16 Dec 2008. Still here in Kepong, KL. Last Saturday, I went with Tony Tan, Julia Tan and Patrick Guna to Kampung Lumut at the Lenggeng-Broga area near Mantin, less than two hours from KL. We were joined by Raymond and his wife from EDF & Man, a prospective donor corporation for Habitat Malaysia.
We went to the house of Pa Aru, who belongs to the Orang Asli tribe. He has been trying to repair his 29-year old house, which belongs to his mother-in-law, and he needs help from us in Habitat. His mother-in-law passed away a few years back, but his father-in-law is still alive. He occupies a shack at the back of the house. More than 10 members of three families live in the crowded two-bedroom house.
Pa Aru has three sons, aged from 8 to 16, all of them studying. This is quite unusual. Usually Orang Asli families do not send their children to school on account of distance from their settlements. Most Orang Asli settlements have been pushed to the interior villages because developers have encroached on their land for which they have no legal titles.
Pa Aru must be around 40 years old. You can see around his house evidence that he is not as laid back as the other families of his tribe. He has practically cleared the land near his place and planted bananas. He says this is for "testing." He speaks little English, which is also unusual. He must have completed his primary schooling somewhere.
He brought us to a slope in the nearby hill where water flows incessantly. This spring is the source of water for the village. He wants to divert water to a fishpond where he can grow fish and sell this in the town. In that way, he says, he can pay Habitat the monthly repayments for the planned renovation of his house.
On the way back from the hill, we took another path. He showed us an unoccupied, dilapidated house. He also wants the house repaired so his son and his family can move out from the crowded house to this place. He says he needs help in putting a proper kitchen and toilet and in fixing the wooden floor and walls. Pa Aru says he can work on it, too, being a skilled carpenter. But he will pay back Habitat for the construction materials.
It rained while we were in this second house, a Malay house, by the way, with the posts and the wooden materials used, the wide windows and the porch. We did not see his neighbors although there were similar houses around his place. Must be because of the rain.
Tony and I left Julia and Patrick in the village where they were interviewing Pa Aru's family for the required household profiles. We were in a rush for another meeting in another township, with a Malaysian lady named Helen Lee, who is based in London and lives only for three months in a year in a big house.
She is in her early forties and speaks with a British accent, having lived in London for more than 20 years. It was the first time we were meeting her. She had called the office once or twice asking for an appointment. We came instead to her place. She had prepared lunch for us. It was past 2 pm and over lunch, she took about her vision.
She wants to convert the house into a showcase for bamboo handicraft but the house has to be renovated first so it can show how bamboo could be used in an existing house such as this to combat climate change, a cause she is passionate about.
Two worlds, this one and Pa Aru's, on a Saturday that we had to live through. The Orang Asli family wanting to be part of the modern world with a house made of bricks and that of a lonely ecological warrior who wants to put on reality TV how her house could be transformed into a showcase for bamboo technology, which the Orang Asli tribe has been building houses with for centuries.
Two worlds on a Saturday gently interrupted with a little rain which we have to link somehow in this program to help provide decent, safe and secure houses for the multitude. Talk of a day providing another reason to be alive and well and active through a week-end.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Friday, November 28, 2008
The Journey I Have Been (4)
28 November 2008. Here in Kepong. Almost the end of the year. Have been trying to collect my wits lately. Too many things to do, too little time to do them. I seem to be always lacking time to get rid of all these action items. For this blog, I have been trying to compose in my head what I want to say for the past week or so.
First, thought I would talk about boards of non-profit organizations. It occurred to me that in my rather long career in development work, something like 32 years of professional work, I have yet to see a board that is genuinely functioning according to its mandate. Most of the time, the leadership in these boards is captured by a few who come from some other civic groups and they need to be identified with another organization presumably with more prestige and influence in the community.
Most boards I have worked with is controlled by a strong leader, who tells you to write the minutes even if there has been no meeting held! Members of these boards are almost always busy to meet and if you happen to be in the technical secretariat being paid to support the board, you are in for a rough time. You will be mostly thinking for the board and carry out what you have thought of - with the blessings of the Board. All they do is stir coffee, a friend says. Well, that's for stirring committees, a favorite creation of most boards if they do not want to do the work themselves. These committees will surely get the blame if things do not work out as planned.
