Agriculture is still the main livelihood in many areas in the Philippines.  This was true in the case of Laguindingan, Misamis Oriental.  The people of Laguindingan were thankful that they had farmlands to till.  Although the majority of them were tenants, they were, nevertheless, grateful for the work which kept them busy and which assured them of an income.  No matter how meager their income from farming was, they were ready and willing to till the soil for as long as they received their pay steadily, for this provided them with the very basic necessity in life–food on their tables, clothing on their backs, and shelter over their heads.

The farmers started to worry for their well-being when, in 1990, they learned of a master development plan initiated by various concerned government institutions and local government units for the cities of Cagayan de Oro and Iligan and 19 municipalities of Misamis Oriental and Lanao del Norte. Known as the Cagayan de Oro-Iligan Corridor Special Development Project (CIC-SDP) which covered 3,100 square kilometers or three percent of Mindanao, the project envisioned to develop the corridor as one of the industrial centers of the Philippines and was planned to host locators which are globally competitive in agribusiness, trade, tourism, and services.

To realize the vision for the corridor, it was a priority consideration to establish an international airport. Laguindingan was chosen for the site of the new airport over that of the existing one in Lumbia, Cagayan de Oro City, because of its desirability for expansion to accommodate large planes for international flights.  The chosen area, however, had some social constraints.  Foremost of these was the presence of occupants in the proposed site.

The farmers’ and their families’ fear seemed to be substantiated. In 1997, Ayala Corporation (AC), which owned large parcels of land in the coastal side of Laguindingan, showed its full support for the project by donating 88 hectares for the airport area and 3.1 hectares for a relocation site of affected residents, particularly those who had long been using Ayala’s land.  AC’s goal to establish Ayala Industrial Park harmoniously lined up with the social preparations of the CIC airport project.  Inspite of AC’s assurances that community needs such as livelihood and relocation of families would be fully addressed, the would-be displaced families were unbelieving and felt abandoned.

As the sociocultural development arm of the Ayala Group of Companies, the   Ayala Foundation, Inc. (AFI) has been in continual search for livelihood opportunities that would serve as an alternative to farming and fishing.  It offered interventions to keep such beneficiaries and potential relocatees within the mainstream of societal economic activities.  For more than four decades, it has been AFI’s functions, among other things, to undertake integrated community organization and development programs; and to encourage the establishment of urban and rural micro, cottage, and small enterprises as a means of creating employment among the poor.