Consortium for the Advancement and

Development of Local Economies of Samar

(CANDLES)

SamarSamarSamarSamar Baseline Baseline Baseline Baseline StudyStudyStudyStudy ReportReportReportReport

Results of the survey on the major elements of local economy building in the identified pilot areas in Eastern and Northern Samar

Prepared for CANDLES by: JAY BERTRAM T. LACSAMANA

Contributors: RICARDO CLARIN LENI MAGALIT MARIA MENDOZA ROMIL HERNANDEZ

Table of Contents

Introduction....................................................................................................................................... i

Chapter 1 Samar, the Philippine Economy and Poverty ................................................................1

I. Samar and its role in the Philippine Economy................................................................. 1

Population......................................................................................................1

Production......................................................................................................2

Family income and expenditures ..................................................................3

Labor Force and Employment.......................................................................4

Agricultural Production ..................................................................................5

Infrastructure..................................................................................................6

Road Network................................................................................................6

Electrification..................................................................................................6

Number of Establishments ............................................................................7

Housing..........................................................................................................8

Education and Literacy................................................................................10

II. Poverty Situation in Samar........................................................................................... 11

Chapter 2 Community and Household Profiles.............................................................................15

I. Socio-Economic Profile of Pilot Communities ............................................................... 15

A. Eastern Samar .............................................................................................................15

1. Municipality of Borongan....................................................................15

2. Municipality of Guiuan........................................................................24

3. Municipality of Mercedes....................................................................33

B. Northern Samar............................................................................................................41

1. Municipality of Lavezares...................................................................41

2. Municipality of Mondragon .................................................................47

3. Municipality of San Jose ....................................................................50

II. Household Profiles ....................................................................................................... 58

A. Basic Information .........................................................................................................58

ii

B. Demographic Profile ....................................................................................................58

C. Socio-Economic...........................................................................................................59

Chapter 3 LGU Institutional Development Landscape ...............................................................70

A. Basic Political Information............................................................................................70

B. Development vision and objectives .............................................................................70

C. LGU development plans and investment programs ...................................................74

D. Partnerships with national government, NGOs and private groups ...........................74

E. Microenterprise/Financial Institutions ..........................................................................75

F. LGU Capacity...............................................................................................................76

Chapter 4 Civil Society and NGOs in Samar ..............................................................................79

A. Introduction ..................................................................................................................79

B. Locating CSOs in Samar Island ..................................................................................80

C. The Political Climate in Samar ....................................................................................92

Chapter 5 Development Financing Institutions ...........................................................................94

Profile of Respondents.............................................................................94

Profile of Clients .......................................................................................94

Loaned Amount and Cost of Borrowing ..................................................95

Training extended by the Financing Institutions ......................................95

Average Repayment Rate .......................................................................95

Case Study...............................................................................................95

Chapter 6 Private Investments and Overseas Remittances.......................................................98

I. Small Private Investments in Northern and Eastern Samar.......................................... 98

II. Investment Potential of Remittances: Household Survey Results ............................. 106

i

Introduction

his baseline study is undertaken for the Consortium for the Advancement and Development of Local Economies of Samar (CANDLES). It aims to establish relevant data and information necessary in coming up with an

objective, well-informed and well-grounded blueprint or plan for the advancement of the local economy of Samar. The baseline data and information was culled from both primary and secondary sources, gathering the latest possible given the limited time and resources available for the researchers. While attempting to establish comprehensive baseline situation in the pilot areas, it is not in any way complete and would continuously need updating and enhancement. Suffice it to say that the initial results of this baseline are sufficient to formulate the major contours of the blueprint and indicative development strategies and interventions open for CANDLES in the target areas.

Composed mostly of development-oriented NGOs, CANDLES in late 2004 adopted a common development framework and vision for the development of the local economies of Samar. This development framework is the embodiment of the various experiences in poverty reduction and development work of its lead convenors and member agencies with and among various development actors in government, private sector and fellow development NGOs, in and outside Samar. The framework is described as the five major pillars in poverty reduction and local economy building. (For a detailed elaboration of the framework, please find attached Research Framework, Design and Data Gathering Instruments Manual for the Formulation of the Blueprint for Samar Local Economy Building). These elements are:

1. Poor households and the entrepreneurial poor and their communities; 2. Local governance and the public sector; 3. Civil society and non-government sector; 4. Development financing and microfinance institutions, and 5. Private sector, external investments and the development potential of

remittances of overseas Filipinos

This document contains the preliminary results of the baseline survey conducted on the above stated major elements of local economy building in identified pilot areas in Eastern and Northern Samar. A total of six municipalities were identified as pilot-survey areas in the two provinces. These are: Northern Samar -- (a) Lavezares, (b) Mondragon, (c) San Jose; and Eastern Samar – (d) Borongan, (e) Guiuan, and (f) Mercedes.

T

ii

This report is outlined as follows:

Chapter 1: (i) Samar and the National/Regional Economy; (ii) Poverty Situation in Samar Chapter 2 Community and Household Profiles Chapter 3 Inventory and mapping of LGU development

vision, philosophy, interventions and capacity Chapter 4 Civil Society Organizations in Samar Chapter 5 Development Financing Institutions Chapter 6 Private investments, external investors and

remittances of overseas Filipinos

The presentation is basically limited to summarization and consolidation of the surveys and secondary data gathering undertaken by the researchers. As such, very limited analysis and technical judgments and alternatives can be gleaned from this report. This draft is thus a source book or material of data and information that would serve as basis for the subsequent blueprint or plan. It shall be continually augmented with distilled and cleansed data and information as may be needed in the course of drafting the Samar development plan or blueprint. In-depth analysis, findings and technical alternatives and recommendations will be contained in the draft blueprint that will be presented and discussed in the CANDLES investment conference in November 2005, signaling the start of Samar local economy building.

Chapter

1 Samar, the Philippine

Economy and Poverty

I. Samar and its role in the Philippine Economy

Population

Region 8 or Eastern Visayas comprise about 5 percent of the national population of the country in 2000. The combined proportion of the three Samar provinces is only about 42 percent of the regional population, two percentage points lower than the proportion of Leyte province. Population wise, Leyte Province predominates the region. Nationwide, among 78 provinces in year 2000, Northern Samar ranked 50th and Eastern Samar ranked 59th in terms of number of inhabitants.

Population (census-based)

2000 % Rank 1995 % Rank

Land Area (sq km)

Density (persons/sq km) 2000

Rank

Philippines 76,498,735

68,616,536

328,214.70 255

Region 8 Eastern Visayas 3,610,355 5% 3,366,917 5% 21,988 85

Biliran 140,274 4% 75 132,209 4% 72 528 264 53

Eastern Samar 375,822 10% 59 362,324 11% 58 4,431 84 14

Leyte 1,592,336 44% 15 1,511,251 45% 13 6,520 241 48

Northern Samar 500,639 14% 50 454,195 13% 51 3,445 145 28

Southern Leyte 360,160 10% 61 317,565 9% 61 1,852 353 62

Western Samar 641,124 18% 38 589,373 18% 37 5,212 65 10

Given its total land area, the three provinces of Samar are among the least densely populated provinces in the country. Western Samar is 10th nationwide in terms of density (persons per square kilometer), Eastern Samar is 14th and Northern Samar 28th. The average annual growth rate of Samar provinces is usually less than the national growth rate. Except for the growth rate of Northern Samar in the 1990-1995 period where its growth rate exceeded the national figure, average annual population growth rate is significantly lower than the national average.

2

Annual Average Growth Rate (in percent)

1980-1990 1990-1995 1995-2000

Philippines 2.35 2.32 2.36

Region 8 Eastern Visayas 0.88 1.84 1.51

Biliran - 2.15 1.28

Eastern Samar 0.27 1.8 0.79

Leyte 1.32 1.89 1.13

Northern Samar 0.13 3.21 2.11

Southern Leyte 0.83 -0.26 2.73

Western Samar 0.63 1.87 1.82

Eastern and Northern Samar provinces are net out migration areas in years 1995 to 2000. Eastern Samar had a net migration rate of –10 percent while Northern Samar had a –6.5 percent net migration rate. Most out-migrants in Eastern Samar were women. In Northern Samar, more men went out of the province in search of opportunities elsewhere. MIGRATION BY SEX AND PROVINCE/CITY, REGION VIII 1995-2000

In-Migration Out-Migration Net Migration Province/City Total Women Men Total Women Men Total Women Men

Net Migration

Rate Eastern Samar 11,405 5,661 5,744 48,955 24,478 24,477 (37,550) (18,817) (18,733) (10.0)

Northern Samar

11,897 5,919 5,978 44,661 22,214 22,447 (32,764) (16,295) (16,469) (6.5)

Production

GRDP at current prices GRDP at constant 1985 prices Per Capita GRDP

in million pesos in million pesos at constant 1985 prices

2001 Rank 2001 Rank 2001 Rank

Philippines 3,639,980 989,259 12,353

NCR 1,310,204 1 305,204 1 29,775 1

CAR 82,936 12 24,229 12 15,923 2

1 106,648 8 29,963 8 6,650 12

2 77,076 14 22,615 14 7,330 11

3 284,726 3 89,525 3 11,011 7

4 511,583 2 150,585 2 13,402 3

5 100,526 9 27,629 9 5,457 15

6 233,333 5 69,557 5 10,032 8

7 255,876 4 70,347 4 11,777 5

8 83,488 11 22,633 13 5,626 14

9 80,884 13 26,651 10 7,963 10

10 134,484 7 38,829 7 13,056 4

11 203,544 6 62,102 6 11,267 6

12 89,986 10 25,906 11 9,385 9

ARMM 33,527 16 9,294 16 3,924 16

CARAGA 51,159 15 14,190 15 5,915 13

3

Eastern Visayas region is near the tail end among the sixteen (16) regions in the country, in terms of gross regional domestic production. Region 8 ranks 11th in GRDP in 2000 (current prices) and 13th in terms of constant prices (base: 1985 prices). With Eastern Visayas at the lower end of the ranking are the Cordillera, Zamboanga, Cagayan Valley, ARMM and CARAGA, regions of the country known for high poverty incidence and persistent peace and order problems. Denominating the GRDP with population (per capita GRDP), Eastern Visayas’ ranking even worsens to 14th among 16 other regions. The overall performance of Eastern Visayas is likewise reflected in its gross value added by sector (agriculture, manufacturing and services).

GVA in Agriculture, Fishery & Forestry, GVA in Manufacturing GVA in the Services Sector

constant 1985 prices, in million pesos

constant 1985 prices, in million pesos

constant 1985 prices, in million pesos

2001 Rank 2001 Rank 2001 Rank

Philippines 197,736 244,084 454,824

NCR - - 95,822 1 191,195 1

CAR 3,485 15 9,676 7 5,216 14

1 12,626 6 1,563 12 12,968 8

2 11,708 7 671 14 6,931 13

3 22,071 2 27,078 3 32,683 4

4 35,386 1 47,280 2 52,233 2

5 9,206 10 391 16 12,341 9

6 20,552 4 11,228 5 31,389 5

7 9,136 11 14,296 4 38,739 3

8 7,274 12 4,597 10 7,768 11

9 13,885 5 2,360 11 8,882 10

10 10,390 8 9,552 8 15,617 7

11 21,934 3 10,673 6 24,193 6

12 9,258 9 7,152 9 7,367 12

ARMM 5,734 13 412 15 2,547 16

CARAGA 5,091 14 1,333 13 4,755 15

Family income and expenditures

From 1994 to 1997, all provinces in the country had increases in average family income except E. Samar which declined by 8%).

Ave Annual Family Income

Rank (78 provinces)

1994-1997 % increase

Rank

Eastern Samar 55,694 76 (8.1) 73 Northern Samar 60,081 73 32.1 56 Western Samar 72,751 56 58.6 26

Ave Annual Family

Expenditures

Rank (78 provinces)

1994-1997 % increase

Rank

Eastern Samar 47,625 72 20.7 69 Northern Samar 44,939 76 25.0 64 Western Samar 53,250 68 52.7 26

4

In terms of family income and expenditures, Eastern and Northern Samar (survey areas of this study) lag behind most of the provinces in the country. Eastern Samar is 76th in average annual family income in 2000. On the other hand, Northern Samar is 76th in average annual family expenditures in 2000. On the positive note, Northern Samar had the third lowest inflation rate (0.9%) in 2000 among all the provinces in the Philippines.

Labor Force and Employment

Samar provinces have achieved modest performance in terms of employment and the employment growth rate from 2000 to 2001. Eastern and Northern Samar, in particular ranked 6th and 9th overall in employment growth rates, respectively from 2000 to 2001.

April 2001 Labor Force (in thousands)

Employment

Rate Growth Rate in Emp rate 00-01

Employed Unemployed Total % Rank

Unemployment Rate

% Rank

Philippines 29,160 4,461 33,621 86.73% 13.27

Region 8 Eastern Visayas 1,504 240 1,744 86.24% 13.76

Biliran 67 11 78 85.90% 56 14.1 17.9 1

Eastern Samar 171 23 194 88.14% 37 11.9 10 6

Leyte 676 124 800 84.50% 67 15.5 7 12

Northern Samar 188 30 218 86.24% 51 13.8 8.6 9

Southern Leyte 131 20 151 86.75% 47 13.2 4.2 19

Western Samar 271 32 303 89.44% 31 10.6 1.4 32

Employment by Type of Industry, Eastern Samar experienced negative growth rates in agriculture, industry and services from 2000 to 2001. Northern Samar, on the other hand experienced contraction on in Industry in during the same period.

Employed Persons by Type of Industry (in thousands)

Agriculture Industry Service

Apr-00 Apr-01 Growth Rate

Apr-00 Apr-01 Growth Rate Apr-00 Apr-01 Growth Rate

Philippines 10,558

10,915 3.4

4,571

4,786 4.7

13,167

13,459 2.2

Region 8 Eastern Visayas

Biliran 28 43 53.6 3 4 33.3 20 20 -

Eastern Samar 123 122 -0.8 14 10 -28.6 61 39 -36.1

Leyte 315 313 -0.6 60 91 51.7 228 272 19.3

Northern Samar 104 108 3.8 22 12 -45.5 90 68 -24.4

Southern Leyte 84 59 -29.8 11 20 81.8 74 52 -29.7

Western Samar 128 160 25 15 21 40 66 90 36.4

5

Agricultural Production

Palay production in Samar provinces also ranks within the bottom 40 percent of the country’s regions. Per capita production is also at the same level of performance. Corn production in Eastern Samar in 2000 falls within the top 40 provinces in the country. In fact, it topped (ranked 1) the growth rate of corn production from 1999 to 2000.

Palay Production Corn Production

2000 Per capita

Growth 2000 Growth

Metric Tons % Rank

MT Rank Rate fr '99 Rank Metric Tons % Rank Rate fr '99 Rank

Philippines 12,389,412 16.2 5.1 4,511,104

Region 8 Eastern Visayas 517,558 4% 46,306 1%

Biliran 53,375 10% 53 38.1 13 4.3 34 695 2% 65 7.8 22

Eastern Samar 26,796 5% 65 7.1 61 8.2 25 31,435 68% 27 44,807.1 1

Leyte 282,160 55% 13 17.7 31 3.7 37 4,589 10% 49 -84.9 74

Northern Samar 48,882 9% 56 9.8 55 -5.7 61 5,770 12% 46 2.6 33

Southern Leyte 50,633 10% 54 14.1 38 0 48 75 0% 73 -98.3 75

Western Samar 55,712 11% 50 8.7 57 -0.3 50 3,742 8% 51 -20.8 63

Banana production in Western Samar accounts for about a fourth of the Region’s production (together with Leyte) and is second to Southern Leyte in terms of overall contribution to the Region (Table 2-8). Banana production in the province ranks 30th compared to the other provinces nationwide. Overall, Western Samar and to a much lesser extent, Northern Samar, can play secondary role in banana production in the Region.

Coconut production in Samar provinces falls within the top 20 provinces in the country. However, growth rates in coconut production from 1999 to 2001 had been negative or zero for the three Samar provinces.

Banana Production Coconut Production

2000 2000

Metric Tons % Rank

Growth rate fr

'99 Rank Metric Tons % Rank

Growth rate fr

'99 Rank

Philippines 4,155,668 7.4 12,499,097,767

Region 8 Eastern Visayas 138,924 3% 1,544,811,558 12%

Biliran 13,094 9% 39 -2.8 63 33,166,768 2% 50 14.3 11

Eastern Samar 4,238 3% 58 0.4 51 229,090,420 15% 15 0 51

Leyte 32,083 23% 29 3.6 31 660,490,459 43% 5 0 52

Northern Samar 7,946 6% 46 0.3 53 214,063,126 14% 18 -3.8 62

Southern Leyte 50,086 36% 18 28.7 7 109,242,578 7% 36 0.5 48

Western Samar 31,477 23% 30 -0.4 57 298,758,207 19% 13 -9 58

Fish production is a dominant economic activity in Western Samar. Among the provinces in the country, fish production in Western Samar ranks 24th in 1999-2000. Eastern Samar ranks 53rd in fish production 1999-2000 and Northern Samar ranked 55th during the same period.

6

Fish Production (in metric tons)

2000 Growth

Aquaculture Commercial Municipal Total % Rank

rate fr '99 Rank

Philippines 1,044,433 946,485 945,945

2,936,863 2.1

Region 8 Eastern Visayas 74,829 3%

Biliran - 2,637 1,025 3,662 5% 57 4 47

Eastern Samar 126 1,438 4,817 6,381 9% 53 10.1 29

Leyte 1,175 18,810 6,608 26,593 36% 23 7.8 36

Northern Samar 34 961 4,417 5,412 7% 55 -4 68

Southern Leyte 65 1,801 4,559 6,425 9% 52 -0.9 61

Western Samar 3,017 6,850 16,489 26,356 35% 24 -0.3 60

Infrastructure

Road Network

Eastern Samar ranks 73rd in terms of the total length of concrete national roads, making the province’s road network the least paved among both Region 8 provinces and all other provinces of the country. About 36 percent (or 114 kms) of the total length of Eastern Samar’s national roads is still with gravel-type surface. Fifty-one percent (51%) of Northern Samar’s total length of national roads is likewise of gravel type.

Length of National Roads (in kilometers), 2000

Concrete Asphalt Gravel Earth Total

Length % Rank Length % Length % Length %

Philippines 10,611.26

35.70

6,636.47

22.30

11,875.18

39.90 609.95

2.10

29,732.85

Region 8 Eastern Visayas

Biliran 43.11 33 37 - 0 87.67 67 - 0 130.78

Eastern Samar 21.34 6.8 73 176.41 56.6 114 36.6 - 0 311.75

Leyte 562.08 58.8 14 30.56 3.2 333.83 34.9 29.58 3.1 956.05

Northern Samar 132.83 45.6 24 4.75 1.6 150.51 51.6 3.37 1.2 291.45

Southern Leyte 144.58 51.1 19 - 0 133.44 47.1 5.16 1.8 283.18

Western Samar 299.78 84.8 1 11.7 3.3 41.95 11.9 - 0 353.42

Electrification

A considerable number of potential barangays for electrification have not been energized by electric cooperatives. Only 77 percent of barangays in Eastern Samar are serviced by an electric cooperative while only 63 percent of potential barangays are serviced in Northern Samar in 2003.

7

NUMBER OF MUNICIPALITIES AND BARANGAYS ENERGIZED BY ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE 1997-2003 Electric Cooperative Potential

Barangays 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003

Region VIII Municipalities 143 143 143 143 143 143 143 Barangays 4,389 2,343 2,412 2,912 2,921 3,043 3,228 3,618

ESAMELCO Municipalities 23 23 23 23 23 23 23 Barangays 596 119 128 316 327 331 352 458

NORSAMELCO Municipalities 24 24 24 24 24 24 24 Barangays 569 176 179 211 229 244 270 356

Majority of the households in occupied dwelling units in both Eastern and Northern Samar in 2000 are still illuminated by kerosene. Only 33 percent of dwelling units of households in Northern Samar use electricity for lighting; 43 percent is the corresponding proportion for Eastern Samar. NUMBER OF HOUSEHOLDS IN OCCUPIED DWELLING UNITS BY KIND OF LIGHTING USED AND PROVINCE/CITY, URBAN-RURAL Census Years 1990 and 2000

1990 Province/City/Kind of Lighting Used Total Urban Rural

2000

Eastern Samar 60,720 23,118 37,602 73,032 Electricity 8,000 5,974 2,026 31,748 Kerosene 47,993 15,962 32,031 37,528 Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG) 4,388 1,112 3,276 928 Oil 19 - 19 346 Others 320 70 250 2,482

Northern Samar 72,365 24,568 47,797 94,410 Electricity 8,152 6,119 1,953 31,619 Kerosene 58,906 17,417 41,489 57,516 Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG) 4,882 868 4,014 2,686 Oil 170 52 118 392 Others 255 32 223 2,197

Number of Establishments

Most of the establishments in Eastern and Northern Samar belong to the Wholesale and Retail Industry, Manufacturing and Personal Services. Hotels and restaurant establishments outnumber Personal Services in Northern Samar while the same are close fourth in Eastern Samar

8

NUMBER OF ESTABLISHMENTS BY MAJOR INDUSTRY DIVISION AND PROVINCE 1997-2002

Province/ Major Industry Division 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002

Region VIII 21,966 22,099 21,794 21,399 21,153 21,103 Agriculture, Hunting and Forestry 99 101 119 106 100 96 Fishery 69 69 107 90 85 84 Mining and Quarrying 4 4 1 2 2 2 Manufacturing 4,109 4,109 3,803 3,698 3,641 3,634 Electricity, Gas and Water 69 73 102 62 66 67 Construction 120 126 108 80 72 72 Wholesale and Retail Trade 11,696 11,792 11,869 11,860 11,799 11,776 Hotels and Restaurants 1,800 1,804 1,937 1,906 1,894 1,892 Transport, Storage &

Communication 966 973 786 611 595 581

Financial Intermediation 403 403 391 428 411 424 Real Estate, Renting & Business

Services 706 714 621 632 597 588

Education 156 160 199 207 202 201 Health and Social Work 332 332 403 387 382 382 Other Community, Social &

Personal Services 1,437 1,439 1,348 1,330 1,307 1,304

Eastern Samar … … 1,970 1,974 1,942 1,936 Agriculture, Hunting and Forestry … … 5 5 6 5 Fishery … … 2 4 4 4 Mining and Quarrying … … - - - - Manufacturing … … 355 353 347 347 Electricity, Gas and Water … … 8 6 4 4 Construction … … 6 6 6 6 Wholesale and Retail Trade … … 974 983 974 973 Hotels and Restaurants … … 115 114 113 113 Transport, Storage &

Communication 69 45 43 40

Financial Intermediation … … 36 67 60 60 Real Estate, Renting & Business

Services … … 56 55 50 50

Education … … 28 26 25 25 Health and Social Work … … 47 42 42 42 Other Community, Social &

Personal Services … … 269 268 268 267

Northern Samar … … 2,669 2,511 2,499 2,492 Agriculture, Hunting and Forestry … … 4 2 1 1 Fishery … … 4 4 4 4 Mining and Quarrying … … - - - - Manufacturing … … 356 324 319 319 Electricity, Gas and Water … … 8 6 11 11 Construction … … 5 4 3 3 Wholesale and Retail Trade … … 1,682 1,601 1,596 1,592 Hotels and Restaurants … … 186 178 177 176 Transport, Storage &

Communication 139 118 118 117

Financial Intermediation … … 22 24 24 24 Real Estate, Renting & Business

Services … … 60 62 62 61

Education … … 21 22 21 21 Health and Social Work … … 41 38 37 37 Other Community, Social &

Personal Services … … 141 128 126 126

Housing

Walls made of Bamboo/Sawali/Cogon/Nipa reinforced majority or about 46 percent of total occupied housing units in both Eastern and Northern Samar in 2000. Seventy- one percent (71%) of the occupied housing units in Northern Samar were made of Cogon/Nipa/Anahaw while about 52 percent was the proportion in Eastern Samar in same year.