Anyway, things get done somehow and everyone is happy. But I really want to see a real Board.
The other matter I thought I would like to write about are those longhouses I saw in Sarawak in two field missions I had with Habitat colleagues and volunteers in such places called Serian, Kapit, Kalapa in Sarekei. It's one house right, but you find inside individual units with families inside. You can count the doors to know how many families live inside those longhouses (one word!). The number can range from 8 to 32 or even more. Actually, a long house is a village named usually after the Kampung chief.
Families in a longhouse share a common area where they can have social functions under one roof. This makes sense. You do not have to take cover in case of rain. Also, it is easier this way to mobilize all the families for a community meeting. But there is also another reason for the common area as told to me by an old woman in a long house. She says she is often requested to look after the children when all the adults go to work during daytime. It's easier for her to do so if the children are all in the common area; she can see all of them from her end of the long room. Makes sense!
The longhouse, as everything else in this dynamic world, has been undergoing changes. In the old days, they were made of bamboos, wood and palm leaves. I have seen longhouses made of cement; the common area has tiles, and the windows have jalousies. There are TV sets, radio, fridge, sofa and other modern amenities inside. I did not see modern beds. The old traditional mats are there on the floor of the one-room family unit. I tell you these are among the best mats I have seen in traditional places - such as those in the Pacific and a few Asian countries.
In some areas in Sarawak, the longhouses have become tourist attractions. Well, you never know how a traditional thing like a longhouse will be in a global village where we all live. They get transformed into something else - such as being a tourist attraction rather than just a traditional abode for a village of families.
First, thought I would talk about boards of non-profit organizations. It occurred to me that in my rather long career in development work, something like 32 years of professional work, I have yet to see a board that is genuinely functioning according to its mandate. Most of the time, the leadership in these boards is captured by a few who come from some other civic groups and they need to be identified with another organization presumably with more prestige and influence in the community.
Most boards I have worked with is controlled by a strong leader, who tells you to write the minutes even if there has been no meeting held! Members of these boards are almost always busy to meet and if you happen to be in the technical secretariat being paid to support the board, you are in for a rough time. You will be mostly thinking for the board and carry out what you have thought of - with the blessings of the Board. All they do is stir coffee, a friend says. Well, that's for stirring committees, a favorite creation of most boards if they do not want to do the work themselves. These committees will surely get the blame if things do not work out as planned.
Anyway, things get done somehow and everyone is happy. But I really want to see a real Board.
The other matter I thought I would like to write about are those longhouses I saw in Sarawak in two field missions I had with Habitat colleagues and volunteers in such places called Serian, Kapit, Kalapa in Sarekei. It's one house right, but you find inside individual units with families inside. You can count the doors to know how many families live inside those longhouses (one word!). The number can range from 8 to 32 or even more. Actually, a long house is a village named usually after the Kampung chief.
Families in a longhouse share a common area where they can have social functions under one roof. This makes sense. You do not have to take cover in case of rain. Also, it is easier this way to mobilize all the families for a community meeting. But there is also another reason for the common area as told to me by an old woman in a long house. She says she is often requested to look after the children when all the adults go to work during daytime. It's easier for her to do so if the children are all in the common area; she can see all of them from her end of the long room. Makes sense!
The longhouse, as everything else in this dynamic world, has been undergoing changes. In the old days, they were made of bamboos, wood and palm leaves. I have seen longhouses made of cement; the common area has tiles, and the windows have jalousies. There are TV sets, radio, fridge, sofa and other modern amenities inside. I did not see modern beds. The old traditional mats are there on the floor of the one-room family unit. I tell you these are among the best mats I have seen in traditional places - such as those in the Pacific and a few Asian countries.
In some areas in Sarawak, the longhouses have become tourist attractions. Well, you never know how a traditional thing like a longhouse will be in a global village where we all live. They get transformed into something else - such as being a tourist attraction rather than just a traditional abode for a village of families.
Monday, November 10, 2008
The Journey I Have Been (3)
11 Nov 2008. 6.24 a.m. Here in Johor Bahru, 5 hours from Kepong, Kuala Lumpur. I arrived here with the Habitat team two days ago. I am here with Tony and Patrick. Our mission: to look for partner organizations that could identify where we could start our program here to either repair or build houses with relatively disadvantaged households.
