Abstract:
Abaca became one of the most important colonial cash crops in the Philippines and
the most important cordage fiber by the mid-nineteenth century. The Bicol region plays an
integral role in the development of abaca Industry in the nineteenth century. The entry of the
Bicol region in the world economic system through the US led export oriented cash crop
economy has molded the region into a dominant subsistence economy (0 export economy
based on the cultivation of abaca.
Several decades after the so-called “Abaca boom’ in Kabikolan, this study primarily
aims to know the present condition of the abaca farmers in the Partido district particularly in
Tigaon, Camarines Sur. Also, this study aims to describe the present situation of the industry
in the municipality.
Qualitative method of research was employed in this study using interview and
questionnaires. Data were gathered from 30 respondents from three mountain barangays of
Tigaon. Data presentation and analysis were employed based on the theoretical framework of
the study which is historical materialism.
This research has sufficiently described the current state of the abaca farmers and
supported earlier research about the extent of poverty in upland communities. Poverty and
marginalization of abaca farmers were measured using the tools of Economics (objective
approach: ex. Income and consumption) and Sociology (subjective/self-rating approach and
lifestyle approach). Written documents, interviews, and data from respondents were the
primary source of this research in making conclusion that abaca industry in the said
municipality is declining. Social relations of production were also discussed in this study.
