Healing, Reconciliation and Empowerment: Winning the Peace Together

For so long a time, we have been systematically used by dubious organizations to propagate their twisted version of the truth. They made us believe that all propaganda coming from their mouths are for our own good. But where have they brought us? They used us- our innocence, our friendship, our vulnerability to promote their own agenda- that of violence and unrest. They have deceived us into believing that our government is inefficient and ineffective by exploiting worn- out issues. They made us believe that it is only these organizations that can save us from our woes, but what happened? Our lives become harder each day. We became poorer because of the lies they have spread. Their promises did not bring food to our tables. Their propaganda did not send our children to school. Their anger did not build our house.

 Now, we started healing the wounds we have sustained through the years. We have begun repairing broken relationships. We have started restoring old friendships that suffered as a result of their deception. We have begun regaining back the trust and confidence of each other which they have used to make us fight one another. We have taken small but firm steps towards healing the anger and hatred we have shown each other because of their.

 It has been a long and arduous journey for us. This time we started acknowledging our mistakes, our shortcomings, our wrong perceptions and misconceptions. Nowadays, I can confidently say that we have become  enlightened and educated citizens. We did nothing extraordinary. We did nothing superficial but to embrace nothing but the truth.   

 This truth has become the foremost foundation of our RECONCILIATION. There can never be reconciliation without acceptance or acknowledgement of the truth. We have acknowledged our wrongs; we have recognized our faults. That is the first step towards reconciliation.

 Let us let go of our anger and hatred towards each other. Let us move on and forgive each other. Let us move forward by serving justice to those who need and deserve it. But justice can only be served if we respect one another; if we respect each other’s rights. 

 With truth and justice, we can be assured of a community in harmony- one where everybody has a genuine concern for each other. Where truth, justice and harmony reside, reconciliation shall thrive. Where reconciliation thrives, peace reigns. Where peace reigns, progress begins.

  Imagine a community where people thrive without conflict but understanding; without scars of anger or hatred but only healed wounds and strengthened relationships; without violence or fear but only truth, justice, and peace.

 It might sound so ideal but it is achievable nonetheless. That is why we are here to empower each other- to teach ourselves to continue the healing that we have started; to sustain the reconciliation that we have initiated; and to become the community that we have always wanted. Through our concerted efforts- we are helping each other rebuild our own lives by capitalizing on the programs our government has to offer. We are here because we want our families to have better lives. We are here because we know our worth as members of the community. We are here because we believe in us- in our capacity to become better individuals and productive citizens who can contribute to our nation’s progress.

 Let us continue the journey we have started. Let us move together towards the realization of our dreams to brighten up the future of our children. Let us commit ourselves to this humble but noble cause of fostering peace and harmony in our society.

 Let us bind ourselves to a code of conduct of non-violence and declare our resolute faith in the achievement of a genuine and long lasting peace. Let us bind ourselves to peace not only for our own sake but for the future generations.

 I pledge myself to a life of non-violence...a life of peace. I hope you will too!

The Kabalikat sa Kabuhayan Program: Planting Seeds of Peace in Grassroots Communities

The students were all beaming with pride as they proudly greeted guests arriving at their campus. They were all wearing blue shirts with matching native hats. The weather was neither sunny nor gloomy and the atmosphere was festive. It was their graduation day and they were all ecstatic at the prospect of receiving their certificates of graduation. It had the looks and mood of a school graduation except that the students were clad in farming attires rather than black or white togas, and the campus was in the midst of grassland converted into a farm-school at Sitio Muscovado in Brgy. Poblacion, Toboso Negros Occidental.

It was a Harvest Festival. Assorted vegetables, green and leafy ones, were on display at the makeshift display stands fashioned out of bamboos and other native materials. The bitter gourds, white gourds, lettuce, squash, peppers, water spinach (upland kangkong), string beans, okras, and eggplants tempted the guests to take home some. The watermelons and honeydews were as mouth-watering. And they were all organically produced by the students in the self-styled “Wellness Farm”.

The farmer-students comprise the 164 participants of the Kabalikat sa Kabuhayan Organic Farming Training Program- a 12 week farmers’ (and aspiring farmers) training jointly conducted by the SM Foundation Inc., Department of Agriculture, Department of Social Welfare and Development, Harbest Agribusiness Corporation, Provincial Government of Negros Occidental, Local Government Unit of Toboso, and the Philippine Army’s 303^rd Brigade and 62^nd Infantry Battalion. It aims to help local farmers improve and increase their productivity and income by conducting training on various farming techniques. The training includes the application of modern farming methods and technology. It also aims to promote organic farming particularly on the use of organic pesticides and fertilizers among others.

Benjamin Buenavista, a resident of Brgy Salamanca, Toboso and one of the students of who completed the three-month program said he was elated with his newfound skills on organic farming. While still a student, he has already started planting his own garden with a variety of vegetables including bell peppers. Buenavista, a widower and an Agrarian Reform Beneficiary (ARB), said he was thankful for the KSK program and he plans to put up a cooperative back in his community so that he would be able to use and impart to others what he has learned from the training. He said some of his neighbors were regretful for failing to join the training after he told them of its benefits. There originally 208 of them when the program started but others dropped-out along the way.

Davien Pation, the principal trainer and technician from Harbest said the training program consisted mainly of short lectures and focused on actual or hands-on training. With the help of the Municipal Agriculture Office (MAO) and LGU, they converted a half-hectare of grassland owned by the Municipal Government of Toboso into a   field school where they conducted group-based learning process effectively applying Benjamin Franklin’s famous words-“tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn“. Pation said it made the students more responsive as it was also an interactive learning experience.  The class met every Wednesday for 12 consecutive weeks.  

