MANILA, Philippines - Smart Communications Inc. (SMART) is expanding its support to the Dumagat community of Norzagaray, Bulacan by assisting the indigenous group in the establishment of the Norzagaray-Dumagat Multi-Purpose Cooperative.
Smart, in partnership with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) – Region 3, Maynilad Water Services Inc. (MWSI) and the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP), sponsored and coordinated a series of workshops and seminars early this year to help the Dumagat community at the Ipo Dam Watershed form a cooperative.
The cooperative is now formally registered with the Cooperative Development Authority (CDA).
Smart started working with the Dumagat community in 2008, when the PLDT Group identified the Ipo Dam Watershed as one of the beneficiary sites of a three-year tree planting program forged with Japan’s leading mobile communications company NTT Docomo, Inc.
Smart Public Affairs Community Partnerships senior manager Darwin Flores said that helping the Dumagats to create their own cooperative is also a practical move, considering that the company’s environment initiatives at the watershed are long-term. “By helping them, we also ensure sustainability of our program,” he said.
The Dumagats maintain a nursery, which provides the seedlings for the PLDT Group’s reforestation program at the Ipo Dam. They also look after the seedlings that have been planted by Smart employee-volunteers and partners in the area.
“What’s nice about the whole setup is that we not only contribute to the preservation of our watershed, we are also able to provide the Dumagat community an additional source of livelihood,” he said.
NCIP Community Development Officer Edith Ponce said that the creation of a cooperative will benefit the group in several ways. “For one, the Dumagats will further be united in pursuing their socio-economic well-being. The trainings will teach them to be organized so they can lead and manage their affairs. The cooperative also empowers the Dumagats to advocate for the recognition and protection of their rights as an indigenous group.”
The community continues to assist Smart in its tree planting efforts at the Ipo Dam, with about 49,500 trees planted to date.