

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Concerns High incidence of poverty Shortage of capital Low labor productivity/economic production Inadequate infrastructure Water and unstable power supply Inadequate school buildings and facilities

Northern Samar Lavezares

Shortage of capital Inadequate infrastructure Lack of health, police and firefighting equipments and facilities Financial crisis Infrastructure (municipal building) High poverty incidence among households Water Electricity

Mondragon

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

Concerns High incidence of poverty Inadequate infrastructure Poor health Low literacy Environmental denudation Shortage of capital Low productivity

San Jose

3. Problem identification process Eastern Samar Guiuan

Borongan Mercedes

Through surveys, community consultation; consultation with other agencies, NGOs, POs and civic organizations and personal observations Through consultation meetings with concerned departments Through actual observation and experience; surveys

Northern Samar Lavezares

Mondragon San Jose

Through the conduct of development planning workshops, conduct of BDPPRA and consultations

4. Problem prioritization and ranking of development interventions Eastern Samar Guiuan

1.

Borongan

2. 3. 1. 2. 3.

Mercedes

1. 2. 3.

Provide access to credit through local enterprise development Provide physical infrastructure Promote development tourisn Establish linkage with funding( institutions (grants, loans) Seek financial assistance from national and foreign sources Allocate funding for equity Participation of concerned agencies, financial investors, NGOs Political will, dedication & involvement of constituents Livelihood assistance, investors to promote employment opportunities

Northern Samar Lavezares

Mondragon

San Jose

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

72

Provide access to capital Provide physical infrastructure Provide access to health services Improve quality of education Environmental rehabilitation Attract financing and banking institutions Introduce new effective technologies

5. Ranking of interventions according to importance in addressing poverty problem in the municipality Poverty Interventions Physical infrastructure Access to credit and finance Health services Education Community organization Agriculture development support Livelihood/skills training Others: Tourism/ investment/business promotion Others (specify)

Guiuan 6 4

Eastern Samar Borongan 5 6

5 3 7 1

3 2 7 4

5 3

7 6 2 3

8 2

1

2

4

Mercedes 1 4

Lavezares

Northern Samar Mondragon

San Jose 5 1

6. Poverty reduction programs and projects implemented the past 3 years Title

Brief Description

Amount

Location

Beneficiaries Area

Eastern Samar Guiuan Borongan Mercedes Water System Water System Electrification

2.2 m 200,000

Funding source/partners

Year implemented

Senator, Rep Grant PNOC

2004

No. M F

6 brys San Jose, Bobon, Kennedy

2001-2003

Northern Samar Lavezares Mondragon

San Jose MIADP Health

1 BHW per purok

Water system Fish sanctuary Livelihood

14 barangays June 2003

7. Planned poverty reduction programs and projects in the next 6 years Title

Brief Description

Amount

Location

Beneficiaries Area

Funding source/partners No. M F

Eastern Samar Guiuan Borongan Mercedes Tourism Potential Development Skills training Vegetables & root crops production Northern Samar Lavezares 73

Year implemented

Mondragon San Jose Fish processing Establishment of Maria Angela Falls Computer center Municipal Library Resettlement

447 lots

C. LGU development plans and investment programs

1. Existing local development and investment plans of the LGU Guiuan

Borongan Mercedes

CLUP MDP MDIP AIP LDP for Children

2003-2012 2005-2007 2005-2007 2005 2004-2005

Tourism Potentials Development Completion of water system Construction of municipal building

Lavezares Mondragon San Jose

CLUP

2. Policies, programs and projects for the poor embodied in the recent local development/investment plans

3. Criteria used in policy, program and project prioritization

D. Partnerships with national government, NGOs and private groups 1. List of national government poverty reduction programs and projects in the municipality

74

Program/Project

Eastern Samar Guiuan Borongan Mercedes

Women’s training center

Funding source

Amount

Beneficiaries (indicate gender, if applicable)

LGU involvement

Local & CDF of Rep Rosales

Northern Samar Lavezares Mondragon San Jose

2. NGOs Name of NGO/interest group/ church group/others Eastern Samar Guiuan Borongan Mercedes

GDFI

Sector/area of concern

Environment

Target beneficiaries (who they are, indicate if male or female and the estimated number) Fisherfolks and other marginal groups

Location/Area covered

Southern municipalities

LGU involvement

Partner

Women’s training center

Northern Samar Lavezares Mondragon San Jose

Helvetas Tambuyog FSSI EVPRD

3. Private sector E. Microenterprise/Financial Institutions

1. Microenterprise/Financial Institutions in the LGU Private enterprise Guiuan

PNB Rural Bank Uswag GDFI Taytay sa Kauswagan

Sector/Area of Concern

Location/Area covered

Credit extension Credit extension Credit extension

LGU Link

Fisherfolks and small vendors Fisherfolks and small vendors

75

F. LGU Capacity

1. Planning process followed by the LGU Eastern Samar Guiuan

1. PRA/community surveys, situation analysis, project/program identification, implementation, monitoring and evaluation, feedback to community/groups concerned. 2. Created the MDC, TWG

Northerrn Samar Lavezares

Borongan

Mondragon

Mercedes

San Jose

2. Major problems encountered in the planning process Eastern Samar Guiuan

Northern Samar 1. Inadequate manpower and funds 2. Complexity of the work and persons involved 3. MDC not so active 4. Time management and conflict of schedules

Borongan

Mondragon

Mercedes

San Jose

1. 2.

Orientation on the development programs and projects Paradigm of mediocrity

3. Key officials and staff in the planning process Key officials/staff involved (position titles) Eastern Samar Guiuan

MPDC Municipal Engineer Municipal Assessor/Tax Mapper Municipal Agriculturist Heads of Offices MDC members

Roles and responsibilities in planning process

Acts as leader of the planning team Planning team members Planning team members Planning team members Support/data supplier Support/data supplier

Borongan Mercedes

Northern Samar Lavezares

76

Mondragon San Jose

Budget Officer MPDC MAO WHSM Micro-enterprise Social services Admin

4. Other organizations/individuals involved/consulted in the planning process Financial Capacity 5. Main sources of income of the LGU

Eastern Samar Guiuan

Main Sources of income

Local tax revenue sources

Local non-tax revenues

Main expenditure items

1. IRA 2. RPT 3. Other local taxes

RPT Business tax

Service charges

Local projects Services Salaries and wages

Borongan Mercedes Northern Samar Lavezares Mondragon San Jose

IRA Congressional fund

LGU organizational capacity 6. Track record on development and poverty reduction projects

E. Samar Guiuan

Sector

Title

Economic Social Infra Admin Environment

20 % Development Fund

Funding sources

Amount by source

Target beneficiaries Area No. Whole municipality

Borongan Mercedes N Samar Lavezares Mondragon San Jose

77

Implementation period 2002-2004

Status Implemented

7. Active technical positions in the planning and engineering units of the LGU Position title Eastern Samar Guiuan MPDC Statistician Municipal Engineer Draftsman Engineering Aide Foreman Borongan Mercedes MPDC Casual employee Casual employee Const Maint Capatas Northern Samar Lavezares

Educational Attainment

BSC- Accounting

Number of years experience in LGU

13 years

BSCE

BS Arch BS Civil Eng BSIE (Garment Trades) Tech course – 2 yrs BSIE (Food Trades)

