Bansalan is a second class municipality located some 72 kilometers south of Davao City. The most recent statistics pegged the population at 51,781 with 11,073 households. Aside from the stay-at-home population, Bansalan also has its share of residents who have moved out of the community. There are no data on the exact number of Bansaleños who migrated and the amount of remittances they send back home. Thus, it is not possible to measure the impact of their contributions to the development of Bansalan. Recently, Bansaleños from different parts of the globe and the Philippines formed the Association of Bansaleños Worldwide (ABW) to give something back to the hometown that nurtured us in our formative years.
The ABW is a virtual community composed of former residents of Bansalan, Davao del Sur now living in other countries or in other parts of the Philippines. ABW started in cyberspace with a simple website (http://www.bansalan.com), created by Edwin Bibera, a Bansaleño based in Fullerton, California. Little did he know that the site, which was created as an Internet class project, would attract the attention of Bansaleños worldwide. Word-of-mouth about the website's existence triggered a snowball effect, connecting Bansaleños based in the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia and Asia. Classmates were reconnected, friends were reacquainted, and Bansaleños who used to be strangers to each other were introduced. These connections paved the way to rekindle kinship and camaraderie, which materialized into various reunions held in the US and Europe.
The Challenge of Community Building
Out of this loosely-knit bunch of Bansaleños scattered all over the world, the ABW was born. Through e-mail exchanges, they mapped-out their mission and vision, formulated strategies and activities, and set the association's vision, hopes, and dreams for a better Bansalan. ABW aims to unite Bansaleños around the world and support the advancement of the quality of lives of the people of Bansalan by initiating and supporting sustainable projects intended to spur a vibrant economy, to promote a healthy environment and ultimately, to foster social equity.
The ABW members have different professional backgrounds and are engaged in different types of jobs. ABW has about ninety members – http://www.bansalan.com/members.htm - who presently reside in different states in USA, Canada, Germany, UK, The Netherlands, Switzerland, Australia, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Japan, Singapore, and different cities in the Philippines. The Board is composed of 6 people and 10 others representing geographical locations (Europe, USA, Canada, Australia, Asia, Philippines, USA (East Coast, West Coast, Midwest, and Southwest). In the process of planning and implementing projects, they were able to discover untapped talents, hobbies and interests. They found out that they have excellent fund raisers and event organizers in their midst. All these skills proved to be useful in their campaigns.
Being a virtual community, coordinating with members residing in four continents is not easy, especially when projects are implemented from a distance. Face-to-face meetings are not possible, therefore all communications are done through e-mail messages. The elected officers, acting as a virtual team, are based in different countries and in different time zones. It was extremely difficult for them to decide where to register ABW as a foundation or a non-governmental organization. One solution was to add a discussion forum in the ABW website, where members can post messages and interact with each other. The group also realized that there was a need to have a local counterpart, which will manage their various projects and to have its own bank account where they can send their contributions to.
Faced with these constraints, ABW International decided in 2006 to register ABW Bansalan Chapter with the Philippine Securities and Exchange Commission. The local chapter, thus, acts as the implementing arm of ABW International. The officers of ABW Bansalan identify and recommend poor but deserving pupils who will receive the educational fund, monitor the progress of the children, and send a report at every end of the school year to ABW International. After the report has been approved by the board, it is posted on the website to inform the general membership on how the funds were allocated.
The website and the Internet are extremely important for ABW to maintain close contacts with the members and to assume accountability for the projects. They do not only discuss about projects but they also share news they receive from home, and announce social events and life cycle transitions, such as births, weddings and deaths of family members. The website became the hub where transnational networks like ABW bridge distances to generate new ideas, support each other and strengthen their ties.
Helping the Local Economy
Long before the ABW launched its various "Give Back Campaigns," several members were already involved in various family and community projects. Through regular e-mail contacts, more stories about examples of migrant giving were gathered.
