ABSTRACT

        
This study aimed to document and describe the communication strategies used by two farmers’ organizations – PUMALAG and MNKKB – in organizing the rural farmers’ communities in the Fourth District of Laguna to critically respond to two development projects in the province.
    The researcher gathered the stories of farmers and fisher folks, community organizers of PUMALAG, and municipal agriculturists in the towns of Pangil, Paete, Pakil, Kalayaan, and Pagsanjan from August 15 to September 24 in 2008, and again in March 2009. Serving as key informants were three municipal agriculturists and three leaders of PUMALAG for the Napindan case study; while two leaders of MNKKB served as key informants for the Pangil dam project.  
The Napindan Hydraulic Structure was a Laguna Lake Development Authority (LLDA) project built in 1983 designed to control the flow of water that goes through the Laguna de Bay. Meanwhile, the Sierra Madre Water Corporation proposed a dam project which aimed to supply potable water to Metro Manila.  
Both the hydraulic structure and dam project have provoked enormous protests from the peasants, fisher folks, and residents of the Fourth District. The MNKKB and PUMALAG undertook many community organizing activities to disseminate information about the effects of both projects to the residents of the entire district.  
    The social mobilization efforts launched in both cases were considered successful because in the case of Napindan, the LLDA yielded to the protesters’ demands and opened the structure for a time. However, these mobilizations were not enough to persuade the authorities to allow the people in the community to reclaim the land through regular opening of the structure. In all these social mobilizations, communication strategies have played a key role in raising the people’s awareness and involvement in the issues concerning them. They were able to form multi-sectoral alliances and enhance their negotiation skills vis-a-vis the authorities.