4 years 8 mos 8 mos 5 years 5 years

Mondragon San Jose

8. Trainings related to planning, development and poverty interventions Eastern Samar Guiuan Borongan Mercedes

Road Safety Strategic Planning Workshop Integrated Rural Accessibility Planning Procedures Project Development Municipal Water Sanitation Team Training Tourism Orientation Seminar Government Housing Program Strategic Tourism Development Planning Disaster Preparedness Orientation

Northern Samar Lavezares Mondragon San Jose

78

Chapter

4

Civil Society and NGOs in Samar

A. Introduction The role and significance of civil society organizations or groups (CSOs) in Philippine development efforts is undeniable. They have been, and continuous to be, involved in various development initiatives and even in pursuing efficient and effective governance. At different local (barangay, town, provincial) levels, there are a number of CSOs directly implementing socio-economic programs to help marginalized communities and sectors augment incomes and promote sustainable development. Through these they are also able bring in much needed resources from outside or foreign sources and tap other logistics for other development activities. In the field of governance, CSOs are active in campaigning against state’s anti-poor policies as well as in lobbying for government reforms in its programs and services. These CSOs, or more specifically non-profit institutions (NGOs) and peoples’ organizations (POs), are concretely working down at the grassroots level educating, organizing and mobilizing people towards finding alternative solutions to their dire economic condition and giving them opportunities to participate and be involved in the process of decision-making especially in aspects that affect their lives through self-help organizations. Accordingly, NGOs refer to support organizations with distinct character and professional staff working for public welfare while POs constitute groups or associations with mass membership. Their numbers are a bit difficult to ascertain. Five years ago, one study placed the number of non-profit NGOs to run between 60,000 to 95,000 and these figures were largely based on registered organizations under the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The SEC does not make any distinction on nature or type of non-profit organizations that register with them. Estimates of POs, on the other hand, are more complicated since there is no law requiring peoples’ organizations to register with any specific government institution. If ever they do want to get an accreditation, they may opt to get it from their local government (municipal or provincial). Still, it is an acknowledge fact, that the numbers of POs and NGOs in the country continue to grow and that in almost any part of the country you can find small or large organizations and/or institutions working especially with and among marginalized communities or sectors. At a smaller scale or level, POs and NGOs are also to be found in the three provinces of Samar, an island that has been the object of development, both by government and private sector, local and foreign, for so long a time now. CSOs are known to be active in countering underdevelopment in this island and in promoting people empowerment, but who are they? What issues do they address? What programs and services do they offer? Where do they operate exactly? How many are there? For this part of the study, the basic aim is to identify these POs and NGOs operating in Samar and to get a closer look at some of them to see how they operate and what services they provide to the people of Samar and who among them may be tapped and mobilized for pursuing common development objectives. 79

B. Locating CSOs in Samar Island

Given the poverty and underdevelopment in the island of Samar it is not really surprising to find out that there are already a number of development-oriented NGOs and POs operating in its three provinces. A total of 68 POs and NGOs were tallied to be existing in the island based from both secondary and primary data sources and are operating at various site levels -- barangay, town or municipal, provincial and even island wide levels. Data gathered from secondary sources were mainly a combination of information culled from the Internet and various print materials (mainly coming from manila-based development oriented institutions). The main objective was to identify and gather NGO entities, or as much as possible, of service institutions and peoples’ organizations that may have operated, or still operating, in any of the three provinces of Samar. These data are to be use in determining how CSOs are distributed or where they are operating in said island. Primary data, on the other hand, were collected, using a survey questionnaire, purposely to get a closer look at the levels of operations of such organizations, their nature, what types of programs and/or services do they offer, what issues or problems in Samar do they want to address, what are their opinions and plans regarding such. Four major categories composed the survey questionnaire: 1) identifying information; 2) Work coverage; 3) Organizational standing and 4) View/perception on development work, poverty reduction and other issues. Additional names of CSOs were also expected to come out from this survey. 1.

Findings from Secondary Sources

To come up with names of CSOs that may have been involved in implementing development programs/projects in the island of Samar a trace was made on such activities by looking at large foreign multilateral agencies like the Asian Development Bank (ADB), United States Agency for International-Development (USAID) and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). Tracking down programs and/or projects resulted in establishing who their local partners are or were in Samar for such activities. The same method was applied among local development agencies, political institutions and advocacy groups, sectoral or manila-based, public and private, to come up with additional names of CSOs operating in the island. The result -- forty nine (49) CSOs (other Manila-based support groups not included yet) were identified using secondary sources. Sixty-nine percent (34) are peoples’ organizations and 31% (15) are private non-profit institutions. Percent Distribution

NGOs POs

Pol Grps Coops

Total

Samar 11 4 0 15

Manila 4 2 28 34

Total 15 6 28 49

POs (Coops) 57%

NGOs 31% POs (PG) 12%

80

The following is the list of collected names of CSOs: NGOs i. Samar-based Promotion of Church Peoples’ Response (PCPR) Katungod – SB (Human Rights Group) Samar Rural Assistance Program (SRAP) Trowel Development Foundation* Health Empowerment Rurban Based Foundation (HERB) South Pacific Integrated Area Development Foundation (MACDELFI) Northern Samar Integrated Rural Development Foundation (NOSIRDEF) 8. Samar Kauswagan Foundation (KAUSWAGAN) 9. Western Samar Development Foundation (WESADEF) 10. Basey Samar Foundation 11. Samar Island Biodiversity Foundation (SIBF)

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

1. 2. 3. 4.

ii. Manila-based Women’s Action Network for Development Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP) Haribon Foundation Center for Empowerment and Resource Development (CERD)

People’s Organizations (POs) i. Political Groups 1. Kilisang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) 2. Samahan han Gudti nga Parag-uma – Sinirangan Bisaya (SAGUPA-SB) 3. Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (PAMALAKAYA) 4. Amihan (Peasant Women) 5. General Assembly Binding Women for Reforms, Equality, Liberation and Action (Gabriela) 6. Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN-EV) ii. Cooperatives 1. Bobon Multi-Purpose Cooperative 2. Catarman Community Multi-Purpose Coop. 3. Northern Samar Federation of Cooperatives 4. Northern Samar Provincial Credit Coop. 5. Harvesters Multi-Purpose Cooperative 6. Northern Samar Livestock Raisers Coop. 7. Northern Samar Dev't. Workers Credit Coop 8. Las Navas Multi-Purpose Cooperative 9. Nenita Multi-Purpose Cooperative 10. Mondragon Multi-Purpose Cooperative 11. Palapag Teachers & Employees Cooperative 12. Palapag Multi-Purpose Cooperative 13. Rosario Multi-Purpose Cooperative 14. Rosario Community Grains Retailers Multi-Purpose Coop. 15. Cabacungan Primary Multi-Purpose Coop. 16. Pambujan Multi-Purpose Cooperative

81

17. Balud Laundry Women Cooperative 18. Calbayog Fish Vendor Association 19. Hibatang Peoples Multi- Purpose Cooperative 20. Pedicab Housewives Cooperative 21. Calbayog Pedicab Drivers Cooperative 22. Malipayon Mangingisda Og Parauma 23. Nabang Farmers Assoc. 24. West Awang Mothers Cooperative 25. St. Francis of Assisi Multipurpose Cooperative 26. Brgy Mercedes-Casantolan Multipurpose Cooperative 27. Maydolong Development Multipurpose Cooperative 28. Multipurpose Cooperative of Guiuan Multilateral Agencies 1. UNDP 2. ADB 3. Helvetas Philippines 4. Australian Aid (AusAid) 5. USAID 6. SEAFDEC

