Presentation for the ASIA Engage: Regional conference on Higher Education-Community- Industry- Engagement: Forging Meaningful Partnerships across

ASEAN and Asia May 7- 9, 2012

Maximino Limioco Jr, SAMMACA Philip Tuao, Ateneo de Manila University

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Lambatan project

Service learning at the Ateneo de Manila

Economics 177 service learning course

Lambatan project
Fisherfolk situation: Calatagan, Batangas Lambatan project Results and Impacts of the Lambatan project

Lessons learned in service learning

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Lambatan project

Overview of Economics 177: Theory and Practice of Social Development

Ateneo de Manila University

Privately-run teaching and research university founded in 1859 by

the Society of Jesus, a Roman Catholic priestly order Linkages with non-government organizations and communities have been in place since the 1970s Has a strong social orientation/ community linkages tradition:
Presence of social development units within the university Presence of extension units within the tertiary education level Integrated non-academic formation program for tertiary level students Presence of many student organizations undertaking voluntary work

Various modes of service learning/ extension

work: extra-curricular, co-curricular, curricular

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Lambatan project

In the Economics Department, a course introduced entitled Theory and Practice of Social Development or Economics 177 in SY 1975- 1976 as an optional interdisciplinary course to provide concepts on social analysis taught under Fr. Noel Vasquez, SJ
In 1983, it became a required course for economics students for community exposure and immersion, which aimed to provide a more practical orientation to development and inculcate common understanding on poverty problems; but later became a course for applying economic tools in project development

Rev. Noel Vasquez SJ Former SJ Provincial Superior and Province Treasurer

Source: Bacnotan Industries The output of students groups in the Economics 177 subject has provided support to the development work made by more than a hundred host communities and institutions, including

Developing a livelihood project for prisoners at the National Penitentiary was a finalist in the Manila round of the World Banks Development Marketplace competition in 2003 Rural development projects have received financial assistance from government departments, and private sector funding agencies.
Lambatan project 4

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Overview of Economics 177: Theory and Practice of Social Development


Type

Typology of service learning projects under the Economics 177 course:

Skill required
Data-gathering, data analysis Criteria to assess alternatives, logframe

Examples
Profile of indigenous peoples communities; Profile of urban poor areas

Impact/ Use
identify possible project interventions useful for community Translation into proposal for grant, loan funding Realignment of project funds to more successful components; Project replication

Community Profile Write-up Development of project intervention Project evaluation/ assessment

Water system in fisherfolk area; Aeta community farm; Fishnet project in fisherfolk community Cost-benefit analysis, Assessment of foreign funded Project M&E; Social assisted livelihood projects for return on investment indigenous peoples group; assessment Evaluation of social enterprise activities
Lambatan project

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Barangay Uno (loosely translated as First Village) is located in Calatagan municipality, Batangas province, around 60- 70 kilometers from Metro Manila Calatagan, Batangas:
Situated in open sea (West Philippine

Sea)

Low per capita income; 40 percent

poverty incidence (2003 est.)

Calatagan

Poor ecological conditions Mainly fishing oriented industry with

income supplemented from sugar farming; 213 MT/ year fish catch; very little tourism Mostly makeshift housing
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Source. en.wikipedia.org

Overview of Economics 177: Theory and Practice of Social Development

Barangay Uno Mainly a fishing village with a few seaside resorts located in the area; majority of heads of households are artisanal fisherfolk using very simple techniques, few commercial fisherfolk Sources of income variability: climate changes, variability in fish prices While village is located near a national highway, road infrastructure to residential seaside areas are very poor Problems in terms of human development: low educational achievement, lack of health and water facilities

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In the 1992, the Center for Extension Research and Development, helped organize a local organization, the Samahan ng Maliliit na Mangingisda sa Calatagan (Organization of Small Fisherfolk in Calatagan) or SAMMACA was organized Ateneo students partnered with SAMMACA for student immersions since mid 1990s
Lambatan project 7

In 2006, leaders of SAMMACAs chapter in the Barangay Uno, SMBB1, requested Ateneo economics majors in the Economics 177 class to undertake a feasibility plan in developing a livelihood project for the community Two batches of students undertook studies to identify community skills to pinpoint the specific livelihood alternatives for the community, and a feasibility analysis to analyze the practicality of undertaking a lambatan (fishing net) livelihood in the community Objectives of the lambatan project:

Reduce the cost of purchasing finished nets, which on the average costs Php 660 (USD 15) every three or four months Provide a supplemental income for fisherfolk households in Barangay Uno, for which many of the fisherfolk are skilled
Lambatan project 8

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Overview of Economics 177: Theory and Practice of Social Development

Terms of operations
Financing for the lambatan project was received from a university disaster

organization, an American university immersion project and from a local environmental NGO Fisherfolk nets were sold to both organization members and non-members Profits were distributed to village organization operations and officers honoraria, patronage refund, municipal organization, capital build-up, workers honoraria

Results
Total sales for 2009 and 2010 reached around Php 200,000 and Php 95,000,

respectively; total profits for 2009 and 2010 reached Php 30,000 and Php 15,000; margins are around 15- 16 percent Reduced price of lambatan from 660 pesos to 500 pesos every 3 months Increased daily catch from 5 to 8 kilos per day Funds were used for coastal watch seminars for fisherfolk, organizing activities in the community; helped in further consolidating organization Project has enabled organization to provide fishing nets for families of distressed members
Lambatan project 9

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Maximinio Limioco and the supplies for the lambatan project (at left)

Finished lambat (at right)

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Lambatan project

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Overview of Economics 177: Theory and Practice of Social Development

Impact:
Fisherfolk have escaped from debt Build-up of personal and community savings Increase in self-confidence

Issues in the enterprise:

Organization vs. cooperative enterprise Collectibles from members Expansion into different villages Increased competition from other microfinance schemes

Next steps:
Formal registration of the enterprise Demand study for expansion of operations Linking social engagement with political engagement

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Assisting community organizations in local projects can help students enhance their knowledge in social development and project formation Students can provide a valuable resource for community organizations in project development In order to sustain intervention, a regular/ permanent partnership should be created between students and community; teachers and community facilitators can provide the institutional memory for developing the project Appropriate resources and tools should be provided to both community leaders and students for deepening their partnership in social development Not one single academic discipline can help solve a communitys problems, other disciplines (management, political science) can help

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Overview of Economics 177: Theory and Practice of Social Development