Collaborative effort

The program was a collaborative effort of different organizations. SMFI provided for all funding requirements for the training and tapped Harbest Agribusiness Corporation for the materials to include seeds, fertilizers and other farm inputs. Farm technicians who served as the students’ instructors were also provided by Harbest. The Department of Agriculture through the MAO and the LGU provide technical assistance, training venue and the actual demo- farm used for the training. The LGU together with the Barangay Councils also helped in providing ample water supply, even occasionally tapping the services of the fire department for that purpose. It also provided transportation assistance to the students who came from different communities of the municipalities of Toboso and Calatrava, and City of Escalante. 

On the other hand, the SMFI which represents the country’s biggest chain of malls and supermarkets including the Hypermart and Supermart is the program’s market arm. The foundation assured marketing assistance to successful farmers who graduated from KSK if they opt to enter into commercial vegetable production. Ms. Cristie Angeles of SMFI and the KSK Project Director noted the lack of vegetable supplies in the public markets of the municipalities and city mentioned and even in the neighboring towns. She said she hopes that with the program, there would be a renewed vigor for local vegetable farmers to produce quality vegetables for the local markets. She also said that locally produced vegetables should take the place of vegetables brought in from farther areas noting that it would significantly help the local economy. 

Guv pledges help

The culmination of the training was highlighted by the presence of Governor Alfredo Marañon Jr., Mayor Richard Jaojoco of Toboso, Col. Jon Aying of 303^rd Brigade and Maj. Gen. Rey Leonardo Guerrero of the Army’s 3^rd Infantry Division. Governor Marañon exalted the sponsors and organizers for coming up with the program which he said will inspire Negrenses to appreciate and embrace farming as a means to better one’s socio-economic condition. He even said a farmer can earn as much as 500,000 pesos for every hectare of land if he knows how to use it well. He also pleaded with the graduates to redeem the lands they have acquired through the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) which have been pawned to others for a meager amount and plant vegetables instead. He promised help to those who will engage in vegetable farming as he sampled a slice of watermelon harvested from the farm.

Farmer-soldiers

Meanwhile, also noticeable among the graduates were a handful of soldier-farmers who trained and at the same time assisted the students throughout the duration of the program. Col. Jon Aying, the man behind the Negros Occidental Provincial Wellness Program and the Wellness Farm concept was all smiles when he said the soldiers were part of a special team of the Army who specializes in Bayanihan activities. Colonel Aying who is a passionate farmer himself said their job was to assist communities in resolving basic issues affecting households and communities such as hunger and poverty by working closely with different stakeholders. They are immersed in far-flung communities where they represent the government and serve as the bridge between the communities and service providers such as Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR), DA and DSWD. During the KSK training, they had to fetch drums and drums of water every day to water the plants since the students only went there once a week. “We stayed near the farm during the last 3 months to secure the students and at the same time help them in their training. We too learned a lot from the program”, one of young soldiers said. “I will consider farming once I retire. I think it has lots of potential”, another soldier retorted in Hiligaynon.

Lt. Col. Rommel Cordova, the Commanding Officer of 62^nd IB who oversaw the entire program, said that aside from the manpower assistance, his battalion also provided vehicles and fuel for transporting the students to and from their respective barangays every time they had classes. They also gave free lunch for the trainees all of whom came from poor families. Majority of the participants volunteered to join the program after they attended the Community Development Planning conducted by the Provincial Peace, Integration and Development Unit (ProPIDU) a few months ago. CDP stemmed out from the participatory rural appraisal conducted to assess a community’s needs, issues and concerns with the active involvement of the residents themselves.

Buyers’ forum

Angeles who has been with the foundation for 18 years, encouraged the graduates to dream, and dream big just like SM’s founder, Henry Sy who was able to transform a shoe retail store into the country’s biggest store. Arsenio Barcelona, a proud Negrense and President of HARBEST challenged his ‘kababayans’ to make their lands productive and become self-sufficient. He lamented at how lands are not being optimized because farmers lack knowledge on farming techniques. 

     Angeles also facilitated a buyer’s forum together with the SM Food Group. Representatives from the said group who came all the way from their main office in Manila gave informative talks on marketing techniques and SM’s vegetable requirements. In Negros Occidental alone, they have several stores that need local vegetable suppliers to cater to their needs, they said. The forum was highlighted by the distribution of gift packs and fun games led by SMFI staff. The Provincial Health Office also conducted free medical consultation and check-up.

Pledge for Peace

          During the graduation ceremony, the participants declared themselves as members of peace communities and pledged an oath to non-violence. They are now part of a growing number of peace communities all over Negros Occidental who have committed themselves to the pursuit of peace. Mayor Jaojoco led the oath-taking and the signing of the declaration of the peace communities.

Educational Tour

The following day, the new graduates were brought to Bacolod City for a special tour of the Provincial Capitol Complex, SM Supermarket, Bacolod Central Market and Mambukal Resort. They also toured the Army’s Headquarters in Brgy. Minoyan, Murcia where the Negros First-Army Wellness Farm is located. There were met by former rebels who are now employed as farm assistants. Aside from providing alternative source of livelihood for former rebels, the said farm also provides psychosocial healing for their families to help them return to the mainstream society.

“We are here to make them feel that they are not left behind or neglected by our government. We will never run out of new approaches to help in making their lives better. This is our humble contribution to winning the peace in Negros”, Colonel Aying said.