Paquibato Leaders Visit Oil Palm Farms ‘WE WILL NEVER FORGET THIS DAY…”

By Manny Pinol

Barangay and tribal leaders of Davao City’s Paquibato District, known as a lair of communist rebels under Commander Parago and one of the poorest areas in the otherwise progressive city, visited Oil Palm farms in Barangay Dungguan, M’lang, North Cotabato which also suffered from years of war, a nursery and a modern oil processing plant and declared that it was a trip which they will never forget for the rest of their lives.

“Dili namo ni mahikalimtan sa tibouk namong kinabuhi kay karon nabuksan ang among mga mata sa mga bagay nga makapabag-o sa among kinabuhi,” said an Ata Manobo chieftain from Barangay Malabog, Paquibato district who joined the group of about 40 barangay officials and agriculturists from Davao City who made a one-day “exposure” to the Oil Palm fields of neighboring North Cotabato.

(We will never forget this day in our life because today we have seen things which could improve our lives.)

Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte directed City Agriculturist Roselio Tabay to expose the Paquibato officials and tribal leaders to the Oil Palm projects as part of the education and orientation program prior to the implementation of a similar project in the 13 barangays of Paquibato District, long known as a stronghold of the NPAs.

The group left Davao City on board four vehicles early Saturday morning and first visited the North Cotabato Palm Oil Corp. (NCPOC) nursery in San Vicente, Makilala, then the Oil Palm farms in Barangay Dungguan, M’lang and later the Agumil Palm Oil Milling in Buluan, Maguindanao.

But it was the sight of the vast areas planted to Oil Palm farms in Barangay Dungguan which had the most impact on the leaders of Davao City’s most troubled district because just like Paquibato, Dungguan was a battlefield between lawless groups including kidnap for ransom groups and government forces about 15 years ago.

“You could not have gone this deep into Dungguan without engaging armed groups in a firefight 15 years ago,” I told the visit Davao City barangay and tribal leaders.

Dungguan used to be a lair of armed groups and an exit point for kidnappers who abducted people for ransom from the towns of M’lang and even the city of Kidapawan.

It was during the years when I was Governor of North Cotabato that I introduced the Plant Now Pay Later Program for Oil Palm in the village and dredged the silted mouth of the M’lang River towards Liguasan Marsh enabling Moro farmers in the area to make use of their long abandoned land.

Yesterday, Dungguan Barangay Chairman Jose Sagadan showed his visitors the changes in the lives of the people in the area where farming families have satellite TV dishes mounted on the roofs of their homes.

Visiting the Oil Milling complex of Agumil in nearby Buluan town, the Davao City group was briefed by Plant Manager Engr. Phil Malana who explained that the facility was not only producing Crude Palm Oil but also bio-gas and excess power which if properly harnessed could reach as much as 4MW.

On Aug. 30, a one-day forum on Oil Palm will be held in Davao City where resource persons will discuss the other details on Oil Palm farming and where executives from government and private banks will offer their financing package to the farmers.

In the third week of September, the group will cross the Sulu Sea and visit Sabah, Malaysia to visit the Oil Palm and Rubber villages of the agriculturally-advanced country.

Duterte said that after the exposure trips, the barangay officials and tribal leaders will allowed to decide whether to pursue the development initiatives of the City Government in their locality or not.

“They alone will decide what future they and their children will have,” said Duterte.

(Photos show (1) Dungguan Barangay Chairman Datu Joe Sagadan pose with visiting Davao City group; (2) Paquibato village leaders inspect fresh fruit bunches in a weighing area; (3) a tribal leader and an elderly Paquibato barangay chairman take a close look at the Oil Palm fruits (4) Agumil Plant manager Engr. Phil Malana briefs visitors on the operation of the mill in the unloading platform; (5) Ata Manobo tribal leader Datu Dario poses in front of the huge oil tanks; and (6) visiting Davao City village and tribal leaders pose to mark the day they will never forget.)