| AD | ADSPP Year Formulated | Total land area | Population |
| Magpet | 2014 | 5,317.779 ha (Imamaling and Manobisa) | 2,356 |
The Obo Monuvu, to mean “person” or “people”, is an Indigenous cultural community that resides at the foothills of Mt. Apo. Just like other Indigenous communities living along the Mt. Apo range, the Obo Monuvu regard Apo Sandawa as a sacred mountain where their ancestors prayed from a long time ago. With no connecting roads but only foot trails through the forests and grasslands, the said IP community moved about Magpet living their traditions and cultural beliefs (Ibanez, 2023).
The term may have also originated from the word mansuba, which came from two words man, meaning ‘person,’ and suba, ‘river.’ Hence, coined together, they are the “river people.” The compound name Obo-Manuvu is based on the ascriptions made by the Bagobo-Klata, Bagobo-Tagabawa, and Ubo/Obu (NCIP, 2024).
As a move of the Marcos administration to end the cycle of poverty, especially in Mindanao’s Ancestral Domains, the Obo Monuvu in Magpet, Cotabato has been chosen as a partner to the Department of Agriculture-Mindanao Inclusive Agriculture Development Project (MIADP), a World-Bank financed initiative for six years.
Currently, the IP farmers have limited opportunity to avail of higher/reasonable prices of their agricultural products due to the existing individual marketing setup, but there is an opportunity for higher prices for quality products sold or marketed in bulk.
Chosen among the priority enterprises to be funded is the Rubber Cup Lump Production, Consolidation, and Marketing which will soon start at the Imamaling-Manobisa AD, in Magpet where a 236-hectare rubber plantation is located, and is estimated to deliver an annual production of 29,028MT (ADAIF, 2024).
Apart from rubber, this pilot AD in Cotabato is blessed with an exceedingly large area that is feasible and suitable for corn, coffee, banana, abaca, tiger grass, and fruit tree production and expansion. The Imamaling Farmers Association just needs the warehouse and trading post, transportation, other logistical needs, and working capital to jumpstart the operation of the proposed enterprise. This is where this Indigenous Peoples Organization (IPO) needs the support of the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP), the Local Government Unit (LGU) of Magpet, and the DA-MIADP to make the rubber enterprise sub-project a profitable business venture.
The Imamaling-Manobisa AD formulated its Ancestral Domain Sustainability and Protection Plan (ADSDPP) in 2014. It has a total land area of 5,317.779 ha with a population of 2,356.
MIADP focuses on increasing and optimizing agricultural productivity in Mindanao’s ADs. It was launched in Quezon City on November 6, 2023. The DA will implement the project that started in 2023 in partnership with the NCIP to elevate the farming and fishery productivity of organized farmers and fishers’ groups among identified ancestral domains. It has four components: Ancestral Domain Planning and Social Preparation, Resilient Ancestral Domain Agri-Fisheries Infrastructure, Ancestral Domain Agri-Fisheries Production and Enterprise Development, Project Management and Support, Monitoring, and Evaluation.
On the series of Cultural Sensitivity Training for the LGUs of Sen. Ninoy Aquino and Magpet, August 5–9, 2024.
PHOTO: MIADP-RPCO 12
ADAIF Formulation Process from planning, partnership with the LGU, baseline survey, signing of MOA, training on the preparation of the ADAIF and Concept Notes. PHOTOS: MIADP-RPCO 12
Visitation to the PLGU Cotabato.
Coordination meeting between MIADP-Project Support Office, Orient Integrated Development Consultants Inc. (Technical Service Provider), and MIADP Regional Project Coordination Office XII, July 19, 2024. Courtesy: MIADP RPCO 12
Presentation of revised and simplified Ancestral Domain Agricultural Implementation Framework (ADAIF) to the Indigenous Political Structures (IPS) of Magpet and Sen. Ninoy Aquino Municipalities, on July 31 – Aug. 1, 2024. PHOTOS: MIADP-RPCO 12
Two-day consultation workshop on Enterprise Prioritization Tools for MIADP cum Business Planning Workshop, held on August 14–15 2024, at Viajera Dine & Cafe, Koronadal City. The workshop was attended by the officers Imamaling Farmers Association (IFA).
Courtesy: MIADP-RPCO 12
References
Ancestral Domain Sustainable and Protection Plan, Community Situationer, 2014.
Ancestral Domain Agriculture Implementation Framework (ADAIF), 2024
Ibanez, Jason (2023). Indigenous Knowledge, Skills and Practices of Obo Monuvu, Magpet, Cotabato, Philippines. Retrieved 09 August 2024 from researchgate.net
Department of Agriculture MIADP-RPCO XII Facebook, DA Compilation Report
