Journey to Javier

Meeting with Municipal Officials

On Friday morning, Dennis drove us south to Javier where we met with Joanis Alfafara, the Administrator in the mayor’s office, and Fernando Sarile Jr., the Municipal Planning and Development Officer (MPDO). This was our second meeting with municipal officials so we were anxious to hear another perspective on this project and how it might serve the needs of another community. Javier differs from the other target communities in that its territory comprises a wider range of landforms. The municipality stretches from the rugged upland forests crossing the coconut and rice farms all the way down to the coast. So the needs of each barangay within Javier may be slightly different as most residents' livelihoods are tied to the land on which they live.

The terrain of Javier includes bands of rice and coconut farms stretching to the rugged upland forests.

Mr. Alfarara reported that Javier experiences high rates of poverty noting that 80% of barangay residents are living on a day-to-day basis. We have heard several times that most residents are concerned only with their primary needs: livelihood, shelter, and food. We have been told, in some cases explicitly, this guide might be too “intellectual” for residents who are just trying to meet their daily needs. At the beginning of the project, the goal was for the guide to equip residents with a tool to participate in land-use decisions for their community. As we continue to meet with residents, barangay chairmen and municipal leaders, Trevor and I keep revisiting these questions – What utility does this guide have for residents? How can this information be tied specifically to what residents value, especially when what may be most important are their means for survival? How can we offer a product that will help facilitate participatory land-use decision-making that is sensitive to the possibility that residents may not have the capacity to engage?

In Javier, every barangay (also sometimes referred to as

baryos) is required to have a community garden.

One thing we keep coming back to is education. Mr. Alfafara and Mr. Sarile both indicated that education is needed at all ages. They told us a story about how some kids were shooting at birds with their slingshots and air rifles. Once the kids were taught the importance of the birds and were empowered with some responsibility, they became engaged in educating others about the birds. They now serve as guides on bird-watching tours. By incorporating the kids into the educational framework of the community they were able to find a valuable role for the kids to fill. Mr. Alfafara, a self-identified tree-lover, mentioned that some of the upland barangay would benefit from understanding the effects of deforestation on the downslope communities and ecosystems. He said he thinks children only understand that trees prevent soil erosion, but lack a comprehensive understanding of the ecosystem services that trees provide. At a municipal level, officials are trying to think about how ecosystems and their processes are connected from the upland forests to the coastal waters. These two examples illustrate education at a barangay level, which makes us wonder – how can the localized educational needs that are tied to a specific barangay be incorporated into the larger municipal planning picture?

Javier uses the SIMPLE approach, introduced by GIZ, which is a participatory land-use planning method that integrates ridge-to-reef planning across the municipality (mentioned in Trevor's last post). Javier started community-based mapping with participatory engagement at the barangay level in 2010, and 27 of 28 barangays had completed thematic mapping of their communities. Tragically, the maps were lost or destroyed at the municipal building during Yolanda, though some electronic record of these maps may have been salvaged during their work with GIZ. Mr. Sarile said that a major ongoing challenge is in mainstreaming disaster risk reduction on a barangay level. As an example, he explained that they are in the process of updating and enforcing new "localized" building codes (relevant to local hazards) that would meet current building standards while maintaining a level of affordability for residents.

Looking over the fence into one of the community gardens.

Mr. Sarile told us another story of how he thought as a municipal officer he was informed and in tune with the needs of the barangays. After Yolanda, several aid organizations met with officials to assess the needs of their municipality. During one of these meetings Mr. Sarile told the organization that the biggest need for one particular barangay was water; they had only one hand pump for the entire barangay. He made the assumption that their biggest need was additional water access. After the second water pump was installed, he couldn’t figure out why the residents seemed so deflated. Through discussion with the barangay, he discovered that what they really wanted was electricity. Some of their children moved to more urban areas, and they've sent back gifts of televisions, DVD players and other electronic gadgets that require electricity. He used this story to illustrate that each barangay knows the needs of their community. If localized maps are created directly by residents, they will have the tool by which they can outline their immediate needs. By generating this information at the barangay level, perhaps it’s less likely that someone outside of the community will incorrectly speak on behalf of the residents. Localized maps showing hazard risks, current infrastructure, land use and cultural/social features would only enhance the capacity of barangay residents to communicate their needs to the municipality. How can this site assessment guide incorporate community-based mapping?

Agriculture in Javier

Looking down the road in Javier

Much of our conversation revolved around agriculture system in Leyte and specifically in Javier. Javier is a large coconut and rice producer and during Yolanda, 40-50% of Javier’s coconut trees were destroyed. Though new coconut trees will take up to five years to mature to a productive state, Mr. Alfafara and Mr. Sarile explained that Javier will continue to pursue coconut farming. Mr. Alfafara is native to Cebu (an island west of Leyte), a large agricultural exporter, and was able to illustrate how the farming practices of Javier/Leyte contrast with other areas in the Visayas. In Cebu, the coconut farms practice "multi-story farming" or intercropping, in which coffee and cocao trees are planted between the coconut palms, along with camote (sweet potato) and other annual crops. This method increases the biodiversity and productivity of the farm. It also creates varied heights among the crops which provide habitats for birds and small mammals as well as windbreaks where needed. Mr. Alfafara and Mr. Sarile both agreed that this might be an important strategy for Javier to adopt as they rebuild their coconut farms. We wondered about the possibilities for other communities that we are visiting in Leyte, and whether new agricultural practices could be suggested where coconuts farms were destroyed by Yolanda and where farmers may need to diversify their livelihoods.

 We talked about some of the many complexities in the food industry in Leyte. One of the topics that emerged over and over again was the complex relationship between the grower and the trader. In rural areas, growers need traders to get their produce to markets. In some cases, growers cannot afford all of the inputs needed for a farming operation (seedlings, equipment etc.) and therefore need to borrow from the traders to start seedlings. Once the produce is ready to be sold, it’s the trader who dictates the price – which means the product ends up being quite cheap. Dennis and Mr. Sarile argued that removing the middleman from the system, and giving the selling power directly to the grower would improve the system. Perhaps farming cooperatives where tools and equipment were shared, would also give the growers the support needed for starting seedlings and running their farming operation.

A Guided Tour

Just as we were leaving the office, Mr. Sarile asked us if we were going to drive around before returning to Tacloban. After he spent a few minutes giving us directions for the best route to take through Javier, he offered to join us to be our guide! As we drove the circumferential road he noted that it was an important component to their infrastructure because it provides access to a main thoroughfare that connects communities outside of downtown Javier. The paved road makes a wide circle around the center of the municipality with newly paved spurs leading to more remote barangays. Along our route we crossed three newly constructed bridges over the river that winds through Javier. As we made our way around Javier, Mr. Sarile pointed out the rice fields, the coconut farms, and the community gardens. He told us that, in Javier, each barangay is required to have a community garden to encourage locally produced vegetables and increase the barangay’s self-sufficiency. After we finished the tour of Javier, we had lunch in Abuyog, the southernmost town in Leyte where Waray-waray is spoken, and the next town over.

Rice fields in the foreground, coconut fields in the middle and a rainstorm in the distance.

The trip to Javier took up most of the day, as it's just over an hour's drive from Dennis's house, where we are staying. So by the time we got back to Tacloban, Trevor and I were both exhausted. We laid down to take a quick nap before dinner and didn't wake up until dawn.... 12 hours later! So we are well rested for Saturday's activities!