Distribution of CSOs by Area of Concern and Base of Operation

SDSEEnv Pol. Grp Sect

ES

NS

WS

Leyte

NCR

Unidentified Total

2 -

17 -

12 -

2 -

2 1

3 1

38 2

-

-

-

4 -

4 1

-

8 1

Distribution of CSOs by Type and Area of Concerns

SD-SE

Env

PO

PG

NGO

SDSE Env PG

Sect total

PO

28

-

6

-

34

NGO

9

2

2

-

13

Others 1

-

-

1

2

Sect

Others

The first two names on the list of NGOs are advocacy and watch groups working primarily for the protection human rights in the entire Eastern Visayas Region. They are essentially local counterparts of national groups with the same name that have main offices in Quezon City. 82

The nine other groups are support institutions that have their base of operations mainly in provincial centers. They seem to have relatively wider area reach or coverage in the island and ample network with other groups and organizations both in and outside Samar. As can be noticed from their names, eight are private foundations. By their very nature as a foundation it may be construed that they are involved in supporting socio-economic initiatives at various levels in their own areas of operation depending probably in their capability to generate support for programs and activities. For lack of more information on them however, we can only speculate on their programs and services. The five remaining institutions found to be operating Samar have their bases in Manila and operate in other provinces of the country. WAND is a sectoral-based group supporting various initiatives directed towards promoting women’s concerns. PBSP is a consortium of big businesses whose aim is to promote corporate social responsibility among their ranks. Haribon Foundation is a popular group advocating for the protection and preservation of natural resources and biodiversity in the country. CERD is an institution involved in community based coastal resource management On the side of POs, the first six names are known for their strong political stand on issues. Their organizing efforts and advocacies are directed towards calling for a basic change in Philippine society such as the genuine and free distribution of lands to the tillers, democratic and radical reforms in governance, upholding of human rights and dignity and so on. The first three names are large national federation whose memberships are mainly peasants and fisherfolks. KMP is a national umbrella organization of peasants, which includes individuals and small farmers groups spread across the country advocating for a revolutionary implementation of agrarian reform. Amihan is also a national organization of women peasants and is allied with KMP. SAGUPA-SB is the regional organization of farmers from the whole Eastern Visayas Region and is a member of KMP. BAYAN-EV is also the regional chapter of the same national organization whose membership includes almost all POs in the progressive block. Bayan serves as the campaign center for all its memberorganizations. Three of the institutions/NGOs specified above are closely associated with progressive block with both KATUNGOD-SB and the PCPR advocating for the protection of human rights and are affiliated with a national organization KARAPATAN, promoting the same. SRAP on the other hand is a service institution promoting various socio-economic initiatives through support in establishing cooperatives. For being outspoken about their demand for genuine land to peasants, this group of POs is usually the target of military harassments and even assassinations. Though militant groups are more associated with advocacy of their causes, they also offer some programs and services that help farmers address their socio-economic needs. The bulk of the POs (29 of 35) that were identified are mostly multi-purpose cooperatives and, judging by their names, are largely based in their specific town or locality. The 29 cooperatives are broken down as follows: 16 are from Northern Samar, 11 from Western Samar and only two from Eastern Samar. The 16 cooperatives of Northern Samar are distributed in 8 municipalities with the capital town of Catarman hosting the biggest number with six. Those coming from Western Samar 10 are based in Calbayog town and one from Catarman. One each came from the municipalities of Maydolong and Guiuan in Eastern Samar. No other information was gathered pertaining to the level of operations of these groups or of the programs and /or services they perform.

83

N o. of C oope rativ e s

ws 36%

ns 57%

es 7%

The last group is a list of foreign funding institutions (except for SEAFDEC) that have provided financial support to various projects by local CSOs. Helvetas Phil. has projects in several towns of Northern Samar. The Australian Aid is also implementing a micro finance and good governance project in this province. The SEAFDEC is a regional treaty organization for South East Asia, primarily based in Bangkok, whose aim is to help develop aquaculture in the said region and is involve in raising productivity of mud crabs in Samar. 2.

Taking a closer look at some of the CSOs (Survey Results)

A survey was conducted in two of the three provinces of Samar namely Northern and Eastern Samar from February to May 2005. A total of nineteen (19) organizations were interviewed with six (6) coming from Northern Samar and thirteen (13) from Eastern Samar. All six organizations from Northern Samar are from the town of San Jose while those from Eastern Samar three (3) came from its capital town of Borongan and the other nine from the municipality of Guiuan and one from Mercedes town. Of the nineteen, twelve fall under the PO category, three are service institutions (including two foundations) that provide support to various types of clients. The other three are consortiums but two of these seem to be governmentinitiated councils and the last remaining one seem more of a program (base on its name itself) being implemented by an LGU supported by an outside source. Distribution of CSOs by Type POs

ES NS

NGOs

9 5

Others

3 0

Total

0 1

12 6

The list of organizations by province gathered from the survey is presented below: 1. Northern Samar • • • • • •

Barangay North Women's Organization Kababaihan sa Pag-uswag sa Brgy Balite Layuhan Women's Health Organization Samahan ng Kababaihan tungo sa Kaunlaran Women's Health and Safe Motherhood Component Municipal Replication Program P. Tingzon Women's Health organization

84

Project-

Partnership

2. Eastern Samar • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Borongan Awareness on Nature and Outdoor Group Eastern Development Foundation Eastern Samar Council for Peoples Development, Inc. Converse Fisherfolk Association Bantay Dagat Kalikasan Task Force Coastal Zone Management Council Guiuan Development Foundation, Inc. Brgy Agricultural and Fisherfoks Coop Tagporo Livelihood Association Save Manicami Movement Fisheries Aquatic Resources Management Council Pneuma Inc. Sulangan Multipurpose Assoc. Buklod Sikap ng Kaunlaran ng Kababaihan sa Mercedez, Inc.

a) Women’s Groups in Northern Samar Only six organizations were gathered and interviewed from the northern province of Samar and all came from the municipality of San Jose. Except for one, all the other five groups from town are barangay or community-based women’s organizations addressing primary health needs. There are 16 barangays in this town. The other one, by the name itself, the Women's Health and Safe Motherhood Project - Partnership Component Municipal Replication Program seem to be a temporary activity being implemented at the municipal level and that one of its components is organizing women’s groups in different barangays of this town. The total membership of the five community-based organizations is only 114 with about 45% (51) of which are inactive. One organization can almost be considered dead as the interviewee said all of its 15 members are inactive. All were established only sometime 2002.

