A Socio-Economic Study of the Present Conditions of Abaca Farmers in Tigaon, Camarines Sur

Abstract

Abaca became one of the most important colonial cash crops in the Philippines and the most important cordage fiber by the mid-nineteenth century. The Bicol region plays an integral role in the development of abaca Industry in the nineteenth century. The entry of the Bicol region in the world economic system through the US led export oriented cash crop economy has molded the region into a dominant subsistence economy (0 export economy based on the cultivation of abaca. Several decades after the so-called “Abaca boom’ in Kabikolan, this study primarily aims to know the present condition of the abaca farmers in the Partido district particularly in Tigaon, Camarines Sur. Also, this study aims to describe the present situation of the industry in the municipality. Qualitative method of research was employed in this study using interview and questionnaires. Data were gathered from 30 respondents from three mountain barangays of Tigaon. Data presentation and analysis were employed based on the theoretical framework of the study which is historical materialism. This research has sufficiently described the current state of the abaca farmers and supported earlier research about the extent of poverty in upland communities. Poverty and marginalization of abaca farmers were measured using the tools of Economics (objective approach: ex. Income and consumption) and Sociology (subjective/self-rating approach and lifestyle approach). Written documents, interviews, and data from respondents were the primary source of this research in making conclusion that abaca industry in the said municipality is declining. Social relations of production were also discussed in this study.