9

NUMBER OF OCCUPIED HOUSING UNITS BY CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS OF ROOF AND OUTERWALLS AND PROVINCE/CITY Census Year 2000

Type of Roof Province/Type of Outer Walls

Total Occupied Housing Units

Galvanized Iron/ Aluminum

Tile/ Concrete/ Clay Tile

Half Galvanized Iron and Half Concrete

Wood Cogon/Nipa/Anahaw

Make-shift/ Salvaged/ improvised

Asbestos/ Others

Not Reported

Eastern Samar 72,600 30,849 245 2,076 633 37,800 107 162 728 Concrete/Brick/Stone 10,323 9,614 83 147 17 448 1 13 - Wood 15,992 10,099 63 388 408 4,997 8 29 - Half Concrete/Brick/

Stone & Half Wood 9,377 7,158 40 1,079 47 1,027 3 23 -

Galvanized Iron/ Aluminum

483 246 5 54 15 160 2 1 -

Bamboo/Sawali/ Cogon/Nipa

34,286 3,200 - 374 131 30,515 29 37 -

Makeshift/Salvaged/ Improvised

306 72 - 4 3 165 60 2 -

Asbestos 140 78 39 6 5 - - 12 - Glass 12 5 5 2 - - - - - Others/Not Reported 1,596 331 8 21 6 458 2 42 728 No Walls 85 46 2 1 1 30 2 3 -

Northern Samar 93,332 20,981 328 2,496 1,175 66,512 292 330 1,218 Concrete/Brick/Stone 11,655 8,841 182 251 23 2,330 5 23 - Wood 25,294 6,591 58 550 657 17,319 36 83 - Half Concrete/Brick/

Stone & Half Wood 9,583 4,168 55 1,357 40 3,916 12 35 -

Galvanized Iron/ Aluminum

312 119 8 39 20 121 4 1 -

Bamboo/Sawali/ Cogon/Nipa

43,610 1,073 - 269 412 41,670 72 112 2

Makeshift/Salvaged/ Improvised

684 38 - 2 2 470 159 13 -

Asbestos 57 23 18 4 3 - - 9 - Glass 11 3 4 2 - - - 2 - Others/Not Reported 2,080 105 3 21 17 664 3 51 1,216 No Walls 46 20 - 1 1 22 1 1 -

A small percentage of the total housing units in both Eastern and Northern Samar have household appliances and other home conveniences in 2000. Most of these conveniences are radios (94 to 95%); a far second are with television sets (25 to 30%).

NUMBER OF HOUSEHOLDS IN OCCUPIED DWELLING UNITS WITH HOUSEHOLD APPLIANCES/CONVENIENCES AND PROVINCE/CITY, URBAN-RURAL Census Years 1990 and 2000

1990 Province/City Type of Appliances/Conveniences Total Urban Rural

2000

Eastern Samar 31,679 16,178 15,501 42,985 Radio/Radio Cassette 26,218 11,976 14,242 40,611 Television 1,179 977 202 12,748 Video Cassette/Recorder .. .. .. 6,322 Refrigerator/Freezer 1,959 1,646 313 9,400 Telephone/Cellphone 107 80 27 1,250 Washing Machine .. .. .. 4,018 Motor Vehicle 2,216 1,499 717 4,651

Northern Samar 36,416 17,799 18,617 56,453 Radio/Radio Cassette 31,022 13,534 17,488 53,968 Television 999 817 182 14,373 Video Cassette/Recorder .. .. .. 7,280 Refrigerator/Freezer 2,027 1,703 324 11,283 Telephone/Cellphone 264 232 32 668 Washing Machine .. .. .. 4,243 Motor Vehicle 2,104 1,513 591 5,741

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Education and Literacy

Eastern Samar fared well above the regional and national indicators in terms of education and literacy indexes. SIMPLE LITERACY OF HOUSEHOLD POPULATION 10 TO 64 YEARS OLD BY SEX AND PROVINCE/CITY 2000 (Number in thousands)

Total Women Men Province

Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Region VIII 2,597 89.92 1,275 91.08 1,322 88.79 Eastern Samar 270 91.79 132 93.13 138 90.51 Northern Samar 346 88.33 170 89.46 175 87.25 Source: Functional Literacy, Education and Mass Media Survey, National Statistics Office

In contrast, Northern Samar education and literacy indicators were below the national and regional benchmarks. One positive development though is that Northern Samar was the third highest in percentage of social services expenditures to total (50.1%) among the provinces in the country in 2000.

Table 1.24 EDUCATION INDEX BY PROVINCE 1997 and 2000

Combined Enrolment Rate1

Functional Literacy2 Index Province

1997 2000 1997 2000 1997 2000

Philippines 82.9 84.5 83.79 83.79 0.835 0.840

Eastern Samar 90.7 87.2 86.25 86.25 0.877 0.866 Northern Samar 80.3 80.9 73.63 73.63 0.759 0.761 Notes:

1. Combined Enrolment Rate refers to the ratio of the sum of elementary and secondary enrolment in the corresponding age group that should be enrolled at those levels to the sum of corresponding school age population.

2. Functional literacy represents a significantly higher level of literacy that includes reading, writing and numeracy skills. These skills must be sufficiently advanced to enable the individual to participate fully and effectively in activities commonly occurring in his life situation that require a reasonable capability beyond oral and written communication.

Source: National Statistical Coordination Board

11

II. Poverty Situation in Samar

The annual per capita poverty threshold in Region VIII was estimated at P9,518 in 2000. It increased to P10,802 in 2003, or a 13.5 percent increase. In 2000, poverty incidence of families is 37.5 percent for Region VIII, higher than the national rate of 27.5 percent. Likewise, the 43.3 percent poverty incidence among the population in Region VIII is higher than the 33 percent poverty incidence of population at the national level.

Annual Per Capita Poverty Thresholds, Poverty Incidence of Families

and Population by Region: 2000 and 2003

(preliminary estimates as of 24 January 2005)

Annual Per Capita Poverty

Threshold (in Pesos)

Poverty Incidence of

Families (%)

Poverty Incidence of

Population (%) Region

2000

Revised 2003

Inc/Dec

(%)

2000

Revised 2003 Diff

2000

Revised 2003 Diff

PHILIPPINES 11,451 12,267 7.1 27.5 24.7 (2.7) 33.0 30.4 (2.5)

NCR 15,693 16,796 7.0 5.7 5.0 (0.7) 7.6 7.3 (0.3)

Region I 12,685 13,276 4.7 29.4 24.4 (5.0) 35.1 30.2 (5.0)

Region II 11,128 11,409 2.5 25.2 19.3 (5.9) 30.4 24.5 (5.9)

Region III 13,760 14,342 4.2 17.3 13.7 (3.6) 21.4 17.7 (3.6)

Region IV-A

(CALABARZON) 13,657 14,616 7.0 15.2 14.9 (0.4) 19.1 18.8 (0.3)

Region IV-B

(MIMAROPA) 11,995 12,406 3.4 36.3 39.7 3.4 45.2 47.9 2.7

Region V 11,372 12,354 8.6 45.3 40.5 (4.8) 52.6 48.4 (4.2)

Region VI 11,313 12,275 8.5 36.6 31.3 (5.3) 44.4 39.1 (5.3)

Region VII 9,656 9,779 1.3 31.5 23.7 (7.8) 36.2 28.4 (7.7)

Region VIII 9,518 10,802 13.5 37.5 35.5 (1.9) 45.1 43.3 (1.8)

Region IX 9,116 10,414 14.2 38.5 44.1 5.6 44.8 49.4 4.6

Region X 10,503 11,609 10.5 37.9 37.9 0.0 43.8 44.3 0.6

Region XI 10,264 11,276 9.9 27.7 28.1 0.4 33.1 34.4 1.3

Region XII 10,466 11,303 8.0 40.7 32.0 (8.7) 46.8 38.4 (8.4)

CAR 13,066 13,976 7.0 30.7 24.8 (5.9) 37.6 31.2 (6.4)

ARMM 12,192 12,739 4.5 53.7 45.7 (8.0) 59.8 53.1 (6.7)

Caraga 10,896 12,000 10.1 43.7 47.3 3.6 50.9 54.2 3.3

12

In 2003, poverty incidence in Region VIII was placed at 35.5 percent or a decrease by 1.9 percentage points after a period of three years. However, it is still higher than the national level poverty incidence of 24.7 percent. Similarly, poverty incidence in Region VIII was pegged at 43.3 percent in 2003, or 1.8 percentage points lower than the 2000 figure. It is still higher than the 30.4 percent national poverty incidence rate. Based on the table above, Region VIII ranked seven in terms of poverty incidence of families in 2000, with ARMM having the highest poverty incidence with 53.7 percent. In terms of poverty incidence per population, Region VIII ranked sixth, with ARMM still ranked first with a rate of 59.8 percent. In 2003, Region VIII remained in rank seven although there is a slight decrease in term of poverty incidence by families. In terms of poverty incidence by population, Region VIII ranked seventh in 2003. Poverty Incidence by Province, Region VIII

Annual Per Capita Poverty

Threshold 1/ (in Pesos)

Magnitude of Poor Families 2/

Incidence of Poor

Families 3/ (in

Percent)

PROVINCE

1997 2000 1997 2000 1997 2000

Philippines 9,843 11,605 3,982,766 4,338,780 28.1 28.4

Region

VIII 8,319 9,623 299,733 278,486 39.9 37.8

Leyte 8,262 9,790 105,188 122,070 32.9 36.1

Biliran 8,626 10,072 11,877 9,975 39.6 34.8

Southern

Leyte 8,194 9,674 31,389 20,856 33.6 28.5

Samar 8,470 9,574 45,140 52,110 41.1 40.7

Eastern

Samar 8,577 9,516 51,341 35,067 58.1 47.3

Northern

Samar 8,063 9,166 54,799 38,409 49.5 40.7

NEDA Region VIII website

In 2000, annual per capita income or poverty threshold was placed at P9,516 for Eastern Samar, P9,166 for Northern Samar and P9,574 for Western Samar. The magnitude of poor families who fall below the poverty threshold decreased for both Eastern and Northern Samar. From 51,341 poor families in 1997, the number of poor families in Eastern Samar went down to about 35,067 families in 2000. This translates to an incidence rate of 58.1 percent in 1997 to about 47.3 percent in 2000.

13

At the same time, number of poor families in Northern Samar decreased from 54,799 (49.5% of the total number of families) in 1997 to 38,409 (40.7%) in 2000. In Western Samar, the number of poor families increased from 45,140 in 1999 to 52,110. But poverty incidence by families decreased slightly from 41.1 percent to 40.7 percent. Based on the table above, Eastern Samar ranked first in terms of poverty incidence in 2000. It is followed by Northern Samar and Western Samar. Leyte Province ranked fourth with a poverty incidence rate of 36.1 percent, followed by Biliran with 34.8 percent, and Southern Leyte with 28.5 precent.

URBAN AREAS

Annual Per Capita Poverty

Threshold 1/ (in Pesos)

Magnitude of Poor Families 2/

Incidence of Poor

Families 3/ (in

Percent)

Province

1997 2000 1997 2000 1997 2000

Philippines 10,914 12,915 1,011,479 1,121,819 15.0 15.0

Region VIII

8,860 9,969 50,416 40,661 25.0 19.6

Leyte 8,848 10,250 18,103 13,977 18.7 12.6

Biliran 8,682 9,914 1,417 1,931 18.8 27.0

Southern

Leyte 8,726 10,405 5,095 4,336 28.3 31.0

Samar 9,622 10,181 5,385 4,545 23.6 16.9

Eastern

Samar 8,845 10,317 9,209 7,715 34.1 33.6

Northern

Samar 8,672 8,844 11,208 8,158 38.2 32.4

NEDA Region VIII website

In 2000, Eastern Samar has the highest poverty incidence by families of 33.6 percent in the urban areas. Northern Samar ranked second with 32.4 percent and Western Samar is fifth with 16.9 percent. Southern Leyte and Biliran ranked third with 31percent and fourth with 27 percent, respectively. Leyte had the lowest poverty incidence rate by families of 12.6 percent in urban areas.

14

RURAL AREAS

NEDA Region VIII website

In 2000, Eastern Samar still had the highest rate in terms of poverty incidence by families in the rural areas with 53.5 percent. Western Samar and Northern Samar were third and fourth with 47 and 43.7 percent, respectively. Leyte Province ranked second with 47.6 percent poverty incidence rate by families in the rural areas. Biliran ranked fifth with 37.4 percent and Southern Leyte ranked last having the lowest rate of 27.9 percent poverty incidence by families in the rural areas.

1/ The annual per capita income required or the amount to be spent to satisfy nutritional requirements (2,000 calories) and other basis needs. 2/ The number of families whose annual per capita income falls below the annual per capita poverty threshold. 3/ The proportion of poor families to the total number of families. 4/ Has coefficient of variation greater then 10 but less than 15 percent.

Annual Per

Capita Poverty Threshold 1/

(in Pesos)

Magnitude of Poor

Families 2/

Incidence of

Poor Families 3/

(in Percent)

Province

1997 2000 1997 2000 1997 2000

Philippines 9,458 11,125 2,971,288 3,216,961 39.9 41.4

Region

VIII 8,204 9,562 249,317 237,825 45.4 44.9

Leyte 8,125 9,725 87,085 108,093 39.2 47.6

Biliran 8,617 10,116 10,461 8,044 46.7 37.4

Southern

Leyte 8,085 9,498 26,294 16,520 34.9 27.9

Samar 8,332 9,517 39,755 47,565 45.7 47.0

Eastern

Samar 8,526 9,277 42,132 27,351 68.8 53.5

Northern

Samar 7,879 9,250 43,591 30,251 53.6 43.7

15

Chapter

2 Community and

Household Profiles

I. Socio-Economic Profile of Pilot Communities

A. Eastern Samar

1. Municipality of Borongan

Demography Population Growth 1990-2000

Year Population Ave. Growth Rate 1980 39,741 1990 44,085 1.04 1995 48,638 1.86 2000 55,141 2.56

The total population of Borongan is 55,141 (per NSO, 2001). It has an average growth rate of 1.86 for the period 1990-1995. Average population growth rate almost doubled for the period 1995-2000 at 2.56%. Total Population, Household Population and Number of Households (2000)

Total Population % Share Household Population

No. of Households

Urban 22,494 40.79% 22,200 4,417

Rural 32,647 59.21% 32,623 6,282

Total 55,141 100.00% 54,823 10,699

Majority of the residents live in the rural area. 32,647 or 59.21% of the total population resides in the rural area. The remaining 40.79% live in the urban area.

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Age-sex structure of the population, 2000 Age Group Both Sexes Male Female

Under 1 1563 790 773

1-4 5859 3073 2786

5-9 7231 3657 3574

10-14 6754 3432 3322 14-19 5755 3004 2751

20-24 4427 2274 2153 25-29 3792 1914 1878

30-34 3399 1732 1667 35-39 3151 1645 1506

40-44 2714 1412 1302

45-49 2197 1160 1037 50-54 1957 997 960

55-59 1699 883 816 60-64 1402 686 716

65-69 1161 547 614

70-74 926 430 496 75-79 585 267 318

80 and above 569 235 334 All ages 55,141 28,138 27,003

Percent to total 51% 49%

0-17 25,080 12,829 12,251 18 & above 30,061 15,309 14,752

There is a small difference between the male and female population. Male population accounts for 28,138 (or 51%), while female population is around 27,003 (49%). Distribution of Population by Age Group (2000)

Age Group Number Percent Share 0-14 21,407 38.9% 15-64 30,493 55.3% 65 and above 3,241 5.8% Total 55,141 100.00%

In terms of distribution of population by age group, majority of the population, which is 30,493 (55.3%), belong to the economically active population (15.-64 years of age). Depend population is around 21,407 or 38.9% of the total population. In 2000, educational attainment of 20 years old and above is as follows: Number Percent Share No Formal Education Elementary School Education High School Education Post Secondary College Undergraduate Academic Degree Holder Post Baccalaureate Not Stated

875 9076 7874 1315 4720 3558

122 194

3.2 32.8 28.4 4.7 17

12.8 0.4 0.7

Total 27734 100

Majority of the population belonging to the age bracket 20 years old and above have only acquired elementary school education, which are around 9,076 persons or 32.8%. This is followed by 7,874 persons (28.4%) who reached high school. Academic degree holders account for 12.8% of the age group.

17

Social Education Borongan has a literacy rate of 99.3%, the highest in Eastern Samar. Functional literacy was estimated at 74%. As compared with Eastern Samar, Borongan fared better in terms of achievement rate with 70.5% as compared with the provincial rate of 65.6. Likewise, Borongan has a higher cohort survival rate with 81.7% as compared with the provincial rate of 66.97%. In 2001, Borongan has 49 government elementary schools distributed in three different districts. South District has 16 schools, North District with 21 schools and East District with 12 schools. Missionary of Sacred Heart is the only private elementary school in Borongan which is located in Barangay Songco. There are six secondary schools in the municipality. Four of which are government-owned, and two are privately-owned sectarian. Of the government-owned schools, one is a comprehensive high school, the other one is a laboratory school, and the other two are national high schools. There are four tertiary institutions in Borongan. These are: Eastern Samar State College, Our Lady of Mercy College, St. Mary’s College, and Eastern Samar Institute of Technology. In terms of number of classrooms, Borongan has a 354 academic classrooms and 43 non-academic classrooms in the elementary level. Health and Nutrition According to the two RHUs in Borongan, there is a total of 3,617 reported cases of morbidity. The leading causes of morbidity in 2001 are URTI (with reported cases of 1,042), diarrhea (730 cases), anemia (692 cases) and Pneumonia (with 417 cases). Leading Causes of Morbidity, 2001

Causes of morbidity Number of cases Rate per 1000 population URTI Diarrhea Anemia Pneumonia Hypertension Parasitism Influenza TB Measles Chicken Pox

1042 730 692 417 298 260

91 76 9 2

18.89 13.24 12.55

7.56 5.40 4.72 1.65 1.38 0.16 0.08

Total 3,617

The leading causes of mortality were pneumonia, tuberculosis, and hypertensive vascular disease. Of the 165 cases reported fatalities, eight causes had undetermined causes.

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Leading Causes of Mortality Causes of mortality Number of cases Rate per 1000 population

Pneumonia Tuberculosis Hypertensive Vascular Disease CHDF/IHD Diabetes Wounds Asphyxia Cancer Post-Partum Hemorrhage Accidents Peptic Ulcer Meningitis Vehicular Accidents Undetermined

53 28 26 10 7 12 5 4 4 4 2 1 1 8

0.96 0.51 0.47 0.18 0.13 0.22 0.09 0.07 0.07 0.07 0.04 0.02 0.02 0.15

Total 165

In terms of government hospitals, there are two hospitals, Eastern Samar Provincial Hospital (with 100-bed capacity) and Borongan Doctor’s Hospital (with 20-bed capacity). There are two rural health units in the municipality and 15 barangay health stations. There are also four private clinics operating in the municipality. Nutritional Status of Pre-school Children, 2001 Number % Normal Mild Moderate Severe Overweight

4853 2799

720 88

475

54.3 31.3

8.4 1.0 5.3

Total 8935 100

In terms of nutritional status, 54.3% of the 8,935 pre-school children have normal weight. There were 720 moderately and 88 severely malnourished children. While those who are overweight accounts for 5.3%. Nutritional Status of Elementary Children, 2001 Number % Normal Mild Moderate Severe Overweight

7,410 1,826

261 62

381

74.6 18.4 2.6 0.6 3.8

Total 9,940 100

In terms of nutritional status of weighed elementary children, 7,410 (74.6%) of the total have normal weight. Moderate and severely malnourished children are 261 and 62, respectively. About 381 elementary children are overweight. In terms of day care centers, there are 42 functional centers in Borongan in 2002. These have benefited some 1,167 children ages 3-5 years old. Economic 1. Agriculture and Fishery The total agricultural land of Borongan is 12,461.90 hectares. Crops cultivated in the municipality are rice, root crops, banana, and fruits, among others. The commercial crops planted in the area are coconut and abaca.

19

Crops Area (has) Percent Annual Production (MT) Rice Irrigated Rainfed Upland Corn Rootcrops Camote Cassava Gabi/Ubi Palawan Legumes Peanut Mongo Vegetables Leafy Fruit Fruit Trees Pineapple Banana Coffee/Cacao Abaca Coconut

1541.75 120.75

1318.00 103.00

15.00 1038.00

476 227

282.5 52.5 34.5

25 9.5

100.05 44.8

55.25 146.5

79 406 22.9 220

8858.2

12.37 0.97

10.57 0.83 0.12 8.33 3.82 1.82 2.27 0.42 0.28 0.20 0.08 0.8

0.36 0.44 1.18 0.63 3.26 0.18 1.77

71.08

5146.42 985.40

3989 172.1 22.1

5197 2259.55 1273.6 1313.9 349.95

46.9 34.07 12.83

425.94 120.44

305.5 1172 899.5

1965.1 30.44

363.85 11585.34

Total 12,461.9 100.00 26,853.59

Based on the table above, main crop cultivated in the municipality is coconut, which is planted to 71.08% of the total agricultural land, with an annual production of 11,585.34 MT. This is followed by rice that is planted to 12.37% of the total agricultural lands, with an annual production of 5146.42 MT. This is followed by the aggregate of root crops with a total annual production of 5,197 MT. Abaca has an annual production of 363.85 MT. In terms of livestock production, there are 1,281 heads of carabao, 257 cattle, 6,486 swine and 79 goats. For poultry production, there are 25,444 native chickens and 3,644 broilers/slayers. Ducks and turkey-raising was minimal with a population of 525 and 21, respectively. Fishing is also one of the major sources of income in Borongan. In 2001, there are 1,181 full-time and 500 part-time fisherfolks. Of the full-time fisherfolks, 536 have motorized bancas, 506 have non-motorized bancas, and the remaining 139 have no bancas. The total fish production in 2001 was estimated at 2,402.516 MT. Fishing areas are the bay of the municipality and the Pacific Ocean. Deep-sea fishing is also popular because it leads to bigger catch. Inland fishing is undeveloped despite the presence of suitable sites for fishpond development. The municipality has an estimated area of 55 hectares suitable for developing fishponds. As of 2001, there were only four operators of fishponds with a total area of four hectares. 2. Commerce and Trade Borongan is the center of commerce and trade in Eastern Samar. Based on reports, half of the business establishments in the province are found in Borongan. In 2001, there were 589 registered business establishments with a combined investment of P378.2M.

20

Number of Business Establishments by Type, 2000

Type No. of firms % share Investment (P

000) % share

Trading Manufacturing Service Others

441 28

102 18

74.87 4.75

17.32 3.06

334,856,114 3,844,048

27,027,610 12,449,988

88.54 1.02 7.15 3.29

Total 589 100 378,177,760 100

Trading dominates the business sector with 441 firms, constituting 74.87% of the total number of business establishments in Borongan. Its total investment accounts for 88.54% of the total investment of the business sector. There are no large-scale manufacturing activities in Borongan. Commercial activities consisted of bakeries, furniture and handicrafts makers, iron works and food processors. Borongan’s public market is located in Barangay Campesao. There are 112 registered business establishments. Bus and jeepney terminal is also temporarily located within the area. 3. Tourism Tourist attractions in Borongan include white beaches, caves, scuba diving sites, and rapids. There area also existing hotels, restaurants and developed beach resorts, among others. 4. Financial Institutions There are four commercial banks in the municipality. Three of these are government banks: Philippine National Bank, Land Bank of the Philippines, and Development Bank of the Philippines. Metropolitan Bank is the only private commercial bank in Borongan. There are also two rural banks and several pawnshops operating in the municipality. Land Use Existing General Land Use

Land Use Category Area (has.) % Share Built-up area Agricultural land Forest area Grassland Wetland/mangrove area

1,156.65 9,785.15

42, 498.88 4,373.32

475.60

1.98 16.79 72.91 7.50 0.81

Total 58,289.00 100.00

Existing Urban Land Use

Land Use Category Area (has.) % Share Residential Commercial Institutional Parks, open spaces, roads Swamps, marshes and mangroves Agricultural

148.4 7.04

58.61 72 3

1,889

6.81 0.32 2.69 3.30 0.14

86.69 Total 2,179 100.00

The forest area accounts for 72.91% of the land area of the municipality. This is followed by agricultural land use with around 16.79% of the total land area.