Those working abroad have been known to use a portion of their remittances to improve the economic condition of their families. Thanks to the "start-up capital" from relatives abroad, new small businesses (restaurants, photo services, small printing shops, bakeries, grocery stores, and transportations, among others) have been set up, which stimulated local economic activities and created jobs in the town. A case in point is a small enclave in Bansalan, where row of well-appointed houses was built from the money sent to their families by Bansaleños working in Japan. In building the houses, temporary jobs were created for local carpenters and laborers.
Beyond helping their families, there are also many examples of Bansaleños contributing to uplift the well-being of their townmates. Member Jean Metilla from Germany built from her own money a kindergarten school for poor children located in a piece of land she donated. She sends money regularly to pay for the salaries of the teachers and for the maintenance of the school. The pupils attend classes without paying any school fees. She also spearheads the ABW annual free clinic consultations and distributes medicines which she and her cousin Cherfield Metilla (now living in Australia) collect from various donors. Jean is also an investor. She just opened a store in Bansalan. Others like the Niques (Jane, Ann, and Jeffrey) and Florence Dacanay, all based in New York, pooled their resources together to support 20 pupils in their own barangay (village). Tune Sonza Inumerable made a yearly pledge to help the education of 15 pupils in the barangay where she came from. Migrants have also contributed to some renovation projects of community facilities. For instance, the list of donors who contributed to the renovation of the church in the capital includes many names of families who have relatives overseas.
The aforementioned examples suggest that Bansaleños are not different from African, Latino and other Asian migrants who form hometown associations to help their communities of origin. Although they have left, they are still very much part of the community. They also want to share the blessings they enjoy with those whom they left behind. Perhaps, some unconsciously give back because they might return to the place one day. Whatever their motives, Bansaleños are making a difference but not without reason. The formation of ABW was instrumental in moving towards more collective giving and more concerted efforts in supporting community projects.
The first ABW project was the "Give Back Campaign: Renovate ABC Gym Project" which was initiated in 2006. In less than a month, the group raised PHP155,212.00, which was almost eight times more than the amount originally proposed. The members agreed to embark on this project because the ABC Gym has a sentimental value for them. Before the project was implemented, ABW sought the cooperation of the municipal government unit by asking them to provide the labor while ABW members would provide the materials needed. A memorandum of agreement was signed and the project was successfully implemented.
Aside from renovating the gym, the ABW also decided to conduct an annual fund-raising drive to support the education of poor but deserving children in Bansalan. In 2007, its "Give Back: Literacy Project" raised almost PHP200,000, which supported the education of 73 elementary school pupils for school year 2007-2008. The ABW also succeeded in partnering with Damayan, a Filipino migrant organization based in the Netherlands, and together they raised funds for the literacy project which enabled them to secure matching funds from Wilde Ganzen, a Dutch development agency. Wilde Ganzen (Wild Geese Foundation) gives premium equivalent to 70% of the money raised by ABW after deducting 9 per cent of the gross amount raised as administration cost. This program started since last year. In school year 2008-2009, ABW was able to raise Euro 4,964.34 including the 70 per cent premium from the Wilde Ganzen.
Some Milestones and Future Plans
In December 2007, ABW organized its first Grand Reunion attended by about 50 Bansaleños and their families and friends from various countries. Aside from the reunion, they also organized free medical and dental clinics, distributed books, conducted ikebana and bonsai workshops, and sponsored Cebuano Christmas carols contest (to revive the traditional practice in Bansalan).
To raise funds for the literacy project, members sold raffle tickets, with the prizes donated by the ABW members. Suggestions on what activities would be conducted during the reunion were discussed through e-mail exchanges, but the actual work was only done two weeks before the event. Despite the short preparation, all of the activities were successfully conducted. This positive experience encouraged and motivated ABW members to continue with their work.
