The Philippines: A Country in Crisis

The Philippines are rarely cited among the poorest countries. However, 24% of Filipinos suffer from malnutrition and 50% of the population lives on less than $2 a day. It is in this context that political instability, internecine violence, and the fight for economic survival worsen each day.

Up against this alarming situation, Frères des Hommes and its Filipino partner, Philnet, have decided to launch a new project in favor of peace and economic development on the island of Mindanao, a site of ancestral in-fighting as well as a symbol of the unequal distribution of wealth that creates highly unstable conditions.

The island of Mindanao, with 44% of the country’s agricultural production, and which contains important mineral resources (nickel, aluminum, gold, copper), is nevertheless home to 14 of the 20 poorest provinces in the Philippines.

This paradox can be explained by:

• The role of modern agro-industry on the most profitable export crops (banana, pineapple, palm oil)
• The rural populations’ restricted access to credit
• The status of the majority of the population as landless subsistence farmers, having to pay high rents for tenant farming
• Unsafe sanitary facilities (limited access to potable water and health services)
• The armed conflict between the central government and separatist groups that have persisted for the past 30 years

This project, which began in January 2004, after two years of preparation, has received the support of the European Union.

A Program for Peace and Sustainable Rural Development

A Long and Rigorous Preparation
Launching this program in such a complex context required was a difficult process that required two years of preparation. Philnet carried out a survey and analyzed the situation in order to measure the social, economic, religious, political, environmental, and cultural parameters. The two principal action areas and the participants in the project were thus identified.

Action areas:
The communities of Mapanting (palm oil, rice, and wheat production) and Buanaflores, made up of Christians, Muslims, and animists, where farmers without land work each day for their families’ basic needs.

Direct beneficiaries of the project: 250 families, consisting of 3000 men, women, and children

Concrete actions to obtain tangible results:

Peace

• Reduction of tensions and conflicts, through organizing workshops for exchange and multicultural dialogue in these communities
• Education in techniques of organization and conflict management, and forming local committees
• Mutual advocacy for Christian, Muslim, and animist families alongside local authorities in order to promote more equitable land access, better sanitary conditions, and improved access to potable water
• Organization of meetings and discussions for the International Week for Peace

Agricultural Development and Income in Rural Settings

• Setting up community development councils to ensure individual and collective participation in planning production, distribution methods, responsibility-sharing
• Creating a system of savings and loan in 4 villages
• Putting in place a network of cooperatives
• Training to improve quality of production, productivity, and the environment by using biological compost and natural weed-killers
• Supporting the creation of micro-enterprises
• Setting up nearby stores, open to everyone

Starting today
With your help, we can:

• Contribute to the resolution of internecine tensions
• Help families from different religions organize, in order to take common action for a better quality of life and better conditions for production
• Increase up the number of people receiving agriculture and management training
• Strengthen and expand the system of savings and loan
• Support farmers in increasing and diversifying their incomes
• Strengthen activities and networking between cooperatives

“Your gift will contribute to resolving conflict and laying the foundations
of sustainable agricultural development in the Philippines.”
We count on you.