M e m b e r s h ip

Activ e 54%

Nature of Work Almost all have declared that their primary objective is to address barangay and women’s health needs. Only one responded to the question if they have secondary objectives and that is livelihood. However, when asked for specific programs three responded with livelihood related programs. No replies were gathered on other services they conduct from all six but again three cited livelihood endeavors when asked for other activities conducted by their

85

organization. To finance their activities two of the organizations relied mainly on membership contributions, two conducted funds raising events for such purpose. The other two were able generate support from outside their community through financial grants. As for the type of work their organizations had been engaged in, all six declared they are or were involved in campaigns, but two took exceptions in lobby work and networking and one from organizing. Responses gathered by Nature of Work of Organization Services

Other Activities

1

-

1

2

4

-

3

4

1

6

2

1st Obj

2nd Obj

health related

6

-

livelihood related

-

no answer

-

Programs

Capacity and Resources When asked about assets and liabilities, four have nothing to declare while the other two simply pointed to various office equipments as the only assets they have. None had any liabilities as well, but one cited their monthly water bill as a liability. They all responded yes to the question if they have organizational structures. However, only two have other committees (one mentioned health, the other a committee on livelihood) aside from their set of officers or board members. Management and program implementation seem to be no big deal among the six organizations as none were able to provide any answers as to who is in charge. As to relations and/or affiliation with other organizations or institutions, only two gave answers – links with the town’s local government unit. Responses related to Organizational Standing yes Assets Liabilities Org Structure Other Cmt. Reg Mtng Affiliation Relation

2 -

no 4 6

no answer -

6 2 3 -

2 2 3

2 6 1 3

Development Orientation Going into their views on certain topics or issues, in soliciting their opinions and/or positions on the role of CSOs in development four simply responded with a yes but did not give any other explanation. The other two had expressed that CSOs have a role, one is on health education and women’s rights and the other is to basically help or assist people.

86

Problems On the matter of what they think are the hindrances that made it difficult for their organization to realize its own set of goals, almost all were common in pointing to an essentially the same weakness as the reason behind. Two replied with disunity among members, one said it is lack of commitment, another said its because of poor attendance by its members and another cited rumors and misunderstanding among its members as the cause or limitation for the organization. Only one had a different answer, which is lack of capital as the main internal problem of their organization that prevented it from reaching or achieving its goals. With regard plans related to these external and internal problems, only one replied with reorganization to be an immediate concern, two organizations answered resource generation and the remaining two had no answers The lack of livelihood or capital was essentially a common reply when all six organizations were asked what could be the caused of underdevelopment in Samar, hence their proposed solution would be the availability of it to common people. b) CSOs in Eastern Samar As mentioned earlier, 13 (68%) of the total interviewees are from this province. Seven (7) of the total POs that were interviewed also came from Eastern Samar. Two were from Borongan, four were from the town of Guiuan and the last one from the town of Mercedes. Six of the POs are essentially community based but two of them seem to have exclusive membership, one is for youth and the other is for local vendors. Three are essentially service institutions two of which are private foundations catering to several needs of the people in Samar in general and the other a service institution. In terms of membership, the POs have a total membership of about 395 with over 80% of the membership were deemed active. The other three are councils that seem to mean a consortium of various stakeholders coming from different communities and/or sectors in their specific area. However, two of the councils are apparently initiatives of two attached agencies of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). The other council reflects more semblance of a CSO due to its composition – local sectoral and community organizations that are involved in various socio-economic activities in the island of Samar. Membership by Organizational Standing U nknow n 6%

In a c tiv e 15%

A c tiv e 79% A c t i ve

In a c t i ve

Unknown

87

Nature of Work By nature of work, of the five POs, two are focused on environmental issues; three are on socio economic and sustainable development while the other is on livelihood and sustainable development. Among the three NGOs, two are into research and training plus sustainable development while the other one is concerned with the environment. Two of the councils have works related to the protection of environment while the other one is on sustainable development. From these, it appears that two of the major concerns of POs and NGOs in Eastern Samar are either on the environment or on sustainable and/or socio-economic development. In terms of objectives four (three NGOs and one PO) were unable to give any answers, not even their secondary objectives. Of the nine who gave responses to the question (seven of them) on what their objectives were, six (two of the councils and four POs) replied the protection of the environment, one on the advocacy of sectoral issues and the other four answers were related to livelihood provision. In relation to the objectives and their translation into concrete programs, nine were able to cite their organization’s specific programs with six of them directly related with the protection of the environment and three on livelihood. By area of coverage, two of them claim to cover the entire island of Samar, while four were confined to their respective provinces, four are municipal wide and the remaining three are limited to their own communities. CSOs by Nature of Work SD-SE 5 PO 3 NGO 1 Others 9 Total

Env 31%

Env 2 2 4

SD-SE 69%

Capacity and Resources Sources of financial support are hard to come by, but seven of the organizations from Eastern Samar were able to solicit such support from outside sources from the likes of UNDP, GEF and ADB and even from their own LGU and other branches of the national government. Some were limited to raising funds through membership contributions or through the conduct of fund raising activities. One was not able cite any source. When asked about assets and liabilities, three (two NGOs and one Council) of the organizations said they own the building to which they hold office plus office equipment. One declared its money in the bank, and another pointed to office equipment the only property that they have, two have motorized bancas, and another two declared assets related to their livelihood program (hogs and store merchandises). Two have the remainder of their loans as assets which they also they declared as liabilities.

88

Sources of Funds of CSOs in Eastern Samar Dues IGP LGU/NGA FA Fund Source* 4 4 4 6

None 1

*Note – may not add up to total due to multiple responses

As for their organizational structure, only one NGO was not able to answer questions related to this. All twelve remaining organizations pointed to its set of officers or board as the highest policy making for their respective groups. Regularity of meetings vary, six declared to have at least 1 meeting per month, another said it was on a need basis while another one said they are held on a quarterly basis. In terms of program implementation, only four (two foundations, two POs) had a response, and all of them referred to their chairperson or president or executive director as the ones handling program implementation. Six (two councils, two foundations, two POs) were able to put up other committees for various concerns. Five maintain links with other organizations but only four expressed positive outlook on such. With regard the 13 organizations’ perceptions on some issues, the answers are quite mixed. On the first question of the role of CSOs, six (6) either had no answer or no clear response. The remaining seven each gave a different answer: one said as an advocate, another was for policy recommendations, the other cited protection of the environment. The other two replies are somewhat similar – to achieve real development and for sustainable development. One cited the role of women in development work and the other explained that local government cannot do it alone. As to problems preventing the organization from achieving its goals, particularly on internal factors: five have similar answers – the of lack financial resources to implement its programs, two had no answer, another two mentioned lack of knowledge (presumably referring to the organization) and the other three citing internal differences among members as the hindrance to its objectives. On external causes: one cited lack of funds, another one mentioned limited network, and two replied political intervention, two mentioned registration and/or non-recognition by the LGU. The remaining 6 had no answers. 3. Summary Findings Overall, 68 NGOs and POs were found to be operating in the three provinces of the island of Samar. Almost one-fourth or 25% (17) are NGOs and 68% (46) are POs. The other five groups (7%) however, are more of a consortium either between government and local POs or among private businesses (PBSP). Essentially, by areas of concern, these 68 organizations can be classified into four (4) categories based on the character of work and goals namely – socio-economic and sustainable development (47 or 70%); protection and preservation of the environment (6 or 9%); and political advocates (8 or 11%) and sectoral concerns (7 or 10%).

89

Summary of CSOs Distributed by Areas of Concern Sustainable Development/ SocioEconomic

POs NGOs Others Total

33 12 2 47

Environment

Social Services

2 2 2 6

Political Issues

5 1 1 7

Total

6 2 0 8

68

Among the POs, most common are those seeking uplifting of their economic status. A significant number of them (mostly local based cooperatives) are concerned with helping people find more sustainable means of livelihood that would supplement incomes of their memberships. Even those groups with a relatively different priority (as in the case of those health organizations in Northern Samar), have secondary activities that are related to supplementing income. Among the NGOs a good number (12 out of 17) of them have its efforts primarily focused on providing livelihood assistance to people of Samar while a couple have priorities directed at the protection and preservation of the environment. The group of political advocates, although almost all have their main base located outside of Samar, have a very intensive network in all three provinces. Unlike the women’s organizations (5 community-based and 1 NGO), their work are very much limited to their own local area, except of course for the WAND. By geographical distribution, the table below represents how the 68 POs and NGOs are spread based on where their main offices are located. The first three columns are for the three provinces of Samar. Leyte-based groups are those whose operation covers the entire Eastern Visayas region while those under the NCR column are national organizations found to have local units in the island. Fourteen of the 68 (20%) are primarily based outside the island.