21

In the urban area, majority of the land is for agricultural use (86.69%). Followed by residential which comprises 6.81% and parks/open spaces, which is around 3.3%. Infrastructure 1. Water supply Existing water system in Borongan ranges from level I to level III water system. There is one level III water system that is operated by the Borongan Water District serving the urban barangays only. There are 22 level II water system and 686 level I water systems. These water systems serve 10,186 households representing 95.20% of the total households in the municipality. 2. Roads and bridges Inventory of Roads

Road Surface Administrative Classification

Length (km) Concrete Asphalt Gravel Earth

National Provincial Municipal Barangay

28 38 17

155

6 4 9

22

22

34 8

89

44 Total 238 41 22 131 44 Percent 100% 7.23% 9.24% 55.04% 18.49%

The road network in Borongan has a total length of 238 km. The National road is a combination of concrete and asphalt. Major road surface of the road network in Borongan is of gravel (55.04%). Inventory of Bridges

Bridge Name Lenth (LM) Type National:

1. Bugas 2. Bayaran 3. Balacdas 4. Mypangdan 5. Borongan 6. Loom 7. Can-obing 8. Suribao

Subtotal Provincial:

1. San Gabriel Station 7 2. San Gabriel Station 6 3. San Gabriel Station 9 4. San Mateo Station 4 5. Bugas-Can-aga Station 0 6. Pepelitan Station 3

Subtotal

39.90 24.00 36.00 45.00 90.00 45.00 60.00 270.00 609.90 12.30 9.30 12.20 12.00 6.00 9.00 72.00

Concrete Concrete Concrete Concrete Concrete Concrete Concrete Concrete Timber Timber Timber Timber Timber Bailey

Total 681.90

There are eight existing concrete bridges in Borongan administratively classified as national bridges. There are six provincial bridges in the municipality, five of which are timber and the other one is a bailey bridge. Borongan is very accessible by land transportation from any point in Eastern Visayas. There are two road gateways leading to Borongan, namely: Taft-Wright Road and the South Samar Coastal Road. Several bus companies and van operators

22

serve the Borongan-Tacloban city route. There are two major bus companies plying the Manila-Borongan route: Philtranco and Eagle Star. Number of Land Vehicle Ownership, 2000

Type Number Bus Jeepney Private Cars Private Jeeps Trucks Tricycles Motorcycles Bicycles

25 94

143 104 94

868 513

1,372 Total 3,213

As of 2000, land motor vehicles in Borongan reached 1,841 units. Motorcycles and tricycles are the most common with a combined number of 1,381 units. The number of registered private cars is 143 units, and jeepneys, 104 units. There is a good number of public utility buses, jeepneys, and trucks operating in Borongan which are owned by local operators. The number of registered bicycles is 1,372 units. 3. Port and Airport There is an existing airport in Borongan. It is located in barangay Punta Maria which is about 15.5 km from the town proper. The runway is concrete with a length of 1,600 m. There are no commercial flights to the municipality and air travelers in Borongan use the Tacloban airport. There is a seaport in Borongan. It is classified as a subport that is located in barangay Alang-Alang. It has a water draft of 6.8 m and a length of 203 m. Its main use is for handling cargos coming from Cebu City and Tacloban City. 4. Communication In 2002, there were three telephone companies operating in Borongan. These were: Eastern Visayas Telephone Company (EVTELCO), which is a Bayan Tel company; the government-owned Telecommunication Office; and Globelines. As of 2001, EVTELCO had provided 825 telephone connections, while TELOF had 287 subscribers. Smart Telecommunications has a cell site located in Barangay Alang-Alang. PLDT, Samar Tel, and Bayan Tel offer long distance call services to the residents of Borongan. The Philippine Postal Corporation has three post offices operating since 2001. This includes its main provincial office in Barangay Songco. There are also private cargos forwarding companies operating in the municipalities, namely: Aboitiz Cargo, LBC and JRS. There is also two AM and one FM radio stations operating in Borongan. These are DYVW, DYES Radyo ng Bayan and the Radyo Natin FM station. GMA Network has already put up its television facility at Barangay Songco. Two cable TV service providers also operate in the municipality, namely: Reliance CATV and Amboy CATV. 5.Power The Eastern Samar Electric Cooperative (ESAMELCO) provides electricity. As of December 2005, 50 barangays or 81.97% of all barangays in the municipality had been connected to the power grid serving 7,848 households or 73.35% of the total number of households in the municipality.

23

6. Flooding 20 coastal and interior barangays are flood-prone areas. However, flooding is more severe in interior barangays specially those situated along the river banks such as Benuangan, Baras and Pinanag-an. Flood in these areas is capable of causing heavy damage to crops, properties and infrastructure. 7. Irrigation Systems In 2001, the total area of irrigated rice lands is around 120.75 hectares or only 8.39% of the potential irrigable area estimated at 1,438.75 hectares. Three communal irrigation systems (CIS), two diversion dams, 13 shallow tube wells, two small water-impounding projects (SWIP), and four small farm reservoirs service the irrigated area. 8. Pre and Post Harvest Facilities As of 2001, the following is the number of pre and post harvest facilities in the municipality:

Type Number

Pre-Harvest Facilities 1. Plow (pcs) 2. Harrow (pcs) 3. Sprayer (pcs) 4. Rotary weeder (pcs) 5. Spade (pcs) 6. Hand Tractors (units) 7. 4-wheel Tractors (units)

203 177 124 8 120 11 4

Post-Harvest Facilities 1. Solar (MPDP) Dryer 2. Mechanical Dryer 3. Warehouses 4. Rice Mill (Kiskisan, Cono) 5. Rice Thresher 6. Trucks (units)

10 1 6 (75,020 tons total capacity) 13 1 94

Agrarian Reform Malbog Settlement has been declared an Agrarian Reform Community covering 6 barangays. A total of 3,718.23 hectares in 30 barangays covering 3,084 farmer beneficiaries are under the comprehensive agrarian reform program. As of 1999, the land acquisition and distribution program of DAR has already covered an area of 1,615.91 hectares. STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES, OPPORTUNITIES AND THREATS Strengths Borongan has four key elements needed to attract investors. It is very accessible from any point in Eastern Visayas given its vast road network and existing seaport. Communication infrastructure is established. Good peace and order situation. And “already” existing business sectors operating in the area. In addition, there are already four commercial banks operating in the municipality. The presence of big business sectors and financial institutions helps project that there is a strong private sector’s confidence in Borongan.

24

The existence of tourist sites could further help in the influx of investments and opportunities in the municipality. These provide additional sources of income for the community. Weaknesses In terms of labor force, the highest levels of education attained by the majority of economically active population are elementary and high school levels. This could affect the marketability of its labor force especially to investors relying on labor force that are highly skilled and put a premium to the level of education attained. Opportunities Further development of its tourism industry can boost the local economy and provide additional sources of income to the local residents. Given the high literacy rate of the elementary children population, the LGU should invest in improving the quality of education in public schools. This will have a positive impact in the development of the community in the long term when this generation are the ones running the community. Further development of inland fishing will contribute in improving the economic performance of Borongan. It will provide residents with additional source income. As mentioned above, Borongan has significant number of suitable sites for fishpond industry. This can be tapped by the LGU to further boost its economy.

2. Municipality of Guiuan

Demography Distribution of Rural-Urban Household Population (2000) Total Population % Share Urban 14,562 38% Rural 24,132 62% Total 38,694 100.00% Guiuan has a total population of 38,694. 24,132 of which or 62% live in the rural areas. The remaining 38% reside in the urban area. Population Growth 1990-2000

Year Population Increase Ave. Growth Rate 1980 30,689 1990 33,825 3,136 0.98 1995 35,447 1,622 0.88 2000 38,694 3,247 1.9 For the period 1995 to 2000, the population increased by 3,247 yielding an average growth rate of 1.9%.

25

Population by age group and sex (2000) Age Group Male Female Total

Under 1 619 619 1238 1-4 2322 2245 4567 5-9 2670 2709 5379 10-14 2476 2439 4915 15-19 1973 1588 3561 20-24 1393 1199 2592 25-29 1315 1200 2515 30-34 1199 1123 2322 35-39 1083 1006 2089 40-44 890 812 1702 45-49 851 774 1625 50-54 696 736 1432 55-59 658 657 1315 60-64 542 619 1161 65-69 387 464 851 70-74 348 348 696 75-79 193 193 386 80-84 116 116 232 85 & above 58 58 116 Total 19,789 18,905 38,694 Comparative Age & Economic Dependency Ratio (2000)

Total Population Age Group

Male Female Total Percentage

0-14 yrs. Old 8,087 8,012 16,099 41.6% 15-64 yrs. Old 10,600 9,714 20,314 52.5% 65 & above 1,102 1,179 2,281 5.9% Total 19,789 18,905 38,694 100% Based on the table above, a total of 20,314 or 52.5% of the total population belong to the economically active population and are part of the labor force. There is a high dependent population that is 16,099 persons or 41.6% of the population. Education Elementary School Performance Indicators: SY 2000-2001

School District

Performance Indicators

Guiuan East Guiuan North Guiuan South Graduation Rate Transition Rate Participation Rate Survival Rate Retention Rate Achievement Rate Completion Rate Drop-out Rate Failure Rate

99.5 101.02

97.07 70.59

100 70.71 62.48

1.05 1.00

99.55 95.15 94.04 87.34

99.4 78.12 77.73

3.0 3.0

99.97 90.51 97.93 77.43 96.83 62.81 90.56

0.99 1.32

26

Guiuan has a high graduation rate of 99.5% for the Eastern District, 99.55 for the north and 99.97% for the south district. Participation rate is also high, 97.07% for the East, 95.15% for the North and 97.93% for the South district. Total Enrolment, Teacher and Classroom per District: SY 2004-2005

Enrolment District

Male Female Number of Teachers

Teacher-Pupil Ratio

Number of Classroom

Classroom-Pupil Ratio

Guiuan East Guiuan North Guiuan South

2,180 1,523 1,790

2,167 1,433 1,691

120 71 88

1:36 1:41 1:39

101 64 80

1:46 1:46 1:43

Total 5,493 5,291 279 The number of pupils is still manageable given the teacher-pupil ratio of 1:36 in the East district, 1:41 in the North and 1:39 in the South District. Likewise, at present, there are enough classrooms to cater to the number of students, 1:46 in the East and North districts and 1:43 in the South district. Secondary School Enrolment By Year Level

Year Level SY 2003-2004 SY 2004-2005 First Year Second Year Third Year Fourth Year

1,084 982

1,020 705

1,015 1,013

981 879

Total 3,791 3,888 The number of enrollees increased in the secondary level: from 3,791 to 3,888 pupils. However, the number of those who were in the first level in SY 2003-2004 decreased from 1,084 to 1,013. The same is true with those who were in the second level during SY 2003-2004, from 982 to 981; and in those in the third level from 1,020 to 879. Health and Nutrition Health Facilities and Bed Capacity, 2001

Health Facilities Bed Capacity Government: Southern Samar General Hospital Homonhon Community Hospital

50 10

Private Hospitals & Clinics: Agpalo Hospitals Immaculate Conception Clinic

17 25

Health Station Guiuan RHU (Poblacion) Guiuan RHU II (Sulangan)

102

Brgy. Health Stations Brgy. Baras Brgy. Sulu-an Brgy. Culasi Brgy. Casuguran Brgy. Surok Brgy. Hamor-awon Brgy. Camparang Brgy. Sapao

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There are two government hospitals in Guiuan and two private hospitals. There are also two rural health units situated in the Poblacion and Sulangan, and nine barangay health stations. Comparative Vital Health Statistics, 2000-2003

2003 Male Female Particulars 2000 2001 2002

Number Rate Number Rate Crude Birth Rate 26.56 15.73 480 54% 405 46% Crude Death Rate 4.04 2.83 Maternal Mortality Rate

4.9 3.27 0.6

Infant Mortality Rate

3.72 21.28 1.8

The leading causes of infant mortality rate are Pneumonia (2 cases) and Hydrocephalus (1 case). Leading causes of maternal mortality in 1999 are Eclampsia due to hypertension; in 2000, PP bleeding 2nd degree, Post Partum Eclampsia, and Septic Shock 2nd degree duto cepticemia abortion; and in 2001, Pre-Eclampsia and Puerpheral Hemorrhage. Leading Causes of Mortality, 2003

Cause Number Rate/10,000 Population 1. Hypertension 2. Influenza 3. Pneumonia 4. Diarrhea 5. Bronchitis 6. Chicken Pox 7. Parasitism 8. ARI (Acute Respiratory Infection) 9. Bronchial Asthma 10. Conjunctivitis

193 191 138 137

85 54 42 31 17 5

6% 6% 5% 2% 2% 1% 1% 1% 1%

0.5% The leading causes of mortality are hypertension (with 193 cases), influenza (191), Pneumonia (with 138 cases) and diarrhea (with 137 cases) Leading causes of morbidity are pneumonia (78 cases), MI (17) and COPD (17). Leading Causes of Morbidity, 2003

Cause Number Rate/10,000 Population 1. Pneumonia 2. MI (Myocardial Infection) 3. COPD (Chronic Obstructive

Pulmonary Disease) 4. Cancer 5. Diabetes Mellitus 6. Congestive Heart Failure 7. Accidents 8. Septicemia 9. Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever 10. Gunshot wound

78 17

17 16 7 7 7 4 3 3

26% 6%

6% 6% 2% 2% 2% 1% 1% 1%

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Total Number of Health Manpower by Profession and Services rendered in 2001

Profession/Designation Number Percentage Share 1. Doctors 2. Nurses 3. Midwives 4. Med. Technicians 5. Attendants 6. Others:

a. Janitor b. Laundry c. Seamstress d. X-ray

technologist

6 16 14

5 11

12

2 1 1

8.82 23.53 20.59

7.35 16.18

17.65

2.94 1.47 1.47

Total 68 There are six available doctors in Guiuan, who are assisted by 16 nurses. 14 midwives alternately work in the barangay health stations. The total number of health workers is 68. Nutrition In 1998, Guiuan ranked third in malnutrition rate from among the 23 municipalities of Eastern Samar. In 2002, Guiuan ranked 10. And in 2003, Guiuan ranked 15. Improvement of the nutrition among children may be attributed to the efforts of the LGU in the effective and efficient implementation of health and nutrition programs. Economic Labor force Labor Force and Employment Status of Household Population 15 years and above (2000) Population 15 yrs. Old and above 20,314 Labor Force 10,547 Labor Force Participation Rate 51% Employed 8,561 Employment Rate 42% Unemployed 1,986 Unemployment Rate 9.78% In 2000, the number of the economically active population is 20,314 or 52.5% of the total population. 10,547 or 51% are in the labor force. Agriculture In 2001, land planted to coconut was around 5,943 hectare. Banana covers 150 hectares, while vegetables, pineapple and corn cover around 68 hectares. Rainfed and upland palay is estimated at 13 hectares which are situated at Barangays Homonhon and Tubabao Islands. Root crops including cassava, camote, ubi and gabi were estimated to cover 175 hectares of land. Fruit trees have an estimated area of 87 hectares where citrus plantation covers 15 hectares. Guyabano is planted to 10 hectares and Bread Fruit to 20 hectares.

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Livestock & Poultry by kind, 1999-2000

1999 2000 Kind Backyard

Farm Commercial

Farm Backyard

Farm Commercial

Farm Livestock: Cattle Goat Hog

150 112

10,570

198 128

12,530

Poultry: Chicken Duck

18,650

358

19,850

484

Total 29,840 33,190 The total number of livestock and poultry production increased from a total combined 29,840 heads in 1999 to 33,190 in 2000. Hog is the major the livestock production accounting for 12,530 heads in 2000 and chicken for poultry which is 19,850 heads in 2000. Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Number of Fishing Households (2000)

Number Percent

Distribution Percent to total

Households Fulltime Fishing Households Part-time Fishing Households

2,569

1,383

65

35

36

20

Total 3,952 100 56% There are 2,569 full-time fishing household (or 36% of the total households) and 1,383 part-time fishing households. This brings the total number of fishing households to 3,952. About 608 fisherfolks have motorized boats, 384 have non-motorized and the remaining have no boats. Number of Fishing Boats (2000)

Type of Fishing Boat Number Percent Share Motorized Non-motorized

608

384

61.29%

38.71%

Total 992 100% Authorities consider the seacoast of Guiuan as one of the best fishing belts in the region. Guiuan is abundant with species: eucheuma, trepang, abalone, ornamental fish, lobster, and the famous Golden Cowry (considered as a marine rarity due to its novelty and unusual golden sheen and very expensive). Fishing grounds are the Leyte Gulf and the Philippine Sea. Fishing season is whole year round at the Leyte Gulf, while at the Philippine Sea it starts from March to October.

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In 2000, fish production reached up to 18 tons per day. Municipal fisherfolks and seasonal commercial fisherfolks from Leyte, Mindanao and Luzon contributed to the bulk of fish production. Fishing is the most dominant industry and the major source of income of more than 50% of the Guiuan’s populace. Because of this, the LGU has identified the construction of a Fishing Port as one of the development interventions that would respond to the needs of the industry. Fish Production By Type (in Metric Tons), 2000-2001

2000 2001 Type

Quantity % Share Quantity % Share Seasonal Commercial Fishing from Leyte, Mindanao & Luzon Municipal Fishing Aquaculture

90

6,570

10

1.35

98.5

0.15

100

7,500

12

1.31

98.53

0.16 Total 6,670 100 7,612 100 Majority of the fish production comes from municipal fishing which is 6,570 MT (98.5% of total production) in 2000 and 7,500 MT (98.53%) in 2001. Trade and Industry About 452 commercial and industrial establishments registered in 2003. This represents 23.23% of the total registered firms in the entire province. Seventy-two percent (72%) of them are into trading, 17% are engaged in services, 7% are in manufacturing, and 5% are engaged in other economic ventures. Commercial Establishment, Estimated Investment & Labor Force, Per Type

Type of Establishment

Number % Share Investment (P) % Share Labor Force

% Share

Trading 330 73% 27,988,911.00 24.93% 537 46.94% Manufacturing 36 7% 2,323,989.00 2.07% 74 6.47% Services 72 16.74% 79,127,896.00 70.48% 493 43.09% Others 14 2.93% 2,829,204.00 2.52% 40 3.50% Total 452 112,270,000.00 1144 Tourism Guiuan is blessed with numerous natural tourist attractions and is famous for its great history. It was in Guiuan where Ferdinand Magellan first set foot in the Philippine soil. It has significant involvement in WWII. The Municipal Tourist Council has also cited Homonhon Island, Sulu-an Island, Tubabao Island, navy 3149 Base, WW II Operating Base, the Immaculate Conception Church, white sand beaches and natural rock formations. In 2003, tourist attractions cited by the MTC: Aguing Cave, American Airport, American Depots Remnants, Dumpao Paradise Beach, 16th Century Catholic Church, Guiuan Church Tower, Magellan Landing Site, Pearl Island, Philippine Radar Station, Sapao Sunrise Beach Resort, Sulangan Mecca, Sulu-an Lighthouse, Walled Patio and Tubabao Island.

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Infrastructure Water system In 2003, 6,856 households have access to potable water (90% of the total households). Majority of these households source their water supply through level I systems totaling to 369 units. Thirty-five (35) barangays are served by level II water system facilities, 34 of which are beneficiaries of the Municipal Solar Infrastructure Projects (MISP). Road and Bridges Guiuan has a total road network length of 208.247 kilometers administratively classified into national, provincial, municipal and barangay roads. The main road network of the municipality runs through the major settlements and along the coastal areas in the mainland and the island barangays. Existing Road Network of Guiuan, Eastern Samar Type of Road Concrete (km) Asphalt (km) Gravel (km) Total (km)

National 5.407 5.407 Provincial 21.000 7.500 18.200 46.700 Municipal 8.790 2.100 7.200 18.090 Barangay 13.7000 124.350 138.050 Total 43.49 15.007 149.75 208.247 There is an existing bridge about six linear meters at Botong Creek in Poblacion 10. There are also footbridges in Bungtod, Pagnamitan, Sulangan and Homonhon Islands. Transportation 1. Land. The total number of registered motor vehicles in the municipality was 322 in 2000. Likewise, there are buses from other municipalities, provinces and cities as far as Manila that crosses the province going to provinces as far as Mindanao. There are available cargo trucks to transport heavy cargoes such as copra, rice and other cereals, lumber, cement and other construction materials to and from and within Guiuan. There are also jeepneys, tricycles, motorcycles and pedicabs that service the commuting public. There are also regular trips of buses and jeepneys plying the routes Guiuan-Borongan, Guiuan-Tacloban, Guiuan-Catbalogan and Guiuan-Metro Manila. There are also regular trips by mega taxi going to Tacloban City via southern coastal road. 2. Air. Guiuan has an existing airport with a 2.8 km all-weather runway, considered by many as an engineering marvel. American Construction Battalions built it under wartime specifications. According to reports, this vital airstrip serviced the famed 13th Infantry Battalion during World War II. 3. Water. Guiuan has two seaports, municipal and national ports. The national port is operational and serviceable throughout the year. Said ports are the only shipping ports along Leyte Gulf in direct linkage with the commercial centers of Tacloban City, Cebu City, Manila, among others. Commuter launch are available catering to both passengers and cargoes that ply the Guiuan-Tacloban route. There are also small motor vessels that load cargoes from

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Cebu and Tacloban to the area. There are also fishing vessels from Leyte and Mindanao that are loading marine products from the area to their place. Communication PLDT and Bayantel started operating in Guiuan in July 2004. These were additional to the existing telephone companies operating in the municipality, namely: TELECOM, GLOBELINES and BAYANTEL. Smart and Globe have been operating in the municipality. Postal service. There is one post office operating in Guiuan. It has five mail carriers and one mail car. LBC have been operating in the municipality since the middle of 2000. it is a private company providing cargo forwarding services. Radio Stations and Cable TV. There is one FM station operating in Guiuan and Two Cable TV stations that are servicing the Poblacion are and its adjacent barangays. Power Guiuan mainland and from Calico-an Island up to Barangay Sulangan is provided with electricity b the Eastern Samar Cooperative (ESAMELCO). It sources out its power supply from the NAPOCOR taking its source from the Tongonan Geothermal Power Plant in Isabel, Leyte. Island barangays are served with generators either privately-owned or operated by the barangay council. Strengths Guiuan represents 23.23% of the total registered business firms in the entire province. It has taken advantage of its accessibility to different sectors from different provinces that are attributed to its road networks and existing two seaports. The tourist landmarks of Guiuan help in revitalizing the local enemies. The tourists visiting the municipality help in keeping the local businesses alive, particularly the small businesses. Opportunities Guiuan is known for its richness in marine and aquatic resources. It possesses natural tourist attractions, historical sites, shrines and landmarks. Moreover, with the presence of active and trainable labor force and non-government organizations, the private sector and the favorable peace and order situation, it can attract many investors. Not to mention the accessibility of Guiuan given its existing ports, good condition road networks and functioning airport. The thrust of the LGU is to develop its eco-tourism, small-scale processing, trading and services that will complement the establishment of an economic zone. The following are some of the investment opportunities from marine and aquaculture: cold storage, deep sea fishing, grouper fishing, lobster fishing, pearl oyster, eucheuma and shell craft industry. Said investments can spur local economies that will greatly contribute in the economic growth of Guiuan. Linking with line agencies may also help in attracting tourists and investors.

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3. Municipality of Mercedes

Demography Total Population, Household Population and Number of Households (2000)

Total

Population % Share

Household Population

No. of Households

Urban 944 19.44% 942 186 Rural 3,914 80.56% 3,913 759 Total 4,858 100.00% 4,855 945 Majority of the population resides in the rural area that is 3,914 or 80.56% of the total population. Only 944 live in the urban center, per NSO data. Population Growth 1990-2000 Year Population Increase Ave. Growth Rate 1980 4,848 1990 4,505 -343 -0.73 1995 5,473 968 -3.72 2000 4,857 -616 -2.53 Based on the table above, there is a downward trend in the average growth rate of the population; this is attributable to out-migration by the active population who are in search of economic opportunities outside Mercedes. Household population by age group and sex (2000)

Age Group Male Female Total Under 1 59 42 101 1-4 238 233 471 5-9 288 296 584 10-14 335 286 621 15-19 284 245 529 20-24 213 174 387 25-29 140 162 302 30-34 157 139 296 35-39 141 120 261 40-44 103 106 209 45-49 100 97 197 50-54 107 99 206 55-59 75 82 157 60-64 80 77 157 65-69 73 65 138 70-74 50 52 102 75-79 41 33 74 80 & above 22 41 63 All Ages 2,506 2,349 4,855 % to Total 51.6% 48.4% 100% Based on records of 2000 census on the total population, 55.63% belong to the economically active population (15-64 years of age) and are part of the labor force. These people are engaged in agriculture, fishery, white collared jobs, domestic help and other jobs here and abroad. On the other hand, dependent population accounted for 36.6%

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Distribution of Population by Age Group (2000) Age Group Number Percent Share

0-14 1,777 36.6% 15-64 2,701 55.63% 65 and above 377 7.77% Total 4,855 100.00% Education Education and Literacy (2001)

Mercedes Eastern Samar Basic Literacy Rate 97.4 97.2 Functional Literacy Rate 66 67.9 Mercedes’ basic and functional literacy rates are comparable to that of the provincial average literacy rates. In 2001, basic literacy rate in Mercedes is slightly higher than the provincial rate, 97.4% as against 97.2%. In terms of functional literacy rate, Mercedes registered a bit lower than the provincial average rate by 1.9%. Facilities There are 11 public elementary schools in Mercedes. All barangays outside the Poblacion have their own elementary school. Children in Poblacion enroll at Mercedes Central School. Based on records, five are complete elementary education, two are complete primary school, and four offer incomplete primary schools. Pre-school education is available at the Mercedes Central School. For barangays outside the Poblacion, there are day care centers that offer the same service supervised by the Municipal Social Welfare Office. Mercedes has two national high schools. These are the Mercedes National High School and the Bobon National High School. Both schools offer complete secondary education. Since the municipality has no tertiary school, majority of the high school graduates enroll at the Salcedo and Guiuan campuses of the Eastern Samar State College (ESSC). Others pursue their college education in Tacloban City, while others enroll at the main campus of ESSC in Borongan that offers many courses. Elementary Performance Indicators (SY 2002-2003)

Participation Rate

Cohort Survival Rate

Retention Rate Achievement

Rate Drop-out Rate

Mercedes 92.26 90 76.60 74.27 0.003 Eastern Samar 93.53 68.21 88.48 65.54

Based on the table above, the proportion of school age children in Mercedes enrolled in elementary schools in the municipality was 92.26%. This elementary participation rate is slightly lower than the provincial average rate of 93.53%. Based on records, Mercedes’ cohort survival rate of 90% was the second highest in Eastern Samar in 2002. Its achievement rate of 74.27% is higher than the provincial rate of 65.54%.

