USM ESO Joins IP Greening Program, Signs MOU with ICON-SP

On the occasion of it’s 15th Anniversary, the Inter-Cultural Organizations’ Network for Solidarity and Peace (ICON-SP) signs its Memorandum of Understanding with the University of Southern Mindanao, in a bid to realize collaborative efforts towards sustainable development of their partner community. The event took place at the Caritas Kasunayan Village in San Vicente, Makilala, Cotabato on July 29, 2024, and was attended by ICON-SP Officials led by Executive Director Ms. Jocelyn Aquiatan as well as USM’s VP for Research Development and Extension Dr. Debbie Marie Verzosa and the Director of the Extension Services Office, Dr. Glyn Gabano-Magbanua.

The event kicked-off with Community Greening of the Caritas Kasunayan Village, followed by a program to introduce the USM and ICON-SP collaboration. The Caritas Kasunayan Community houses 94 families from various Indigenous Peoples’ Groups dominated by the Bagobo Tagabawa, rescued from various areas in the municipality of Makilala.  In their speeches, Directors Aquiatan and Magbanua challenged the Kasunayan Community, emphasizing the timeless value of partnership and the importance of cooperation in the development of a community. Moreover, Dr. Verzosa expressed wholehearted support to the partnership and assured the Kasunayan community of USM’s commitment to implementing a holistic and sustainable community engagement program. In the end, Bai Genibel P. Timpawa, the President of the Caritas Kasunayan Village and the Makilala Indigenous Peoples Agricultural Workers Community (MIPAWCA), expressed  gratitude that her fellow IPs who were once displaced from their ancestral domain, have been provided with a home and are now being recognized by the world.   In her speech Bai Mabel described her village in metaphors, equating Kasunayan with rest, food and peace.

The MOU signing was then followed by a Focus Group Discussion to triangulate the content of the Needs Assessment Report gathered during the round table discussion with ICON-SP and its sister organizations in June. The FGD was participated in by key officials of the village and of ICON-SP, selected College Extension Coordinators of the University of Southern Mindanao, and was facilitated by the ESO Director. During the discussion, village officials reiterated the need for sustainable livelihood programs, health and literacy education and conflict resolution initiatives. Bai Genibel Timpawa likewise lamented over the lack of efforts toward preserving their culture. She expressed concern over the aging bead makers and seamstresses as well as in losing their indigenous tongue. She also conveyed her hopes that the younger generation be capacitated on reading and writing in their indigenous language and that their cultural practices be documented. The USM team then agreed to incorporate the concerns into the Needs Assessment Report and to allocate resources to address them.

The event was capped off with a feeding program sponsored by other philanthropic organizations coordinated by ICON-SP, and a medical mission sponsored by the College of Health Sciences (CHS), USM.