The reunion and other activities were fully supported by the town mayor, the members of Sangguniang Panglungsod (City Advisory Council), and the local volunteers. Edwin Reyes, the new town mayor, was quick to realize the vast potentials of Bansaleños in supporting the development of the town. He presented the development plan of Bansalan which includes the development and promotion of eco-tourism and marketing of locally-based products like organic coconut sugar. He believes that the Bansaleños can play an important role particularly in promoting Bansalan as an eco-tourism destination and as a center for marketing products. He also noted that during the brief period in December, revenues in the town noticeably increased and this contributed hugely to the town's economy.
Mayor Reyes encouraged the ABW to support the plans of the town and the ABW agreed to help spur development in the community. However, the ABW expects the local government will take the lead and show commitment to realize the goals. The ABW members are willing to support but they still believe that it is the primary task of the local government to initiate any development plan. Gradually, the ABW is starting to influence policy in the town, though not yet in a systematic manner nor targeting larger issues. Political discussions, such as during election time, are more limited to knowing who the candidates are, but campaigning openly for particular candidates has yet to happen. Bansalan is a small town and everybody knows everyone. The ABW members tend to be on the neutral side. Whether this position will change in due time remains to be seen.
Compared to Mexican hometown associations like the Federacion Zacatecanos del Sur de California, the ABW is relatively new. Due to diverse locations of its members and limitations to conduct face-to-face meetings, organizational issues and concerns are not thoroughly and openly discussed. Making choices of what project to support is not easy either and this often leads to choosing the easiest project to manage, like the financial literacy project. Embarking on larger projects such as income-generating projects are more complex and still need confidence-building among the members. There is also a lack of available responsible and qualified people on the ground who can manage these projects. Since all members of the ABW – both international and local – work on a voluntary basis, the idea of launching larger productive projects is not easy and will not be feasible on a short term basis.
However, it is possible to encourage individual enterprising Bansaleños to invest in Bansalan and to let these investments be managed by their families or other reliable and qualified people. Some have actually tried to support their families by financing livelihood activities, but not all became successful. The lack of skills and knowledge in managing business is the main cause of the failure. For instance, the ABW members have already discussed the possibility of pooling their resources to invest in Bansalan, such as building a lodging house since there is no hotel in the area, but it is difficult to reach into consensus. They also cannot find people who are qualified and capable to manage the project on their behalf. Moreover, the lodging house project is only viable if the identified eco-tourism destination is already developed and infrastructures are in place to ensure the success of the project. The mayor of the town is looking into opening a new trail to Mt. Apo - Bansalan is located at the rolling foothills of the country's highest peak.
The questions that the association are now grappling with touch on the challenges of how local, regional and national governments, as well as development organizations can help create an enabling environment for migrants and hometown associations to maximize the benefits of their remittances and philanthropic activities.
Harnessing the Development Potentials of Hometown Associations
Like millions of Filipinos in diaspora, Bansaleños also regularly send money to their families. According to the report, Migration and Remittances Factbook 2008 (World Bank, 2008), remittance flows to developing countries in 2007 were estimated at US$318 billion, of which US$240 billion went to developing countries. These flows, which do not include money sent through informal channels, are now estimated as twice as the foreign direct investment (FDI) and three times the official development aid (ODA), which stood at US$104 billion in 2006. The World Bank (2008) estimates that in 2007, remittances from overseas Filipinos to the Philippines reached about US$17 billion, making the Philippines the fourth top recipient of migrant remittances after India ($27 billion), China ($25.7 billion), and Mexico ($25 billion). Migrant remittances are now considered as a new form of development aid and the lifeline of millions of poor families, most of them living in the rural areas. However, despite the enormous potentials for development, remittances should not be taken as substitute to development aid.
Critics argue that 80 percent of the money sent by migrants to their families are spent on consumption such as food, clothing, and housing and therefore, they are unproductive. Furthermore, remittances do not contribute to the economy at the macro level. Critics also say that remittances hardly contribute to sustainable development. Again, this conclusion is based on a myopic analysis. Remittances are small amounts of money ranging from US$200-300 sent by migrants to their families every month. Considering the high costs of commodities and expensive education and the appreciation of the Philippine peso, surely it is not realistic to expect that families will still have money left over for direct large investments and productive activities.