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Health and Nutrition The ten leading causes of mortality and number of incidence by age group and sex in 2003 are the following:

Age M F Total 1. Cardio-Vascular Diseases 65 up 3 1 4 50-64 1 1 2. Pneumonia 15-49 1 1 65 up 2 1 3 3. Bleeding Peptic Ulcer 65 up 2 1 3 4. Koch’s Pulmonary 65 up 2 1 3 5. Cancer 65 up 1 1 6. Diarrhea 1-4 1 1

7. Hemorrhagic Shock due to stab wounds 15-49 1 1 8. Accident 50-64 1 1 9. Food poisoning 5-14 1 1 2 10. Sepsis S/P amputation 65 up 1 1

Cardio vascular disease is the leading cause of mortality in Mercedes with 5 reported cases. This is followed by Pneumonia with 4 reported cases. Leading causes of morbidity are Bronchitis, URI and Streptococal diseases as shown in the table below. The ten leading causes of morbidity and number of incidence by age group and sex in 2003 are the following: Age M F Total 1. Bronchitis/Bronchiditis 0-11 mos. 24 18 42 1-4 57 78 135 5-14 37 42 79 15-49 16 22 38 50-64 4 6 10 65 up 6 3 9 2. Upper Respiratory Infection 0-11 mos. 13 19 32 1-4 45 51 96 5-14 33 36 69 15-49 27 52 79 50-64 8 11 19 65 up 6 10 16 3. Streptococcal Disease 0-11 mos. 4 7 11 1-4 21 29 50 5-14 21 21 42 15-49 14 21 35 50-64 6 6 12 65 up 4 2 6 4. Pneumonia 0-11 mos. 9 5 14 1-4 6 10 16 5-14 10 8 18 15-49 3 2 5 50-64 2 2 4 65 up 3 3 6 5. Hypertension 15-49 2 8 10 50-64 5 22 27

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65 up 11 11 22 6. Diarrhea 0-11 mos. 7 3 10 1-4 10 11 21 5-14 6 6 12 15-49 1 1 50-64 1 1 65 up 2 2 7. Arthritis 15-49 3 7 10 50-64 3 7 10 65 up 5 8 13 8. APD 5-14 1 1 2 15-49 4 14 18 50-64 1 1 65 up 4 5 9 9. Amoebas 1-4 3 4 7 5-14 2 2 15-49 4 2 6 50-64 2 2 10. Typhoid 5-14 3 3 15-49 3 3 Nutritional Status In 2002, 1,033 pre-school children were weighed. It was discovered that the proportion of severely and moderately malnourished children reached 5.42%, an improvement over 2001 malnutrition rate of 7.6% Nutrition Profile of children 0-5 years old (2002)

Nutritional Status No. of 0-5 children % Share Malnourished children 120 11.62 Severely 2 0.2 Moderately 56 5.42 Mild 62 6 Normal 913 88.38 Overweight 0 0 Total Children Weighed 1,033 Nutrition Profile of Elementary Pupils: SY 2003-2004

Nutritional Status No. of 0-5 children % Share Malnourished children 118 14.2 Severely 3 0.36 Moderately 56 6.74 Mild 59 7.10 Normal 713 85.8 Overweight 0 0 Total Children Weighed 949 Of the elementary pupils weighed, majority (85.8%) have normal weight. Although, there were 3 pupils who are severely malnourished and 56 who are moderately malnourished.

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Health Facilities Health services are provided by the Rural Health Unit located in the Poblacion. There is also Barangay Health Station located in Barangay Bobon. Services provided by the RHU are maternal and childcare, immunizations, under-five clinic, nutrition services, family planning, control of diarrhea, TB, and acute respiratory infections. Emergency cases that require hospitalization are referred to the Southern Samar General Hospital located in Guiuan. Cases that are more serious are referred to the provincial hospital in the capital town of Borongan and hospitals in Tacloban City. Health workers In 2003, the RHU has a regular work force of 7 health workers composed of a doctor, dentist, a nurse, two midwives, one dental aide and a sanitary inspector who is a licensed medical technologist. They visit barangays outside the Poblacion on a monthly basis. The two midwives alternately hold clinic at the BHS who are assisted by the barangay health workers. There are 42 BHWs and six trained birth attendants. BHWs serve as regular health care providers in the 11 barangay health nutrition posts. Social Welfare A single social worker staffs the municipal social welfare development office. Services provided by the MSWDO: Family Welfare Program extended in the form of Parents Effectiveness and Responsible Parenthood Sessions and Marriage Counseling; and community Welfare Program through social preparation to lay the groundwork for people’s participation and develop a higher level of social awareness and volunteerism. In 2003, Mercedes has 12-day care centers that benefited 234 children ages 3-5 in the 12 barangays. Trained day care workers jointly funded by MLGU and barangay council manage the day care centers. Households By Tenure Status of the Housing Unit (2000)

Tenure Status of the Housing unit

Number of HHs Percent Share

Owned/Being amortized 784 83% Rented 8 0.8% Rent free w/ the consent of owner

40 4.2%

Rent free w/o the consent of owner

0 0%

Not reported 113 12% Not applicable 0 0% Total 945 100.00% About 784 housing units are owned or are still being amortized by its owners; forty (40) households are renting the land area free with the consent of the owner. Economic Agriculture The economy of Mercedes largely depends on agriculture and fishery. Out of the total area of 2,360 hectares, 2,046 hectares (86.69%) is devoted to agriculture. Coconut is cultivated in around 1,625 has. (79.42%) and dominate Mercedes’

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agricultural land. Corn is planted to 12.75 has. (0.62%) and root crops occupy 41.09 has. (2.01%). Other agricultural uses comprise 319.16 has. (15.6%). Mercedes has no rice land. Area Devoted to Agricultural Production by Major Crops (2001)

Crops Area (has.) Percent Annual Production

(MT) 1. Coconut 1,625 95.15% 3,592.99 2. Rice: Irrigated Rainfed Upland 3. Corn 12.75 0.75% 38.25 4. Other Crops Citrus 1.75 0.1% 10.5 Rimas 3.44 0.2% 27.5 Banana 13 0.76% 104 Pineapple 0.5 0.03% 3 Watermelon 0.5 0.03% 3 5. Rootcrops: Camote 14.97 0.88% 89.82 Cassava 18.75 1.1% 150 Gabi/ubi 4.62 0.27% 32.34 Palawan 2.75 0.16% 27.5 6. Legumes: Peanut

0.25 0.01% 0.5

7. Vegetables: Leafy 3.5 0.21% 7 Fruit 6 0.35% 24 Total 1,706.88 100% Coconut is the major crop cultivated in the municipality covering 1,625 hectares or 95.15% of the total land area devoted to agriculture with an annual production of 3,592.99 MT. Other crops planted by the farmers are corn and other crops. Mercedes is along the Pacific Ocean and Leyte Gulf. It has a potential for commercial fishing production. At present, there are no commercial fishing ventures in Mercedes. Most of its fisherfolks lack modern fishing gears and technology. There are 222 full-time fisherfolks and 93 part-time fisherfolks giving a total of 315 fishermen distributed in the eight coastal barangays of the municipality. 74 of them have motorized bancas, 156 have non-motorized bancas and 85 of them have no bancas at all. The total fish production of Mercedes was estimated at 417 MT annually. Some fisherfolks have recently ventured into marine fish culture, particularly grouper using fish cages. This venture is export-oriented and is tied up with the growers in Guiiuan for marketing support.

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Livestock and Poultry Inventory (2001) Livestock Poultry

Carabao Cattle Swine Goat Native Chicken

Broiler

1 104 464 65 1,282 25 As of 2001, the total livestock production is 634 heads. Swine accounts for around 73% of the total production. Poultry production is 1,307 heads. Native chicken accounts for more than 98% of the total production. Trade, Commerce and Industry Number of Registered Business Establishments (1999)

Type of business No. of Establishments %

Trading 22 66.67 Manufacturing 1 3.03 Service 1 3.03 Other 9 27.27 Total 33 100 Majority of the business establishments are into trading which is around 66%. The slow growth of trade and industry in Mercedes may be attributed to its proximity to Guiuan, which is the trading center in the south. It is only 8 km. away and is very accessible through the national highway. Most residents prefer to buy at the big stores in the commercial and shopping center in Guiuan. Handicraft is one of the sources of income for Barangays Cabunga-an ans San Jose. Particularly, hat and mat weaving which attracts tourists. Due to lack of promotion, marketing and new technology, the handicraft does not flourish despite the availability of raw materials for this industry in the barangays. Tourism Mercedes is a historical site being an adjacent town of Guiuan where a US Navy Base was located during World War II. The Port Kennedy used to service big naval and supply vessels of the US Navy. There are other historical sites in Mercedes such as the American Fleet Hospital, American Cemetery and WWII water dam. There are white beaches, rivers and one cave that have the potential for eco-tourism development. Infrastructure Water system Based on records of the provincial health office, Mercedes has one of the highest potable water access in the province. In 2003, the same report shows that potable water access was as high as 98% despite the absence of a level III water system. Of the 1,069 households in Mercedes, 1,039 have access to safe water (as of December 2003). Number of Potable Water Systems (2003)

Type Number HH served Level I 104 778 Level II 8 251 Level III Total 112 1,029

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Level I PWS serve majority of the households (104) and the remaining 251 households obtain their water supply using level II PWS. Pre and Post Harvest Facilities Mercedes has limited pre and post harvest facilities. In 2002, it has the following pre-harvest equipments: one plow, one harrow, and two sprayers. These are located in Barangays Busay and Sung-an. Post-harvest facilities include two solar dryers located in Barangays Anuron and Bobon. Road and Bridges Inventory of Roads (2002)

Length Road Surface (Length in Km) Road Classification Kms. % Concrete Asphalt Gravel Earth National 16 25.36% 16 Provincial 9.10 14.42% 1 8.10 Municipal 10 15.85% 4 6 Barangay 28 44.37% 5 8 15 Total 63.1 10 16 16.10 21 Percent 100% 15.85% 25.36% 25.51% 33.28%

Majority of the road networks in Mercedes are a combination of asphalt (25.36%), gravel (25.51%) and earth roads (33.28%). Mercedes has three concrete bridges and one timber bridge. Inventory of Bridges (2003)

Bridge Classification and Location Length (L.M.) Type Buyayawon Bridge 17.90 Concrete Cambante 8 Concrete Sung-an 7 Timber Cabunga-an 6.85 Concrete Total 39.75 Number of Land Vehicle Ownership (2000)

Type Number Jeepney (Multi-cab) 2 Private car 3 Private jeep 4 Truck 4 Tricycle 25 Motorcycle 38 Bicycle 76 Total 152 Majority of the registered vehicles in Mercedes are motorcycles (38 units), tricycles (25 units) and bicycles (76 units). There are only a few multi-cab and privately owned cars and jeepneys. Port Mercedes is the site of Port Kennedy constructed by the American Navy during World War II. It used to serve big naval vessels of the US Navy in the adjacent Guiuan. It is one of the historical tourist sites of the province. At present, Port

41

Kennedy is not operational. Mercedes is dependent on the municipal and sub-national ports of Guiuan. Power As of February 2003, only seven (43.8%) of the 16 barangays are connected to the power grid. The Eastern Samar Electric Cooperative (ESAMELCO) provides the electricity to 145 households, which is 24% of the 816 potential household consumers. Telecoms Mercedes has a public calling office in the Telecommunication office of DOTC. Postal office also operates in Mercedes. Both are located in the municipal hall. Opportunities Rehabilitation of Port Kennedy could sufficiently provide services needed by the proposed Guiuan Economic Zone. The rehabilitation of the port will give way to the influx of investments in Mercedes. Major investment opportunities and commercial venture in Mercedes are tapping the agricultural potential for both farming and aqua-projects and tourism development. Possible new industries in Mercedes are buko juice commercial production, coco lumber processing, coconut shell charcoal making, and root crop processing. A host of other micro-industries that have potentials are also present such as shell craft, hat and weaving, coconut candy, salt and vinegar making. Threats The proximity of Mercedes to Guiuan, which is the trading center in the south, hampers its economy. As mentioned above, most residents prefer to buy at the big stores in the commercial and shopping center in Guiuan.

B. Northern Samar

1. Municipality of Lavezares

Social Demography Table 1.1 – Population growth from 1990-2000

Population 1990

Population 2000

Increase Percent Increase

1990-2000 Growth rates

Region VIII 3,054,490 3,610,355 555,865 18.2% 1.68% Northern Samar 329,335 375,822 46,487 14.12% 1.33% Lavezares 19,058 23,991 4,933 25.88% 2.33% Total Number of Households: 4,691 Population Density: 176.48/sq.km. Average Household Size: 4.49

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Table 1.2 – Urban-Rural Population growth Population

1990 Population

2000 1990-2000

Growth rates Percent to Population

2000 Urban 4,971 6,017 1.9% 25% Rural 14.078 17,974 2.5% 75% Table 1.3 – Age-sex structure of the population 1999

Age Group Female Male Total Population 1-3 1062 1202 2264 4-7 979 1075 2054 8-12 1367 1525 2892 13-16 988 1033 2021 17-20 908 973 1881 21-24 696 812 1508 25-28 608 653 1261 29-32 573 585 1158 33-36 441 456 897 37-40 425 451 876 41-44 299 318 617 45-48 297 309 606 49-52 318 320 638 53-56 277 251 528 57-60 294 301 595 61-64 169 176 345 65-68 147 133 280 69-72 116 124 240 73-76 102 85 187 77-80 75 52 127 81-84 24 27 51 85-88 28 10 38 89-92 14 10 24 93-96 2 0 2

Education Table 2.1 – Literacy rate Literacy Rate Regional VIII 88.79% Northern Samar 98.23% Municipal Average 93.56% There are five primary schools in the municipality. There are 18 intermediate schools, 1 secondary school and 1 vocational school. Among these schools, Lavezares Central Elementary School has the highest enrolment for the school year 2001, with 958 enrollees for both primary and elementary level, and 284 for the secondary level. From 1996-2001, enrolment rate has been fluctuating. This is due to the number of dropouts due to poverty and other reasons. Total Population and School Age Population Of the total population, 2,623 or 12.9% belong to primary level (ages 6-9); 2,254 or 11.04% are in intermediate level (10-14); 9.97% are in secondary level (ages 15-19). Number of Classrooms and enrollees There are 25 classrooms for the primary level with 770 enrollees, which gives a student-classroom ratio of 31.

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2. Health & Nutrition There is one rural health unit in Lavezares and six barangay health stations. The Rural Health Center has one doctor, one midwife and one sanitary inspector. The ratio of medical personnel as against 1995 population is as follows: Doctor 1:22,093 Midwife 1:22,093 Sanitary Inspector: 1:22,093 There are three barangay health stations out of the 26 barangays, aside from the main health center at the Poblacion. One midwife serves each health station. Services provided by the municipal health officer and the midwife: general services, minor surgery, normal deliveries and at times retained placenta, pediatrics, nutrition, health education, internal medicine and environmental sanitation. In the Rural Health Center, they also admit patients with diarrhea, typhoid fever, bronchopneumonia, PTB, and asthma. However, major cases like appendicitis, caesarian operation are referred to the district hospital. Current services provided by the RHU are:

• Medical, minor surgery, pediatrics • MCH: (a) Nutrition program (operation timbang, Vitamin A, iron and iodine

supplementation, and de-worming; (b) tetanus immunization to all pregnant women; (c) clinic for children under six years of age; (d) family planning counseling; and (e) lecture on breastfeeding.

• Control of communicable diseases: (a) expanded program immunization; (b) TB control program; (c) ARI program; and (d) control of diarrhea diseases

• Supply of essential drugs • Environmental sanitation: (a) construction of water-sealed toilet facilities; and

(b) clean and green program • Araw ng Sangkap Pinoy (DOH program)

Services provided by the barangay health stations:

• MCH: (a) Nutrition program (operation timbang, Vitamin A, iron and iodine supplementation, and de-worming; (b) tetanus immunization to all pregnant women; (c) clinic for children under six years of age; (d) family planning counseling; and (e) lecture on breastfeeding.

• Control of communicable diseases: (a) expanded program immunization; (b) TB control program; (c) ARI program; and (d) control of diarrhea diseases

• Supply of essential drugs • Treatment of communicable diseases • Environmental sanitation • Araw ng Sangkap Pinoy

Majority of the households, which is 996 (71.4%) do not have toilet facilities. This poses a big problem since improper waste disposal may lead to an epidemic. Nutrition In 2000, out of the total number of children, 1,609 (37%) are malnourished in the first degree. 794 (18%) are malnourished in the second degree. Moreover, around 100 (2%) are in the third degree. Out of the 1,123 children weighed, 443 (36%) are malnourished. 363 (29%) are malnourished in the first degree. 77 (6%) are in the second degree, and 3 (.25%) in

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the third degree. This may be due to inadequate food intake or wrong choice of food that makes the child susceptible to diseases. 3. Mortality and Morbidity Based on the records of RHU, Lavezares, the leading causes of mortality are Pneumonia (41 fatalities), Cardiovascular disease (27 deaths) and Diarrhea (25). 4. Social Welfare Existing services provided by the Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office (MSWDO) are family planning and counseling, family life, nutrition and child care, operation and supervision of day care centers, and other child welfare programs. Other programs by the LGU are self-employment assistance program (SEAP), food for growth, and others. 5. Housing Of the 4,637 households, 4,548 (98%) have their own housing units. 15 households (0.32%) are renters, and 69 households (1.48%) occupies housing unit with owners permission and without paying any rent. At present, the municipality has no problem on squatting. The LGU is planning to construct 50 low cost dwelling units for 50 depressed families under the BLISS program by the National Housing Commission. Economic Employment rate is 58%. The average family income is between P2,600 to 3,000. Other pertinent statistics:

Labor force – 12,580 (6,542-M; 6,038-F) Employed: 6,730 (4,615-M; 2,115-F) Unemployed: 5,850 (2,281-M; 3,569-F)

Agriculture The total agricultural crop area of Lavezares is 8,363.3 hectares or 70.07% of its total land area of 11,959 hectares. Agricultural land is distributed into the following: Coconut is planted to 7,093 has. (59.36%), rice is cultivated in 1,117 has. (9.39%), both irrigated and rain-fed areas, abaca has 153.3 has (1.32%). The area planted to coconut is inter-cropped with some high value commercial crops (HVCC) like banana, cacao, pineapple, pili and root crops. Production The Agricultural area of Lavezares is around 76,946,170.15 sq. m. This is divided as follows:

Type Area (in has.) Rice field: Irrigated 139 Rainfed 995 Coco area 7,093 Abaca 153.03 Grassland 519.6 Shrubs 653.9 Fishpond Area 261 Forest 487.7 Mangrove 1,325.1

Built-up Areas 66 Nipa Area 218.9

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Riceland has an average yield of 90 cavans per hectare. At present, there are 2,460 rice farmers. The sharing scheme between landowner is 50-50. Rice production is at 1,619.9 MT per cropping. Coconut production is at 6,853,770 MT per year. Livestock production are as follows: cattle,17 heads; carabao, 320 heads; and swine, 2,5000. Marine fish production is pegged at 1.5MT per month. 3. Commerce and Trade There are 57 retail stores, located mostly in the Poblacion. Some stores are selling spare parts of motorcycles and bicycles. Majority of the stores are engaged in sari-sari commodities that cater to the needs of the public. There are 22 general merchants and copra dealers (four are in the Poblacion). There is an existing public market in the Poblacion. There are 22 business establishments in Lavezares. At present, Rural Bank of Lavazares is the only existing banking institution in the municipality. Infrastructure and Utilities Sector Water Supply Sources of potable water in the municipality are dug wells (which covers 1,695 HH), tubod/piped walls (which covers 1,162 HH), upspring and faucets tapped from community water system units with 368 HH. Artesian wells are also located in Barangays Ocad, Sabang-Tabok and Caragas. Electric water pumps are in Barangays Ocad and Caragas. The developed Sigad spring is located in Barangay Ocad. Roads and Bridges Lavezares is along the national highway connecting to the capital town of Catarman and Allen, and stretches to Tacloban. The concrete highway from Enriqueta to Brgy Libas is around 13 km, with five concrete bridges. The following are the existing farm-to-market roads found in the barangays:

1. Villa Hermosa – Libas Feeder Road (2 km, w/ 2 concrete bridges and 2 wooden bridges)

2. Villa – Libas Road (2 km) 3. Villa – Balicuatro Road (1.5 km w/ 1 wooden bridge) 4. San Miguel – San Jose – Datag – Salvacion Road (9 km w/ 3 concrete and 3

wooden bridges) 5. Mac Arthur – Toog Road (6.5 km w/ 2 wooden bridges) 6. Enriqueta – Chansvilla Road (3 km w/1 wooden bridge) 7. Libertad – San Agustin Road (4 km w/ 2 wooden bridges) 8. Urdaneta – Barobaybay Road (3 km w/ 2 wooden bridges) 9. San Miguel – Barobaybay Road (3 km)

The 26 barangays of Lavezares already have existing concrete pavements but some still need completion or concreting.

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Seaports. Wharves are in the following coastal barangays: Bani, Magsaysay, San Isidro, Maravilla, San Agustin, San Juan and Villa. Power Thirteen (13) of the 26 barangays of Lavezares are already connected to the power grid. Electricity is distributed by NORSAMELCO. Around 789 HH in the rural area and 303 HH in the urban area still need to be connected to the power grid. (NORSAMELCO, 2001) Communications Existing service provider for telecommunications are TELECOM and PT&T. The Philippine Postal Corporation also operates in Lavezares. Priority Infrastructure Projects

1. Construction of irrigation facilities at BALIMASAMIN area 2. Road improvement/concreting along San Miguel-San Jose-Datag-Salvacion

Road 3. Road concreting along San Miguel-Barobaybay-Urdaneta Road 4. Road concreting along Libas-Villa Road 5. Construction of potable water facilities at the Poblacion

STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES, OPPORTUNITIES AND THREATS Strengths Health

• Lavezares has more medical workers than what is required. The present number of medical manpower is still well within the standard having a population of 21,399 (1990)

• Lavezares has vast resources of water that may be tapped. Weaknesses Education • Not enough classrooms • Lack of teachers for both elementary and secondary level to cater to the growing

population of students • Traditional teaching-learning methods in the school Economic

• Not enough space (bigger area) for commercial establishment to cater to the needs of the growing population especially in the following industries: fishing, agriculture and other marine products

• Lack of access to the public market Infrastructure

• Lavezares does not have a waterworks system. However, most barangays are sourcing out their water from wells, springs, and community water system (such as jetmatic water pumps and faucets).

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Opportunities

• Existing government line agencies that can provide basic socio-econ assistance/ services: BFAR, DA, TESDA and DTI, among others that could help develop agriculture and cottage industries in the municipality.

• Provision of more classrooms, additional teachers for both elementary and secondary levels and more school facilities, and the shift from traditional teaching-learning methods to more advanced techniques (e.g. adopting computer technology) are priorities of the DECS Regional Office, Division Office, and the Office of the Principal-in-Charge of the District for the next ten years.

• Intensify nutrition and health education to improve knowledge, attitudes and practices of mothers on childcare and feeding practices particularly on breast-feeding, and proper choice of food.

