Transporting their agricultural products from their hilly and mountainous area in Brgy. Pag-asa, Sablayan, Occidental Mindoro to the nearest access road is the major problem of the seven (7) Indigenous People (IP) tribes.
Their agricultural products were being transported using wagons pulled by carabaos, some carried it (two (2) to three (3) kilometers from their area) on their back by foot and some uses “balsa” when crossing the river. The transportation costs Php 20-30.00 per sack. Products were ultimately damaged upon reaching the market and only a small portion of it was sold.
“Mahirap pong mag-transfer ng produkto nila dahil napakalaki po nitong Amnay River. Yan po ay hindi kayang tawirin tuwing panahon ng tag-ulan kaya sobrang laking tulong po nitong tramline sa ating mga katutubo pati na rin sa mga taong gustong bumili ng produkto direkta sa kanila”, Brgy. Captain Juanito P. Esteban Jr. said.
But with the Agricultural Tramline System (ATS) that was turned-over on July 20, 2017 held at Sitio Mayba in their barangay, their products will be transported in the fastest and safest way while maintaining its good quality.
It spans a 1.2 kilometers in length dedicated to Samahan ng mga Katutubong Magsasaka from Sitio Mayba, Sitio Melsaygen and Sitio Makatulyo. This will help them transport their agricultural products like banana, ginger and other high value crops products from their Sitios to Amnay Bridge.
The ATS can carry a 350 kilograms farm inputs. The hauling time was reduced from 2-3 hours to 10 minutes from tower 1 to tower 2.
“…napakalaking tulong nitong tramline sa mga kapatid nating mga katutubo. Nagpapasalamat ako sa Department of Agriculture sa pagtugon sa kanilang pangangailangan, maibaba nila ng mabilis ang kanilang produkto ”, Mayor Eduardo Gadiano expressed.
The ATS was funded by HCVD Program worth Php 4,855,029.51
The Department of Agriculture – MiMaRoPa Region spearheaded by the Operations Chief, Ronie F. Panoy, and Corazon Sinnung, HVCDP Focal Person lead the turn-over ceremony and blessing of the hauling facility along with the Local Government Unit (LGU) of Sablayan headed by Eduardo Gadiano, Municipal Mayor, and other LGU officials.
