Barangay
Projects
Barangay
LGUs of the second district of the Province of Misamis Occidental adhered
to a ‘straight-flush’ assistance from Congresswoman Hermie
Ramiro, the Provincial Government and from the LGUs for barangay project
planning assistance structured after the “KURAMBOS System.”
The scheme is being spearheaded by the Provincial Government, conceptualized
by our beloved Governor Loreto Leo Ocampos himself. The concept is geared
to address poverty alleviation and unemployment through the enhancement
of agricultural productivity by providing a framework for the initiation
of livelihood and infra-facilities to market agricultural products.
The scheme is likewise called Barangay IRA Counterparting Scheme. It
is based on the computed 50% of the 20% Development Fund (DF) of each
barangay. The barangay, being the major stakeholder of these projects
for development, must be obligated to pitch in 50% of its DF for the
scheme and with the same amount will be shared by the congressional,
provincial and the respective LGUs to compliment the barangay project
planning implementation.
Through equitable sharing, the barangays’ DF fund will be enhanced
and even multiplied, that would be enough to enable barangay LGUs to
implement projects with remarkable bearings in terms of its social impact.
“From the perspective of Agricultural Analogy to Equitable Sharing
Scheme, this system will set a foothold for development initiative in
the barangays,” Governor Ocampos said.
Whenever we talk about agriculture, water is indispensable. Thus, “water
is the source of life.” Misamis Occidental is basically dependent
in its agricultural economy. Principal products such as copra, rice,
and com are just some of the common agricultural products usually cultivated
in the lowland areas, most particularly in the coastal plain barangays
serviced by irrigation systems. But in some areas, water is very crucial,
which tend to lead the coconut farmers to be fully dependent on coconut
harvest, because of the lack of water.
With or without direct knowledge, our farmers would not realize that
we have 65,000 hectares of lush and green forest of which 43,000 hectares
still remain at its virginal state. This means that we still have a
vast resource of watershed areas from the Mt. Malindang ranges. And
to top it all, water can still be extracted from these footholds. If
we can extract water, we can still develop this agricultural upland
into a ‘high-value’ crop agriculture and enhance productivity
and provide an opportunity to develop background livelihood.
This is the reason why Governor Ocampos encouraged every barangay to
institute, whenever applicable, the waterworks system and farm-to-market
road projects as the basic and elemental component of this program during
the Barangay Consultative Project Planning and IRA-Sharing Scheme.
Irrigation systems must have to be upgraded and rehabilitated. Potable
water must likewise be provided and elevated from Level 1 to Level 2
or 3, and farm-to-market roads must be provided. Thus, water is the
basic element of agricultural productivity and as the source of life
is being governed as the basic pivotal element of agricultural enhancement
by the Provincial Government.
Governor Ocampos’ visionary march for agricultural enhancement
is stringent on team-building setting aside political color and affiliation.
The Governor is bent of doing business strictly for a progressive Misamis
Occidental. With vigorous leadership, he aims to propel Misamis Occidental
as a serious provider of agricultural products to supplement the growing
regional economy much heightened by his capacity as the Chair of the
Regional Development Council of Region 10.
Thus, through a series of municipal assemblies with barangay officials,
his concept of Barangay Sharing or IRA Counterparting readily gained
wide acceptance, which the barangay LGUs are looking forward for its
early implementation