Our first contact was with Timothy Li, senior pastor of the Awe Charisma Tabernacle. We met him by the road and he promptly led us to an eatery and bought us lunch consisting of fish, fried chicken and some veggies. It was actually lunch at 3 pm. Then he brought us to his church on a hill.
His story reminded me of what Fr. Acong did in Apad, in my home province, Quezon, in the Philippines. He raised funds over a 5-year period mainly through his family and contributions from his flock. The two-story building could house 250 people during church service conducted in English, Bahasa, and Nepalese. Apparently, some workers from Nepal have become converts.
When the good Pastor, in his late Fifties judging from his youthful looks, brought us to the upper floor where his office is located, we saw in another room several members of the choir or band apparently in a practice session. Lucy, a Filipino, and her daughter and son, were there and greeted us enthusiastically.
In the meeting with the Pastor, he told us in detail how he was able to raise almost RM400,000 to build the church from the savings of the church-goers who were mostly of Indian origin. He himself is Indo-Malaysian. His next big plan is to build an orphanage at the back of the two-acre property that his church had bought out of their savings.
Yesterday, we travelled by car for two hours to a township outside Johor. The place is called Pontian. We went into one of the interior villages and met with Ken Kwan, his wife Tan Suan Chen, and their 9 children. I could not see any neighbor in this Malay village. They are the only Chinese family in this Malay village. It was quite courageous of them to move from KL to a remote place like this. With the help of some friends from KL, the couple built a house from second hand construction materials of two houses which were torn down.
Their house looks spacious enough for a big family like theirs. To survive, the family grow vegetables on their two-acre lot. Their children range in age from 16 to 6 months. Ken and his wife remembered Tony as their pastor more than 12 years ago in another place in Malaysia. They even remembered one his sermons.
It turned out Ken is himself a Pastor but without a congregation yet. How he will raise and grow his flock is still a dream. Meanwhile, he agreed to be our contact person in this remote place. He brought us to his Malay friend, who prefers to be called Boy. Boy showed us the foundations of the house he has been building for the last eight years to replace the crumbling wooden structure they inherited from their great great grandfather.
He said he would save enough and partner with Habitat in getting the house done. Tony estimates the house will cost around RM18,000. We told Boy we would exert efforts to help him and demonstrate to other Malay families how we all could work together to address their housing needs.
Then we rushed back to Johor where we met with Michael Yeo, senior pastor of the Church of Praise, and Steven, their accountant. They showed us a 10,000 sq. m. lot which belongs to their church. The piece of land is overlooking squatter communities along the Sungai Danga river. Michael says we can collaborate on building a community center here in which both Habitat and their church can manage to provide services to the families across the road, along the river. It is an ideal site for a Habitat Resource Center which can train unemployed youth from nearby communities on house construction skills so they themselves can repair or build houses for target households.
We went back to the hotel with gratitude in our hearts. Those Pastors had made our day.
Cheers!
Our first contact was with Timothy Li, senior pastor of the Awe Charisma Tabernacle. We met him by the road and he promptly led us to an eatery and bought us lunch consisting of fish, fried chicken and some veggies. It was actually lunch at 3 pm. Then he brought us to his church on a hill.
His story reminded me of what Fr. Acong did in Apad, in my home province, Quezon, in the Philippines. He raised funds over a 5-year period mainly through his family and contributions from his flock. The two-story building could house 250 people during church service conducted in English, Bahasa, and Nepalese. Apparently, some workers from Nepal have become converts.
When the good Pastor, in his late Fifties judging from his youthful looks, brought us to the upper floor where his office is located, we saw in another room several members of the choir or band apparently in a practice session. Lucy, a Filipino, and her daughter and son, were there and greeted us enthusiastically.
In the meeting with the Pastor, he told us in detail how he was able to raise almost RM400,000 to build the church from the savings of the church-goers who were mostly of Indian origin. He himself is Indo-Malaysian. His next big plan is to build an orphanage at the back of the two-acre property that his church had bought out of their savings.
Yesterday, we travelled by car for two hours to a township outside Johor. The place is called Pontian. We went into one of the interior villages and met with Ken Kwan, his wife Tan Suan Chen, and their 9 children. I could not see any neighbor in this Malay village. They are the only Chinese family in this Malay village. It was quite courageous of them to move from KL to a remote place like this. With the help of some friends from KL, the couple built a house from second hand construction materials of two houses which were torn down.
