IN FOCUS: Aparicio ARBs MPC

The Convergence of Vision and Action

Aparicio Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Multi-Purpose Cooperative traces its organization during the time when insurgency was at its peak. Before Ibajay Upland was launched as an Agrarian Reform Community (ARC) in 1999, the place was categorized as timberland and remote. Being distant and inaccessible, the area has become a breeding ground of the insurgency movement. Government projects and programs hardly reached the place.

It was in 1997 when the 6^th Infantry Battalion, assigned in the upland barangays of Ibajay, Aklan, organized the Aparicio ARBs MPC. Sagip Bukid, a non-government organization, later assisted the cooperative. When Ibajay Upland ARC was launched in 1999, it became the people’s organization by the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) and other government agencies such as the Department of Agriculture (DA), Fiber Industry Development Authority (FIDA) and Department of Trade and Industry.

Aparicio ARBs MPC was registered with the Cooperative Development Authority (CDA) in October 1997 initially with (15) fifteen members. The coop had a capital build-up of P7,500.00 to start their consumer store. From then on, the cooperative has developed into an established and well-managed organization that records 206 members to date and engages in lending, food catering, rice production/ trading and copra trading.

With the support services of the Department of Trade and Industry Region (DTI) and the Cottage Industry Technology Center (CITC), the cooperative has a newly constructed Production Center and is now into abaca twining and sinamay weaving.

The opportunities and grants received by the cooperative emphasize its role in sharing their livelihood projects as well as supporting the neighboring barangays in the municipality. Such support may be in the form of backward linkages for labor and raw material sourcing. Being a member of KALAHI Rebel Returnees, the responsibility of the cooperative in broadening the scope of income generating activities in nearby areas/ barangays takes on a nationalistic significance.

The continuous development of Aparicio ARBs MPC and Brgy. Aparicio over the years reflect the collaborative efforts and vision of government line agencies and the beneficiaries to improve life at the grass roots level. It is remarkable to note that the once depressed and isolated place is now geared towards worker skills empowerment, trade and business to become a significant contributor for economic development.