ACCELERATING RURAL DEVELOPMENT IN TAYABAS BAY COMMUNITIES: THE ROLE OF NONSTATE SECTORS

The rural municipalities of Sariaya, Tayabas and Pagbilao, Quezon are located along Tayabas Bay, which is a large bay in the Southern part of Luzon. The three municipalities are categorized as Class A municipalities, with regards to their population, land area and income. But the greater part of these municipalities is still within the rural area, where livelihood is in livestock production, farming and fishing. Particularly, these municipalities rely heavily on the agri-fishery sectors for their food consumption. However, the poverty incidence in these municipalities can be traced in the rural barangays where unequal access and distribution of resources are observed. Despite government efforts, rural development remains a challenge which requires the support of non-government sectors. The study aims to determine the development programs, supported and implemented by church-based and educational sectors in the three municipalities, particularly in the coastal areas where poverty incidence is tracked. Likewise, it intends to describe the impact of these programs to the development of these barangays, in terms of their ability to 1) meet their basic needs sustainably, 2) appreciate their sense of worth and self-respect, and 3) to remain free from servitude. Moreover, it seeks to understand how these non state organizations planned the development programs, or the motivations behind the project, and how are they able to coordinate and implement the programs, with or without the help of the local government units. The study is descriptive in design and will employ quantitative and qualitative approaches in gathering data. Prepared questionnaire will be answered by residents of coastal barangays of the three municipalities, while, representatives of non state organizations and the municipal planning and development officers will be interviewed. The gathered data will be interpreted using statistical treatment and coding process to arrive at an analysis of the impact of the development programs supported and implemented by non state organizations. The result will also be used as basis for recommending a policy to the local government units, with regards to coordination and partnership with non government organizations in development programs.