KKFI was registered with the SEC September 6, 2006. Its Chairperson is Joaquina Lanaban-Pondoc while the Executive Director is Lito Sayman, a full blood Mandaya from Baganga, who earned a degree in Agriculture at the Xavier University of Cagayan de Oro City.
KKFI's approach is premised on the philosophy that resource development and management must start with the residents themselves. According to Lito, the only way to development is for the people to use their resources to the fullest, no need for an outsider to invest in their town because the people themselves are capable of investing.
KKFI has started with Baganga, a town in Davao Oriental which has 35,000 hectares planted with coconut owned by various families. Lito said that he started convincing people to invest in their town by presenting to them some statistics on the copra industry. If Baganga has 35,000 hectares of its land planted with coconut, she will yield 17,000 kilos of copra per quarter since each hectare produces an average of 500 kilos in a quarter. At the current price of P22 per kilo, Baganga will have earned PhP385,000,000 in a quarter or PhP1,540,000,000 in a year. Now, an oil mill needs an investment of PhP10 million. If each of the 43,122 residents, including babies, will invest PhP280.00, out of the family's earning from the copra, it will take only one or two years' produce of copra for Baganga to become the next oil producing town in the country.
MariaLinda's take on the matter:
This is on the premise that the residents have earned from the harvest. Most tenants will earn just enough to get them by for the next quarter, after paying debts incurred the previous quarter. KKFI's organizing must also take into consideration the challenge that not all families in Baganga own a piece of land but that big chunks of land are owned by only a few families. Will these families subsidize the poor landless families? If so, they will own the biggest shares in the company which will lodge in them the decision-making power of the company. KKFI must be vigilant that it will not fall into the trap of becoming instruments in marginalizing the marginalized.
KKFI's approach is premised on the philosophy that resource development and management must start with the residents themselves. According to Lito, the only way to development is for the people to use their resources to the fullest, no need for an outsider to invest in their town because the people themselves are capable of investing.
KKFI has started with Baganga, a town in Davao Oriental which has 35,000 hectares planted with coconut owned by various families. Lito said that he started convincing people to invest in their town by presenting to them some statistics on the copra industry. If Baganga has 35,000 hectares of its land planted with coconut, she will yield 17,000 kilos of copra per quarter since each hectare produces an average of 500 kilos in a quarter. At the current price of P22 per kilo, Baganga will have earned PhP385,000,000 in a quarter or PhP1,540,000,000 in a year. Now, an oil mill needs an investment of PhP10 million. If each of the 43,122 residents, including babies, will invest PhP280.00, out of the family's earning from the copra, it will take only one or two years' produce of copra for Baganga to become the next oil producing town in the country.
MariaLinda's take on the matter:
This is on the premise that the residents have earned from the harvest. Most tenants will earn just enough to get them by for the next quarter, after paying debts incurred the previous quarter. KKFI's organizing must also take into consideration the challenge that not all families in Baganga own a piece of land but that big chunks of land are owned by only a few families. Will these families subsidize the poor landless families? If so, they will own the biggest shares in the company which will lodge in them the decision-making power of the company. KKFI must be vigilant that it will not fall into the trap of becoming instruments in marginalizing the marginalized.
