Clean water for 160 households and better farm access for more than 1,300 residents are expected from two infrastructure projects in Surigao del Sur.
SAN MIGUEL, Surigao del Sur (November 4) — For Manobo families in an upland village where access to basic utilities and farm-to-market roads remains a challenge, two government-backed infrastructure projects worth ₱38 million promise to make daily life and agricultural livelihoods more accessible.
A tripartite agreement signed on October 29 seeks to fast-track the construction and improvement of a potable water system and a farm-to-market road within the Manobo ancestral domain in Barangay Umalag, San Miguel.
The projects, endorsed by the Caraga Regional Project Advisory Board (RPAB), cover areas within Certificate of Ancestral Domain Title (CADT) 116.
The first is a ₱6-million rehabilitation and improvement of the Barangay Umalag Level II potable water system, which is expected to serve 160 Manobo households, or about 800 people, through 26 tap stands.
For families that have struggled with inadequate access to safe water, the improved system is expected to reduce exposure to waterborne diseases and ease household expenses for water.
The second project involves ₱31.6 million for concreting a 2.4-kilometer stretch of the NRJ Umalag–Sitio Kapnon farm-to-market road.
It is expected to benefit 1,348 Indigenous residents by improving access between farming communities and local trading centers.
The road also serves an estimated 900 hectares planted with abaca, coconut, banana, and corn. Better road access is expected to reduce transportation and hauling costs, minimize post-harvest losses, and help farmers bring their produce to market more efficiently.
Basic services for ancestral communities
The projects bring together the Department of Agriculture’s Mindanao Inclusive Agriculture Development Project (DA-MIADP), North Eastern Mindanao State University (NEMSU), and the municipal government of San Miguel.
Manobo tribal chieftain Arnold “Hawudon Subang” Acebedo welcomed the partnership, saying the interventions address basic needs that have long burdened upland Indigenous families.
“I am truly thankful that government agencies are working to lift the condition of our tribe. As the father of the Manobo in San Miguel, I am very happy and grateful,” Acebedo said in local dialect.
DA Regional Executive Director Ricardo Oñate Jr. emphasized that cooperation among government agencies, local governments, and farming communities is necessary to sustain rural development.
“It is important that we cooperate, collaborate, and converge. We cannot accomplish anything if we do not collaborate with each local government unit, alongside the full support of our farmers,” Oñate said.
San Miguel Mayor Michael Corilla pledged transparent implementation and close coordination with Indigenous elders to ensure that the projects respect community interests.
Representing the Surigao del Sur provincial government, Atty. Jose Dumagan Jr. also underscored the importance of partnerships among government institutions, local governments, and state universities in improving ancestral communities and strengthening agricultural productivity.
From project approval to actual benefits
For the Manobo residents of Barangay Umalag, the significance of the ₱38-million package will ultimately be measured not by the signing of agreements but by whether clean water reaches household taps and the improved road makes farming and transporting produce less costly.
The projects also highlight the importance of ensuring that infrastructure development in ancestral domains responds to community priorities and involves Indigenous leaders in implementation.
Their completion, accessibility, and long-term maintenance will be crucial in determining whether the promised benefits translate into lasting improvements in health, household expenses, and farmers’ incomes.