Their house looks spacious enough for a big family like theirs. To survive, the family grow vegetables on their two-acre lot. Their children range in age from 16 to 6 months. Ken and his wife remembered Tony as their pastor more than 12 years ago in another place in Malaysia. They even remembered one his sermons.
It turned out Ken is himself a Pastor but without a congregation yet. How he will raise and grow his flock is still a dream. Meanwhile, he agreed to be our contact person in this remote place. He brought us to his Malay friend, who prefers to be called Boy. Boy showed us the foundations of the house he has been building for the last eight years to replace the crumbling wooden structure they inherited from their great great grandfather.
He said he would save enough and partner with Habitat in getting the house done. Tony estimates the house will cost around RM18,000. We told Boy we would exert efforts to help him and demonstrate to other Malay families how we all could work together to address their housing needs.
Then we rushed back to Johor where we met with Michael Yeo, senior pastor of the Church of Praise, and Steven, their accountant. They showed us a 10,000 sq. m. lot which belongs to their church. The piece of land is overlooking squatter communities along the Sungai Danga river. Michael says we can collaborate on building a community center here in which both Habitat and their church can manage to provide services to the families across the road, along the river. It is an ideal site for a Habitat Resource Center which can train unemployed youth from nearby communities on house construction skills so they themselves can repair or build houses for target households.
We went back to the hotel with gratitude in our hearts. Those Pastors had made our day.
Cheers!
Sunday, October 26, 2008
The Journey I Have Been (2)
25 October 2008. 6.47 pm. Here in Kepong, a rapidly urbanizing suburb of Kuala Lumpur. From Petaling Jaya, I moved to this apartment last 20 July, a day before we opened the new national office of Habitat for Humanity Malaysia here.
Did not have lunch. Had late breakfast and decided I would just spend most of the day holed up here in my unit at the 7th floor. Trying to finish the first of two reports I have to submit soonest so I can concentrate on preparing for other urgent things before the National Board meets again.
Actually I just arrived back to KL last Thursday after a few days’ break in the Philippines. Was able to make it to the launch of a book in memory of Monsignor Acong Sevilla who died a year ago. The book was a compilation of articles written by people who knew him. It includes some articles written by him, too. Mil Sevilla-Reyes, his sister and my high school classmate, put in so much energy, time and emotions seeing through the collection, editing and printing of articles to produce the book. “A labor of love,” she says. A tribute to someone whose work she was not so familiar with, having spent most her time abroad with commitments of her own.
She appeared spent during the program to launch the book. The event was attended by more than a hundred people from all sectors: the church people and representatives of lay organizations; Mil’s class 58 classmates; the people of Apad, Calauag who were organized by Msgr. Acong into MSK (Munting Sambayanang Kristiyano); unfamiliar faces from everywhere. Sometime in their lives they must have known him.
Mil asked me to speak and I obliged, basically answering two questions she asked me to reply to in public: a) why did I suggest to her to document Msgr.Acong’s life, and b) why did I come three times when when he was in the hospital and during his wake. It was meant to be only for three minutes but I blabbered on and on until Mil motioned me to stop.
I felt good hours after the program. I was able to say what I had wanted to say all along: that Msgr. Acong does not belong to the Sevilla family anymore, but to the growing community of development workers out there who continue to sacrifice their lives reaching poor people in remote villages with assistance and a profound message of hope about trying to help each other out during times of need and distress.
I felt good for the initial hours, but wondered as the night wore on what was I really trying to say. Did I say what I said intending to inspire awe among the audience who came their in the first place because they had been part of Msgr. Acong’s almost impossible mission to build churches physically and erect temples of peace and joy and forgiveness in the hearts of those of are most deprived of life’s goods and benefits. Or was I only trying to portray an image of myself as a committed idealist and only use the occasion to feed my own ego? Why speak at all about the friends who perished in a futile struggle against what we thought as social injustice? Why talk at all about those years I chose not remember at all?
I had the eerie feeling nobody was really listening except my friends Rem and Kits. Mil and her family were too tired preparing for the book and its launch that they seemed not to hear anything at all. The six former classmates of ours from our high school Class 58 were more interested in getting our group picture taken. Or so I thought. I could be wrong.
