ZAMBOANGA DEL SUR — The long-held dream of the Subanen Indigenous Cultural Community is finally breaking ground—literally. Under a steady downpour that turned the earth to mud but not the spirits of those present, the ceremonial launch of the Improvement/Concreting of the Junction Brgy. Tamurayan to Brgy. Macasing Farm-to-Market Road was held on June 30, 2025, in the Ancestral Domain of Dumingag, Zamboanga del Sur.
The subproject, officially titled “Improvement/Concreting of Junction Tamurayan to Macasing Farm-to-Market Road” (Subproject ID: MIADP-IN-R009-ZDS-AD-DUM-FRD-0003), is a 1.48-kilometer rural access road with a width of 4 meters. It spans two barangays—Tamurayan and Macasing—and is expected to benefit six barangays in total, supporting 948 households and over 3,600 residents, including 2,498 Indigenous Peoples, primarily from the Subanen tribe. The total project cost is estimated at Php 25.3 million, with funding support from the World Bank, the Philippine Government, and the Local Government of Zamboanga del Sur and Dumingag.
The path to this groundbreaking was paved by a series of collaborative milestones—from the participatory development of the Ancestral Domain Agricultural Implementation Framework (ADAIF), site validation, and joint technical reviews, to the Regional Project Advisory Board’s approval in December 2024 and the signing of the Implementation Management Agreement last February 6, 2025.
And now, the implementation officially begins.
The ceremony gathered dignitaries and stakeholders who have long worked toward this vision: the Subanen Indigenous Political Structure led by Timuay Eddie Rossing, the Provincial Government of Zamboanga del Sur led by Governor Victor J. Yu and Congresswoman Divina Grace C. Yu, the Municipal Government of Dumingag under Mayor Gerry T. Paglinawan, and the DA-MIADP Regional Project Coordination Office IX headed by Regional Executive Director and Project Director Engr. Marcos C. Aves Sr., along with Deputy Project Director Maria Gemma S. Genaldo, and the DA-MIADP Project Support Office.
Despite the heavy rain and the muddy terrain—an ironic yet poetic reminder of the Subanen community’s everyday struggle with poor roads—the event pressed on. The rain did little to dampen the hope of those gathered. In fact, it only highlighted the urgency and necessity of the infrastructure.
“𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙢𝙪𝙙𝙙𝙮 𝙧𝙤𝙖𝙙 𝙞𝙨 𝙚𝙭𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙡𝙮 𝙬𝙝𝙮 𝙬𝙚 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚,” said Timuay Eddie Rossing, Tribal Chieftain of the Subanen Indigenous Political Structure, during his heartfelt message. “𝙁𝙤𝙧 𝙮𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙨, 𝙬𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙜𝙜𝙡𝙚𝙙—𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙙𝙧𝙚𝙣 𝙜𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙘𝙝𝙤𝙤𝙡 𝙞𝙣 𝙨𝙡𝙞𝙥𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙪𝙙, 𝙛𝙖𝙧𝙢𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙮𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙫𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝 𝙨𝙡𝙞𝙥𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙡𝙨. 𝙏𝙤𝙙𝙖𝙮, 𝙬𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙜𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙤 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮.”
Timuay Rossing underscored the transformative impact the road will bring—not just to ease the transport of agricultural goods like corn, coconut, and rice, but to improve access to education, healthcare, and opportunity for the entire community. “𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙧𝙤𝙖𝙙 𝙞𝙨 𝙖 𝙧𝙤𝙖𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙠𝙚𝙩, 𝙮𝙚𝙨—𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙖𝙡𝙨𝙤 𝙖 𝙧𝙤𝙖𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙘𝙝𝙤𝙤𝙡, 𝙩𝙤 𝙙𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙢𝙨, 𝙩𝙤 𝙖 𝙗𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚,” he added.
The groundbreaking ceremony included the unveiling of the project billboard and the symbolic lowering of the capsule, marking the official commencement of construction. These acts symbolize not only infrastructure development but also the affirmation of inclusive growth and ancestral domain recognition.
The road project falls under the Mindanao Inclusive Agriculture Development Project (MIADP) and is designed to improve the agricultural productivity and income of Indigenous Peoples through inclusive, climate-resilient, and culturally appropriate rural infrastructure.
With a Road Influence Area of 1,382.59 hectares and a Benefit-Cost Ratio of 1.61, the project is expected to generate a Net Present Value (NPV) of nearly Php 16.9 million and yield an Economic Internal Rate of Return (EIRR) of 18.6%—solid indicators that this investment will bring lasting value to the people it serves.
For the Subanen community, this road is more than a strip of concrete—it is a symbol of recognition, equity, and long-overdue inclusion. The groundbreaking is not just the beginning of construction, but a continuation of the community’s voice being heard, their traditions respected, and their future empowered.
In the words of one elder, “Kini nga kalsada dili lang para sa among mga yuta—para kini sa among kaugmaon.” (This road is not just for our land—it is for our future.)
As the rain lightened and the crowd dispersed, what remained was the strong imprint of unity, purpose, and hope—now etched not only in mud but in the foundations of a future being built, one kilometer at a time.
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