CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – (update) The Mainaga Farmers Organization received a unit of 95 Hp four-wheel-drive Farm Tractor with disc plow and trailing harrow from the Department of Agriculture Region 10 which was facilitated by the 8th Infantry Battalion and Local Government Unit of Cabanglasan at Sitio Mainaga, Barangay Iba, Cabanglasan, Bukidnon, on Monday.
To recall, Sitio Mainaga of Barangay Iba was infiltrated by the New People’s Army (NPA) and the government conducted the Army Community Support Program (CSP), a peaceful approach to address the insurgency problem in the area.
The Army Teams immersed and lived with the people to gather issues used by the NPA organizers to recruit and mobilized the masses to act against the government.
One of the organization that the NPA assembled was the creation of Mainaga Farmers Association.
The brainwashing dialogues of the terrorist group prompted these farmers to stage rallies.
The NPAs forced poor farmers to believe in the idealism that the government has left them out and did not deliver just and basic services for them.
After the CPS, army teams brought the issue to the Department of Agriculture and invited them to answer all queries of the farmers.
Eventually, the farmers were enlightened by the truth and compelled to withdraw their membership and support to the New People’s Army on October 2, 2018.
To date, the 8th Infantry Battalion did not halt the support to the Farmers Organization and has proposed a tractor unit intended for group at Sitio Mainaga.
The proposal was adopted by the DA-10 and later donated a model of KUBOTA M9541 Tractor to the unit.
It was immediately transported to Barangay Mainaga on June 15, 2019, and formally turned-over to the Mainaga Farmer Organization today witnessed by the Barangay Officials of Iba, Cabanglasan LGU, PNP, and the Army.
In an a translated interview to the Farmers Organization President, he said, “I am thankful to the CSP Teams of 8th IB who were assigned here that they guided us on what to do to make our organization legal.”
Mr. Robert Cabana expressed that the tractor will help improve their farming.
“The army troopers lived with us and we realized that if we continue our support to the NPA, we are destroying our children future.” said Mr. Lunie Licunan, the sitio leader said during the program.
“If ever the NPA will come back, I will be the one to destroy them before I die.” He added.
Lieutenant Colonel Ronald Illana, the Commanding Officer of the 8th Infantry Battalion, 4th Infantry Division, Philippine Army said that they did their best to acquire a unit of tractor from the Department of Agriculture 10.
Illana noted that they coordinated to the mayor’s office for availability of fuel and to be formally given to the organization.
“We really want to help and let you feel that we have our government, your 8IB Army will not end here but this is just the beginning.” He ended. (1Lt Cabbigat)
