kaban galing - front cover - galing pook

includes guest hotels and cottages, a mini-zoo, function restaurants,
hatcheries, a mangrove reforestation area, an aquaculture area, and
even a dolphin and fish rescue and rehabilitation area known as MOAPY
Island.
The program also provides qualified people’s organizations with
capital to engage in either tilapia and seaweed production or banana
and cassava growing as income generating activities. Materials for
tilapia and seaweed production are directly provided by the MOAP, while
planting materials for banana and cassava growing are provided by the
Misamis Occidental Enterprise Research and Development Center
(MOERDC)
The MOAP facilities help ensure the steady supply of fingerlings in
the area especially for tilapia breeding which forms part of the livelihood
component of the program. The provincial government and its
stakeholder partners provide financial and technical assistance to ensure
sustainability of the micro-enterprises.
The MOADPP adopted a multi-sectoral participatory approach
involving the full spectrum of stakeholders in program planning and
implementation. The process involves the participation of the provincial
government, the national government, non-government organizations,
the private sector, foreign funding institutions and the beneficiaries
themselves. Consultations with stakeholders is a key feature. The has
resulted in a high degree of empowerment and a strong sense of
ownership among the stakeholders.
The program also requires beneficiaries of the livelihood assistance
component to put up equity in the form of land, labor and time. They are
also asked to return a certain percentage of their profits as a form of
levy. The levy is in turn used to help fund the program, thus helping ensure
its sustainability. This approach eliminates the doleout mentality fostered
by ill-conceived grassroots development efforts. It also cultivates a
greater sense of ownership of the program among the beneficiaries
since they know that part of their own money is invested in it.
Paying for Itself
The socio-economic impact of the program cannot be overemphasized.
The MOAP has become one of the primary sources of livelihood and
employment among the local residents. It has generated no less than
1,000 jobs and currently maintains a workforce of 100. The facility has
Sense of Ownership, Source of Pride 83