Turmoil in the Ifugao World Heritage Site

Last March 2, 2000 elderly Ifugao residents marched together demanding the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) restore the budget promised them. The SP disapproved the P2 million budget for the Senior Citizens Building, which was supposed to be taken from the P57 million share of Ifugao from the franchise tax of the Magat Hydroelectric Power Dam. To be constructed at the Capitol compound to replace the old Lagawe Municipal Health Clinic built in 1952, it would house the offices of the Ifugao Provincial Federation of Senior Citizens (IPFSA), accommodate the Provincial Pharmacy for Senior Citizens, serve as venue for livelihood programs and social activities, as well as lodging facility for transient senior citizens from distant municipalities such as Mayoyao, Aguinaldo and Tinoc.

The Ifugao World Heritage Site (WHS) has always been described from the perspective of its physical, and socio-cultural environment as a living cultural landscape. However, the stability of the Province has been shaken and the welfare of its people, from infants to the elderly, has been gravely disturbed specially in the past two years.

How then can it be removed from the WHS List of Sites in Danger?

Since 2007 50% of Ifugao PSWDO budget slashed

The Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office (PSWDO) of Ifugao is a coordinating department linked to multi-sector welfare needs. Its mandate stems from Executive Order 443 known as “Localization on the implementation of the Comprehensive Integrated Delivery of Social Services”.

The community-based monitoring system on poverty incidence sent by Ifugao Governor Teddy Baguilat Jr. last September 1, indicated 63 percent of 35,486 households are below poverty level, while 43 percent of the 168,840 population are experiencing “below food threshold levels”.

The PSWDO is confused and disheartened by the legislators, who are supposed to protect and harmonize programs and projects for the constituents. The budget for the PSWDO has been slashed from P2.11 million in 2007 and P1.25 million in 2008 to P1.09 million in 2009. This is inadequate to finance the programs and activities for various disadvantaged sectors, such as the senior citizens, the disabled, children in conflict with the law, the destitute and sickly, victims of calamities, and the out-of-school youth, among others.

Untrained day care workers

Of 79,080 Ifugao children from one year to 19 years old (Geneva Convention on the Rights of the Child defines childhood age from birth to 18 years), 7,791 are day care children. Day care centers (DCCs) and shelter houses for adolescent delinquents and victims of violence and rape have to be provided.

Only 187 day care centers, out of 308, have permanent structures. Only five day care workers hold permanent appointments, while 303 are contractual and have no security of service.

The SP zeroed the budget of day care services in 2008. While day care service is implemented by the barangays, these centers are useless if manned by untrained day care workers. The barangays cannot afford the enhancement training for day care workers. Section 5 of the Children’s Code clearly defines the function of the Social Welfare and Development Office (SWDO) to select, train and accredit barangay day care workers. Section 6 states that the funds for the establishment, maintenance and operation of day care centers shall be included in the annual budget of the SWDO.

Sudden increase of sexually abused children

With regards to statistics on Violence Against Women and Children, 27 cases of sexually abused and exploited children were reported in 2006, 57 cases in 2007 and 53 cases in 2008. Meantime, there were 55 cases of violence against women in 2007, while only 17 cases in 2005 when RA 9262 was still at its infant stage.

The upsurge pattern in the number of reported cases may be viewed as an increasing commission of crimes, but it also shows the increasing awareness and efficiency of the reporting system of these incidents to the authorities. While women used to suffer in silence, now they have the law to run to to protect them, specifically Republic Act 9262 provides that barangays can now issue protection orders for women and children.

No youth shelters for children in conflict with the law

There have been an increasing number of children in conflict with the law from 25 cases in 2003 to 77 cases in 2008 (January to November). Many of these children live in communities whose very structures deny them opportunities for a better future. Most come from large families that cannot provide the basic provisions of food, shelter, clothing, and education. Lack of parental attention and financial support may push some children to commit crimes to provide for their own and their families’ needs. Peer or societal influences are likely in places where criminality is high. In retaliation for wrong done to them, these youths express their pain, anger, fear, and hate in crimes, such as theft (74 percent), attempted homicide (10 percent), rape (9 percent), robbery (4 percent), murder (2 percent) and arson (1 percent).

No matter how judges of family courts desire to divert children from the criminal justice system to avoid sending them to prisons and making them mix with hardened criminals, the reality is that there is NO youth centers that house children in conflict with the law within the province. To send them back to their home or community where they learned crime in the first place, would only put them back into the cycle of crime.

Unfortunately, the P2.5 million grant for the construction of a rehabilitation center for children in conflict with the law was withdrawn by the DSWD after the SP failed to pass a resolution endorsing the project. The DSWD request for an SP endorsement from Ifugao was submitted through Vice Governor Nora Dinamling on May 6, 2007 but remained un-acted up to this date.

The P2M Senior Citizens Building

After the peaceful rally of the senior citizens, the SN Aboitiz provided P3.3 million for the construction of the Senior Citizens Building. The groundbreaking ceremony was held last 17 June 2009.

Adding insult to injury, the SP issued a resolution to stop the demolition of the old RHU Building where the Senior Citizens Building will be constructed. However, this did not postpone the groundbreaking and the senior citizens building is on its construction phase. To make matters worse, the SP, with its power, issued another resolution saying that the senior citizens building site will be given to the PIA and POST Office, yet these two offices have already their own building.

The SP has also refused to implement Section 29 of the General Appropriations Act (GAA) setting aside one percent of Government Agency budget for programs and projects related to senior citizens and the disabled. Observance of this provision would have greatly enhanced the efficiency of the operations of the Provincial and Municipal Federations of Senior Citizens.

The new Ifugao General Hospital

The aborted construction of a new Ifugao General Hospital funded by a grant-loan financial package from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) is already “water under the bridge”, because the ADB grant has already been given to Batangas province. However, the whole people of Ifugao unjustifiably lost a good project.

But all is not lost as a German foundation is reportedly willing to take over where the ADB left off. Can the Ifugaos rise and join hands to make their dream of a new General Hospital come true?

Struggle to convert dole out system to self-sufficiency

The SP also zeroed the budget of the Self Employment Assistance Program, which would cater to the priority needs of the people. Instead they preferred to give grants or donations that will not promote empowerment to the people, rather dependency to politicians. This is tantamount to playing favorites and siphoning the budget for protégés. How will the constituents feel and react knowing that the budget committed and expected have been granted to other barangays?

For seven years, this program has been under the social welfare office, and suddenly given to beneficiaries just to fulfill political commitments. 

Can we resurrect the spirit of the Ifugao warrior?

During the Ifugao Summit last month, Ifugao Councilor for Culture Aldrin Guingayan remarked that he has to follow the decisions of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan to slash the budget.

“No you don’t have to!” I replied to him. “What happened to the spirit of the Ifugao warrior?”

In a few months, there will be an election and many of these Provincial board members, mostly in their 30s and 40s, will be running for re-election. Will the oppressed Ifugaos re-elect them knowing that they have not pledged themselves to be honest civil servants upholding the motto, “TO FIGHT FOR THE RIGHT WITHOUT QUESTION OR DOUBT !”?

(For more information or reaction, please e-mail at [email protected] or [email protected])