• The LGU has already tied up with DOH implement its program from 2002-2010. This include provision of medicine and medical equipments, MCH program, health education, Family Planning program, National tuberculosis program, dental program, among others.

• Existence of other institutions such as socio-religious, economic and civic-minded groups may be tapped for additional funding for the construction of day care centers in other barangays.

Threats

• Geology, flooding hazards and erosion potential area (around 5,404 has. are severely eroded) contributes to the deterrent of its socio-economic growth.

• Municipality’s development is constrained by its rugged and hilly terrain. • Although the municipality is rich in natural resources, marine products and tourist

spots, it cannot be developed due to: o Distance from the capital town o No available investors interest/attracted due to geographical location o The municipality is along the side of San Bernardino Strait, which is a

“turbulent wavy area” within the Pacific side • Although the area is a rich fishing ground, its weather condition during the

northeast monsoon months does not allow fishing

2. Municipality of Mondragon

Social Demography Distribution of Rural-Urban Household Population (2000)

Total Population % Share Urban 8,461 30.11% Rural 19,637 69.89% Total 28,098 100.00% Mondragon has a total population of 28,098. Majority of its population reside in the rural area which is 19,637 or almost 70%. Based on records, from 1990 to 2000, population in the urban grew by 1.546%, from 7,248. Likewise, rural population from 1990 to 2000 grew by 3.4% from 14,115.

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Population Growth 1990-2000 Year Population Ave. Growth Rate

1980 20,423 1990 21,399 0.47 1995 25,504 3.35 2000 28,098 2.10

For the period 1995 to 2000, the population increased by 2,594 or an average growth rate of 2.10%. In 2000, Mondragon has 5,301 households, 3,705 (69.89%) of which are in the rural areas. Education (N. Samar) Northern Samar has a simple literacy rate of 89.92% as of 2000. The teacher-pupil ratio in elementary is 1:43 and 1:37 for high school. The classroom-pupil ratio is 1:31 for both elementary and high school levels. Health (N. Samar) In 1995, Northern Samar has infant mortality rate of 66.45. It has a child mortality rate of 31.79, which is slightly higher than the regional rate of 30.22. Maternal mortality rate is 185.05, lower than the regional rate of 189.76. Economic Agriculture Mondragon has a total land area of 28,890 hectares, 13,169.70 has of which is devoted to agriculture. Coconut, rice and other cash crops are commonly cultivated in the area. It has a vast plain level slightly rolling to hilly portion. Plain or level areas include the Poblacion to the eastern and northern portion that are primarily devoted to lowland rice, coconut and other cash crops. Planted in slightly rolling areas are abaca, coconut bananas and fruit trees. Rolling to hilly terrain is associated with commercial forest in most areas in the western about five (5) to 10 kilometers from the road network Coconut is the major crop cultivated in Mondragon. It occupies a land area of 6,693 hectares. Abaca is planted in 3,900 hectares of land area. Root crops, which include camote, palawan, gabi, and bagong, among others cover a total land area of 85 hectares. It has an annual production of 340MT. Fishing Fishing is the usual activity in the Makiwalo Gulf. Major Marine Products are tuna fish, galunggong, coral fishes, crabs, shrimps, lobsters, oysters and seashells. AGRICULTURAL FISHERY MODERNIZATION PLAN 1. Provision of Post Harvest Facilities thru the Department of Agriculture the following; a. Hand Tractors b. Rice Threshers c. Multi-purpose Drying Pavement

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2. Establishment of Irrigation System thru DA a. Small Farm Reservoir b. Shallow Tube Wells 3. Upgrading of Seeds thru the used of Certified Seeds-an increase of 10-15 cavans per hectare from farmer 4. Use of Post Management System 5. Improvement of Livestock Breed 6. Implementation of Coastal Resource Management Program thru:

a. Organization of Brgy Fishery and Aquatic Resource Program b. Organization of Fish Warden c. Establishment of Fish Sanctuary d. Establishment of Fish Shelter

Livestock and poultry Livestock production in Mondragon includes carabao (2,500 heads), cattle (75 heads), and goat (50 heads). The total poultry production is around 19,000 heads. Mineral Resources Mineral resources found in Mondragon includes spring water, sand and gravel, boulders and other aggregate (like pebbles) Forest Resources Forest area covers 13,411.50 hectares. Timber, rattan and wild fruits such as kalapi, rambutan, and ubod, are commonly found in the forest areas. Other land uses Open grassland covers 403.10 hectares. Swamps in Mondragon has a total combined area of 1,646.70 has. Total area of open water spaces is around 123.43 has. The following is the breakdown of land use in the municipality: food crop development zone is devoted to around 2,220 hectares; agri-tourism, 200 hectares.; high value crop, 1,500 hectares; agro-industrial, 8,655 hectares; pasture/livestock 1,010 hectares; agro-forestry, 1380 hectares; fishing, 1369 hectares; forestry/watershed, 11,021 hectares; and built-up areas 932 hectares. Trade and Industry There are 10 rice mills, welding shops, cottage and home industries, tailoring, dressmaking, furniture making, hollow block making, oil milling, car making, hammock, basketry, and bakery. Other establishments include: 20 sari-sari stores, three copra traders, one pharmacy, two eateries, three slaughter houses (carabao), and four bakeries. Tourism The territorial limit of the municipality is defined by the following boundaries, about 16 kilometers of irregular shorelines with its fine beaches and rich corals in the north.

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Another interesting feature of Mondragon is the Cyrstal Mountain that could be a tourist spot.

3. Municipality of San Jose

Social Demography San Jose has a population of 4,933 that accounts for 14.12% of the total population of the province. For the period 1990-2000, the population of San Jose grew by 2.33% Population growth from 1990-2000

Population 2000

Increase Percent Increase

1990-2000 Growth rates

2001 population

Region VIII 3,610,355 555,865 18.2% 1.68% Northern Samar

375,822 46,487 14.12% 1.33%

San Jose 13,901 4,933 25.88% 2.33% 14,186 Age-sex structure of the population

Based on Table above, there are more males than females residing in San Jose. Sex ratio is 1:05 male for every female.

1995 2001 Age

Group Both Sexes Male Female Both Sexes Male Female

Under 1

402 213 189 454 240 214

1-4 1522 790 732 1720 893 827 5-9 1740 916 824 1966 1035 931 10-14 1637 872 765 1850 985 865 14-19 1379 733 646 1558 828 730 20-24 1010 493 517 1141 557 584 25-29 925 473 452 1045 534 511 30-34 779 390 389 880 441 439 35-39 637 316 321 720 362 358 40-44 561 302 259 634 341 293 45-49 453 238 215 512 269 243 50-54 410 196 214 463 221 242 55-59 382 172 210 432 194 237 60-64 273 143 130 308 161 147 65-69 172 76 96 194 86 108 70-74 122 54 68 138 61 77 75-79 77 33 44 87 37 50 80-84 49 19 30 55 21 34 85 and above

26 7 19 29 8 21

Total 12556 6436 6120 14186 7274 6911

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In terms of economic dependency, youth groups’ ages 0-14 years old totaled to 5,989 constituting 42% of the total population. The elderly population ages 65 years old and above totaled to 496 that is about 4% of the total population. Therefore, majority of the population belong to the labor/working age group. School age population is 38% of the population. Ages 6-12 years old constitute 19% of the total population. 13-16 years old is around 9% of the population, and 17-21 years of age is around 10%. Of the school age population, 49% are population ages 6-12 years old, 25% are ages 13-16 years old, and 26% are ages 17-21 years old. Population 5 years Old and Above by Highest Grade Completed

Highest Grade Completed Population (1995) Population (2001) No grade completed 1,141 1,289 Pre-School 269 304 Elementary Education 6,013 6,793 Primary (3,349) (3,783) Intermediate (2,264) (3,010) High School Education 2,238 2,528

Undergraduate (1,420) (1,604) Graduate (918) (924) College Graduate 438 495 Academic Degree Holder 427 482 Post Baccalaureate Degree 8 9 Not stated 32 36 Total 10,632 12,012

Urban-Rural Population 2000 2001 Population HH Population Population HH population Urban 6,997 1,413 7,140 1,428 Rural 6,904 1,358 7,046 1,409 Total 13,901 2,771 14,186 2,837

There is a little difference between those who living in the urban and rural areas. In 2001, the number of urban settlers is around 7,140 as compared with those residing in the rural area that is 7,046. Education There are 12 government elementary institutions in San Jose, 1 government high school and 1 private academy run by the Raparatrix sisters. However, because San Jose is contiguous to open seas, roofing materials of several structures continue to deteriorate.

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Health and Nutrition Mortality and Morbidity Table - Fertility, Mortality and Morbidity Rates (2000)

Crude Birth Rate Mortality General Medicare

Consultation Population

Number Rate Death Infant

Mortality Young Child

Mortality

Maternal Mortality

Number Rate

14,633 442 30.2 57 3.89 6 13.57 8 2.84 0 10.71 13.19

In 2000, causes of deaths to 1 to 4 years old are: shock to secondary to hemorrhage and severe traumatic injuries (1 male, 3 years old); Bronchopneumonia (4 males, ages 1-3 years old); Infectious diarrhea (1 female, 1 yr. old); Gastroenteritis (1 male, 1 yr. old); and Meningitis (1 female, 3 yrs. Old). In 2000, the ten leading causes of mortality are: CVA Hypertension, Kock’s Pulmonary, Congestive Heart Failure, Bronchopneumonia, Pneumonia, Drowning, Cardiac Arrest, Acute Gastroenteritis, Cancer and Schistosomiasis. Nutrition (weight and nourishment) Table - Frequency and Degree of Malnutrition(2000)

Number and Percent of Malnourished Children 1st degree 2nd degree 3rd degree Total

No. % No. % No. % No. % San Jose

632 4.3 205 0.03 18 0.12 855 5.8

Around 632 children are found to be malnourished in the 1st degree that is 4.3% of the total population. About 205 (0.03%) are malnourished in the 2nd degree and 18 are already in the third degree. One central rural health unit is located in the municipal hall compound serving all the 16 barangays. Two barangay health stations are located in Barangays Geratag and San Lorenzo. Both are catering to the needs of near-by barangays. Health Programs: 1. Expanded program on immunization (from live birth to 1 year immunization) 2. Disease Surveillance 3. Control of acute respiratory infections 4. Control diarrhea diseases 5. Micro-nutrient supplementation/nutrition 6. Family Planning 7. Tuberculosis Control Program 8. STD/AIDS 9. Environmental Health and Sanitation Program 10. Cancer Control Program (Cervical Cancer Screening Program)

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Households by Usual Manner of Garbage Disposal Usual Manner of Garbage Disposal No. of HH %

1. Picked up service garbage trucks/carts 75 3.11 2. Dumping in individual open pit (not burned) 330 13.72 3. Burning 220 9.23 4. Composting 5. Burying 6. Feeding to animals 192 7.98 7. Others Around 1,545 (64.21%) have water sealed, sewer/septic tank used exclusively by the household. In 2001, San Jose has one PHN, one dentist, 3 RSI, 1 Medical Technician and 16 BHWs. Social Welfare There are 13 child day care centers for ages 3 to 6 years old. There are 10 PAG-ASA (Youth Associations of the Philippines) serving the development of disadvantaged youth and out-of-school-youth. There are 14 women’s organizations established in different barangays. In addition, there are 14 Senior Citizen’s Organizations in San Jose. Housing Sector Housing Units Occupied and Vacant (2000) Housing Units Occupied 2,505 Vacant 160 Total 2,665 Owner HH & Occupied Housing Units by Tenure Status of Lot

Area Classification

Total Owner HH in

occupied Housing Unit

Owned/ Amortized

Rented

Being Occupied for

free w/ consent of owner

Being Occupied for

free w/o consent of

owner Urban 1,018 420 53 493 52 Rural 1,455 380 113 927 35 Total 2,473 800 166 1,420 87 As of 2001, 1,507 households or 60.94% of the total households are squatters. This means that they constructed their houses with or without the consent of the landowners. About 20% of the total HH purchased or amortized their occupied lands, 9% represent housing units constructed their dwellings by hiring skilled workers, and 0.6% represents housing units that were inherited. The following is the sources of financing of HH who had purchased/constructed their housing units:

• 91.8% constructed at their own resources • 1.2% constructed w/ govt assistance (GSIS, PAG-IBIG, SSS & DBP) • 3.4% assisted by other sources (not specified) • 99% constructed w/ the assistance of employees.

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Economic Table – Population 15 years old and above by employment status

In the labor force Age Group Population

Employed Unemployed

Not in the labor force

15-80 years old and above

8,195 4,045 954 3,196

The labor force of San Jose is around 58% of the total population. Of the total labor force, 49% are employed, 12% are unemployed, while 39% are not in the labor force. Agriculture Of the total 556 hectares of Riceland, only 55 has. are irrigated. That is why palay production of San Jose is not high. Intercropping between coconut plantations is minimal. San Miguel Corporation, Cargyl Philippines and Granexport buy copra. Livestock is availed by farmer through dispersal program of the national government. San Jose has vast marine resources. However, due to the absence of a functional ice plant for preservation purposes, the municipality cannot fully maximize it. Commerce and Trade There are 200 business establishments in San Jose, 111 of which are in the poblacion barangays and 89 are in the adjacent barangays. There are 19 types of business establishments in the municipality. There are 132 sari-sari stores in San Jose. There are seven copra dealers and three big copra-buying stations. There are 13 passenger jeepney operators. There are seven general merchandise stores, six dry goods store and eight restaurants and refreshment parlors. Other commercial establishments include one pharmacy/drug store, one lumber dealer, six welding shops, one cable TV station, one FM station, three video houses and two construction firms. Industry

Kind of Establishment Number 1. Bakery 5 2. Rice Mills 3 3. Concrete Products 2 4. Ice Plant 1 5. Construction Firm 2 Total 13

There are native food makers in San Jose. Their products are cakes, leche flan and pastries, which can be found in the Poblacion. There are also puto and suman sold in the rural areas within the poblacion. The ice plant in Barangay Balite is no longer operational.

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Infrastructure Water system There is an existing water system in Barangays Mandugang, Bonglas and Tubigdanao. However, these are no longer operational. The only sources of potable water in the whole municipality are pumps (manual and motor-driven) and shallow wells. An existing San Jose Water District delivers potable water to all barangays. It implementing, in coordination with LGU and LWUA, water works project (level III, phase 1) that will cover 12 barangays. Transportation The road network in the San Jose has a total length of 29.431 km, which is comprised of national, provincial, and barangay roads. Almost all municipal streets are concrete. Considerable portion of the provincial road is also paved. The national highway that passes through San Jose has a total length of 7.466 km (concrete pavement). It starts from Barangay Geratag and ends at Brgy. Dao. There are three bridges along the highway with a total length of 89 m and two reinforced concrete box culverts with a total length of 18 m. The total length of the provincial road is 14.8 km that stars form San Jose to San Lorenzo road from junction to Mandugang and Bongals roads. There are 14 existing bridges along barangay roads. The port of San Jose has a deep harbor (32 fathoms). It is protected by its surrounding islands from the open sea. It is categorized a national harbor and its port facilities are used for loading and unloading passengers and cargoes. It can become an international port. Having abundant supply of fish, the public market of San Jose caters to neighboring municipalities for their fish-meat demands. There are existing stalls both for dry and wet products. Adjacent to the market is a slaughterhouse and public toilet. The market stands improvement due to space constraints. There is an existing bus and jeepney terminal and parking facilities in San Jose. It is located in Barangay North. It has a capacity of 20 light vehicles. Communication PLDT, RCPI, Bayantel, National Telecommunications Office and Globe Telecommunication provide telecommunication services. ISLACOM has already invested in the municipality. Its structures are already ongoing construction. The Philippine Postal Corporation is also operating in San Jose. As mentioned above, there is one FM station operating in San Jose, located in Brgy. Balite. It broadcasts in Lavezares, Rosario, Biri and Bobon. There is also an existing cable network (South Cable TV) located in Brgy. East that airs 10 TV stations and 1 local TV station.

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Power Power supply is provided by NAPOCOR through Northern Samar Electric Cooperative (NORSAMELCO). Power source is from Tongonan, Leyte. It can supply power requirements of the entire Region VIII, Cebu and part of Luzon. At present, power is supplied 24 hours, except during typhoons that interrupt it by power tripping along Catarman-Lope de Vega-Calbayog City Section. As of 2001, 14 barangays are already connected to the power grid, with 1,069 registered households, 940 of which is composed of residential consumers. The remaining 129 are commercial and institutional consumers. Drainage and Sewerage There is an existing 1.23 km drainage system in the urban area. From 1997 to 2000, flash floods were experienced during the months of August to November. This was due to the combination of high tide and heavy rains brought by monsoon. Strengths Promotion of eco-tourism is one of the priorities of the LGU. This can give way to influx of additional investments in the municipality. This could also help boost the local economy. The LGU sees the need for the conduct of skills and capability-building trainings to make them more development-oriented and remove their pessimism. Weaknesses The occurrence of flash flood does not only hamper economic activity in San Jose but also prevents it from attracting investors. The attitude of the residents toward management of the coastal resources could significantly affect the supply of marine resources of the community in the long run. This may be aggravated by their wrong garbage disposal practices along Geratag River that cause trash to clog along the coastline. Years of inaction by the LGU in improving the port has left the place with a few entertainment and food service facilities. At the same time, lack of private sector participation and the competition among the bus and trucking companies has diverted passenger ships to other ports. Opportunities With the entry of ISLACOM (SMART) in the area, landline telephones will be operational in a year’s time. Cellular phone service by SMART will also augment costly antenna installations by private individuals. The existing port is of international caliber. The development and expansion of the San Jose Port may give way to the influx of tourism, and influx of investments (both commercial and industrial) in San Jose. The expanded port will be able to accommodate huge shipping vessels. This can even help the municipality to become one of the centers of commerce and trade in the region. The existence of a beach in San Jose could help, simultaneously with the expansion of the port, attract tourists in the municipality that could help boost the local economy. At the same time, the continuous effort of DENR is advantageous in restoring the coastal resources of San Jose. DENR has played a major role in establishing fishponds in Dao Bay and plantation of mangroves at the same time.

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With the partnership between the LGU and University of Eastern Philippines, training of farmers on scientific farming will be introduced through a diploma in agriculture technology. This could help them increase their productivity. Model farms shall be implemented which will further enhance their skills. With the assistance of NHA and other government lending institutions, agreements between squatters, landowners and the government to acquire the concerned lands based on latest zonal valuation is afoot. The squatter-beneficiary of the program shall amortize in return.

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II. Household Profiles

A. Basic Information

A total of 1,061 respondents in the pilot municipalities were surveyed, 55.8 percent or 593 respondents from the Eastern Samar and 44.1 percent or 468 respondents from Northern Samar. In each of the municipalities, respondents were taken from the urban (29% of total respondents) and rural areas (71%). Respondents from the urban and rural areas were further classified as coming from poor and non-poor households. About 50.23 percent of the total respondents are from poor households while 51.21percent come from non-poor households.

Number of Respondents / Head of Households

Surveyed Areas Urban Rural

Poor Non Poor Total Poor Non Poor Total

Eastern Samar 593 47 55 102 243 248 491

Borongan 330 21 22 43 144 143 287

Guiuan 225 24 29 53 83 89 172

Mercedes 38 2 4 6 16 16 32

Northern Samar 468 36 166 202 207 59 266

Lavezares 157 10 27 37 98 22 120

Mondragon 201 15 115 130 71 0 71

San Jose 110 11 24 35 38 37 75

TOTAL 1061 83 221 304 450 307 757

100% 8% 21% 29% 42% 29% 71%

Notes:

a. 95% confidence level at confidence interval of 4 (sampling range of 1 to 3%)

b. Annual per capita income threshold for Region 8 (Eastern Visayas) is P9,623 or P48,115 a year for a family of 5.

This was used to determine poor and non-poor respondents. Urban and rural annual per capita threshold is P9,969

And P9,562, respectively. [Source: NEDA Region 8, 2000]

c. Urban and rural barangays were determined using National Statistics Office criteria

d. Household survey was administered from undertaken from 8 February to 15 May 2005

B. Demographic Profile

Respondents (representative for the household) Gender Of the total 1,061 respondents interviewed to represent the household, 71 percent were female and 29 percent were male.

Total 1061

Male 308 29%

Female 753 71%

59

Age and Civil Status About half of the respondents come from the age range of 31 to 50 years old, while 33 percent of the respondents are aged 51 years old and above as of the time of the survey. Ninety two percent or 971 of the respondents are married.

Age Range No %

Less than or equal to 20 12 1%

21 to 30 149 14%

31 to 40 274 26%

41 to 50 272 26%

51 to 60 179 17%

61 above 166 16%

No response 9 1%

1061

Status No %

Married 971 92%

Single 24 2%

Separated 7 1%

Widowed 54 5%

Blank 5 0.47%

1061 100% C. Socio-Economic Educational Level About 73 percent of the respondents have reached high school and elementary education. Only 22 percent of them have reached or finished college. Occupation About 43 percent of the heads of households/respondents (456) are preoccupied with housekeeping, 18 percent (187) farming/fishing, 43 percent (158) registered “other occupation” and 9 percent (92) of the respondents are government/barangay officials or employees. Six percent or 66 persons are engaged in business or buy and sell and 4 percent or 38 are teachers.

Educational Level No %

College 232 22%

High School 386 36%

Elementary 397 37%

Vocational 9 1%

NA 37 3%

1061 100%

60

Occupation No %

Farming/Fishing 187 18%

Govt/Brgy Official/employee 92 9%

Businessperson/buy & sell 66 6%

Teachers 38 4%

Crafts/Skilled work 12 1%

Sari-sari store 41 4%

Housekeeping 456 43%

Others 158 15%

No response 11 1%

1061 100%

Household membership, size, age, and pre-occupation The average household size of the respondents is 5.7 members. Males outnumber females at the first five members of the household. The average age range (from oldest member of the household to the youngest) is 14 years old to 20 years old. The predominant occupation of the household members is as follows in the following order of frequency: student (membership groups 1 to 4), non-farm workers, farming and assorted occupations. The frequency of the pre-occupation of the 5th household member is usually “jobless”, “stand-by”, retired, and senior citizen.

Household size, membership and age

HH member 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Total (2 prov, 6 mun)

Average Household size: 5.73

Average Age 20.02 17.93 16.57 15.81 15.14 14.37 14.37 15.12 14.35 14.57

Total No. 973 880 741 585 434 290 185 100 46 20

Male 511 452 383 295 218 144 90 44 22 10

Female 462 428 358 290 216 146 95 56 24 10

Predominant occupation 1. Student (College, high school, elementary) in membership groups 1 to 4

(in order of frequency): 2. Non-farm worker (frequent in membership groups 1 to 5)

3. Farming and assorted occupations

4. 5th HH member up are: jobless, "stand-by", retired, senior citizens

N. Samar

Average Age 20 18 17 17 17 17 18 20 21 18

Total No. 424 377 301 226 169 116 67 39 15 4

Male 221 195 163 113 87 57 29 19 6 1

Female 203 182 138 113 82 59 38 20 9 3

E. Samar

Average Age 20 18 16 15 14 13 12 12 11 14

Total No. 549 503 440 359 265 174 118 61 31 16

Male 290 257 220 182 131 87 61 25 16 9

Female 259 246 220 177 134 87 57 36 15 7

61

Ownership of Real Properties Of the total 1,049 respondents who responded on the question on real properties, 86 percent or 903 have at least one real property or asset. The dominant type of property identified is house and lot and majority of them inherited these properties. The average age of these properties is 17 years (acquired in the late 1980s). The average fair market value of the assets P114,346.

Those who possess second properties number about 289 or 28 percent and these are mostly agricultural land planted to rice/coconut with an average worth of P155,403. Forty-nine (49) respondents or 4.7 percent have three properties. Only 0.5 percent or 6 households reported that they have 4 real properties.