However, since the money is spent on food, clothing, shelter and education, they contribute to the local and national economy. Food and garment industries thrive because migrants' families continue to buy their products. Building houses creates jobs for carpenters and provide business for construction companies. Schools continue to operate because children of overseas Filipinos can go to school.
These critics fail to see beyond the statistics to appreciate the considerable impact of remittances in improving the quality of life of the poor. There is also evidence to show that aside from direct financial support to their families, migrants also send remittances to support projects that fall into four main categories: charity, infrastructure, human development and investment.
In my view, remittances have a direct impact on the lives of Filipino families. For example, if the 8 million overseas Filipinos were to use part of their remittances to send children to school, at one each child, this translates to 8 million children attending school without relying on the government or development aid. Even if we cut the figure into half, at least 4 million children or young people are able to go to school in the Philippines with the help of remittances. Migrants' families spend a large chunk of the money they receive for food. Millions of families including those in rural areas have food on the table because of remittances. These examples are evidence that migration can contribute to the development of their countries of origin and in achieving the targets of Millennium Development Goals.
To maximize the benefits of remittances and to involve hometown associations in development, there is a need to reduce the high cost of remittance transfer, promote financial literacy, link remittances with microfinance, promote the capacity building of hometown associations, and encourage more productive or developmental uses of remittances such as partnering with microfinance institutions. Likewise, hometown associations must work in tandem with international organizations, governments and the private sector to increase the worth value of their development projects, and forge strategic trade alliances. These are recommendations which policy makers in the Philippines should seriously address with sound policy interventions.
Capturing a share of remittances for development needs transparent and coherent policies, relevant enabling environment, and full recognition and appreciation of the positive contributions of migrants to the development of their countries of origin. Non-government organizations, other development-oriented institutions and the Philippine government should act as environment enablers and should broaden their interest in emigrants beyond remittances by tapping the skills and knowledge of migrants in the field of development and treating them as equal partners. Donor organizations should consider providing seed money, technological assistance and logistical support to build and strengthen diaspora networks that have strong developmental potentials. Equally important is addressing the social costs of migration.
There is a need for hometown associations like the ABW to translate their genuine concern to strategic plans. Capacity building, awareness raising, financial literacy and financial inclusion of migrants and their families are needed. For the time being, raising the organizational capacities to a higher level will be a great challenge. How can the organization be strengthened with membership scattered in different continents and the only medium of communication is through the Internet?
Finally, I would like to conclude that looking back to one’s roots runs deep among overseas Filipinos. Bibera, who maintains the website of ABW during his free time, wrote: "So many memories and some of them pass to oblivion. But in retrospect, I didn't really regret living in Bansalan. In fact, I love it there. Like a tree which roots are firmly grounded in that old town, my travels were like branching out to reach new heights: to see more of the world. But it seems like I never left at all. I am always home." It is a sentiment that is shared by other Bansaleños; more importantly, it is a sentiment that has motivated them to give back. Some questions, however, are worth considering, especially if we think over the long term. How do we transform (and sustain) nostalgic sentiments into strategic development plans? How do we transform dreams into concrete actions? ABW has a long way to go in understanding that, in order to contribute to the development of their hometown, they need to broaden their development goals and collaborative support from other stakeholders.
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Leila Rispens-Noel is the president of the Association of Bansaleños Worldwide. Her services to the association are on a voluntary basis. She is based in the Netherlands and works as a program officer of Oxfam Novib, a Dutch development agency. Her interests are in the areas of microfinance, remittances, migration and development.
Reference
World Bank
2008 Migration and Remittances Factbook 2008. Compiled by Dilip Ratha and Zhimei
Xu. Washington, DC: World Bank Publications. Available also in http://www.worldbank.org /prospects/Migrationandremittances.
2007 Sending Money Home: Worldwide Remittance Flows to Developing Countries.
IFAD, 2007. Available also in http://www.ifad.org/events/remittances/maps/index.htm
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