Seeking to bridge gaps in entry to important authorities companies, a gaggle has proposed a science and technology-driven development program for a Bukidnon-Magahat Indigenous Peoples (IP) community by the Department of Science and Technology’s (DOST) Community Empowerment by Science and Technology (CEST) program.
The initiative is a part of Hope Builders Organization Negros Island Inc.’s (HBONI) Project Tikang (Step) in Sitio Madaja, Barangay Buenavista, Himamaylan City, which goals to carry authorities companies and development alternatives nearer to remoted and underserved communities.
Project Tikang Lead and journalist Reymund Titong stated the trouble was born out of the widening hole in entry to companies between city facilities and hinterland communities, and that CEST parts are seen as becoming for the community.
“While government agencies already have mechanisms to address these challenges, this project proposed to DOST seeks to accelerate the delivery of interventions by bringing together available resources and services for the people, with respect to human rights, and free from political maneuvering,” he stated.
Titong, nonetheless, emphasised that the success of the initiative will largely rely upon community participation and possession, not solely among the many mission’s proponents.
“No initiative can succeed without the support and participation of the community itself. The people must be at the fulcrum of the development efforts because even the best programs will not prosper unless they are embraced and sustained by those they are meant to serve,” he stated.
Luckily, he famous that the community has been receptive to development efforts, citing the continued apply of tikog weaving regardless of geographic isolation and restricted assets.
“Since we visited the community with the Association of Negros Producers (ANP) in 2022, we have witnessed their dedication to preserving tikog weaving. This commitment really shows their willingness to seize opportunities that can enhance their lives. With this, I strongly believe that the project will become a perfect model of how services should reach the uplands,” Titong added.
Meanwhile, DOST-Negros Occidental Director Engr. Glady Reyes stated the proposed interventions embody farmer coaching packages, notably within the ube business; the modernization of tikog weaving by a DOST-developed tikog-flattening machine; vitamin help for undernourished pupils at Madaja Elementary School; and the set up of solar energy methods in households to permit weavers to proceed working after darkish.
The proposal additionally contains the development of DOST-developed ready-to-eat meals for personnel of the 94th Infantry Battalion, in addition to communication tools, protecting gear, and emergency response coaching for Bantay Gubat volunteers who assist monitor parts of the greater than 10,000-hectare Ilog-Hilabangan Watershed Forest Reserve (IHWFR).
A water filtration system can also be being proposed for Madaja Elementary School to supply pupils and academics with entry to secure ingesting water and to help correct meals sanitation practices.
Reyes stated the initiative goals to assist remodel the community right into a extra resilient and self-sustaining one by harnessing science and expertise to create alternatives in an space that has lengthy confronted geographic isolation and development challenges.
The proposal has gained help from barangay and metropolis officers, in addition to representatives from the City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO)-Kabankalan, which oversees environmental safety and forest monitoring efforts throughout southern Negros Occidental.
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