Real Property 1

Average Fair

Total n

No w/ Prop Dominant Type

Yr Acquired (modal year

among samples)

Mode of Acquisition

Market Value

Eastern Samar

Borongan

Urban

Poor 21 21 House & Lot 1987 90% inherited 21,933

Non Poor 22 22 House & Lot 1990 80% inherited 71,579

Rural

Poor 144 138 House & Lot 1977 73% inherited 22,041

Non Poor 147 127 House & Lot 1974 60% inherited 108,510

Guiuan

Urban

Poor 24 19 House & Lot 1988 56% inherited 47,533

Non Poor 29 25 House & Lot 1990 90% purchased 172,527

Rural

Poor 83 60 House & Lot 1992 82% inherited 49,837

Non Poor 89 83 House & Lot 1989 70% inherited 114,649

Mercedes

Urban

Poor 2 2 House 1993 100% purchased 35,000

Non Poor 4 4 House & Lot 1998 100% purchased 58,750

Rural

Poor 16 15 House & Lot 1992 80% owned 34,867

Non Poor

Northern Samar

Lavezares

Urban

Poor 10 9 Rice, coco land 1995 62% inherited 29,167

Non Poor 27 20 House & lot 1987 43% inherited 116,154

Rural

Poor 98 77 House & lot 1988 33% inherited 113,093

Non Poor 22 18 House & lot 1986 60% purchased 266,923

Mondragon

Urban

Poor 15 14 House & lot 1991 50% purchased 25,091

Non Poor 115 112 H&L, Rice, Coco 1982 61% purchased 705,725

Rural

62

Poor 71 53 House & lot 1999 25% inherited 21,539

Non Poor - - - - - -

San Jose

Urban

Poor 11 8 House & lot 1988 28% purchased 106,000

Non Poor 24 18 House & lot 1991 44% purchased 110,731

Rural

Poor 38 35 House, Coco 1993 25% purchased 89,145

Non Poor 37 23 House & lot 1987 50% purchased 194,823

Real Property 2

Average Fair

Total n

No w/ Prop Dominant Type

Yr Acquired (modal year

among samples)

Mode of Acquisition

Market Value

Eastern Samar

Borongan

Urban

Poor 21

Non Poor 22

Rural

Poor 144 32 H&L, Coco farm 1969 77% inherited 26,667

Non Poor 147 34 H&L, Agri land 1991 65% inherited 125,905

Guiuan

Urban

Poor 24 4 Land, coco land 1995 50% inherited 205,000

Non Poor 29 10 Coco land 1988 75% inherited 96,889

Rural

Poor 83 16 H&L, Agri land 1969 30% inherited 96,250

Non Poor 89 33 H&L, Agri land 1982 51% inherited 229,079

Mercedes

Urban

Poor 2 2 Land/Lot 2002 100% inherited 50,000

Non Poor 4 2 House/store 1994 - 20,000

Rural

Poor 16 4 Agri land, land - 33% purchased 80,000

Non Poor

Northern Samar

Lavezares

Urban

Poor 10 4 House & lot, coco 1999 50% inherited 40,000

Non Poor 27 10 Coco land 1985 30% inherited 123,500

Rural

Poor 98 39 House & lot, agri 1985 31% inherited 99,808

Non Poor 22 10 Rice & coco land 1989 77% purchased 195,200

Mondragon

Urban

Poor 15 2 H&L, farmland - - 7,000

Non Poor 115 55 Coco land 1982 50% purchased 139,402

Rural

Poor 71 12 House & lot 2000 18% inherited 26,251

Non Poor - - - - - -

San Jose

Urban

63

Poor 11 3 House & lot 1983 33% inherited 50,000

Non Poor 24 6 Coco land 1985 50% inherited 920,000

Rural

Poor 38 8 Farmland 1991 28% purchased 503,800

Non Poor 37 3 Coco land 1999 66% purchased 73,312

Real Property 3

Average Fair

Total n

No w/ Prop Dominant Type

Yr Acquired (modal year

among samples)

Mode of Acquisition

Market Value

Eastern Samar

Borongan

Urban

Poor 21

Non Poor 22

Rural

Poor 144 2 Coco farm 50% inherited -

Non Poor 147 3 Farm land 50% inherited 107,500

Guiuan

Urban

Poor 24 1 Agri land 2005 - 5,000

Non Poor 29 1 Agri land 1997 100% purchased 30,000

Rural

Poor 83

Non Poor 89 3 Agri land 1989 66% inherited 41,667

Mercedes

Urban

Poor 2

Non Poor 4

Rural

Poor 16

Non Poor

Northern Samar

Lavezares

Urban

Poor 10 1 House & lot 2003 100% inherited 65,000

Non Poor 27 6 House & lot 1988 66% purchased 168,000

Rural

Poor 98 10 House & lot, agri 1978 33% inherited 201,667

Non Poor 22 7 Coco land 1982 100% purchased 254,000

Mondragon

Urban

Poor 15

Non Poor 115 12 H&L, Rice 1984 100% purchased 242,857

Rural

Poor 71

Non Poor - - - - - -

San Jose

Urban

Poor 11

Non Poor 24 1 Rice land 1965 100% purchased 1,000,000

Rural

Poor 38 2 H&L 2002 100% purchased 17,500

Non Poor 37

64

Real Property 4

Average Fair

Total n

No w/ Prop Dominant Type

Yr Acquired (modal year

among samples)

Mode of Acquisition

Market Value

Eastern Samar

Borongan

Urban

Poor 21

Non Poor 22

Rural

Poor 144

Non Poor 147

Guiuan

Urban

Poor 24

Non Poor 29

Rural

Poor 83

Non Poor 89

Mercedes

Urban

Poor 2

Non Poor 4

Rural

Poor 16

Non Poor

Northern Samar

Lavezares

Urban

Poor 10

Non Poor 27

Rural

Poor 98 2 Coco land 1965 - -

Non Poor 22 4 house & lot 1982 50% purchased 228,750

Mondragon

Urban

Poor 15

Non Poor 115

Rural

Poor 71

Non Poor - - - - - -

San Jose

Urban

Poor 11

Non Poor 24

Rural

Poor 38

Non Poor 37

65

Ownership of Personal Properties About 58 percent of the respondents reported ownership of personal properties, the dominant typologies of which are appliances, small vehicles and work animals, some jewelry and bank accounts/cash.

Personal Property 1

Average Fair

Total n

No w/ Prop Dominant Type

Yr Acquired (modal year

among samples)

Acquired by purchase Market Value

Northern Samar

Non Poor 225 150 1. Appliances 2. Motor/Tricycle 3. Carabao

1998 77 40,913

Poor 243 116 1. Appliances 2. Carabao 3. Pedicab

1998 88 17,417

Eastern Samar

Non Poor 303 251 1. Appliances 2. Motor/Tricycle 3. Tractor 4. Pumpboat

2000 137 41,259

Poor 290 97 1. Appliances 2. Jewelry

2001 54 15,267

Personal Property 2

Average Fair

Total n

No w/ Prop Dominant Type

Yr Acquired (modal year

among samples)

Acquired by purchase Market Value

Northern Samar

Non Poor 225 86 1. Appliances 2. Bank Account

1969 51 35,248

Poor 243 31 1. Appliances 2. Jewelries

2000.166667 26 21,257

Eastern Samar

Non Poor 303 132 1. Appliances 2. Jewelries

1999 67 28,214

Poor 290 36 1. Appliances 2. Furniture

2000 12 8,596

66

Personal Property 3

Average Fair

Total n

No w/ Prop Dominant Type

Yr Acquired (modal year

among samples)

Acquired by

purchase Market Value

Northern Samar

Non Poor 225 54 Appliances 2000 35 27,499

Poor 243 9 Appliances 2001 8 19,625

Eastern Samar

Non Poor 303 65 1. Appliances 2. Jewelries 3. Cash

2000 33 17,897

Poor 290 12 Appliances 2000 4 6,433

Personal Property 4

Average Fair

Total n

No w/ Prop Dominant Type

Yr Acquired (modal year

among samples)

Acquired by

purchase Market Value

Northern Samar

Non Poor 225 34 Appliances 2000 22 32,685

Poor 243 4 Appliances 2002 3 9,667

Eastern Samar

Non Poor 303 39 Appliances 2000 17 18,062

Poor 290 4 Appliances 1996 0 41,500

Personal Property 5

Average Fair

Total n

No w/ Prop Dominant Type

Yr Acquired (modal year

among samples)

Acquired by

purchase Market Value

Northern Samar

Non Poor 225 18 Appliances 1999 9 13,007

Poor 243 1 Appliances 2003 0 4000

Eastern Samar 14 1999 6 16,000

Non Poor 303

Poor 290 1 Appliances 1985 0 10,000

67

Personal Property 6

Average Fair

Total n

No w/ Prop Dominant Type

Yr Acquired (modal year

among samples)

Acquired by

purchase Market Value

Northern Samar

Non Poor 225 7 Appliances 1996 3 7,700

Poor 243

Eastern Samar 8 1999 4 22,186

Non Poor 303

Poor 290

Personal Property 7

Average Fair

Total n

No w/ Prop Dominant Type

Yr Acquired (modal year

among samples)

Acquired by

purchase Market Value

Northern Samar

Non Poor 225 3 Appliances 1997 1 10,000

Poor 243

Eastern Samar 2 1999 1 2,950

Non Poor 303

Poor 290

Loans Less than half of the respondents from both provinces and from the poor and non-poor classes have existing loans. A higher proportion of the respondents in Northern Samar have existing loans (48 percent for the poor and 42 percent from the non-poor group). In Eastern Samar, about 38 percent from the non-poor group have existing loans while only 23 percent from the poor group accessed the same. The nature of these loans is as follows in the following order of frequency: microfinance/livelihood, salary/emergency loan, group, food, farming purposes. The creditors are predominantly NGOs and some government lending institutions and private individuals. The average amount of the loan for the non-poor group is P21,326 and the average loan amount for the poor group is P12,720.

68

Loan/Credit 1 Province/Category

TOTAL No. % Nature Creditors Yr Acquired Amount

Northern Samar

Non Poor 225 95 42% 1. Microfinance/ Livelihood 2. Salary/ emergency 3. Group loan

1. NGO (TKSI, etc.) 2. GSIS/govt

2003 28,033

Poor 243 117 48% 1. Livelihood 2. Food 3. Farming

1. GSIS/govt 2. Private individuals (5/6) 3. NGO

2003 10,819

Eastern Samar

Non Poor 303 114 38% 1. Livelihood 2. Salary

1. NGO/Coop 2. Rural Bank 3. GSIS/govt

2003 14,620

Poor 290 68 23% 1. Livelihood 2. Food

1. NGO/Coop 2. Rural Bank 3. Private

2004 5,567

Loan/Credit 2 Province/Category

TOTAL No. % Nature Creditors Yr Acquired Amount

Northern Samar

Non Poor 225 19 8% 1. Microfinance 2. Salary/ multipurpose

1. NGO 2. Pag-Ibig

2004 39,571

Poor 243 10 #REF! 1. Livelihood 2. Emergency

1. Govt 2. NGO 3. Private individuals (5/6)

2002 17,207

Eastern Samar

Non Poor 303 19 6% 1. Livelihood 2. Salary

1. NGO 2. Govt

2003 20630

Poor 290 4 1% 1. Livelihood 2. Food

1. Private 2. Relatives

2004 7,875

Loan/Credit 3

Province/Category TOTAL No. % Nature Creditors Yr Acquired Amount

Northern Samar

Non Poor 225 5 2% 2002 17,400

Poor 243 3 1% 2004 15,667

Eastern Samar

Non Poor 303 4 1% 2002 9,250

Poor 290

Loan/Credit 4

Province/Category TOTAL No. % Nature Creditors Yr Acquired Amount

Northern Samar

Non Poor 225 3 1% 2004 12,000

Poor 243 1 0.4% 2004 10,000

Eastern Samar

Non Poor 303 2 1% 2003 14,667

Poor 290

69

Loan/Credit 5 Province/Category

TOTAL No. % Nature Creditors Yr Acquired Amount

Northern Samar

Non Poor 225 2 1% 2004 5,000

Poor 243

Eastern Samar

Non Poor 303

Poor 290

70

Chapter

3 LGU Institutional

Development Landscape

Inventory and mapping of LGU development vision, philosophy, development interventions, institutional and organizational capacities and capabilities for poverty reduction and local economic development

A. Basic Political Information

Eastern Samar Basic Information Northern Samar Basic Information Provincial Level

Governor Political Party Affiliation Term No.

Ben P. Evardone Lakas First

Provincial Level Governor Political Party Affiliation Term No

Raul Daza Liberal Party Second

Municipality

• Borongan Municipal Class Mayor Political Party Affiliation Term No.

2ndClass Fidel Anacta, Jr Lakas-NPC Second term

• Lavezares Municipal Class Mayor Political Party Affiliation Term No.

5th Class Celodonio Saludaga Jr Liberal Party Second Term

• Guiuan Municipal Class Mayor Political Party Affiliation Term No.

3rd Class Analiza Gonzales Kwan Lakas First Term

• Mondragon Municipal Class Mayor Political Party Affiliation Term No.

4th Class Ishmael Bugna Liberal Party First, ex-Vice Mayor (3 terms)

• Mercedes Municipal Class Mayor Political Party Affiliation Term No.

6th Class Benito Cabos NPC First Term

• San Jose Municipal Class Mayor Political Party Affiliation Term No.

5th Class Lazaro Ballesta Liberal Party Second Term

B. Development vision and objectives

1. Development orientation and political interests of the local leadership

LGU Level

Key informant information on the background of the LCE/political interest groups

Provincial Government Eastern Samar

• Province is led by a young governor who was once a student leader and inclined to be associated with progressive causes

• Governor is current spokesperson of the Union of Local Authorities of the

71

Philippines and has access to all political groupings

• Provincial leadership can be a good partner in development-oriented projects

Northern Samar • Overall, the Liberal Party dominates politics in the province which is a known opposition bailiwick

• Governor, vice governor & provincial board members, most mayors and the house representative are all LP members

• Progressive party list groups got an overwhelming number of votes in the province in the last election particularly in the interior barangays

Municipal Government Level

Formal information shared on development orientation and

philosophy

Key informant information on the background of the LCE/political interest

groups Eastern Samar

Guiuan “God-loving municipality where everyone is happy, healthy and enjoying quality of life under an ecologically balanced environment”

• Relatively young and a former student leader

• Belongs to an elite and business-minded clan

• Favors loading mine deposits in the municipality

• Not identified with progressive causes although a claimed ally of a militant women’s group/party

• Considered to practice traditional politics

Borongan • Knows personalities in the progressive bloc but not associated with them

• Practices traditional politics and approachable

• Known to not compromise welfare of the municipality, a good prospect for partnership in development projects

Mercedes Infrastructure development (farm to market roads) Livelihood Promote tourism Social services

• Incumbent mayor is a former teacher and perceived as a little passive on some issues affecting the development of the town

• Not closely associated with progressive causes but treated as ally of the Akbayan party list

• Easily approachable

Northern Samar

Lavezares

Mondragon

San Jose “A model community of progress, peace, prosperity, cleanliness, orderliness and beautiful where a healthy, educated and God-fearing people live happily in harmony with nature”

• Incumbent is a lawyer by profession and a three-term provincial board member

• Ran unopposed in his second term and may run for a third term

• An articulate politician whose family has political and financial clout; a potential candidate for congressman

• Has manifested commitment to make the municipality progressive, achieve significant headway in poverty alleviation and make the area attractive to investors

• Open to working with NGOs on community-based projects

72

2. Development concerns Eastern Samar Concerns Northern Samar Concerns

Guiuan 1. High incidence of poverty 2. Shortage of capital 3. Low labor productivity/economic production 4. Inadequate infrastructure 5. Water and unstable power supply 6. Inadequate school buildings and facilities

Lavezares 1. High incidence of poverty 2. Inadequate infrastructure 3. Poor health 4. Low literacy 5. Environmental denudation 6. Shortage of capital 7. Low productivity

Borongan 1. Shortage of capital 2. Inadequate infrastructure 3. Lack of health, police and firefighting

equipments and facilities

Mondragon

Mercedes 1. Financial crisis 2. Infrastructure (municipal building) 3. High poverty incidence among households 4. Water 5. Electricity

San Jose

3. Problem identification process Eastern Samar Northern Samar

Guiuan Through surveys, community consultation; consultation with other agencies, NGOs, POs and civic organizations and personal observations

Lavezares

Borongan Through consultation meetings with concerned departments

Mondragon

Mercedes Through actual observation and experience; surveys

San Jose Through the conduct of development planning workshops, conduct of BDP-PRA and consultations

4. Problem prioritization and ranking of development interventions

Eastern Samar Northern Samar

Guiuan 1. Provide access to credit through local enterprise development

2. Provide physical infrastructure 3. Promote development tourisn

Lavezares

Borongan 1. Establish linkage with funding( institutions (grants, loans)

2. Seek financial assistance from national and foreign sources

3. Allocate funding for equity

Mondragon

Mercedes 1. Participation of concerned agencies, financial investors, NGOs

2. Political will, dedication & involvement of constituents

3. Livelihood assistance, investors to promote employment opportunities

San Jose 1. Provide access to capital 2. Provide physical

infrastructure 3. Provide access to health

services 4. Improve quality of education 5. Environmental rehabilitation 6. Attract financing and banking

institutions 7. Introduce new effective

technologies

73

5. Ranking of interventions according to importance in addressing poverty problem in the municipality

Eastern Samar Northern Samar Poverty Interventions

Guiuan Borongan Mercedes Lavezares Mondragon San Jose

Physical infrastructure 6 5 1 5

Access to credit and finance

4 6 4 1

Health services 5 3 7

Education 3 2 6

Community organization 7 7 5 2

Agriculture development support

1 4 3 3

Livelihood/skills training 8 1 2 4

Others: Tourism/ investment/business promotion

2

Others (specify)

6. Poverty reduction programs and projects implemented the past 3 years

Title Brief Description Amount Location Beneficiaries Funding source/partners Year implemented

Area No.

M F

Eastern Samar

Guiuan

Borongan

Mercedes

Water System 2.2 m 6 brys Senator, Rep 2004

Water System 200,000 Grant

Electrification San Jose, Bobon, Kennedy

PNOC 2001-2003

Northern Samar

Lavezares

Mondragon

San Jose

MIADP

Health 1 BHW per purok

Water system 14 barangays

Fish sanctuary June 2003

Livelihood

7. Planned poverty reduction programs and projects in the next 6 years Title Brief Description Amount Location Beneficiaries Funding source/partners Year implemented

Area No.

M F

Eastern Samar

Guiuan

Borongan

Mercedes

Tourism Potential Development

Skills training

Vegetables & root crops production

Northern Samar

Lavezares

74

Mondragon

San Jose

Fish processing

Establishment of Maria Angela Falls

Computer center

Municipal Library

Resettlement 447 lots

C. LGU development plans and investment programs

1. Existing local development and investment plans of the LGU

CLUP 2003-2012

MDP 2005-2007

MDIP 2005-2007

AIP 2005

LDP for Children 2004-2005

Guiuan

Borongan

Tourism Potentials Development

Completion of water system

Mercedes

Construction of municipal building

Lavezares

Mondragon

San Jose CLUP

2. Policies, programs and projects for the poor embodied in the recent local development/investment plans

3. Criteria used in policy, program and project prioritization

D. Partnerships with national government, NGOs and private groups

1. List of national government poverty reduction programs and projects in the municipality

75

Program/Project Funding

source Amount Beneficiaries

(indicate gender, if

applicable)

LGU involvement

Eastern Samar Guiuan Borongan Mercedes Women’s

training center Local & CDF of Rep Rosales

Northern Samar Lavezares Mondragon San Jose

2. NGOs

Name of

NGO/interest group/ church group/others

Sector/area of concern

Target beneficiaries (who they are, indicate if male or female and the estimated

number)

Location/Area covered

LGU involvement

Eastern Samar

Guiuan GDFI Environment Fisherfolks and other marginal groups

Southern municipalities

Partner

Borongan

Mercedes Women’s training center

Northern Samar

Lavezares

Mondragon

San Jose Helvetas

Tambuyog

FSSI

EVPRD

3. Private sector

E. Microenterprise/Financial Institutions

1. Microenterprise/Financial Institutions in the LGU

Private enterprise Sector/Area of Concern

Location/Area covered

LGU Link

Guiuan PNB

Rural Bank

Uswag Credit extension Fisherfolks and small vendors

GDFI Credit extension Fisherfolks and small vendors

Taytay sa Kauswagan Credit extension

76

F. LGU Capacity

1. Planning process followed by the LGU

Eastern Samar Northerrn Samar

Guiuan 1. PRA/community surveys, situation analysis, project/program identification, implementation, monitoring and evaluation, feedback to community/groups concerned. 2. Created the MDC, TWG

Lavezares

Borongan Mondragon

Mercedes San Jose

2. Major problems encountered in the planning process Eastern Samar Northern Samar

Guiuan 1. Inadequate manpower and funds

2. Complexity of the work and persons involved

3. MDC not so active 4. Time management and

conflict of schedules

Borongan Mondragon

Mercedes San Jose 1. Orientation on the development programs and projects

2. Paradigm of mediocrity

3. Key officials and staff in the planning process

Key officials/staff involved (position titles)

Roles and responsibilities in planning process

Eastern Samar

Guiuan MPDC Acts as leader of the planning team

Municipal Engineer Planning team members

Municipal Assessor/Tax Mapper Planning team members

Municipal Agriculturist Planning team members

Heads of Offices Support/data supplier

MDC members Support/data supplier

Borongan

Mercedes

Northern Samar

Lavezares

77

Mondragon

San Jose Budget Officer

MPDC

MAO

WHSM

Micro-enterprise

Social services

Admin

4. Other organizations/individuals involved/consulted in the planning process

Financial Capacity

5. Main sources of income of the LGU Main Sources of

income Local tax revenue sources

Local non-tax revenues

Main expenditure items

Eastern Samar

Guiuan 1. IRA 2. RPT 3. Other local taxes

RPT Business tax

Service charges

Local projects Services Salaries and wages

Borongan

Mercedes

Northern Samar

Lavezares

Mondragon

San Jose IRA

Congressional fund

LGU organizational capacity

6. Track record on development and poverty reduction projects

Sector Title Funding sources

Amount by source

Target beneficiaries

Implementation period

Status

E. Samar Area No. 2002-2004 Implemented

Guiuan Economic

Social

Infra

Admin

20 % Development Fund

Whole munici-pality

Environment

Borongan

Mercedes

N Samar

Lavezares

Mondragon

San Jose

78

7. Active technical positions in the planning and engineering units of the

LGU

Position title Educational Attainment Number of years experience in LGU

Eastern Samar

Guiuan

MPDC BSC- Accounting 13 years

Statistician

Municipal Engineer BSCE

Draftsman

Engineering Aide

Foreman

Borongan

Mercedes

MPDC BS Arch 4 years

Casual employee BS Civil Eng 8 mos

Casual employee BSIE (Garment Trades) 8 mos

Const Maint Tech course – 2 yrs 5 years

Capatas BSIE (Food Trades) 5 years

Northern Samar

Lavezares

Mondragon

San Jose

8. Trainings related to planning, development and poverty interventions

Eastern Samar

Guiuan

Borongan

Mercedes Road Safety Strategic Planning Workshop Integrated Rural Accessibility Planning Procedures Project Development Municipal Water Sanitation Team Training Tourism Orientation Seminar Government Housing Program Strategic Tourism Development Planning Disaster Preparedness Orientation

Northern Samar

Lavezares

Mondragon

San Jose

79

Chapter

4 Civil Society and NGOs

in Samar

A. Introduction

The role and significance of civil society organizations or groups (CSOs) in Philippine development efforts is undeniable. They have been, and continuous to be, involved in various development initiatives and even in pursuing efficient and effective governance. At different local (barangay, town, provincial) levels, there are a number of CSOs directly implementing socio-economic programs to help marginalized communities and sectors augment incomes and promote sustainable development. Through these they are also able bring in much needed resources from outside or foreign sources and tap other logistics for other development activities. In the field of governance, CSOs are active in campaigning against state’s anti-poor policies as well as in lobbying for government reforms in its programs and services. These CSOs, or more specifically non-profit institutions (NGOs) and peoples’ organizations (POs), are concretely working down at the grassroots level educating, organizing and mobilizing people towards finding alternative solutions to their dire economic condition and giving them opportunities to participate and be involved in the process of decision-making especially in aspects that affect their lives through self-help organizations. Accordingly, NGOs refer to support organizations with distinct character and professional staff working for public welfare while POs constitute groups or associations with mass membership. Their numbers are a bit difficult to ascertain. Five years ago, one study placed the number of non-profit NGOs to run between 60,000 to 95,000 and these figures were largely based on registered organizations under the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The SEC does not make any distinction on nature or type of non-profit organizations that register with them. Estimates of POs, on the other hand, are more complicated since there is no law requiring peoples’ organizations to register with any specific government institution. If ever they do want to get an accreditation, they may opt to get it from their local government (municipal or provincial). Still, it is an acknowledge fact, that the numbers of POs and NGOs in the country continue to grow and that in almost any part of the country you can find small or large organizations and/or institutions working especially with and among marginalized communities or sectors. At a smaller scale or level, POs and NGOs are also to be found in the three provinces of Samar, an island that has been the object of development, both by government and private sector, local and foreign, for so long a time now. CSOs are known to be active in countering underdevelopment in this island and in promoting people empowerment, but who are they? What issues do they address? What programs and services do they offer? Where do they operate exactly? How many are there? For this part of the study, the basic aim is to identify these POs and NGOs operating in Samar and to get a closer look at some of them to see how they operate and what services they provide to the people of Samar and who among them may be tapped and mobilized for pursuing common development objectives.

