Domestic Goddess

The knowledge of running a household is something that is often taken for granted. Since it is women's work it can't be rocket science, can it? Well, it is. Women run households with such exacting details because they work with very limited resources. One of the respondents today, exemplified this quality. She could tell me exactly how much detergent is required for 1 day's laundry and where to get the best bargain for it. She also could compare prices in the co-op store in Kenram to prices in most shops in Isulan. This is a video of Erlida Octavia who describes the cost of detergent and where she purchases it. See her video here - Erlida's Laundry Costs

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MAPARBEMPCO

During the 1970's, a land dispute between First Southern Land and the residents of Barangay Mapantig occurred. First Southern Land occupied all available tracts of land to the consternation of the residents of the area. People were driven away from their farms and some were even taken to court and imprisoned. Upon facing serious resistance from the company, the villagers gave up and some even moved to different locales in order to survive when the land was taken from them. When the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform programme was implemented during the presidency of Corazon Aquino, the villagers saw an opportunity arising to get back their land. However, the company applied for a deferment of 10 years which delayed further the implementation of the land reform programme. Finally in 1998, the Department of Agriculture decreed that the land being occupied by the Kenram Estate (the name of the plantation) would be subjected to agrarian reform. The residents who w...

Day 2: Manila (Katipunan)

Well, Day 1 was sleep, eat and find more edibles. Curry withdrawal syndrome has led to a voracious appetite for all sorts of contraband. Seafood pancit which some gooey noodles. I made a lousy choice and ended up with something I will NEVER try again. Day 2 was super optimistic and lived up to its promise. Met the wonderful Miss Shyl Sales who is effiencient and resourceful, administrative wonder at IPC. I will be taking her for coffee later. She was kind enough to show me a directory of all the work which has been produced by the Institute of Philippines Culture (Ateneo de Manila University). The researchers there are so prolific and do such seminal work. I managed to pick up a great book by Jeanne Frances I.Illo & Cecile C. Uy "Members But Not Leaders - Finding a Niche for Women in Cooperatives". Met the director the amazing Dr. Czarina Saloma-Akpedonu - powerhouse of brilliance and very approachable. She was surprised to know that oil palm plantations existed in ...

Selecting respondents

I had not really given thought to the actual breakdown respondents to be interviewed until I worked through the different types of women I wished to capture in this study. It is a very complex situation as there are:- 1. Women who are members in the cooperatives . This is the tricky part because my research is about women workers in oil palm plantations but in the case of cooperatives, women collectively own the plantation. They make up part of the general assembly which dictates the running of the plantation. They own the capital collectively and make decisions collectively. The distinction is great between cooperatives and multi-national corporations. Cooperatives do not have huge amounts capital and resources at their disposal. Alternatively, I can expand the idea of women's involvement in the industry to include cooperative membership of women. This model is more empowering where women are given larger roles and not merely exploited for...

Unseen Faces, Unheard Voices

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