“You’re one of the few projects in World Bank that has my confidence. Social and environmental safeguards set the standard for what an international project should be . . . and you are able to meet that.”

That is how World Bank Social Development Specialist Marivi Ladia described her general findings about the resettlement of the Project Affected Persons (PAPs) of the “Concreting of Manangle–Caima Farm-to-Market Road (FMR)” subproject in Sipocot, Camarines Sur.

Ladia, and the Social and Environmental Safeguards (SES) unit of the Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP) National Office headed by Angelita Martir and South Luzon Project Support Office (PSO) led by Maria Iris Millendez, were in Bicol on August 15–17 for the World Bank Review Mission to the infrastructure development (I-BUILD) subproject in Camarines Sur.

CONFIDENT. World Bank Social Development Specialist Marivi Ladia expresses her confidence that the PRDP implementers in Bicol will continue to uphold the international social and environmental safeguards standards during the review mission’s exit conference on August 17. (Photo by Hermito Antonio Privaldos, DA-PRDP Bicol RPCO InfoACE Unit)

The review mission kicked off with a dinner meeting on August 15 followed by a site visit in Brgy. Manangle in Sipocot on August 16. The World Bank and PRDP SES teams, together with the Project stakeholders from both the Provincial Local Government Unit (LGU) of Camarines Sur and Municipal LGU of Sipocot, conducted a series of focus group discussions with the PAPs. The discussions focused on resettlement concerns, grievance redress mechanism, labor influx, and emerging community benefits aspects of the I-BUILD subproject implementation.

The review mission was capped with an exit conference held in Pili, Camarines Sur on August 17.

PRDP safeguards and resettlement of PAPs

The SES is one of PRDP’s project support (I-SUPPORT) units mandated to identify, prevent, and mitigate harm to communities or people and the environment along subproject areas. One of the environmental and social standards that PRDP SES unit adopts is the Land Acquisition and Resettlement Framework designed to ensure the proper and just compensation for all involuntary losses of PAPs. The said framework also guarantees that people displaced because of development projects are resettled and provided with assistance to improve or at least maintain their pre-project living conditions.

According to the Bank’s Social Development Specialist, among all the PRDP subprojects nationwide, the Concreting of Manangle–Caima FMR has the most number of PAPs relocated. Fifteen families were relocated to the 6,955 square-meter resettlement site in Brgy. Manangle provided by the LGU of Sipocot. The MLGU also provided each household with 10 galvanized iron sheets, one unit water seal toilet bowls, and two sacks of cement. Meanwhile, the PAPs received a total of P484,680-worth financial compensation according to their dwelling classification from the Camarines Sur PLGU.

The project collaborators facilitated the establishment of electrical and lighting facilities, potable water system, and conduct of trainings on vegetable gardening in the relocated community. The resettled families also received grafted pili seedlings, mahogany seedlings, and vegetable seeds.

Emerlinda Naje, barangay councilor assigned in the resettlement site, said, “Ako po naoogma ta yaon po an saindang pagkasararo, kooperasyon sa lambang saro. Nagrarabos po kami sa tubig po dyan naayos mi po. Naoogma po kaming marhay ta an gabos po nasuportahan man po (I am very glad because I have witnessed their unity and cooperation. As a group, we initiated the establishment of potable water. We are very happy because we received all the support needed by the community).

“With regard to relocation, the worst is through. Tapos na ’yong hard work ninyo (You’re done with the hard work) on relocating the affected persons. There are just a few more things that we need to do,” Ladia said.

PRDP Bicol Deputy Project Director Adelina Losa expressed her hopes that the subproject implementers will not break the World Bank’s trust. She also assured the contractor and the Provincial Project Management and Implementing Unit (PPMIU) of Camarines Sur of the PRDP Bicol’s open and regular communication as well as full support and commitment.

PRDP Bicol Deputy Project Director and I-REAP Component Head Adelina Losa assures the Project partners of the RPCO’s commitment to provide full support and assistance towards an effective and efficient project implementation in Bicol, particularly in Camarines Sur. (Photo by Hermito Antonio Privaldos, DA-PRDP Bicol RPCO InfoACE Unit)

A learning experience

PPMIU Head Renz Gonzalo Refe thanked the World Bank and the project collaborators for the experiences gained through PRDP that equipped them in doing other national projects. He also acknowledged the efforts given by the PRDP teams from the national, cluster, and regional levels in guiding them to achieve the mutual goal of developing the province’s agri-fishery sector.

“You have come so far from your beginning. Sipocot is one of the first subprojects approved under PRDP and so it was a learning process for all of us. It is also special because of this full resettlement that you were able to really pull through. Let us continue to adhere to the Safeguards Framework of the Project. Let’s hold on to what we have learned and apply them moving forward,” Millendez said.

With a physical accomplishment of 4.64 percent as of July 31, 2017, the 19.15-kilometer Concreting of Manangle to Caima FMR is projected to benefit at least 6,691 population and 1,437 households. The P131 million-worth FMR subproject will boost the rice, corn, coconut, and vegetable production in seven barangays along the road influence area namely, Manangle, Bulawan, Gabi, Carayrayan, Binahian, and Caima in Sipocot and Bulawan Jr. in the neighboring Municipality of Lupi.

“We raise the expectation of the people by starting the implementation work so let’s not fail them,” Ladia underscored. ### (Annielyn L. Baleza, DA-PRDP Bicol RPCO InfoACE Unit) 

Project implementers of the Concreting of Manangle–Caima FMR pose for a photo with World Bank Social Safeguards Specialist Mavi Ladia (1st row, 10th from left) after the Exit Conference of the World Bank Review Mission to Camarines Sur on August 17. (Photo by Hermito Antonio Privaldos, DA-PRDP Bicol RPCO InfoACE Unit)