Valencia City, Bukidnon – Forest Foundation Philippines partners gathered on February 4-6, 2020 for the 3rd Partner’s Meeting for Bukidnon and Misamis Oriental landscape to strengthen its program efforts in achieving change towards the development of the landscape.
Partner organizations and foundations presented their project milestones as well as experiences and challenges in implementation. Positive insights and feedback were drawn from the experiences of various groups with the take-away that there were common challenges, and solutions were also presented to better address them.
Datu Herminio “Tumanod” Guinto, Tribal Adviser of the Nagkahiusang Manobong Manununod sa Yutang Kabilin, Inc. (NAMAMAYUK) expressed his gratitude to all partner organizations in helping them [Indigenous Peoples] through various projects. Datu Guinto urged the proactive engagement of the government agencies in monitoring as well as visiting them [the communities] to understand the general situation and of their efforts particularly in protecting the environment and their ancestral domains.
Part of the three-day event was a site visit to one partner Indigenous Peoples Organizations (IPO) of the Bayawon, Lucday, Lungayan, Pendonay, Tandacol Tribal Association, Inc. (BLLUPENTTRAS) in Sitio Tandacol, Barangay Lilingayon, Valencia City, Bukidnon. The entire day was filled with interactive activities, participants were able to visit the rainforestation sites of the community, they were also given coffee orientations by the Philippine Coffee Alliance and had a coffee-tasting ceremony.
The final day was intended for the partner organizations to come up with a collaborative framework for Bukidnon and Misamis Oriental. Here the participants were led to a series of workshops that led to the agreement that all organizations working within the landscape need to focus on the development of IP culture and community empowerment as well as strengthening their governance towards the protection and conservation of the resources. It will also explore IP social enterprises, livelihood opportunities and improve education for all stakeholders.
It was attended by the following organizations, Ateneo School of Government (ASOG), Environmental Science for Social Change (ESSC), Kitanglad Guard Volunteers Association, Inc. (KGVAI), Mindanao Integrated Management Foundation (MINMAF), The Samdhana Institute, Philippine Coffee Alliance, Inc., (PCAI), Xavier Science Foundation, Inc. (XSF), Xavier University – Ateneo de Cagayan (McKeough Marine Center), and guests from DENR-Central, Edukasyon.ph and more.
Written by
Ma. Sharlene Reyanne Mercado
Documentations and Communications Officer
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