DAVAO DEL SUR, January 30, 2025 – The Regional Project Coordination Office (RPCO) XI completed its series of community assemblies to the Ancestral Domain of Bagobo-Tagabawa as part of its commitment to maximize the Mindanao Inclusive Agriculture Development Project’s (MIADP) implementation in the region.
Community assemblies serve as a preparatory step for the project to touch base with the community, introduce its intent and its components, present subprojects and entrepreneurial opportunities, and serve as a platform for open discussions among the RPCO, the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP), and the IP communities.
RPCO XI conducted four community assemblies this month, kicking off two assemblies in Sta. Cruz and finishing off the remaining two in Digos City.
Regional Technical Director Zabdiel Zacarias attended the first of the assemblies, encouraging the community for collaboration for the project’s implementation.
“Atong ginalantaw karon kung unsa ang makaayo dili lang sa atoa, kundili kanang mga proyekto nga makaambit ang atong mga kaapohan. Magtinabangay kita para padayon ang atong paglambo,” Zacarias said.
(What we should envision is development not only beneficial for us, but also those projects that even our next of kin can benefit. Let’s help each other for sustained development!)
The Ancestral Domain of Bagobo-Tagabawa is the sixth AD under the MIADP RPCO XI’s area of scope. The ancestral lands stretch over two administrative regions, XI and XII, which presented challenges in logistics and coordination.
Following MIADP Project Support Office’s prodding and guidance, RPCO XI ensured that the Indigenous Cultural Communities (ICCs) in Makilala (Region 12) understood the scope and limitations of project’s subprojects and that they were in full support of its implementation.
The land scope of most ADs commonly spans through only one administrative region.
After the assemblies, the RPCO XI will conduct another series of data gathering activities as part of its intensive social preparation phase. This will culminate in the production of the Ancestral Domain Agriculture Infrastructure Framework (ADAIF), a book containing the Indigenous Cultural Communities’ agricultural development plan under MIADP for the next six years.
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