Grant well spent: Matamas Association in Tanudan turns livelihood aid into 1.3 Million-peso asset

FEATURE

MABACA, Tanudan, Kalinga — They were given seedlings. They learned how to plant, nurture and grow them.

Three years later, what began as a modest government livelihood grant has grown into something much bigger—a P1.3-million asset base built through hard work, cooperation and careful stewardship.

This is the story of the Matamas Association of Mabaca, Tanudan, one of the community organizations that has successfully turned government assistance into a sustainable livelihood venture.

From an initial P300,000 capital in 2023, Matamas gradually expanded its businesses, adding a Piso Wi-Fi venture, growing its retail store and eventually putting up a rice mill.

The result: a community organization that has transformed a government grant into more than P1 million in assets.

From seed capital to growing businesses

Matamas is one of 17 PAMANA Livelihood Program Associations (PLPAs) organized by the Department of Social Welfare and Development-Cordillera to receive livelihood assistance.

The program provides seed capital for collective livelihood activities such as agricultural production, retailing and fishing, particularly for communities affected by or vulnerable to armed conflict and those in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas.

For Matamas, the journey began with its first tranche of P300,000, which the group invested in a retailing business.

Instead of simply spending the capital, the association worked to keep the business running and qualify for the next round of assistance.

It eventually received another P300,000, which was used to expand the retail business and establish a Piso Wi-Fi service.

The group again managed to sustain its ventures.

Its performance allowed it to qualify for the third tranche, another P300,000, which became the capital for a rice mill.

Three tranches later, the association's assets had reached P1.3 million.

PAMANA Livelihood Program Coordinator in Tanudan Jared Jae A. Onnoman said the achievement did not come without difficulties.

The association had to contend with market gaps and competition, difficulties in keeping proper records, limited access to affordable supplies and communication challenges.

But rather than allowing these problems to stop them, the members worked through them with guidance and monitoring from DSWD-Cordillera.

What kept the money growing

For former Matamas president Leon Addamag, the secret was not complicated.

It was faith, trust, respect and cooperation.

Addamag said their faith in God helped members remain honest and responsible in handling the funds entrusted to them.

"Uray piso ket awan ngay iti napukaw ta adda diay buteng ken Apo Diyos ket isu pagyamanak kadagitoy ka-miyembro ak ta agpaparehas gayam nga kasdiay kami," he said.

For the members, every peso mattered. But faith alone was not enough.

Addamag acknowledged that disagreements are inevitable when people work together, especially when running a business.

What mattered, he said, was that misunderstandings were addressed immediately before they grew into bigger problems.

The members also learned to cooperate when challenges arose, finding solutions together rather than allowing individual interests to divide the organization. Trust and respect became just as important as the capital they received.

A livelihood that became a legacy

On August 27, 2026, Matamas and four other PLPAs formally took another step toward greater independence when their program folders were turned over by DSWD-Cordillera to the Tanudan Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office (MSWDO) during an activity at Davidson Hotel.

The turnover marked the end of three years of DSWD supervision and monitoring and the beginning of a greater responsibility for the local government and the associations themselves to sustain their livelihood ventures.

The other organizations turned over to the MSWDO were the Lumin-awaan Association, Donglayan Association, Pangol Farmers Livelihood Association and Abagong Katabbukan Mandidiwin Association.

For Matamas, however, the turnover is more than a change in who keeps the folders.

It represents how far the association has come. The association now has a P1.3-million asset base.

The achievement shows that livelihood assistance does not have to end when the government grant is spent. With discipline, unity and responsible management, a small amount of capital can be planted, nurtured and made to grow.

In Mabaca, the Matamas Association has shown what can happen when a community treats a government grant not as money to consume, but as a seed to cultivate for the future.