MALAYBALAY CITY, Bukidnon — An Indigenous community in this city, whose coffee
producers have earned recognition in national and regional competitions, is set to receive P97.91
million in agricultural infrastructure and enterprise investments aimed at improving production,
processing and market access.

Funded primarily by the World Bank and implemented by the Department of Agriculture (DA)
through the Mindanao Inclusive Agriculture Development Project (MIADP), the investment
package will support coffee production and other agricultural activities in the Daraghuyan
Ancestral Domain.

Implemented in partnership with the City Government of Malaybalay, the package includes two
farm-to-market roads worth a combined P51 million; a P10.45-million multi-commodity
warehouse and multipurpose drying pavement; a P14.76-million coffee consolidation, processing
and marketing enterprise; a P4.1-million Level 2 potable water system; and a P17.6-million ram
pump and gravity-fed irrigation system.
The investments are designed to address key challenges faced by farmers, including difficult
farm access, post-harvest handling, processing capacity and access to water and irrigation.
“These investments are intended to sustainably increase agricultural productivity, resilience, and
access to markets and services. The Daraghuyan Indigenous community has demonstrated strong
potential in the coffee industry, and its wholehearted cooperation has helped make these
interventions possible,” said MIADP Project Director Macario Gonzaga.
The P6.6-billion MIADP is implemented by the DA with financing primarily from the World
Bank and counterpart contributions from the national government and participating local
government units. It seeks to address persistent poverty among Indigenous Peoples and other
eligible farming and fishing communities in Mindanao through climate-resilient, market-oriented
and culturally appropriate agricultural development.
Gonzaga also recognized the support of the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples,
members of the Regional Project Advisory Board and partner institutions in the Bangsamoro
Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao in advancing project implementation.
Better roads, improved processing
Infrastructure development is already underway in the Daraghuyan Ancestral Domain.
The concreting of the Sitio Damitan–Sitio Ulanguhon farm-to-market road has reached 65.63
percent physical accomplishment. The second road project, covering the Sitio Ulanguhon–Sitio
Suopon route in Barangay Dalwangan, has undergone bidding, with its bidding documents under
review.
The two road projects are expected to improve access between farms and markets, potentially
easing the transport of coffee and other agricultural produce.
Meanwhile, the multi-commodity warehouse with multipurpose drying pavement and the coffee
processing facility were recently launched, with completion targeted within eight months.
The facilities are expected to improve the handling, drying, consolidation and processing of
agricultural products, helping farmers better prepare their harvests for the market.
The coffee consolidation, processing and marketing enterprise awarded to the Inhandig Tribal
Multi-Purpose Cooperative (ITMPC) is also progressing, with six of its nine procurement
packages completed and turned over to the cooperative.

These include an all-weather solar dryer, a delivery truck, a sorting table, hauling animals, a
computer unit and a printer.
The enterprise package also includes nearly P700,000 in working capital to purchase coffee
cherries from member-suppliers. This is expected to strengthen the cooperative’s capacity to
consolidate coffee supplies and provide a more organized market for its farmer-members.
Award-winning Arabica
The investments build on Daraghuyan’s growing reputation for producing high-quality Arabica
coffee, with community members earning distinctions in major coffee competitions.
In the 2026 Philippine Coffee Quality Competition (PCQC), Bae Masulakamit Gloria D.
Lagawan won first place in the Arabica Washed category and received a Special Citation for Best
Processing in the Washed Arabica category.
Daraghuyan coffee producers also secured honors in the 2026 Southeast Asia Green Coffee
Competition Philippine National Round. ITMPC members Datu Magtatangka Regino D. Omarol
and Bae Masulakamit Gloria D. Lagawan placed second and sixth, respectively, in the Arabica
category, scoring 88.08 and 87.42.
In the 2025 PCQC, tribal chieftain Adelina Tarino, also known as Bae Inatlawan, placed second
in the Arabica category with a score of 82.94.
The awards highlight the community’s potential to compete in specialty coffee markets, where
quality, processing methods and consistency can influence market opportunities and returns for
producers.
With improved farm access, post-harvest facilities, processing equipment and working capital,
the MIADP investments aim to help Daraghuyan coffee farmers build on their achievements,
strengthen their cooperative enterprise and expand opportunities for sustainable livelihoods.
For the community, the challenge now is to translate award-winning coffee quality into a more
competitive and resilient agricultural enterprise. (Sherwin B. Manual/DA-MIADP/melbmadera)