The Trails of Kablon

Veggies: A Climb tO Flourish

Barangay Kablon is situated at the foot of Mt. Matutum with an area of 4,700 hectares, more or less. It is composing of eight sitios; however, Sitio Glandang is the most populated area in the cluster with an average household size of four. Around 66% of its inhabitants are indigenous people belonging to the B’laan tribe. It has a total land area of 1,004 hectares and 700 hectares is devoted to agriculture.

The sitio settlement buildup is about three hectares. Basic soil type ranges from sandy loam to rocky and it is still rich with organic materials. Temperature is generally cold with no distinct wet or dry season that is why the predominant crop is vegetable. Potatoes, radish, carrots and cabbages are among the commonly planted crops in the area. The average farm size of households is about two to three hectares.

The vulnerability of Kablon’s lifestyle is mirrored by the ‘habal-habal,’ a motorcycle used to transport goods that ply along its roads aside from trekking by foot. Even land tenures are merely covered with certificates of stewardship, which intensifies their insecurity.

Farm financing is being accessed through lending institutions at a rate ranging from 10 to 20 percent per month. This being the case, the residents in Kablon could hardly get by their income. Health care and education are also scarce and expensive in this part of the highland owing to the fact that the nearest school operating in the area is quite expensive. This resulted into a very low literacy rate.

Despite the simple and almost scarce lifestyle of Kablon inhabitants, they enjoy recreational activities such as horse fights and “amyak matutum”-a climbing activity at the peak of Mt. Matutum.

…or a descent to perish?

Ever since, vegetable farming has been the practice in the locality. It is their primary source of livelihood. Commonly produced here are carrots, radish, Kentucky beans, cabbage, tomato, chicharo, bell pepper, potato, squash and chayote. The villages of Glandang, Datal Ngisi, Eil Blel and Palo 3 are the major areas in Barangay Kablon producing vegetables in commercial scale. Trading of vegetables at Glandang normally takes place at the roadside to facilitate easier access on the loading and hauling of products.

The price of vegetables is so unstable that a sudden decline would occur without notice. This would usually happen when an influx of vegetables will flood the market and vendors would engage in price war just to avoid spoilage.

Recognizing the need to improve the trading of vegetable in Kablon, UDP approved the proposed Bagsakan Center facility at Glandang, the center of trade in the barangay. It was completed in 2003, with a rain water reservoir to collect water intended for washing of vegetables. Farmers in Glandang finally experienced that their products were paid at the time of delivery. However, due to limited capital, the group was only able to buy a limited volume of vegetables--such and coupled with some internal conflicts in the association, the operation stopped after two months.

UDP had the situation assessed in 2004. After the assessment, the problems encountered could be summed up in two: 1. technical capability to manage the enterprise; and 2. financing. Recommendations were raised to address the given problems and alternatives were presented for consideration.

Heeding the recommendations submitted by the service provider, UDP provided the business development services to systematically revive the operation of the Bagsakan Center. A management team was formed called the “Matutum Enterprise” that will serve as a subsidiary of the farmer’s association. The business plan and operations manual focused on the rental of the structure and facilities of the bagsakan building and made no mention of how the enterprise would run the center. With the said set up, the group is able to prove that the business is profitable. However, they were not able to make use of the bagsakan center as a trading facility. In a sense, it appears that the group failed to realize and practice the teachings imparted by the service provider and the UDP.

Until now, the Bagsakan Center is still not operational. The members of the organization would merely assert that they still feel comfortable with the old ways and are still hard to accept changes. Nonetheless, vegetable growers are willing to sell their products at the center provided they will be paid in cash.