The Status and Implementation of the Help for Catubig Agricultural Advancement Project (HCAAP)

Northern Samar is basically an agricultural economy with more than 349, 800 hectare total land area with high incidence of poverty in the region, dubbed as the rice granary in Eastern Visayas. It is on the basis that HCAAP was conceptualized wherein the national government obtained a loan ftom Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) amounting to 5.2 billion in pesos allocating 2.4 billion pesos alone to irigate 4, 550 hectares of agricultural lands. However, the implementation stopped in 2013 with the budget nearly exhausted and the project uncompleted. Specifically, this research aimed to assess the status of the HCAAP and implementation issues. The areas covered by the HCAAP were the municipalities of Catubig and Las Navas, both located in the Catubig Valley. A descriptive-evaluative study used an eclectic approach or a mixture of quantitative and qualitative methods for data collection and analyses. Common qualitative techniques were applied such as observation, key informant interview, focus group discussion (FGD), and review of secondary data. The respondents were beneficiaries and key informants composed of personnel from the implementing agencies: NIA, DPWH, DOH, DA, Provincial Government of Northern Samar, municipality of Catubig and municipality of Las Navas to execute irrigation and drainage, rural infastructure improvement, agricultural support services, schistosomiasis control, and institutional components. Purposive and stratefied sampling were used in selecting barangays and respondent-beneficiaries respectively. Open ended questions for the semi-structurrd interview was utilized. Observation guide was also formulated as supplementary tool to semi-structured interview, while FGD among identified barangay officials non formal leaders and other stakeholders was employed. It was found out that the HCAAP components were of moderate functionality and availability. It was concluded that the project has to be totally completed as it negates the beneficiaries of the services it proposed. Irrigation system and farm-market roads were accessible and available to many but more beneficial to few landed families and businessmen. They found thier agricultural lands suited for commercial and residential sites and the project was not significant to landless farmers where thier clutch and retention to the land would depend on the pleasure of the landlord. Hence, until a farmer is given a land of his own, whatever rural development projects like this would create accessibility and availability meaningless.