Again, as always, my mistake was in taking too seriously occasions such as this. I could just simply thank the Sevilla family for giving me an opportunity to contribute an article to the book. Probably say a thing or two about how I have come to admire Msgr. Acong’s dedication which has resulted to hundreds of neighborhood associations to bloom. He succeeded where the underground left failed miserably. But, again, this would be opening up a well of memories I was determined to ignore.
And so I cried as I struggled to end what was meant to be a simple gesture of thanking the Sevilla family for allowing me to say what I failed to say to Msgr. Acong when he was still alive.
Again, the ego stood in the way of communicating what I needed to be saying in memory of someone who preached Christ’s teachings with his own life.
Goodbye good Fr. Acong. May the people of the Bondoc Peninsular continue your crusade for a better life in those places too remote for politicians and government workers to reach. In those places, a fierce battle is raging for the hearts and minds of the people and the Church seems to be winning largely because of Fr. Acong’s passion and commitment.
Did not have lunch. Had late breakfast and decided I would just spend most of the day holed up here in my unit at the 7th floor. Trying to finish the first of two reports I have to submit soonest so I can concentrate on preparing for other urgent things before the National Board meets again.
Actually I just arrived back to KL last Thursday after a few days’ break in the Philippines. Was able to make it to the launch of a book in memory of Monsignor Acong Sevilla who died a year ago. The book was a compilation of articles written by people who knew him. It includes some articles written by him, too. Mil Sevilla-Reyes, his sister and my high school classmate, put in so much energy, time and emotions seeing through the collection, editing and printing of articles to produce the book. “A labor of love,” she says. A tribute to someone whose work she was not so familiar with, having spent most her time abroad with commitments of her own.
She appeared spent during the program to launch the book. The event was attended by more than a hundred people from all sectors: the church people and representatives of lay organizations; Mil’s class 58 classmates; the people of Apad, Calauag who were organized by Msgr. Acong into MSK (Munting Sambayanang Kristiyano); unfamiliar faces from everywhere. Sometime in their lives they must have known him.
Mil asked me to speak and I obliged, basically answering two questions she asked me to reply to in public: a) why did I suggest to her to document Msgr.Acong’s life, and b) why did I come three times when when he was in the hospital and during his wake. It was meant to be only for three minutes but I blabbered on and on until Mil motioned me to stop.
I felt good hours after the program. I was able to say what I had wanted to say all along: that Msgr. Acong does not belong to the Sevilla family anymore, but to the growing community of development workers out there who continue to sacrifice their lives reaching poor people in remote villages with assistance and a profound message of hope about trying to help each other out during times of need and distress.
I felt good for the initial hours, but wondered as the night wore on what was I really trying to say. Did I say what I said intending to inspire awe among the audience who came their in the first place because they had been part of Msgr. Acong’s almost impossible mission to build churches physically and erect temples of peace and joy and forgiveness in the hearts of those of are most deprived of life’s goods and benefits. Or was I only trying to portray an image of myself as a committed idealist and only use the occasion to feed my own ego? Why speak at all about the friends who perished in a futile struggle against what we thought as social injustice? Why talk at all about those years I chose not remember at all?
I had the eerie feeling nobody was really listening except my friends Rem and Kits. Mil and her family were too tired preparing for the book and its launch that they seemed not to hear anything at all. The six former classmates of ours from our high school Class 58 were more interested in getting our group picture taken. Or so I thought. I could be wrong.
Again, as always, my mistake was in taking too seriously occasions such as this. I could just simply thank the Sevilla family for giving me an opportunity to contribute an article to the book. Probably say a thing or two about how I have come to admire Msgr. Acong’s dedication which has resulted to hundreds of neighborhood associations to bloom. He succeeded where the underground left failed miserably. But, again, this would be opening up a well of memories I was determined to ignore.
And so I cried as I struggled to end what was meant to be a simple gesture of thanking the Sevilla family for allowing me to say what I failed to say to Msgr. Acong when he was still alive.
Again, the ego stood in the way of communicating what I needed to be saying in memory of someone who preached Christ’s teachings with his own life.
