Socio-Cultural, Economic, Community Involvement and Priority Needs of Communities in the Barangays of Badiangan, lloilo: Basis for enhancing the University Integrated Outreach Program

ABSTRACT

This study was conducted to determine the socio-cultural, economic, community involvement and present needs and problems of the three barangays of Badiangan to serve as basis for enhancing the integrated outreach program of the University. It made use of a quantitative data gathering technique involving 263 household respondents using a “post-test” or the “one shot” survey design supplemented by qualitative data gathering method key informant interview and community focus group discussion. The respondents were mostly males, middle-aged to senior citizens, married, secondary school-educated, with working as laborers as the major occupation and followed closely by farming. The households’ mean monthly expense exceeded the mean total monthly income from major occupation and from all other sources amounting to PHP5,060.93. The household size is 4 to 6 members with almost same male to female ratio. Close to half of them have a family member with ages 10 years and below and having no children of school age and children presently in school. The presence of and participation in a cultural activity like the patronal barangay fiesta is high. Organizational and political participation is high also with many having membership to their specified organizations including affirmation on many barangay ordinances enforced and attendance to barangay assemblies. The housing materials are semi-permanent, with electricity as lighting source, and firewood collected within the area utilized as source for cooking. There exist functional roads from plain sand and gravel only, has an elementary school, a functional health center and recreational facilities. Water for drinking and cooking were sourced from wells, almost half of the households have a water-sealed toilet, mostly relied on an open drainage for their wastewater and use a garbage pit for their waste disposal. Common illness include colds/fever, cough and flu. If the stated priority needs and problems of the barangays, households, men, women, youth, and children on lack of or no income can be addressed through employment, skills training and availability of business start-up capital, most of these major problems may be addressed. They include, among others, income concerns, lack of water and allowances for school children, vices for the youth, malnutrition and sanitation.