POs NGOs Others Total

Table 2: CSO Distribution by Geographical Location LeyteNCRNS ES WS Based Based 21 9 10 2 4 1 4 1 4 4 1 3 0 0 0 23 16 11 6 8

Unidentified 0 4 0 4

Total 46 18 4 68

A much closer look at the 68 organizations, 50 were identified to have established a base in one of the three provinces of Samar and operating at various site levels within the respective province. The following is the breakdown:

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Table 3: Summary Distribution of CSOs by Estimated Level of Operations in Samar by Province 3a: Eastern Samar b t p po

5

i

3

-

-

ngo

-

1

2

-

others

-

2

1

1

7 6 5 4 3 2 1

others ngo po

-

15 total

po ngo others total

5

6

3

3b: Northern Samar b t p 7 9 5 1 1 7 10 6

b

t

p

i

1 12 10

i -

others

8 6 4

ngo po

2 -

23

b

t

p

i

10

po ngo others total

3c: Western Samar b t p 8 2 1 1 8 3 1

8 others

6

i

ngo 4

-

po

2 b

12

Legend: b – Barangay; t – Town; p – Provincial; i – Island Overall Summary Distribution for Samar Island t 38%

b 41%

i 1%

91

p 20%

t

p

i

Looking closer at some of the local organizations (from the survey) the POs can be characterized as relatively weak and their members seem to be rather unconsolidated as reflected by the over simplicity of its organizational structure and the lack of knowledge of how an organization works in order to achieve its goals. Most of the organizations have only their set of officers to show for organizational set up. Organizational development and management also seem to be a common weakness among CSOs in the two provinces of Samar as members are quite unfamiliar with their own organization’s goals and how such is to be achieved using its own strength and machinery. Division of tasks is lacking as indicated by the nonexistence of committees that are supposed to handle other organizational concerns. Only 2 out of 6 (33%) of those surveyed from Northern Samar have put up other committees aside from their set of officers and only 6 out of 13 (46%) from Eastern Samar. There seem to be a tendency to rely mostly on top officials for decisions and even on program implementation. This is common for all of the respondents of the survey. A good majority have indicated that their organizations have been involved with organizing, lobbying, networking and campaigns but none provided details (though there may have been a weakness on the part on the interviewer in administering this question). What is more saddening about this fact is that only one of the POs indicated that they have plans on organizational development, while three of the institutions have indicated plans on the same. None of the five POs from Northern Samar had any plans on this matter. NGOs manifest the better capability in mobilizing funds from external sources. All four service institutions from Eastern Samar have tapped or solicited financial support from foreign funding agencies. The two councils, since they are likely government initiated consortiums, seem to receive financial support from such. The POs from both provinces on the other hand have relied mainly on contributions from its own members, which is not much as reflected by their assets, but two of them used money from loans acquired from government institutions providing livelihood assistance like DOLE and DSWD. These responses of the POs are consistent with their response that none of them have affiliation and/or relation with other groups. What may be surprising from the survey is that 63% (12) of the total respondents have specific views on the role of CSOs in pursuing development. The other seven (37%) were not able to register any answer on the question. Foremost among the answers (coming from six POs) was CSOs could help them achieve or realize not just development (1) but a sustainable one (5). Responses from Eastern Samar organizations were mainly related to the protection and preservation of the island’s natural resources. One group said it helped voices be heard, another replied with CSOs role is on creating awareness without specifying any issue/problem.

C. The Political Climate in Samar It is an acknowledged fact that the island of Samar is one of the poorest island in the country. Economic activity and productivity has been very low as a result of various, factors both natural and man-made. For one, these three provinces are situated right at the so-called typhoon belt on the country making it highly vulnerable to natural calamities primarily from destructive ones. This island is hit by typhoons at an average of 25-26 per year. For another, its proneness to typhoons is made worse by the fact that its natural resources, particularly its forests, are fast disappearing due to

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rampant illegal logging exposing further its people to dangers like landslides and soil erosions. The political climate is not that conducive either. The island of Samar is said to be a highly militarized area due to the on-going civil war in the countrysides. Recent news has cited the strong presence of the military in the island to quell the communist-led rebellion in that area. In fact, Gen. Jovito Palparan, the commanding general of the military once assigned in the entire Eastern Visayas region, was quoted in a newspaper report, to have declared that they will finish the job before the year 2005 is over. The result – 276 cases of reported violations of constitutional rights and civil liberties from the period February to May of the current year, all attributed to the military. This figure does not include yet those that were committed the previous years and a significant number of unreported cases for fear of reprisal. Cases range from simple surveillance to direct harassments to involuntary disappearances to outright killing or assassinations. Also included are forced entries to private homes, robberies, to large scale displacement of communities due to military operations. Not spared from such attacks are government officials who have been vocal against the military. These include several local elected officials like mayors and councilors plus a number of barangay captains. The mayor and vice mayor of Villareal town in Western Samar, for example, reported to have been shown a military intelligence report by a friend stating they were part of a list of people being monitored the military for strong links with progressive CSOs and political parties like Bayan Muna and Anakpawis. Municipal health personnel also of this town have also been prevented by the military to conduct their work in the coastal barangays of their municipality. Though most victims of the military operations are ordinary peasant families, there are strong indications that the attacks on people belonging to or affiliated with progressive CSOs were more deliberate and systematic. Members of NGOs and POs advocating for human rights have been primary targets. Local personnel of the Katungod – Sinirangan Bisaya were subjected to military surveillance and the regional leader of SAGUPA – SB, Mr. Dario Tomada, was a victim of a failed assassination. Most recent was the murder of the general secretary of the regional chapter of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN), Mr. Norman Bocar, in Borongan, Eastern Samar. Community chapters and affiliates of SAGUPA-SB have reported that their members have been regular targets of military operations and harassments all over the island.

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Chapter

5

Development Financing Institutions

Profile of Respondents A total of 23 respondents composed of institutions and private individuals agreed to provide data and information on their financial products and services. Forty-eight percent of these are private individuals who are into informal and private lending. There were six (6) NGOs who shared their financial services: 2 were basically church-based credit/savings unions/organizations, 3 microfinance institutions, 1 NGO under a foreign-assisted government project. Three major development financing institutions agreed to be surveyed and share some information and primer. These were Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP) in both Northern and Eastern Samar and Philippine National Bank in Guiuan, Eastern Samar. Most of the pilot areas were covered although no respondents were based in Mondragon in Northern Samar and Mercedes in Eastern Samar.

