PIONEERING IN THE COTABATO FRONTIER:THE KORONADAL VALLEY PROJECT DURING THE PREWAR YEARS
Andrea V. Campado
Abstract
This study tells of the opening of the Cotabato frontier under the auspices of the National Land Settlement Administration (NLSA) starting 1939, and the consequent formation of a community by both the newcomers and the original inhabitants of the Koronadal and Allah Valley (now the SOCSKSARGEN area comprising South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani, and General Santos City) during the period 1939 to 1942.
The methodology of this study is qualitative, that is, it is not guided by hypotheses but by issues and problems that the study seeks to answer. Data were obtained through varied research techniques. These include in-depth interviews of key informants; the collection and review of secondary and primary sources; and the collection of case studies as illustrative cases to establish a linkage between the stories of the individual and the wider community.
The major findings of the study include: one, that the general poverty in the country was a powerful “push” factor for migration; two, the social processes of accommodation, assimilation, and amalgamation were all involved in the formation of a “melting pot” community; and three, the success of the Koronadal Valley Project could largely be attributed to the good relationship developed between the migrant-settlers and the NLSA officials on one hand, and the original inhabitants, on the other.
Keywords: pioneering; Cotabato frontier; IP (Indigenous Peoples); Koronadal Valley Project; melting pot; migration; National Land Settlement Administration
Abbreviation: IP (Indigenous Peoples)
. The methodology of this study is qualitative, that is, it is not guided by hypotheses but by issues and problems that the study seeks to answer. Data were obtained through varied research techniques. These include in-depth interviews of key informants; the collection and review of secondary and primary sources; and the collection of case studies as illustrative cases to establish a linkage between the stories of the individual and the wider community.
The major findings of the study include: one, that the general poverty in the country was a powerful “push” factor for migration; two, the social processes of accommodation, assimilation, and amalgamation were all involved in the formation of a “melting pot” community; and three, the success of the Koronadal Valley Project could largely be attributed to the good relationship developed between the migrant-settlers and the NLSA officials on one hand, and the original inhabitants, on the other.
Keywords: pioneering; Cotabato frontier; IP (Indigenous Peoples); Koronadal Valley Project; melting pot; migration; National Land Settlement Administration
Abbreviation: IP (Indigenous Peoples)