Every three months, Liza Alforte saves a portion of her husband’s income for their house renovation. For P10,000, they were able to invest in the improvement of their simple house in Brgy. Manangle, Sipocot, Camarines Sur. In 2014, however, she was listed as one of the project affected persons (PAPs) whose houses need to move back to give way to the Concreting of the Manangle to Caima Farm-to-Market Road (FMR).

“Sakripisyo ta imbes na okay na itong harong mo, raraoton mo para mag-move back ka (It’s a sacrifice because we have to demolish our house when we’re already okay with it),” Alforte said.

Despite the adjustment her family needs to make, Alforte focused on the positive side of the project and accepted the financial compensation offered by the Provincial Local Government Unit of Camarines Sur.

On August 15, 2017, she was among the 24 PAPs with damaged structures who received checks with an aggregate amount of P697,440 as part of the Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP) social and environmental safeguards (SES) unit policies. This is in compliance with the Land Acquisition and Resettlement Policy Framework adopted by PRDP, which ensures that all involuntary losses in terms of land, structures, crops and other properties are properly and justly compensated.

Alforte received P17,160-worth of check corresponding to the financial compensation based on her dwelling classification.

“Okay na ini, makapoon lang. Ang kagayonan ta mapapakarhay ang agihan bako lang kami pati itong mga nasa enotan ang makikinabang (It’s okay. This is enough for us to start again. What’s good about this Project is that it will improve the road condition which will benefit not only us but even residents from the neighboring barangays),” Alforte said.

New beginnings at the resettlement site

Fifteen other PAPs from Brgy. Manangle faced the same predicament three years ago. Fifty-six-year-old Carlito Mejes had to leave the house where he spent about 15 to 17 years of his life to relocate in the 6,955 square-meter resettlement area for PAPs in the same barangay. A year after they were relocated, Mejes, who was appointed president of the PAPs in the resettlement site, expressed his satisfaction with the services given to them.

“Hindi naman kami gaanong nanibago paglipat. Malapit lang naman ’yong iniwanan namin, 100 metro lang. Ang hanap-buhay namin hindi naman nabago. May pinagkokoprahan, may inaararo, may pinagtutubigan (We didn’t have much adjustment after relocating here. Our previous houses are just 100 meters away. Our source of income did not change—copra production, plowing, and irrigation),” Mejes said.

During the World Bank Review Mission to the PRDP infrastructure development (I-BUILD) subproject in Brgy. Manangle on August 16, Mejes can only nod his head in agreement as his neighbors shared their experiences with World Bank Social Development Specialist Marivi Ladia who listened intently to their stories. The said interaction was part of the Bank’s mission, which aims to look at various Social and Environmental Safeguards (SES) aspects of the FMR construction, particularly the living condition of the relocated PAPs.

Ildefonso Lirio (2nd from left) and other PAPs in Brgy. Bulawan air their sentiments about the Concreting of Manangle to Caima FMR subproject with World Bank Social Development Specialist Marivi Ladia (2nd from right) in a focus group discussion during the World Bank Review Mission to the infrastructure development (I-BUILD) subproject in Brgy. Manangle, Sipocot, Camarines Sur on August 16, 2017. (Photo by Annielyn Baleza, DA-PRDP RPCO V InfoACE Unit)

“Ogmahon ako na magbalyo digdi ta duman saditon talaga bako ko man itong lugar, nakikiistar lang kami. Ngonian po, mas magayon digdi dawa medyo nahirapan kan primero pero kan naka-adjust po, ayos na ayos naman, wara na man ako hahanapon (I am very happy that we were relocated here because we have very limited space in our previous house. Life is better here. Although we had difficulties at first but after a few adjustments, we were able to adjust. We’re content, we have everything we need),” resettled PAP Flocerpida Pamada said.

The residents shared that it is more peaceful in the resettlement site. Under the leadership of Mejes and with the support from their barangay officials, the community get along well with each other and they have unity. Now, they are engaged in communal and backyard gardening.

PRDP and the Project collaborators committed to improve the access road to the resettlement site, facilitate the provision of potable water supply, and implement suitable livelihood interventions for the resettled PAPs.

Renewed hopes for a better road

Residents in Brgy. Bulawan, one of the project influence area of the FMR, told Ladia how they eagerly await the road completion. Majority of them have voluntarily waived their right to their properties to make way for the road construction.

“Kung nakikita ninyo sa TV ’yong mga episodes na ’yong mga taga-barangay nagpapasan ng pasyenteng nasa duyan, maraming putik, dyan na nanganganak. Gusto lang namin iparamdam kung gaano kahirap ang pinagdadaanan namin mula pa noon. Pero okay naman, nakakakita naman kami ng liwanag (TV episodes showing barangay residents carrying patients in hammocks are real. Some women gave birth at the middle of the rough road. We want others to understand our struggle since then. But it’s okay, we can see a ray of hope),” Ildefonso Lirio, PAP from Brgy. Bulawan, said.

Ladia encouraged the community’s vigilance in monitoring the infrastructure quality using the Project’s formal channels such as the grievance redress mechanism. “As the people who are staying here, bantayan niyo po ang paggawa ng FMR ninyo kasi sabi nga ninyo po ang tagal ninyong hinintay so dapat maganda para (watch over your FMR’s construction since you have said that you’ve waited for this for a long time so it has to be excellent to make it),” worth the wait she added.

The 19.15-kilometer Concreting of Manangle to Caima FMR is one of PRDP-Bicol’s I-BUILD subprojects in Camarines Sur that is projected to benefit 6,691 population and 1,437 households along the project influence area.

PRDP is a six-year development project being implemented by the Department of Agriculture designed to increase farmers’ income and establish a more market-oriented, inclusive and climate-resilient agri-fishery sector. ### (Annielyn L. Baleza, DA-PRDP Bicol RPCO InfoACE Unit)