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B. Locating CSOs in Samar Island

Given the poverty and underdevelopment in the island of Samar it is not really surprising to find out that there are already a number of development-oriented NGOs and POs operating in its three provinces. A total of 68 POs and NGOs were tallied to be existing in the island based from both secondary and primary data sources and are operating at various site levels -- barangay, town or municipal, provincial and even island wide levels. Data gathered from secondary sources were mainly a combination of information culled from the Internet and various print materials (mainly coming from manila-based development oriented institutions). The main objective was to identify and gather NGO entities, or as much as possible, of service institutions and peoples’ organizations that may have operated, or still operating, in any of the three provinces of Samar. These data are to be use in determining how CSOs are distributed or where they are operating in said island. Primary data, on the other hand, were collected, using a survey questionnaire, purposely to get a closer look at the levels of operations of such organizations, their nature, what types of programs and/or services do they offer, what issues or problems in Samar do they want to address, what are their opinions and plans regarding such. Four major categories composed the survey questionnaire: 1) identifying information; 2) Work coverage; 3) Organizational standing and 4) View/perception on development work, poverty reduction and other issues. Additional names of CSOs were also expected to come out from this survey.

1. Findings from Secondary Sources

To come up with names of CSOs that may have been involved in implementing development programs/projects in the island of Samar a trace was made on such activities by looking at large foreign multilateral agencies like the Asian Development Bank (ADB), United States Agency for International-Development (USAID) and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). Tracking down programs and/or projects resulted in establishing who their local partners are or were in Samar for such activities. The same method was applied among local development agencies, political institutions and advocacy groups, sectoral or manila-based, public and private, to come up with additional names of CSOs operating in the island.

The result -- forty nine (49) CSOs (other Manila-based support groups not included yet) were identified using secondary sources. Sixty-nine percent (34) are peoples’ organizations and 31% (15) are private non-profit institutions.

Percent Distribution

NGOs

31%

POs (PG)

12%

POs

(Coops)

57%

Samar Manila Total

NGOs 11 4 15

Pol Grps 4 2 6 POs

Coops 0 28 28

Total 15 34 49

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The following is the list of collected names of CSOs:

NGOs i. Samar-based

1. Promotion of Church Peoples’ Response (PCPR) 2. Katungod – SB (Human Rights Group) 3. Samar Rural Assistance Program (SRAP) 4. Trowel Development Foundation* 5. Health Empowerment Rurban Based Foundation (HERB) 6. South Pacific Integrated Area Development Foundation (MACDELFI) 7. Northern Samar Integrated Rural Development Foundation

(NOSIRDEF) 8. Samar Kauswagan Foundation (KAUSWAGAN) 9. Western Samar Development Foundation (WESADEF) 10. Basey Samar Foundation 11. Samar Island Biodiversity Foundation (SIBF)

ii. Manila-based

1. Women’s Action Network for Development 2. Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP) 3. Haribon Foundation 4. Center for Empowerment and Resource Development (CERD)

People’s Organizations (POs)

i. Political Groups 1. Kilisang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) 2. Samahan han Gudti nga Parag-uma – Sinirangan Bisaya (SAGUPA-SB) 3. Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas

(PAMALAKAYA) 4. Amihan (Peasant Women) 5. General Assembly Binding Women for Reforms, Equality, Liberation

and Action (Gabriela) 6. Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN-EV)

ii. Cooperatives

1. Bobon Multi-Purpose Cooperative 2. Catarman Community Multi-Purpose Coop. 3. Northern Samar Federation of Cooperatives 4. Northern Samar Provincial Credit Coop. 5. Harvesters Multi-Purpose Cooperative 6. Northern Samar Livestock Raisers Coop. 7. Northern Samar Dev't. Workers Credit Coop 8. Las Navas Multi-Purpose Cooperative 9. Nenita Multi-Purpose Cooperative 10. Mondragon Multi-Purpose Cooperative 11. Palapag Teachers & Employees Cooperative 12. Palapag Multi-Purpose Cooperative 13. Rosario Multi-Purpose Cooperative 14. Rosario Community Grains Retailers Multi-Purpose Coop. 15. Cabacungan Primary Multi-Purpose Coop. 16. Pambujan Multi-Purpose Cooperative

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17. Balud Laundry Women Cooperative 18. Calbayog Fish Vendor Association 19. Hibatang Peoples Multi- Purpose Cooperative 20. Pedicab Housewives Cooperative 21. Calbayog Pedicab Drivers Cooperative 22. Malipayon Mangingisda Og Parauma 23. Nabang Farmers Assoc. 24. West Awang Mothers Cooperative 25. St. Francis of Assisi Multipurpose Cooperative 26. Brgy Mercedes-Casantolan Multipurpose Cooperative 27. Maydolong Development Multipurpose Cooperative 28. Multipurpose Cooperative of Guiuan

Multilateral Agencies

1. UNDP 2. ADB 3. Helvetas Philippines 4. Australian Aid (AusAid) 5. USAID 6. SEAFDEC

Distribution of CSOs by Area of Concern and Base of Operation

ES NS WS Leyte NCR Unidentified Total SD-SE- 2 17 12 2 2 3 38 Env - - - - 1 1 2 Pol. Grp - - - 4 4 - 8 Sect - - - - 1 - 1

Distribution of CSOs by Type and Area of Concerns

The first two names on the list of NGOs are advocacy and watch groups working primarily for the protection human rights in the entire Eastern Visayas Region. They are essentially local counterparts of national groups with the same name that have main offices in Quezon City.

SD-SE Env PG Sect total

PO 28 - 6 - 34

NGO 9 2 2 - 13

Others 1 - - 1 2

SD-SE Env PG Sect

PO NGO Others

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The nine other groups are support institutions that have their base of operations mainly in provincial centers. They seem to have relatively wider area reach or coverage in the island and ample network with other groups and organizations both in and outside Samar. As can be noticed from their names, eight are private foundations. By their very nature as a foundation it may be construed that they are involved in supporting socio-economic initiatives at various levels in their own areas of operation depending probably in their capability to generate support for programs and activities. For lack of more information on them however, we can only speculate on their programs and services.

The five remaining institutions found to be operating Samar have their bases in Manila and operate in other provinces of the country. WAND is a sectoral-based group supporting various initiatives directed towards promoting women’s concerns. PBSP is a consortium of big businesses whose aim is to promote corporate social responsibility among their ranks. Haribon Foundation is a popular group advocating for the protection and preservation of natural resources and biodiversity in the country. CERD is an institution involved in community based coastal resource management

On the side of POs, the first six names are known for their strong political stand on issues. Their organizing efforts and advocacies are directed towards calling for a basic change in Philippine society such as the genuine and free distribution of lands to the tillers, democratic and radical reforms in governance, upholding of human rights and dignity and so on. The first three names are large national federation whose memberships are mainly peasants and fisherfolks. KMP is a national umbrella organization of peasants, which includes individuals and small farmers groups spread across the country advocating for a revolutionary implementation of agrarian reform. Amihan is also a national organization of women peasants and is allied with KMP. SAGUPA-SB is the regional organization of farmers from the whole Eastern Visayas Region and is a member of KMP. BAYAN-EV is also the regional chapter of the same national organization whose membership includes almost all POs in the progressive block. Bayan serves as the campaign center for all its member-organizations. Three of the institutions/NGOs specified above are closely associated with progressive block with both KATUNGOD-SB and the PCPR advocating for the protection of human rights and are affiliated with a national organization - KARAPATAN, promoting the same. SRAP on the other hand is a service institution promoting various socio-economic initiatives through support in establishing cooperatives. For being outspoken about their demand for genuine land to peasants, this group of POs is usually the target of military harassments and even assassinations. Though militant groups are more associated with advocacy of their causes, they also offer some programs and services that help farmers address their socio-economic needs. The bulk of the POs (29 of 35) that were identified are mostly multi-purpose cooperatives and, judging by their names, are largely based in their specific town or locality. The 29 cooperatives are broken down as follows: 16 are from Northern Samar, 11 from Western Samar and only two from Eastern Samar. The 16 cooperatives of Northern Samar are distributed in 8 municipalities with the capital town of Catarman hosting the biggest number with six. Those coming from Western Samar 10 are based in Calbayog town and one from Catarman. One each came from the municipalities of Maydolong and Guiuan in Eastern Samar. No other information was gathered pertaining to the level of operations of these groups or of the programs and /or services they perform.

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The last group is a list of foreign funding institutions (except for SEAFDEC) that have provided financial support to various projects by local CSOs. Helvetas Phil. has projects in several towns of Northern Samar. The Australian Aid is also implementing a micro finance and good governance project in this province. The SEAFDEC is a regional treaty organization for South East Asia, primarily based in Bangkok, whose aim is to help develop aquaculture in the said region and is involve in raising productivity of mud crabs in Samar.

2. Taking a closer look at some of the CSOs (Survey Results)

A survey was conducted in two of the three provinces of Samar namely Northern and Eastern Samar from February to May 2005. A total of nineteen (19) organizations were interviewed with six (6) coming from Northern Samar and thirteen (13) from Eastern Samar. All six organizations from Northern Samar are from the town of San Jose while those from Eastern Samar three (3) came from its capital town of Borongan and the other nine from the municipality of Guiuan and one from Mercedes town. Of the nineteen, twelve fall under the PO category, three are service institutions (including two foundations) that provide support to various types of clients. The other three are consortiums but two of these seem to be government-initiated councils and the last remaining one seem more of a program (base on its name itself) being implemented by an LGU supported by an outside source.

The list of organizations by province gathered from the survey is presented below:

1. Northern Samar

• Barangay North Women's Organization • Kababaihan sa Pag-uswag sa Brgy Balite • Layuhan Women's Health Organization • Samahan ng Kababaihan tungo sa Kaunlaran • Women's Health and Safe Motherhood Project- Partnership

Component Municipal Replication Program • P. Tingzon Women's Health organization

No. of Cooperatives

ns

57%

ws

36%

es

7%

Distribution of CSOs by Type

POs NGOs Others Total

ES 9 3 0 12

NS 5 0 1 6

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2. Eastern Samar

• Borongan Awareness on Nature and Outdoor Group • Eastern Development Foundation • Eastern Samar Council for Peoples Development, Inc. • Converse Fisherfolk Association • Bantay Dagat Kalikasan Task Force Coastal Zone Management

Council • Guiuan Development Foundation, Inc. • Brgy Agricultural and Fisherfoks Coop • Tagporo Livelihood Association • Save Manicami Movement • Fisheries Aquatic Resources Management Council • Pneuma Inc. • Sulangan Multipurpose Assoc. • Buklod Sikap ng Kaunlaran ng Kababaihan sa Mercedez, Inc.

a) Women’s Groups in Northern Samar

Only six organizations were gathered and interviewed from the northern province of Samar and all came from the municipality of San Jose. Except for one, all the other five groups from town are barangay or community-based women’s organizations addressing primary health needs. There are 16 barangays in this town. The other one, by the name itself, the Women's Health and Safe Motherhood Project - Partnership Component Municipal Replication Program seem to be a temporary activity being implemented at the municipal level and that one of its components is organizing women’s groups in different barangays of this town. The total membership of the five community-based organizations is only 114 with about 45% (51) of which are inactive. One organization can almost be considered dead as the interviewee said all of its 15 members are inactive. All were established only sometime 2002.

Nature of Work Almost all have declared that their primary objective is to address barangay and women’s health needs. Only one responded to the question if they have secondary objectives and that is livelihood. However, when asked for specific programs three responded with livelihood related programs. No replies were gathered on other services they conduct from all six but again three cited livelihood endeavors when asked for other activities conducted by their

M em bership

Active

54%

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organization. To finance their activities two of the organizations relied mainly on membership contributions, two conducted funds raising events for such purpose. The other two were able generate support from outside their community through financial grants. As for the type of work their organizations had been engaged in, all six declared they are or were involved in campaigns, but two took exceptions in lobby work and networking and one from organizing.

Capacity and Resources When asked about assets and liabilities, four have nothing to declare while the other two simply pointed to various office equipments as the only assets they have. None had any liabilities as well, but one cited their monthly water bill as a liability. They all responded yes to the question if they have organizational structures. However, only two have other committees (one mentioned health, the other a committee on livelihood) aside from their set of officers or board members. Management and program implementation seem to be no big deal among the six organizations as none were able to provide any answers as to who is in charge. As to relations and/or affiliation with other organizations or institutions, only two gave answers – links with the town’s local government unit. Responses related to Organizational Standing

yes no no answer

Assets 2 4 -

Liabilities - 6 - Org Structure 6 - -

Other Cmt. 2 2 2

Reg Mtng - - 6

Affiliation 3 2 1

Relation - 3 3 Development Orientation Going into their views on certain topics or issues, in soliciting their opinions and/or positions on the role of CSOs in development four simply responded with a yes but did not give any other explanation. The other two had expressed that CSOs have a role, one is on health education and women’s rights and the other is to basically help or assist people.

Responses gathered by Nature of Work of Organization

1st Obj 2nd Obj Programs Services Other

Activities

health related 6 - 1 - 1

livelihood related - 2 4 - 3

no answer - 4 1 6 2

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Problems On the matter of what they think are the hindrances that made it difficult for their organization to realize its own set of goals, almost all were common in pointing to an essentially the same weakness as the reason behind. Two replied with disunity among members, one said it is lack of commitment, another said its because of poor attendance by its members and another cited rumors and misunderstanding among its members as the cause or limitation for the organization. Only one had a different answer, which is lack of capital as the main internal problem of their organization that prevented it from reaching or achieving its goals. With regard plans related to these external and internal problems, only one replied with reorganization to be an immediate concern, two organizations answered resource generation and the remaining two had no answers The lack of livelihood or capital was essentially a common reply when all six organizations were asked what could be the caused of underdevelopment in Samar, hence their proposed solution would be the availability of it to common people.

b) CSOs in Eastern Samar

As mentioned earlier, 13 (68%) of the total interviewees are from this province. Seven (7) of the total POs that were interviewed also came from Eastern Samar. Two were from Borongan, four were from the town of Guiuan and the last one from the town of Mercedes. Six of the POs are essentially community based but two of them seem to have exclusive membership, one is for youth and the other is for local vendors. Three are essentially service institutions two of which are private foundations catering to several needs of the people in Samar in general and the other a service institution. In terms of membership, the POs have a total membership of about 395 with over 80% of the membership were deemed active. The other three are councils that seem to mean a consortium of various stakeholders coming from different communities and/or sectors in their specific area. However, two of the councils are apparently initiatives of two attached agencies of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). The other council reflects more semblance of a CSO due to its composition – local sectoral and community organizations that are involved in various socio-economic activities in the island of Samar.

Membership by Organizational Standing

A c t iv e

7 9 %

In a c tiv e

1 5 %

U n k n o w n

6 %

A c t ive In a c t ive U n k n o w n

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Nature of Work By nature of work, of the five POs, two are focused on environmental issues; three are on socio economic and sustainable development while the other is on livelihood and sustainable development. Among the three NGOs, two are into research and training plus sustainable development while the other one is concerned with the environment. Two of the councils have works related to the protection of environment while the other one is on sustainable development. From these, it appears that two of the major concerns of POs and NGOs in Eastern Samar are either on the environment or on sustainable and/or socio-economic development. In terms of objectives four (three NGOs and one PO) were unable to give any answers, not even their secondary objectives. Of the nine who gave responses to the question (seven of them) on what their objectives were, six (two of the councils and four POs) replied the protection of the environment, one on the advocacy of sectoral issues and the other four answers were related to livelihood provision. In relation to the objectives and their translation into concrete programs, nine were able to cite their organization’s specific programs with six of them directly related with the protection of the environment and three on livelihood. By area of coverage, two of them claim to cover the entire island of Samar, while four were confined to their respective provinces, four are municipal wide and the remaining three are limited to their own communities.

Capacity and Resources Sources of financial support are hard to come by, but seven of the organizations from Eastern Samar were able to solicit such support from outside sources from the likes of UNDP, GEF and ADB and even from their own LGU and other branches of the national government. Some were limited to raising funds through membership contributions or through the conduct of fund raising activities. One was not able cite any source. When asked about assets and liabilities, three (two NGOs and one Council) of the organizations said they own the building to which they hold office plus office equipment. One declared its money in the bank, and another pointed to office equipment the only property that they have, two have motorized bancas, and another two declared assets related to their livelihood program (hogs and store merchandises). Two have the remainder of their loans as assets which they also they declared as liabilities.

CSOs by Nature of Work

SD-SE Env

PO 5 2

NGO 3 -

Others 1 2

Total 9 4

SD-SE

69%

Env

31%

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Sources of Funds of CSOs in Eastern Samar

Dues IGP LGU/NGA FA None Fund Source* 4 4 4 6 1

*Note – may not add up to total due to multiple responses

As for their organizational structure, only one NGO was not able to answer questions related to this. All twelve remaining organizations pointed to its set of officers or board as the highest policy making for their respective groups. Regularity of meetings vary, six declared to have at least 1 meeting per month, another said it was on a need basis while another one said they are held on a quarterly basis. In terms of program implementation, only four (two foundations, two POs) had a response, and all of them referred to their chairperson or president or executive director as the ones handling program implementation. Six (two councils, two foundations, two POs) were able to put up other committees for various concerns. Five maintain links with other organizations but only four expressed positive outlook on such. With regard the 13 organizations’ perceptions on some issues, the answers are quite mixed. On the first question of the role of CSOs, six (6) either had no answer or no clear response. The remaining seven each gave a different answer: one said as an advocate, another was for policy recommendations, the other cited protection of the environment. The other two replies are somewhat similar – to achieve real development and for sustainable development. One cited the role of women in development work and the other explained that local government cannot do it alone. As to problems preventing the organization from achieving its goals, particularly on internal factors: five have similar answers – the of lack financial resources to implement its programs, two had no answer, another two mentioned lack of knowledge (presumably referring to the organization) and the other three citing internal differences among members as the hindrance to its objectives. On external causes: one cited lack of funds, another one mentioned limited network, and two replied political intervention, two mentioned registration and/or non-recognition by the LGU. The remaining 6 had no answers. 3. Summary Findings

Overall, 68 NGOs and POs were found to be operating in the three provinces of the island of Samar. Almost one-fourth or 25% (17) are NGOs and 68% (46) are POs. The other five groups (7%) however, are more of a consortium either between government and local POs or among private businesses (PBSP). Essentially, by areas of concern, these 68 organizations can be classified into four (4) categories based on the character of work and goals namely – socio-economic and sustainable development (47 or 70%); protection and preservation of the environment (6 or 9%); and political advocates (8 or 11%) and sectoral concerns (7 or 10%).

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Summary of CSOs Distributed by Areas of Concern

Among the POs, most common are those seeking uplifting of their economic status. A significant number of them (mostly local based cooperatives) are concerned with helping people find more sustainable means of livelihood that would supplement incomes of their memberships. Even those groups with a relatively different priority (as in the case of those health organizations in Northern Samar), have secondary activities that are related to supplementing income. Among the NGOs a good number (12 out of 17) of them have its efforts primarily focused on providing livelihood assistance to people of Samar while a couple have priorities directed at the protection and preservation of the environment.

The group of political advocates, although almost all have their main base located outside of Samar, have a very intensive network in all three provinces. Unlike the women’s organizations (5 community-based and 1 NGO), their work are very much limited to their own local area, except of course for the WAND.

By geographical distribution, the table below represents how the 68 POs and NGOs are spread based on where their main offices are located. The first three columns are for the three provinces of Samar. Leyte-based groups are those whose operation covers the entire Eastern Visayas region while those under the NCR column are national organizations found to have local units in the island. Fourteen of the 68 (20%) are primarily based outside the island.

A much closer look at the 68 organizations, 50 were identified to have established a base in one of the three provinces of Samar and operating at various site levels within the respective province. The following is the breakdown:

Sustainable Development/ Socio-Economic

Environment Social Services

Political Issues

Total

POs 33 2 5 6

NGOs 12 2 1 2

Others 2 2 1 0

Total 47 6 7 8 68

Table 2: CSO Distribution by Geographical Location

NS ES WS Leyte-Based

NCR-Based Unidentified Total

POs 21 9 10 2 4 0 46

NGOs 1 4 1 4 4 4 18

Others 1 3 0 0 0 0 4

Total 23 16 11 6 8 4 68

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Table 3: Summary Distribution of CSOs by Estimated Level of Operations in Samar by Province

3a: Eastern Samar

b t p i

po 5

3 - -

ngo - 1 2 -

others - 2 1 1

total 5

6 3 1

15

3b: Northern Samar

b t p i

po 7 9 5 -

ngo - - 1 -

others - 1 - -

total 7 10 6 - 23

3c: Western Samar

b t p i

po 8 2 - -

ngo - 1 1 -

others - - - -

total 8 3 1 - 12

Legend: b – Barangay; t – Town; p – Provincial; i – Island Overall Summary Distribution for Samar Island

-

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

b t p i

others

ngo

po

-

2

4

6

8

10

12

b t p i

others

ngo

po

-

2

4

6

8

10

b t p i

others

ngo

po

b

41%

t

38%

p

20%i

1%

92

Looking closer at some of the local organizations (from the survey) the POs can be characterized as relatively weak and their members seem to be rather unconsolidated as reflected by the over simplicity of its organizational structure and the lack of knowledge of how an organization works in order to achieve its goals. Most of the organizations have only their set of officers to show for organizational set up. Organizational development and management also seem to be a common weakness among CSOs in the two provinces of Samar as members are quite unfamiliar with their own organization’s goals and how such is to be achieved using its own strength and machinery. Division of tasks is lacking as indicated by the non-existence of committees that are supposed to handle other organizational concerns. Only 2 out of 6 (33%) of those surveyed from Northern Samar have put up other committees aside from their set of officers and only 6 out of 13 (46%) from Eastern Samar. There seem to be a tendency to rely mostly on top officials for decisions and even on program implementation. This is common for all of the respondents of the survey.

A good majority have indicated that their organizations have been involved with organizing, lobbying, networking and campaigns but none provided details (though there may have been a weakness on the part on the interviewer in administering this question). What is more saddening about this fact is that only one of the POs indicated that they have plans on organizational development, while three of the institutions have indicated plans on the same. None of the five POs from Northern Samar had any plans on this matter.

NGOs manifest the better capability in mobilizing funds from external sources. All four service institutions from Eastern Samar have tapped or solicited financial support from foreign funding agencies. The two councils, since they are likely government initiated consortiums, seem to receive financial support from such. The POs from both provinces on the other hand have relied mainly on contributions from its own members, which is not much as reflected by their assets, but two of them used money from loans acquired from government institutions providing livelihood assistance like DOLE and DSWD. These responses of the POs are consistent with their response that none of them have affiliation and/or relation with other groups.

What may be surprising from the survey is that 63% (12) of the total respondents have specific views on the role of CSOs in pursuing development. The other seven (37%) were not able to register any answer on the question. Foremost among the answers (coming from six POs) was CSOs could help them achieve or realize not just development (1) but a sustainable one (5). Responses from Eastern Samar organizations were mainly related to the protection and preservation of the island’s natural resources. One group said it helped voices be heard, another replied with CSOs role is on creating awareness without specifying any issue/problem.

