From the city proper of Ormoc, Lake Danao is the farthest (approximately 25 kilometers away), while Sto. Nino is just four kilometers away from the city. The barangays can be reached through habal-habal - a single motorcycle that can carry people more than its intended capacity (usually about 3-5). Barangays Bagong, Magaswe, and Hugpa do not have proper road networks that would facilitate the mobility of farm produce, among others. Trails are muddy and can be flooded under strong rains. They can be reached by either habal-habal, hiking, horses, or by carabao-driven carts.

Among the barangays covered by ASDP, Valencia has the largest population of 5,257 individuals, while Barangay Magaswe has the lowest of only 580 individual inhabitants. In summary, ASDP barangays have a total of 19,157 individuals housed in 3,956 households, with females constituting 48 percent (9,238) of the total population.

Most of the barangays lands are intended for agriculture, indicating the main source of livelihood for the locality. Most of the barangays' income comes from the Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA), and less than 10 percent of the earnings come from Real Property and Community Taxes.

The common crops planted in the ASDP barangays include palay (rice), sugarcane, corn, vegetables, abaca, coconut, and root crops. Farmers typically earn at least P30,000 from the produce of his/her 1-hectare farmland. This income is also way below the annual poverty threshold of Ormoc city, which is pegged at P92,000 (NSO 2003). Moreover, most of the farmers who are into rice farming reported that a hectare of land would only yield enough to sustain their household food needs, and a large chunk of their income usually goes to the payment of loans and interests.

Reasons for the low productivity of rice farms emanated from lack of irrigation facilities, absence of capital to finance the necessary farm inputs, and lack of technological know-how, among other reasons.

ASDP caters to 13 POs in 10 barangays, two of which are cooperatives and the rest are farmers' organizations. Majority of the members (315 out of total active membership) of these organizations are agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARB). There are 103 women beneficiaries of the agrarian reform program of the government.

The Federation of Free Farmers (FFF) was formed in the 1970s and is the oldest PO present in the area. Seven POs were organized in the '90s, and five were organized as recently as 2007. Of the 13 POs, seven do not have regular incomes of any source, while only one organization has a cash-on-hand of at least P10,000.

To date, the POs have begun implementing their Organizational Development Plans which they formulated in 2007.

Ormoc City is a port city and is the largest city in terms of land area in Leyte and is also the second-largest in Eastern Visayas after Calbayog City in Samar. It has 110 barangays and a total population of 154,297 (Census 2000), and a population density of 315 individuals per square kilometer. Ormocanons are predominantly Cebuano-speaking.

Ormoc, being the largest city by land area is a 1st class city earning at least P300 Million annually. Although classified as a first-class city, urban downtown Ormoc (the city proper) is only composed of about 10 barangays. The other barangays are agricultural and rural in nature.

In 2004, KAISAHAN entered into a partnership with Benepisyaryo sa Repormang Agraryo ng mga Mag-uuma sa Ormoc (BRAMO) and Kahugpungan sa mga Mag-uumang Ormocanon (KAMAO), both federation of Peoples' Organizations, and a support institution, RDI-Leyte, in implementing the ASDP. The partnership focused its ASDP implementation in barangays San Antonio, Guintiguian, Labrador, Donghol, Mahayag, Sabang-bao and Summangga in 2004.

From 2004 to 2006, the program assisted the POs to regularize their meetings, formulate their Organizational Development Plans (ODPs), undergo PO capacity-building seminars, increase their CBUs, BRAMO was able to set up a communal farm, and conduct FB installations. The PLs underwent capacity-building seminars, engaged in dialogues with DAR officials, while their cases were handled by our legal retainer and legal staff of KAISAHAN. The BDCs were formed and networking activities were done by the POs and PLs.

In 2007, KAISAHAN renewed its partnership with BRAMO and KAMAO for implementing the ASDP in 10 new barangays in Ormoc City. The table below shows the barangays covered by the ASDP and the respective partner Peoples' Organizations for the 2007 to 2009 project cycle.

Timeline Of Area-Specific Development Program (ASDP) Implementation If Ormoc City, Leyte

July 24, 2007

• Rep. Risa Hontiveros-Baraquel together with the members of Reform CARP Movement (RCM) filed House Bill 1257 or the CARP Extension with Reforms bill (CARPER).

Year 2004

• ASDP jointly implemented by KAISAHAN, RDI-Leyte, BRAMO, and KAMAO through a Memorandum of Agreement
• LTI concerns resolved by paralegals involving a total of 261 farmer-beneficiaries in 215.0213 hectares

September 13, 2004

• Paralegals trained by the ASDP successfully advocated for DAR's passage of different policies in favor of the farmers

Year 2005

• Barangay Development Plan utilizing Participatory Rural Appraisal (BDP-PRA) was successfully conducted in four barangays
• Seven out of 12 POs have formulated or enhanced their ODPs
• 51 paralegals were trained to facilitate the resolution of LTI issues in their respective areas
• Resolution of LTI concerns of 145 farmer beneficiaries covering a total of 157.4441 hectares

June 15, 2005 

• Mobilization of 400 hundred farmers in front of the local DAR office to uphold farmers' rights on agrarian reform

Year 2006

• 42 farmer beneficiaries were installed covering 52.4332 hectares in barangays Labrador, Liloan, San Antonio and Donghol
• Integration of PO's agenda into the BDPs of five barangays in Ormoc
• Several paralegals joined and won government seats during the local elections
• The first ASDP cycle in Ormoc ended (2004 - 2006).

Year 2007

• The second cycle of the ASDP in Ormoc started in 2007 (to end in 2009). The identified local partners are BRAMO and KAMAO
• 24 new paralegals were trained. Their PL plans were culled from their respective PO ODPs and community issues.
• Order of finality on the Nullification of the Compromise Agreement ruled in favor of farmer-beneficiaries in Barangay Guintiguian, Ormoc
• Warrant of arrest against a farmer beneficiary was lifted involving a homicide case in Liloan, Ormoc
• Release of Writ of Execution for Fran Farm

Year 2008 (as of May 2008)

• A series of FB installations were done through the ASDP partners and by advocating to local and national DAR offices. A total of 56 CLOA holders were installed in 61.7322 hektarya in 5 barangays in Ormoc through self-installations.