Financing Institutions Surveyed & Responded Major DFI (LBP and PNB) NGO-Church/religious org Cooperative NGO-MFIs NGO government project Private (individuals, 5/6, informal, lending investor) Rural Bank

Total

No. 3 2 2 3 1 11 1 23

% 13% 9% 9% 13% 4% 48% 4%

Profile of Clients The clients of these financing institutions are quite varied. The commonly named ones are women, teachers/pensioners/SSS or GSIS members, and other small businesses and microentrepreneur. Three (3) institutions only serve the financing needs of their members (closed to the public). Client Profiles members only teachers/fisherfolks, SSS/GSIS/Pensioners enterprising poor women any interested client small businesses/microentrepreneur groups of five TOTAL

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3 2 2 3 3 2 1 16

19% 13% 13% 19% 19% 13% 6%

Loaned Amount and Cost of Borrowing The amount being lent by the financing entities range from a low of P1,000 to as high as P300,000. The respondents charge interest rates ranging from 2 percent per month to as high as 20 percent. Training extended by the Financing Institutions The following are the trainings mentioned by the respondents: cooperative training, compulsory group orientation and training, program orientation, simple credit procedures, center group training, utilization checking, monitoring and handling and training on marketing. Average Repayment Rate The range of loan repayment rates is from 75 to 100 percent. Average for all the samples is around about 90 percent.

Case Study Development Financing Institution:

Land Bank of the Philippines, Northern Samar

Area of Operations:

Northern, Samar

Type of Microfinance Institution:

Government Bank

Sources of Loanable Funds: Name of Source

1. Deposit Liabilities 2. Internal Revenue Allotment 3. Congressional Fund

Nature (government subsidy, private investment, savings, etc)

Estimated Amount

Regular savings, time deposits and current deposit of private individuals Government Subsidy Government Subsidy

P50 million

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P195 million P5 million

Products and Services: Name of Program/ Service Agricultural Production Loan

Loans to agrirelated ventures

Cooperative

Based on the net worth of the cooperatives

Fixed Asset Financing

Loans for Acquisition of equipments and machineries

Cooperatives, SMEs, LGUs

Coop – 14% pa SME – Prime rate + 3% pa LGU – Prime rate + 4% or 5%

Working Capital

Loans intended for the use of an additional working capital for various purposes such as trading, construction, etc. Rediscounting of eligible subborrowers promissory notes at 85% of face value

Cooperatives SMEs, LGUs

Based on coop networth; collateral of SME, LGU borrowing capacity Based on coop networth; collateral of SME, LGU borrowing capacity

Major Rules/Conditions/ Guidelines/Collateral, etc. Either of the following: Deed of Assignment of Produce, Chattel Mortgage, Real Estate Mortgage Either of the following: : Deed of Assignment of Produce, Chattel Mortgage, Real Estate Mortgage

Coop – 12% pa SME – Prime rate + 3% pa LGU – Prime rate + 3% or 4%

Either of the following: : Deed of Assignment of Produce, Chattel Mortgage, Real Estate Mortgage

Coop-based on networth; RFIs—based on approved credit line

Coop – 12% pa RFIs --- T-bills + 1% or 2%; 10% for clean loans and 12% for salaried personnel

Deed of Assignment of subborrowers, promissory notes and underlying collaterals and Comprehensive Surety Agreement

Rediscounting

Description

Target Clientele

Cooperatives and RFIs

Amount (If appropriate)

Interest Rate/Financing Terms 12% per annum

Seminars and Training Programs Title of Seminar and/or Training

Target Clientele/participants

Basic Accounting

Cooperatives

Credit Operations and Management Course Board of Directors Course

Cooperatives Cooperatives

Appraisal

Cooperatives

Objective of the Program Install the cooperatives Books of Accounts Prepare cooperatives for their business operations Help BODs on how to come up with policies and programs necessary in the day to day operation of coop business Assist coop on how to conduct appraisal of offered collateral by members

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Requirement for what type of microfinance program (see#5) Redicounting, Agricultural Production Loan FA Financing

Performance of Development Financing/Microfinance/Credit Programs for the poor and the development of the local economy a. Program/Account Name: Cooperatives Year

Amount released

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004

13 M 15 M 15 M 15 M 9.1 M

No of Clientele who availed 6 coops 6 coops 6 coops 6 coops 6 coops

Average loan per client

Overall repayment rate

Profit

2.16 M 3.00 M 2.40 M 1.80 M 1.14 M

85% 80% 87% 100% 100%

0.950 M 1.17 M 1.05 M 0.972 M 0.818 M

Average loan per client

Overall repayment rate

Profit

3.00 M 4.50 M

100% 100%

0.315 M 0.473 M

Average loan per client

Overall repayment rate

Profit

6.495 M

100%

0.822 M

Average loan per client

Overall repayment rate

Profit

1.75 M 1.75 M 1.406 M 1.43 M 1.25 M

100% 100% 97% 100% 100%

0.56M 0.595 M 1.23 M 1.95 M 1.43 M

b. Program/Account Name: RFIs / Rural Banks

Year

Amount released

2003 2004

3.00 M 6.00 M

No of Clientele who availed 1 1

c. Program/Account Name: Local Government Units

Year

Amount released

2004

6.495 M

No of Clientele who availed 1

d. Program/Account Name: SMEs Year

Amount released

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004

7.00 M 7.00 M 11.25 M 12.90 M 13.35 M

No of Clientele who availed 4 4 8 9 11

e. Other relevant Institutional Performance Information that may be shared: 1. Number of Depositors: 1500 2. Total outstanding Loans: 64.00 M (including salary loans) 3. Others: 10.25 M loans are non-performing

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Chapter

Private Investments and Overseas Remittances

6

I. Small Private Investments in Northern and Eastern Samar

Private investments generation is an important step towards poverty alleviation. First, it provides employment opportunities that are necessary to increase monetary incomes among poor families without being a burden on government finances. Second, it gives income to governments that, in turn, should create complementary projects for the poor that are beyond the scope of private business. And third, it opens new area or type of production, thus putting a “value-added” to the local raw materials. The impact of private investments is evolving. Once a business rises in one community it stimulates other investments to come in. In this country, where poverty is in abundance and government has proved to be incapable of solving this problem if not exacerbating the situation, clearly there is a need to stimulate more investments from the private sector. But what government does is to put more emphasis on attracting foreign investments that is not so keen on coming to this country because of the so called problem of peace and order situation. Local investors, as well, face tough problems. Studies from the Asian Development Bank show how corruption, lack of adequate physical infrastructure and excessive bureaucracy have deterred the business sector from establishing a base of business here.1 Table 1 Year 2000 per capita poverty threshold and incidence of poor families (in %) Philippines Region 8 Eastern Samar 47.3 Northern Samar Source: NSCB

28.4 37.8 40.7

In terms incentives, government led programs for business is skewed towards big investors. Small business owners, particularly those into microentreprises, have to contend with the crumbs of the pie. Even some programs intended for the poor have been channeled to those who are better off. World Bank studies have concluded that it is usually those belonging to the higher income strata or social standing who are able to benefit from the credit program that are originally intended for the poor.2

1

The ADB led study entitled “ADB business survey highlights areas to improve investment climate” (20 January 2005) was conducted in with establishments in the Philippines. Thirty-four percent of the respondents identified corruption as a major threat in business expansion. In particular, 41% of those who are in the textile business complain of the severe negative impact of corruption in their business. In terms of infrastructure, the business sector aired power failures as the culprit to their loses that on average amounts to 8% of their production. Similarly, the lack of paved roads and maritime transport was identified as another deterrent in their production.

2

World Bank (1998). “Apoyo a pequeñas empresas.” Precis no. 173. Primavera 1998.

