In their search for an effective development approach for Pagadian City, the local officials decided to focus on the major strength of the city, which is prime agricultural land.

A three-pronged development approach was initiated in 1992; the components of which are broken down as follows:

To-date, 83% of the total barangay road network was concreted, making it possible to reach 80% of the total population of Pagadian City. Cooperativism meanwhile now reached 70% of the total potential beneficiaries and 15% for the agricultural component as well.

The program’s effectivity is expected to go beyond the current administration due to sheer strength of the community-based cooperatives, community-based beneficiary organizations, and the trust fund established out of the returns of the project.

In its search for an effective development approach, the local officials embarked on an innovative redirection of strategies by focusing on the major strength of the city – prime agricultural lands.
A three-pronged development approach was initiated in 1992 namely: economic development through agriculture, cooperative development, and infrastructure component.

Building growth-inducing infrastructure provided the lynchpin through the full scale concreting of the city’s barangay farm to market road network in 1993. Then followed, agricultural development through the production of high value crops, livestock, and timber and fruit trees through the Plant Now-Pay Later scheme. Cooperative development further institutionalized financial assistance through cooperative organization, supervision, training, and monitoring, when most banks considered small farmers as the “least bankable” people in the community.

To date, 83% of the total barangay road network was concreted, reaching 80% of the total population of Pagadian City. Cooperativism meanwhile now reached 70% of the total potential beneficiaries and 15% for the agricultural component as well.

The program’s effectivity is expected to go beyond the current administration, due to sheer strength of the community-based cooperatives, community-based beneficiary organizations, and the trust fund established out of the returns of the project.