C. The Political Climate in Samar

It is an acknowledged fact that the island of Samar is one of the poorest island in the country. Economic activity and productivity has been very low as a result of various, factors both natural and man-made. For one, these three provinces are situated right at the so-called typhoon belt on the country making it highly vulnerable to natural calamities primarily from destructive ones. This island is hit by typhoons at an average of 25-26 per year. For another, its proneness to typhoons is made worse by the fact that its natural resources, particularly its forests, are fast disappearing due to

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rampant illegal logging exposing further its people to dangers like landslides and soil erosions. The political climate is not that conducive either. The island of Samar is said to be a highly militarized area due to the on-going civil war in the countrysides. Recent news has cited the strong presence of the military in the island to quell the communist-led rebellion in that area. In fact, Gen. Jovito Palparan, the commanding general of the military once assigned in the entire Eastern Visayas region, was quoted in a newspaper report, to have declared that they will finish the job before the year 2005 is over. The result – 276 cases of reported violations of constitutional rights and civil liberties from the period February to May of the current year, all attributed to the military. This figure does not include yet those that were committed the previous years and a significant number of unreported cases for fear of reprisal. Cases range from simple surveillance to direct harassments to involuntary disappearances to outright killing or assassinations. Also included are forced entries to private homes, robberies, to large scale displacement of communities due to military operations. Not spared from such attacks are government officials who have been vocal against the military. These include several local elected officials like mayors and councilors plus a number of barangay captains. The mayor and vice mayor of Villareal town in Western Samar, for example, reported to have been shown a military intelligence report by a friend stating they were part of a list of people being monitored the military for strong links with progressive CSOs and political parties like Bayan Muna and Anakpawis. Municipal health personnel also of this town have also been prevented by the military to conduct their work in the coastal barangays of their municipality. Though most victims of the military operations are ordinary peasant families, there are strong indications that the attacks on people belonging to or affiliated with progressive CSOs were more deliberate and systematic. Members of NGOs and POs advocating for human rights have been primary targets. Local personnel of the Katungod – Sinirangan Bisaya were subjected to military surveillance and the regional leader of SAGUPA – SB, Mr. Dario Tomada, was a victim of a failed assassination. Most recent was the murder of the general secretary of the regional chapter of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN), Mr. Norman Bocar, in Borongan, Eastern Samar. Community chapters and affiliates of SAGUPA-SB have reported that their members have been regular targets of military operations and harassments all over the island.

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Chapter

5 Development Financing

Institutions

Profile of Respondents

A total of 23 respondents composed of institutions and private individuals agreed to provide data and information on their financial products and services. Forty-eight percent of these are private individuals who are into informal and private lending. There were six (6) NGOs who shared their financial services: 2 were basically church-based credit/savings unions/organizations, 3 microfinance institutions, 1 NGO under a foreign-assisted government project. Three major development financing institutions agreed to be surveyed and share some information and primer. These were Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP) in both Northern and Eastern Samar and Philippine National Bank in Guiuan, Eastern Samar. Most of the pilot areas were covered although no respondents were based in Mondragon in Northern Samar and Mercedes in Eastern Samar.

Financing Institutions Surveyed &

Responded No. %

Major DFI (LBP and PNB) 3 13% NGO-Church/religious org 2 9%

Cooperative 2 9% NGO-MFIs 3 13% NGO government project 1 4% Private (individuals, 5/6, informal, lending investor) 11 48% Rural Bank 1 4%

Total 23

Profile of Clients

The clients of these financing institutions are quite varied. The commonly named ones are women, teachers/pensioners/SSS or GSIS members, and other small businesses and microentrepreneur. Three (3) institutions only serve the financing needs of their members (closed to the public).

Client Profiles

members only 3 19%

teachers/fisherfolks, SSS/GSIS/Pensioners 2 13%

enterprising poor 2 13%

women 3 19%

any interested client 3 19%

small businesses/microentrepreneur 2 13%

groups of five 1 6%

TOTAL 16

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Loaned Amount and Cost of Borrowing

The amount being lent by the financing entities range from a low of P1,000 to as high as P300,000. The respondents charge interest rates ranging from 2 percent per month to as high as 20 percent.

Training extended by the Financing Institutions

The following are the trainings mentioned by the respondents: cooperative training, compulsory group orientation and training, program orientation, simple credit procedures, center group training, utilization checking, monitoring and handling and training on marketing.

Average Repayment Rate

The range of loan repayment rates is from 75 to 100 percent. Average for all the samples is around about 90 percent.

Case Study

Development Financing Institution: Land Bank of the Philippines, Northern Samar Area of Operations: Northern, Samar Type of Microfinance Institution: Government Bank Sources of Loanable Funds:

Name of Source Nature (government subsidy, private investment, savings, etc)

Estimated Amount

1. Deposit Liabilities Regular savings, time deposits and current deposit of private individuals

P50 million

2. Internal Revenue Allotment Government Subsidy P195 million 3. Congressional Fund Government Subsidy P5 million

96

Products and Services:

Name of Program/ Service

Description Target Clientele

Amount (If appropriate)

Interest Rate/Financing

Terms

Major Rules/Conditions/ Guidelines/Collateral,

etc. Agricultural Production Loan

Loans to agri-related ventures

Cooperative Based on the net worth of the cooperatives

12% per annum Either of the following: Deed of Assignment of Produce, Chattel Mortgage, Real Estate Mortgage

Fixed Asset Financing

Loans for Acquisition of equipments and machineries

Cooperatives, SMEs, LGUs

Based on coop networth; collateral of SME, LGU borrowing capacity

Coop – 14% pa SME – Prime rate + 3% pa LGU – Prime rate + 4% or 5%

Either of the following: : Deed of Assignment of Produce, Chattel Mortgage, Real Estate Mortgage

Working Capital Loans intended for the use of an additional working capital for various purposes such as trading, construction, etc.

Cooperatives SMEs, LGUs

Based on coop networth; collateral of SME, LGU borrowing capacity

Coop – 12% pa SME – Prime rate + 3% pa LGU – Prime rate + 3% or 4%

Either of the following: : Deed of Assignment of Produce, Chattel Mortgage, Real Estate Mortgage

Rediscounting Rediscounting of eligible sub-borrowers promissory notes at 85% of face value

Cooperatives and RFIs

Coop-based on networth; RFIs—based on approved credit line

Coop – 12% pa RFIs --- T-bills + 1% or 2%; 10% for clean loans and 12% for salaried personnel

Deed of Assignment of sub-borrowers, promissory notes and underlying collaterals and Comprehensive Surety Agreement

Seminars and Training Programs

Title of Seminar and/or Training

Target Clientele/participants

Objective of the Program

Requirement for what type of microfinance

program (see#5) Basic Accounting Cooperatives Install the cooperatives

Books of Accounts Redicounting, Agricultural Production Loan FA Financing

Credit Operations and Management Course

Cooperatives Prepare cooperatives for their business operations

Board of Directors Course Cooperatives Help BODs on how to come up with policies and programs necessary in the day to day operation of coop business

Appraisal Cooperatives Assist coop on how to conduct appraisal of offered collateral by members

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Performance of Development Financing/Microfinance/Credit Programs for the poor and the development of the local economy a. Program/Account Name: Cooperatives

Year Amount released

No of Clientele who

availed

Average loan per client

Overall repayment rate

Profit

2000 13 M 6 coops 2.16 M 85% 0.950 M 2001 15 M 6 coops 3.00 M 80% 1.17 M 2002 15 M 6 coops 2.40 M 87% 1.05 M 2003 15 M 6 coops 1.80 M 100% 0.972 M 2004 9.1 M 6 coops 1.14 M 100% 0.818 M

b. Program/Account Name: RFIs / Rural Banks

Year Amount released

No of Clientele who

availed

Average loan per client

Overall repayment rate

Profit

2003 3.00 M 1 3.00 M 100% 0.315 M 2004 6.00 M 1 4.50 M 100% 0.473 M

c. Program/Account Name: Local Government Units

Year Amount released

No of Clientele who

availed

Average loan per client

Overall repayment rate

Profit

2004 6.495 M 1 6.495 M 100% 0.822 M

d. Program/Account Name: SMEs

Year Amount released

No of Clientele who

availed

Average loan per client

Overall repayment rate

Profit

2000 7.00 M 4 1.75 M 100% 0.56M 2001 7.00 M 4 1.75 M 100% 0.595 M 2002 11.25 M 8 1.406 M 97% 1.23 M 2003 12.90 M 9 1.43 M 100% 1.95 M 2004 13.35 M 11 1.25 M 100% 1.43 M

e. Other relevant Institutional Performance Information that may be shared:

1. Number of Depositors: 1500 2. Total outstanding Loans: 64.00 M (including salary loans) 3. Others: 10.25 M loans are non-performing

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Chapter

6 Private Investments and

Overseas Remittances

I. Small Private Investments in Northern and Eastern Samar

Private investments generation is an important step towards poverty alleviation. First, it provides employment opportunities that are necessary to increase monetary incomes among poor families without being a burden on government finances. Second, it gives income to governments that, in turn, should create complementary projects for the poor that are beyond the scope of private business. And third, it opens new area or type of production, thus putting a “value-added” to the local raw materials. The impact of private investments is evolving. Once a business rises in one community it stimulates other investments to come in. In this country, where poverty is in abundance and government has proved to be incapable of solving this problem if not exacerbating the situation, clearly there is a need to stimulate more investments from the private sector. But what government does is to put more emphasis on attracting foreign investments that is not so keen on coming to this country because of the so called problem of peace and order situation. Local investors, as well, face tough problems. Studies from the Asian Development Bank show how corruption, lack of adequate physical infrastructure and excessive bureaucracy have deterred the business sector from establishing a base of business here.1

In terms incentives, government led programs for business is skewed towards big investors. Small business owners, particularly those into microentreprises, have to contend with the crumbs of the pie. Even some programs intended for the poor have been channeled to those who are better off. World Bank studies have concluded that it is usually those belonging to the higher income strata or social standing who are able to benefit from the credit program that are originally intended for the poor.2

1 The ADB led study entitled “ADB business survey highlights areas to improve investment climate” (20

January 2005) was conducted in with establishments in the Philippines. Thirty-four percent of the

respondents identified corruption as a major threat in business expansion. In particular, 41% of those who

are in the textile business complain of the severe negative impact of corruption in their business. In terms of

infrastructure, the business sector aired power failures as the culprit to their loses that on average amounts

to 8% of their production. Similarly, the lack of paved roads and maritime transport was identified as another

deterrent in their production.

2 World Bank (1998). “Apoyo a pequeñas empresas.” Precis no. 173. Primavera 1998.

Table 1 Year 2000 per capita poverty threshold and incidence of poor families (in %) Philippines 28.4 Region 8 37.8 Eastern Samar 47.3 Northern Samar 40.7 Source: NSCB

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The role of credit and information .A study by the International Labor Organization (ILO) identified access to credit, and training and information as crucial in enticing small and medium investments (SMEs) or in the expansion of existing small businesses. While the samples were all taken from Thailand, nevertheless, the result of the study also reflect the experience of other developing countries like the Philippines. What is revealing in the ILO study is the fact that almost all of the SMEs surveyed have procured credit not from banks or other formal credit institutions to build and expand their business. Capital usually come from savings previous to venturing into business or was set-aside during high-income season for those that are already in business and wish an expansion. According to this study this is what happens when formal credit is simply inaccessible to smaller investors. This means that the requirements and charges of banks or other formal lending institutions are beyond their reach. The results of this ILO study are almost a photocopy of the outcome of local researches on credit for the poor done locally. High interest rates, and too much paper works and document requirements have deterred small rural producers away from banks. Instead, they normally opt to secure credit from informal sources that charge higher interest but do not require any documents. Apart from this, there was an inherent fear among the respondents to borrow from formal sources, particularly from government lending programs that they might go to jail if they are unable to pay their loan.3 Those that are into micro enterprises (and/or what is dubbed as the informal sector) find it difficult to obtain credit from formal sources not because they have no capacity for repayment. Instead, very few sources of credit are willing to lend them money for lack of formal documents and accreditations. Among small and micro enterprises capital expansion is important to be able to diversify the type of activities and the products that they sell. In fact, a major concern on the state of small and medium enterprises in this country is their significantly low value added contribution. According to the Chair of the Small Business Corporation Zorayda Amelia Alonzo the contribution of the SMEs is more towards the provision of labor and hardly in the creation and processing of raw materials, and the operations are hardly mechanized. 4

3 Leyesa, Daryl (2003). The state of Philippine rural women. Presented during the 1

st Rural Women’s

Congress in Taguig, 18 October 2003. Philippine Peasant Institute.

4 Zorayda, Amelia C. Alonso (2002). “The SME Development Plan and the Role of Rural Banks.” Helping

Build Local Economies. Pp. 264 to 265. Originally prepared for the Rural Banks Association of the

Philippines 2002 Annual Corporate meeting and the National Convention held at the Xavier Estate,

Cagayan de Oro City on 17-19 April 2002.

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Table 3 Reason why they are no longer in business?

� They have found other sources of income and cannot find any person who is responsible to take over 8

� Age and health reason 3 � Lack of capital 2 � State of the economy 1 � High cost of inputs (including electricity) 1

Table 2 Contribution of SMEs vs. Large Enterprises in Some Asian Countries Indicator Philippines South Korea Japan China Employment 67.0% 69.0% 78.0% 74.0% Value-added contribution

32.0% 46.0% 56.0% 60.0%

SME Population

99.6% 99.0% 99.0% 99.7%

The mode survey on small private investors: From March to April 2005, MODE conducted a survey on the needs and views of active and inactive small private investors on how the investment climate in Samar can be improved. A total of 85 representatives (42 % are males and 58 % are females) from the different local businesses participated. The respondents hailed from the municipalities of San Jose (29.4 %), Mondragon (23.5%), Lavezares (23.5%), Guian (12.9%) and Borongan (10.5%). Majority of the respondents were business owners (86%), while a small percentage were managers (9.4%) and salespersons or clerks (1.17%).

Figure 1. Distribution of business

size according to annual labor cost

0

200000

400000

600000

800000

1000000

1200000

an

nu

al

lab

or

co

st

Majority of those interviewed were into the retail business (89.4%), and the rest are into food and restaurant (5.88%) and insurance business (4.7%). More than half of the respondents are no longer active in the business sector (61.17%). Though, clearly, majority of them wants to go back (76.47%). When asked for the reasons behind closing shop, the number one reason cited was that they are able to find employment that pays more than their business. Though, they still want to continue with the business while maintaining their present work, they find it hard to find some one who can manage in their behalf (see table 3).

101

Government incentives. The respondents were asked what types of incentive should government provide to boost investments in Samar. The number one answer was capital assistance. It seems the major stumbling block among potential small investors would be the difficulty of attaining credit for capital-built-up. The results of the survey attest that informal sources of credit such as neighbors and relatives remain the major source of capital even for relatively larger businesses. Another issue cited was the peace and order situation in the provinces that deter potential investors from building their business there. The impact of an increase in taxes (the increase of the Expanded Value Added Tax from 10% to 12%) and the prices of production inputs, such as petroleum prices, as discouraging to the business community. As well, the erratic power supply was said to be a major concern among the business owners.

The role of the NGOs. Most of the respondents are very much concerned about continued patronage for their stores. The competition among them for such a small market in the two provinces compels them to call on the different organizations in civil society for assistance in advertising their store and the products that are made in their municipalities. Secondly, they hope that the NGO community will be able to provide help in credit procurement for added capital. A quality that the proposed credit program should have is low interest. Similarly, the respondents hope that NGOs will espouse a savings trainings program to make it easier for their clients to pay their debt to their stores. And, the third most frequent answer was technical assistance in terms of producing new items that may enable them to expand their business.

The impact of investments in Samar. A range of variables was given to the respondents to know their perception on how it will be affected by local investments. In terms of growth in local employment, the majority (66%) agrees that investments will bring more job opportunities. Though there was a smaller number (19%) who disagreed on the basis that normally businesses in the provinces are in small sizes that they usually employ family labor.

Table 4 What type of incentives should government provide to businesspeople? � Capital 25 � Peace and order 21 � Less taxes (VAT, business taxes) 12 � Control on prices (i.e. petroleum) 10

Better power supply 9

Table 5 What should be the role of the NGOs Advertising and advocating for the procurement of locally produced products 27 Credit and capital (including savings training, etc) 26 Technical assistance on production 13

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The rise in investments is said to produce a multiplier effect. That is, once a business is established its very presence stimulates other small entrepreneurs to come into the market, either as competitors or as complementary businesses. Fifty-eight percent (58%) of the respondents affirmed this scenario. But 23% were uncertain whether this will be the case and opted not to give any remarks. The remaining 19% of the respondents do not believe that the entrance of new private investments will be enough to entice small entrepreneurs to go into business. They were also asked whether going into business means greater capital accumulation for the households. Clearly, the majority (61%) said yes, but almost a quarter of the respondents (23%) choose not to answer this question. Only 15% said no. Similarly, the respondents were unsure whether an increase in investments in Samar would lead to a growth in agricultural production. The majority (47%) chose not to give a response to the questions whether investments will have a positive effect on the local agricultural sector. Nineteen percent (19%) gave a negative answer saying that the types of businesses are normally not related to agriculture therefore they do not have any impact on the farming sector. The remaining 34% however are hopeful that whatever investments come in their province will be able to use their agricultural products as raw materials or at least increase the consumption of agricultural products of those who will be employed by the new businesses. They showed the same pattern of responses when asked whether they believe that new investments will be more environmentally friendly. More than half of the respondents (55%) were unsure and chose not to give a response. Thirty-four percent (34%) said yes, while the remaining 19% said no. Table 6 Will investments in Samar create a positive or negative effect on the following: Variables Yes No No

response Local employment 56 (66%) 16 (19%) 13 (15%) Growth of local entrepreneurs 49 (58%) 16 (19%) 20 (23%) Accumulation of capital for households

52 (61%) 13 (15%) 20 (23%)

Growth in agricultural productivity

29 (34%) 16 (19%) 40(47%)

Lead to a more ecologically sustainable form of production processes

26 (30%) 12 (14%) 47 (55%)

Harnessing the potential of migrant workers as entrepreneurs or sources of capital. Data from the NSO census in 2000 indicate that 2,408 registered Filipino overseas workers hail from Eastern Samar (1,352 are women while 1,057 are men). The same organization says that Northern Samar’s contribution to the OFW sector doubled from1995 to 2000. The number jumped from 1,129 in 1995 to 2,542 in 2000. The year 2000 data are divided between 1,236 women and 1,306 men. These data from NSO is a very conservative estimate given that the majority of OFWs are not registered with the Philippine Overseas Employment Agency (POEA) where the samples were taken. In fact, the results of the MODE survey indicate that almost all of the household respondents have a close relative who is working abroad. And this survey represents just five municipalities in Northern and Eastern Samar.

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These OFWs have the capacity to channel much needed capital for business in the rural areas. The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) says that in 2003 remittances through formal channels amounted to US$7.6 billion that is equivalent to 7.5% of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP). 5 The same ADB survey says that on average, an OFW remits US$340 per month to their families. At a conversion rate of PhP55 to US$1, this is equivalent to PhP18,700 per month or PhP224,400 annually, an amount that is way above the normal family income in Eastern Samar. The mean annual family income in the province in year 2000 was PhP71,527, while in Northern Samar it was PhP80,114.6 Do the OFW set aside a portion of their income for savings or capital formation for business? Another ADB study noted that a big percentage of the money sent by OFWs is usually spent on lavish purchases.7 While some OFWs have allocated the amount of their remittances in business investments or in the purchase of real estate properties, they were exceptions rather than the norm among the group interviewed. The majority says that apart from household expenses, the next major expense would be contributions to fiestas, marriages, and birthdays and of course money lent to close family members. In terms of microfinance, the OFW sector is both a source of capital and potential clients. This is a sector with a capacity to repay loans at regular intervals through monthly remittances. And, this is also a sector that has emerged as a quick source of informal credit. What needs to be done is too change their mindset in using their capacity for long term investments. The informal sector in Samar. Government statistics are unable to capture the extent of the informal sector in the country. For one, the fact that they are not registered with formal public institutions makes it very hard to find out exactly their population size. In broad strokes, those belonging to the informal sector would be those that are engaged in informal labor or enterprise that is unregistered with national government offices, such as the Bureau of Internal Revenue and the Securities and Exchange Commission, that hires up to ten people or less but mostly employ unpaid family labor. They can be ambulatory or home based. 8 ILO data suggests that more than half of local entrepreneurs would fall under the informal sector. Of those engaged in business, micro entrepreneurs and their employees who

5 ADB (2005). Poverty in the Philippines: income, assets and access. Pp. 59 to 61.

6 NSCB (2004). Annual Statistical Yearbook

7 ADB (2004). Enhancing the efficiency of overseas workers’ remittances. Technical Assistance Final Report.

July 2004.

8 ILO characterizes the informal sector as :“..very small units producing and distributing goods and services,

and consisting largely of independent, self-employed producers, some of whom also employ family labor

and /or a few hired workers or apprentices; which operate with very little capital, or none at all; which utilize a

low level of technology and skills; which therefore operate at a low level of productivity; and which generally

provide very low and irregular incomes and highly unstable employment to those who work in it. They are

informal in the sense that they are for the most part unregistered and unrecorded in official statistics; they

tend to have little or no access to organized markets, to credit institutions, to formal education and training

institutions, or to many public services and amenities; they are not recognized, supported or regulated by

government; they are often compelled to operate outside of the framework of the law, and even where they

are registered and respect certain aspects of the law they are almost invariably beyond the pale of social

protection, labor legislation and protective measures at the workplace. From Ya, Sandra (2001). ILO and the

challenge of the informal work. Draft copy. ILO, p. 2. previously quoted in ILO (1991). The Dilemma of the

Informal Sector. ILO, Geneva.

104

Table 7 Primary Source of family income for the year 2000 Eastern Samar No. of families Total entrepreneurial activities 31,551

Agri-related enterprises 24,481 Non-agri enterprises 7,070 Wages 17,935 Northern Samar No. of families Total entrepreneurial activities 50,425 Agri-related enterprises 37,304 Non-agri enterprises 13,121 Wages 30,541 Source: NSCB 2004

are in the informal sector are in the most disadvantaged position. One, their lack of accreditation makes it impossible to procure formal credit and training. Two, very few of them, if at all, have upstream linkages with formal investors that might be able to use their products as raw materials or for further sales. Given this situation, very few of them are able to expand and go into the next stage as small formal entrepreneurs. In Samar, NSCB data say that there are more families that earn their primary income from entrepreneurial activities. Table 7 indicates that both for Eastern and Northern Samar that for every family that depends on wages, there are almost two families that earn from micro enterprises. But clearly, the majority of entrepreneurial families are involved in agriculture related ventures. It can be deduced from their annual earnings that these non-wage earning families are mostly part of the informal sector. In Eastern Samar, the median income of these families are between PhP30,000 to PhP59,999 annually while in Northern Samar it ranges from PhP30,000 to PhP39,999.9 Sources: ADB (2004). Enhancing the efficiency of overseas workers’ remittances. Technical Assistance Final Report. July 2004 ADB (2005) .ADB business survey highlights areas to improve investment climate. ADB (2005). Poverty in the Philippines: income, assets and access. Ya, Sandra (2001). ILO and the challenge of the informal work. Draft copy. ILO Leyesa, Daryl (2003). The state of Philippine rural women. Presented during the 1st Rural Women’s Congress. Taguig, Metro Manila. 18 October 2003. Philippine Peasant Institute. World Bank (1998). “Apoyo a pequeñas empresas.” Precis no. 173. Spring 1998. Zorayda, Amelia C. Alonso (2002). “The SME Development Plan and the Role of Rural Banks.” From Panganiban (2002) Helping Build Local Economies.

9 NSCB (2004). Annual Statistical Yearbook.

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Annex 1: Summary of tables Respondents: Sex No. % Male 36 42.3 Female 49 57.6 Total 85 100 Municipality No. % Guian 11 12.9 Borongan 9 10.5 San Jose 25 29.4 Mondragon 20 23.5 Lavezares 20 23.5 Position in the company No. % Manager 8 9.4 Owner 73 85.9 Sales clerk 1 1.17 Others 1 1.17 No answer 2 2.35 Sector No. of responses % Insurance 4 4.7 Retail 76 89.4 Food and restaurant 5 5.88 Others 1 1.17 No answer Whether in business as of present time or not Response No. % Yes 33 38.8 No 52 61.17 Among those who are no longer in business but wanted to return to business Response No. % Yes 39 76.47 No 12 23.53 total 51 100

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II. Investment Potential of Remittances: Household Survey Results

About 47 percent of the household respondents surveyed in the two provinces of Samar have relatives working abroad. Of those with relatives abroad, about 48 percent of them received some form of assistance from these relatives.

Yes No NA Total

With Relatives Abroad 497 545 19 1061

Received Financial Assistance 237 732 92 1061

Most of these relatives working or residing abroad are female (60%). While 17 percent have relatives abroad from both genders.

Male Female Both Total Relatives

NA Total

Gender of Relatives 46 113 33 192 869 1061

Thirty-three percent (33%) of the financial assistances received from relatives abroad are for gifts/pasalubong/social events purposes. Other frequent uses are for emergency/death/burial expenses (22%), educational expenses (19%), regular stipend or assistance (13%), other purposes (7%) and health care purposes (6%).

Uses/Purposes of Financial Assistance N %

gift/pasalubong/social events 89 33%

regular stipend assistance 36 13%

education 51 19%

emergency/death/burial 60 22%

health care purposes 17 6%

others 18 7%

TOTAL 271 100%