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The role of credit and information .A study by the International Labor Organization (ILO) identified access to credit, and training and information as crucial in enticing small and medium investments (SMEs) or in the expansion of existing small businesses. While the samples were all taken from Thailand, nevertheless, the result of the study also reflect the experience of other developing countries like the Philippines. What is revealing in the ILO study is the fact that almost all of the SMEs surveyed have procured credit not from banks or other formal credit institutions to build and expand their business. Capital usually come from savings previous to venturing into business or was set-aside during high-income season for those that are already in business and wish an expansion. According to this study this is what happens when formal credit is simply inaccessible to smaller investors. This means that the requirements and charges of banks or other formal lending institutions are beyond their reach. The results of this ILO study are almost a photocopy of the outcome of local researches on credit for the poor done locally. High interest rates, and too much paper works and document requirements have deterred small rural producers away from banks. Instead, they normally opt to secure credit from informal sources that charge higher interest but do not require any documents. Apart from this, there was an inherent fear among the respondents to borrow from formal sources, particularly from government lending programs that they might go to jail if they are unable to pay their loan.3 Those that are into micro enterprises (and/or what is dubbed as the informal sector) find it difficult to obtain credit from formal sources not because they have no capacity for repayment. Instead, very few sources of credit are willing to lend them money for lack of formal documents and accreditations. Among small and micro enterprises capital expansion is important to be able to diversify the type of activities and the products that they sell. In fact, a major concern on the state of small and medium enterprises in this country is their significantly low value added contribution. According to the Chair of the Small Business Corporation Zorayda Amelia Alonzo the contribution of the SMEs is more towards the provision of labor and hardly in the creation and processing of raw materials, and the operations are hardly mechanized. 4

3

Leyesa, Daryl (2003). The state of Philippine rural women. Presented during the 1 Rural Women’s Congress in Taguig, 18 October 2003. Philippine Peasant Institute.

st

4

Zorayda, Amelia C. Alonso (2002). “The SME Development Plan and the Role of Rural Banks.” Helping Build Local Economies. Pp. 264 to 265. Originally prepared for the Rural Banks Association of the Philippines 2002 Annual Corporate meeting and the National Convention held at the Xavier Estate, Cagayan de Oro City on 17-19 April 2002.

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Table 2 Contribution of SMEs vs. Large Enterprises in Some Asian Countries Indicator Philippines South Korea Japan China Employment 67.0% 69.0% 78.0% 74.0% Value-added 32.0% 46.0% 56.0% 60.0% contribution SME 99.6% 99.0% 99.0% 99.7% Population The mode survey on small private investors: From March to April 2005, MODE conducted a survey on the needs and views of active and inactive small private investors on how the investment climate in Samar can be improved. A total of 85 representatives (42 % are males and 58 % are females) from the different local businesses participated. The respondents hailed from the municipalities of San Jose (29.4 %), Mondragon (23.5%), Lavezares (23.5%), Guian (12.9%) and Borongan (10.5%). Majority of the respondents were business owners (86%), while a small percentage were managers (9.4%) and salespersons or clerks (1.17%).

Figure 1. Distribution of business size according to annual labor cost annual labor cost

1200000 1000000 800000 600000 400000 200000 0

Majority of those interviewed were into the retail business (89.4%), and the rest are into food and restaurant (5.88%) and insurance business (4.7%). More than half of the respondents are no longer active in the business sector (61.17%). Though, clearly, majority of them wants to go back (76.47%). When asked for the reasons behind closing shop, the number one reason cited was that they are able to find employment that pays more than their business. Though, they still want to continue with the business while maintaining their present work, they find it hard to find some one who can manage in their behalf (see table 3). Table 3 Reason why they are no longer in business?






They have found other sources of income and cannot find any person who is responsible to take over 8 Age and health reason 3 Lack of capital 2 State of the economy 1 High cost of inputs (including electricity) 1

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Government incentives. The respondents were asked what types of incentive should government provide to boost investments in Samar. The number one answer was capital assistance. It seems the major stumbling block among potential small investors would be the difficulty of attaining credit for capital-built-up. The results of the survey attest that informal sources of credit such as neighbors and relatives remain the major source of capital even for relatively larger businesses. Another issue cited was the peace and order situation in the provinces that deter potential investors from building their business there. The impact of an increase in taxes (the increase of the Expanded Value Added Tax from 10% to 12%) and the prices of production inputs, such as petroleum prices, as discouraging to the business community. As well, the erratic power supply was said to be a major concern among the business owners. Table 4 What type of incentives should government provide to businesspeople?
Capital 25
Peace and order 21
Less taxes (VAT, business taxes) 12
Control on prices (i.e. petroleum) 10 Better power supply 9

The role of the NGOs. Most of the respondents are very much concerned about continued patronage for their stores. The competition among them for such a small market in the two provinces compels them to call on the different organizations in civil society for assistance in advertising their store and the products that are made in their municipalities. Secondly, they hope that the NGO community will be able to provide help in credit procurement for added capital. A quality that the proposed credit program should have is low interest. Similarly, the respondents hope that NGOs will espouse a savings trainings program to make it easier for their clients to pay their debt to their stores. And, the third most frequent answer was technical assistance in terms of producing new items that may enable them to expand their business. Table 5 What should be the role of the NGOs Advertising and advocating for the procurement of locally produced products Credit and capital (including savings training, etc) Technical assistance on production

27 26 13

The impact of investments in Samar. A range of variables was given to the respondents to know their perception on how it will be affected by local investments. In terms of growth in local employment, the majority (66%) agrees that investments will bring more job opportunities. Though there was a smaller number (19%) who disagreed on the basis that normally businesses in the provinces are in small sizes that they usually employ family labor.

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The rise in investments is said to produce a multiplier effect. That is, once a business is established its very presence stimulates other small entrepreneurs to come into the market, either as competitors or as complementary businesses. Fifty-eight percent (58%) of the respondents affirmed this scenario. But 23% were uncertain whether this will be the case and opted not to give any remarks. The remaining 19% of the respondents do not believe that the entrance of new private investments will be enough to entice small entrepreneurs to go into business. They were also asked whether going into business means greater capital accumulation for the households. Clearly, the majority (61%) said yes, but almost a quarter of the respondents (23%) choose not to answer this question. Only 15% said no. Similarly, the respondents were unsure whether an increase in investments in Samar would lead to a growth in agricultural production. The majority (47%) chose not to give a response to the questions whether investments will have a positive effect on the local agricultural sector. Nineteen percent (19%) gave a negative answer saying that the types of businesses are normally not related to agriculture therefore they do not have any impact on the farming sector. The remaining 34% however are hopeful that whatever investments come in their province will be able to use their agricultural products as raw materials or at least increase the consumption of agricultural products of those who will be employed by the new businesses. They showed the same pattern of responses when asked whether they believe that new investments will be more environmentally friendly. More than half of the respondents (55%) were unsure and chose not to give a response. Thirty-four percent (34%) said yes, while the remaining 19% said no. Table 6 Will investments in Samar create a positive or negative effect on the following: Variables Yes No No response Local employment 56 (66%) 16 (19%) 13 (15%) Growth of local entrepreneurs 49 (58%) 16 (19%) 20 (23%) Accumulation of capital for 52 (61%) 13 (15%) 20 (23%) households Growth in agricultural 29 (34%) 16 (19%) 40(47%) productivity Lead to a more ecologically 26 (30%) 12 (14%) 47 (55%) sustainable form of production processes

Harnessing the potential of migrant workers as entrepreneurs or sources of capital. Data from the NSO census in 2000 indicate that 2,408 registered Filipino overseas workers hail from Eastern Samar (1,352 are women while 1,057 are men). The same organization says that Northern Samar’s contribution to the OFW sector doubled from1995 to 2000. The number jumped from 1,129 in 1995 to 2,542 in 2000. The year 2000 data are divided between 1,236 women and 1,306 men. These data from NSO is a very conservative estimate given that the majority of OFWs are not registered with the Philippine Overseas Employment Agency (POEA) where the samples were taken. In fact, the results of the MODE survey indicate that almost all of the household respondents have a close relative who is working abroad. And this survey represents just five municipalities in Northern and Eastern Samar.

