Tag Archives: Eastern Mindanao

A Multi-Purpose Survey of Four Fishing Villages in Eastern Mindanao

The Eastern Mindanao Research Consortium (EMARC) which composed of four social  research centers (Ateneo de Davao University, Holy Cross of Digos, Notre Dame of Cotabato City, and Urios College of Butuan City) has completed the first phase of its poverty survey of four fishing communities in eastern Mindanao. The focus on fishermen and fishing villages appeared as a research imperative since fishermen are often alluded to as “the poorest of the poor” in many poverty studies. Each of the EMARC members selected one research site in its locality in which the survey was conducted.

The multi-purpose study was primarily undertaken for the purpose of providing information which will hopefully help in the formulation of policies and programs that will improve the living conditions of fishermen; and secondly, for the purpose of generating hypothesis as to why fishermen are poor and remain so. More specifically, the survey intended to:

1. present a socioeconomic profile of coastal households;
2. describe economic activities related to fishing communities;
3. determine fishermen’s participation and attitudes towards existing organizations;
4. determine their attitudes and perceptions towards government-assisted programs; and
5. describe their perception of poverty, aspirations, needs, and sentiments.

The single research design divided the work into three phases:

I. preliminary survey of the fishing communities;
II. final selection of four fishing communities, pretesting instruments, immersion activities, and community survey;
III. mapping/household listing activities, selection of sample households, interviews.

Household listing and mapping activities were undertaken simultaneously for one week. The listing generated 150 eligible respondents for the study and 100 fishermen-respondents were randomly chosen from the list. Substitute respondents equal to ten percent of the sample were likewise chosen.

Eastern Mindanao Area Research Consortium (EMARC)

Annual Report: 1982  

The Eastern Mindanao Area Research Consortium (EMARC) was formally  established on 8 January 1982 upon the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement between the Philippine Social Science Council (PSSC) and four Mindanao-based academic institutions Ateneo de Davao University, (Davao City), Holy Cross College of Digos (Davao del Sur) Notre Dame University (Cotabato city), and Urios College (Butuan City). Fr.  Arong (President of Notre Dame University) was elected Chairman of the EMARC Governing Body, with Ms. Teresita N. Angeles (Director of the Social Research Office of the Ateneo de Davao University) as EMARC Coordinator. In June 1982, Fr. Emeterio Barcelon (President of Ateneo de Davao University) was elected Chairman in lieu of Fr.  Arong whose term of office as university president has expired.

      It has since pursued a range of research-related activities  in its efforts to promote local expertise in conducting socioeconomic and cultural researches relevant to the development needs of the region. Such areas of mutual cooperation and assistance among the consortium-members include designing and conducting a joint research project on poverty, participating  in various training workshops conducted during the research project, and designing a graduate-program in applied social research for faculty and staff development.

EMARC Research Project

     The initial research project addressees itself to rural poverty and id entitled “A Multi-purpose Study of Fishing Villages in Eastern Mindanao.” It focuses on the socio-psychological and economic realities confronting 400 fishermen households located in four fishing villages.
The survey report contains the individual profiles of the four fishing villages, and covers such variables as household characteristics, fishing activities, awareness and attitude toward government assistance, organizational participation and fishermen’s needs, aspirations and perceptions. A final section integrating the individual profile has similarly been prepared.
The results of this initial research project will be presented in a multi-sectoral conference to be held in May at the new PSSC Center in Quezon City, along with the two other PSSC initiated research consortia will similarly be presenting their respective poverty researches.
Tentative plans for the second EMARC research project consist of secondary research utilizing the existing data set on fishing villages. These will hopefully result in a series of research papers developed from the initial study. Research participants may include both the members of the Research Committee and the grantees of the ongoing EMARC faculty development program.

Training Program

Training workshops and meetings were likewise held during the year relative to the research project on fishing villages. These ranged from developing an integrated research design for the four study-sites, a structured household interview schedule, requirements for computer-processing, data-analysis, interpretation, and report writing. Attended by the members of the EMARC research team during the various phases of the study, the workshops were held in Davao City, Digos (Davao del Sur), Cotabato City, Butuan City and in UP Los Banos. The PSSC-EMARC consultants (Dr. Ricardo Abad, Dr. Vicente Pangueo, and Dr. Henry Magalit) provided the necessary technical assistance in directing specific phases of the study. As an expressed need by the research team, a workshop on “Index-Construction” by mid-1983 has been proposed by Dr. Ricardo Abad.

Faculty Development Program

The consortium has likewise embarked on a faculty development program as its own contribution to the national goals of human resources development which is relevant and specific to Mindanao. It consists of a two-year series of graduate courses offered for the degree “Master of Arts in Applied Social Research” (MASOR) with a final year for research practice in the home-institutions as the thesis requirement.
The initial courses offered consisted of “Theory Construction and A Review of Classical Sociological Theories” (MASOR 101) and “Communications and Motivations” (MASOR 102). Two faculty members from UP Los Banos (Dr. Jaime Valera and Dr. Pura Depositario) handled the courses during the initial two-week training period. Thirteen graduate students are currently participating in the EMARC_MASOR program, nine of whom are EMARC faculty-grantees. Appendix B contains the lists of participants. The second two week training period was scheduled for April 4-16, 1983 in Davao City. Two UPLB faculty (Dr. Leonardo Chua and Dr. Jaime Valera) were similarly  invited to handle the next two-courses “Social And Cultural Change” (MASOR 103) and “Sociology of Development” (MASOR 104), respectively. The third set of EMARC-MASOR courses involving “Social Research Design” (MASOR 105) and “Fundamental Statistics” (MASOR 106), was held in May. These were handled by Dr. Henry Magalit and Dr. Leonardo Chua of UP Los Banos. It is hoped that faculty resources of other academic institutions be harnessed  for the other EMARC-MASOR courses in the interest of providing the trainees a wide exposure in social science research expertise within the context of Philippine society.

Financial Status

To date, PSSC has released the total amount of P284,400.00 to the consortium. Given the activities mentioned earlier, a total of P191,530.91 has been disbursed. A detailed financial statement will subsequently be prepared by the Finance Department of the Ateneo de Davao University.