| AD | ADSPP Year Formulated | Total land area | Population |
| Bunawan, Agusan del Sur | 2013 | 26,416.74 ha Bunawan Brook, Consuelo, Imelda, Libertad, Mambalili, Nueva Era, Poblacion, San Andres, San Marcos, and San Teodoro | 19,567 (Male: 11,153, Female: 8,414) |
Remember Lolong?
Lolong was the largest saltwater crocodile in captivity found in Agusan Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary (AMWS), Bunawan, Agusan del Sur, Mindanao, Philippines, in September 2011. The said Sanctuary is considered one of the most significant inland wetland ecosystems in the Philippines. It made Bunawan popular.
Not only animals, but indigenous groups such as the Agusanon Manobos have long established their communities in the marsh’s interior. The Agusan Marsh’s environment has exerted a profound influence on every dimension of their culture and way of life, shaping distinctive practices, customs, and architectural styles that set them apart from their upland counterparts (unesco.org).
Despite the competition with big traders of rice and lower-priced imported rice and the low buying price of crops/commodities that are often dictated by traders, the IP community still hopes for economically brighter years ahead not limited to rice produce with the support from DA- Mindanao Inclusive Agriculture Development Project (MIADP).
Addressing key challenges and capitalizing on available opportunities through strategic interventions and collaborative efforts will soon make Manobos of Agusan share a space on the map of development through entrepreneurship with close to 20,000 IPs benefiting from the enterprise project.
The Bunawan Ancestral Domain (CADT 136), encompassing 26,416.74 hectares, represents over half of the municipality’s total area covering Bunawan Brook, Consuelo, Imelda, Libertad, Mambalili, Nueva Era, Poblacion, San Andres, San Marcos, and San Teodoro. The said AD has more than 6,000 ha devoted to rice production making it a rice-sufficient community. The rice production output is ideal for consolidation, processing, and marketing.
MIADP is a World Bank-funded project for six years which aims to sustainably increase agricultural productivity, resiliency, and access to markets and services of organized farmer and fisherfolk groups among the indigenous cultural communities/ indigenous peoples (ICCs/IPs) in selected Ancestral Domains (ADs) and for selected commodity value chains in Mindanao. It has four components namely Component 1: Ancestral Domain Planning and Social Preparation, Component 2: Resilient Ancestral Domain Agri-Fisheries Infrastructure, Component 3: Ancestral Domain Agri-Fisheries Production and Enterprise Development, Component 4: Project Management and Support, Monitoring, and Evaluation.
MIADP’s orientation on the technical documentation for project support in Bunawan, Rosario, and San Luis ADs. These documents include a Feasibility Study (FS), Detailed Engineering Design (DED), Program of Works (POW), and requirements by the MIADP Social and Environmental Safeguards (SES) on January 26, 2024. Courtesy: MIADP RPCO 13
MIADP Project Support Office, National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP), and Technical Service Provider, Jill Yves Ducena from the Orient Integrated Development Consultants, Inc. converge for the community mapping, on Marso 13-15, 2024. Outputs of the activities formed part of drafting the Ancestral Domain Agriculture Implementation Framework (ADAIF) for the Bunawan AD. PHOTO: MIADP RPCO 13
TSP and PSO’s Deputy Project Director Engr. Cristy Cecilia P. Pulido visits Bunawan Mayor Sylvia Elorde and Bunawan Manobo’s tribal chieftains, on May 2, 2024. Courtesy: MIADP RPCO 13
MIADP personnel visit key areas for the proposed subprojects for CADT 136, on May 2, 2024. Together with the RPCO 13 MIADP team, Project Support Office (PSO), OIDCI Technical Service Providers, and Bunawan Agriculture Officer traversed five (5) kilometers on foot toward Sitio Away, Brgy. San Andres for the proposed FMR subproject in the area.
References
Agusan Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary. Retrieved 09 August 2024 from whc. unesco.org
Ancestral Domain Agriculture Implementation Framework (ADAIF), 2024
MIADP facts. Retrieved 09 August 2024 from https://www.da.gov.ph
MIADP RPCO 13 Facebook Page