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These OFWs have the capacity to channel much needed capital for business in the rural areas. The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) says that in 2003 remittances through formal channels amounted to US$7.6 billion that is equivalent to 7.5% of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP). 5 The same ADB survey says that on average, an OFW remits US$340 per month to their families. At a conversion rate of PhP55 to US$1, this is equivalent to PhP18,700 per month or PhP224,400 annually, an amount that is way above the normal family income in Eastern Samar. The mean annual family income in the province in year 2000 was PhP71,527, while in Northern Samar it was PhP80,114.6 Do the OFW set aside a portion of their income for savings or capital formation for business? Another ADB study noted that a big percentage of the money sent by OFWs is usually spent on lavish purchases.7 While some OFWs have allocated the amount of their remittances in business investments or in the purchase of real estate properties, they were exceptions rather than the norm among the group interviewed. The majority says that apart from household expenses, the next major expense would be contributions to fiestas, marriages, and birthdays and of course money lent to close family members. In terms of microfinance, the OFW sector is both a source of capital and potential clients. This is a sector with a capacity to repay loans at regular intervals through monthly remittances. And, this is also a sector that has emerged as a quick source of informal credit. What needs to be done is too change their mindset in using their capacity for long term investments. The informal sector in Samar. Government statistics are unable to capture the extent of the informal sector in the country. For one, the fact that they are not registered with formal public institutions makes it very hard to find out exactly their population size. In broad strokes, those belonging to the informal sector would be those that are engaged in informal labor or enterprise that is unregistered with national government offices, such as the Bureau of Internal Revenue and the Securities and Exchange Commission, that hires up to ten people or less but mostly employ unpaid family labor. They can be ambulatory or home based. 8 ILO data suggests that more than half of local entrepreneurs would fall under the informal sector. Of those engaged in business, micro entrepreneurs and their employees who 5

ADB (2005). Poverty in the Philippines: income, assets and access. Pp. 59 to 61.

6

NSCB (2004). Annual Statistical Yearbook

7

ADB (2004). Enhancing the efficiency of overseas workers’ remittances. Technical Assistance Final Report. July 2004.

8

ILO characterizes the informal sector as :“..very small units producing and distributing goods and services, and consisting largely of independent, self-employed producers, some of whom also employ family labor and /or a few hired workers or apprentices; which operate with very little capital, or none at all; which utilize a low level of technology and skills; which therefore operate at a low level of productivity; and which generally provide very low and irregular incomes and highly unstable employment to those who work in it. They are informal in the sense that they are for the most part unregistered and unrecorded in official statistics; they tend to have little or no access to organized markets, to credit institutions, to formal education and training institutions, or to many public services and amenities; they are not recognized, supported or regulated by government; they are often compelled to operate outside of the framework of the law, and even where they are registered and respect certain aspects of the law they are almost invariably beyond the pale of social protection, labor legislation and protective measures at the workplace. From Ya, Sandra (2001). ILO and the challenge of the informal work. Draft copy. ILO, p. 2. previously quoted in ILO (1991). The Dilemma of the Informal Sector. ILO, Geneva.

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are in the informal sector are in the most disadvantaged position. One, their lack of accreditation makes it impossible to procure formal credit and training. Two, very few of them, if at all, have upstream linkages with formal investors that might be able to use their products as raw materials or for further sales. Given this situation, very few of them are able to expand and go into the next stage as small formal entrepreneurs. In Samar, NSCB data say that there are more families that earn their primary income from entrepreneurial activities. Table 7 indicates that both for Eastern and Northern Samar that for every family that depends on wages, there are almost two families that earn from micro enterprises. But clearly, the majority of entrepreneurial families are involved in agriculture related ventures. It can be deduced from their annual earnings that these non-wage earning families are mostly part of the informal sector. In Eastern Samar, the median income of these families are between PhP30,000 to PhP59,999 annually while in Northern Samar it ranges from PhP30,000 to PhP39,999.9

Table 7 Primary Source of family income for the year 2000 Eastern Samar No. of families Total entrepreneurial activities 31,551 Agri-related enterprises 24,481 Non-agri enterprises 7,070 Wages 17,935 Northern Samar Total entrepreneurial activities Agri-related enterprises Non-agri enterprises Wages

No. of families 50,425 37,304 13,121 30,541

Source: NSCB 2004

Sources: ADB (2004). Enhancing the efficiency of overseas workers’ remittances. Technical Assistance Final Report. July 2004 ADB (2005) .ADB business survey highlights areas to improve investment climate. ADB (2005). Poverty in the Philippines: income, assets and access. Ya, Sandra (2001). ILO and the challenge of the informal work. Draft copy. ILO Leyesa, Daryl (2003). The state of Philippine rural women. Presented during the 1st Rural Women’s Congress. Taguig, Metro Manila. 18 October 2003. Philippine Peasant Institute. World Bank (1998). “Apoyo a pequeñas empresas.” Precis no. 173. Spring 1998. Zorayda, Amelia C. Alonso (2002). “The SME Development Plan and the Role of Rural Banks.” From Panganiban (2002) Helping Build Local Economies. 9

NSCB (2004). Annual Statistical Yearbook.

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Annex 1: Summary of tables Respondents: Sex Male Female Total

No. 36 49 85

% 42.3 57.6 100

Municipality Guian Borongan San Jose Mondragon Lavezares

No. 11 9 25 20 20

% 12.9 10.5 29.4 23.5 23.5

Position in the company Manager Owner Sales clerk Others No answer

No. 8 73 1 1 2

% 9.4 85.9 1.17 1.17 2.35

Sector Insurance Retail Food and restaurant Others No answer

No. of responses 4 76 5 1

% 4.7 89.4 5.88 1.17

Whether in business as of present time or not Response No. Yes 33 No 52

% 38.8 61.17

Among those who are no longer in business but wanted to return to business Response No. % Yes 39 76.47 No 12 23.53 total 51 100

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II. Investment Potential of Remittances: Household Survey Results

About 47 percent of the household respondents surveyed in the two provinces of Samar have relatives working abroad. Of those with relatives abroad, about 48 percent of them received some form of assistance from these relatives.

With Relatives Abroad Received Financial Assistance

Yes 497 237

No 545 732

NA

Total 19 92

1061 1061

Most of these relatives working or residing abroad are female (60%). While 17 percent have relatives abroad from both genders. Male Gender of Relatives

46

Female

Both

113

Total Relatives 33

192

NA 869

Thirty-three percent (33%) of the financial assistances received from relatives abroad are for gifts/pasalubong/social events purposes. Other frequent uses are for emergency/death/burial expenses (22%), educational expenses (19%), regular stipend or assistance (13%), other purposes (7%) and health care purposes (6%). Uses/Purposes of Financial Assistance gift/pasalubong/social events regular stipend assistance education emergency/death/burial health care purposes others TOTAL

N

% 89 36 51 60 17 18 271

106

33% 13% 19% 22% 6% 7% 100%

Total 1061