Goodbye good Fr. Acong. May the people of the Bondoc Peninsular continue your crusade for a better life in those places too remote for politicians and government workers to reach. In those places, a fierce battle is raging for the hearts and minds of the people and the Church seems to be winning largely because of Fr. Acong’s passion and commitment.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
The Journey I Have Been (1)
Here in Petaling Jaya, Malaysia, at the border with KL. Have stayed here since 04 April this year. Krishnamoorthy, chief reporter of The Star, offered me the annex of his house to serve temporarily as office of Habitat Malaysia National Office and also as my residence.
Last night, Krishna and I went to the launching of the book "Malays" by Syed Hussin Ali, noted Malaysian intellectual, who now serves as vice president of the opposition political party that won here in Selangor State. He actually wrote this book thirty years ago while under detention. The book that was launched last night was the revised version.
Anwar Ibrahim, the opposition leader, was there to formally launch the book. In his speech, he stressed the message that the country is now on the road to creating opportunities not only for Malays, but also for non-Malay people. He said this is the only way to move forward.
Tan Sri Dato Ramon Navaratnam, trustee of Habitat Malaysia, was also in that jampacked hall of Armada Hotel. Krishna and I greeted him and after the event, we met a restaurant near our place. After partaking of thosae and talking about the need for Habitat to be more visible by repairing houses, he asked about our temporary office and we brought him here.
He even went to the main house and to the kitchen adjoining our office. He suggested that perhaps there should be a separate kitchen for the Annex, not really for me but for future tenants.
During the past two weeks, the 73-year old author of nine books and corporate adviser of Sunway Conglomerate has been chasing me to go after our contacts among the MPs, members of State Assemblies, NGOs, community groups to find out where the makeshift houses are and do something about these houses. Unfortunately, in the villages in Bandar Sunway and neighbouring areas, the squatter communities had been cleared. There are makeshift houses in the city, but these are scheduled to be torn down in a year or two as the KL government implements a new plan for low-cost housing.
We promised him we would continue to look for makeshift houses to repair in and around KL, but our volunteers say most of the makeshift houses are outside metropolitan KL.
Today, I will spend Father's Day in Sungai Buloh, a township less than an hour by road from Petaling Jaya. Ambrose Saminathan, president of an Indian Association, invited us to see some families living in makeshift houses. Tony Tan will pick me up here at 9.30 a.m.
The search goes on.
Last night, Krishna and I went to the launching of the book "Malays" by Syed Hussin Ali, noted Malaysian intellectual, who now serves as vice president of the opposition political party that won here in Selangor State. He actually wrote this book thirty years ago while under detention. The book that was launched last night was the revised version.
Anwar Ibrahim, the opposition leader, was there to formally launch the book. In his speech, he stressed the message that the country is now on the road to creating opportunities not only for Malays, but also for non-Malay people. He said this is the only way to move forward.
Tan Sri Dato Ramon Navaratnam, trustee of Habitat Malaysia, was also in that jampacked hall of Armada Hotel. Krishna and I greeted him and after the event, we met a restaurant near our place. After partaking of thosae and talking about the need for Habitat to be more visible by repairing houses, he asked about our temporary office and we brought him here.
He even went to the main house and to the kitchen adjoining our office. He suggested that perhaps there should be a separate kitchen for the Annex, not really for me but for future tenants.
During the past two weeks, the 73-year old author of nine books and corporate adviser of Sunway Conglomerate has been chasing me to go after our contacts among the MPs, members of State Assemblies, NGOs, community groups to find out where the makeshift houses are and do something about these houses. Unfortunately, in the villages in Bandar Sunway and neighbouring areas, the squatter communities had been cleared. There are makeshift houses in the city, but these are scheduled to be torn down in a year or two as the KL government implements a new plan for low-cost housing.
We promised him we would continue to look for makeshift houses to repair in and around KL, but our volunteers say most of the makeshift houses are outside metropolitan KL.
Today, I will spend Father's Day in Sungai Buloh, a township less than an hour by road from Petaling Jaya. Ambrose Saminathan, president of an Indian Association, invited us to see some families living in makeshift houses. Tony Tan will pick me up here at 9.30 a.m.
The search goes on.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Countdown to 66
27 Mar 2008: Singapore. 6.20 a.m. Here at the lobby of YWCA. I am actually waiting for breakfast. Luc, my room-mate, is still asleep. We have different sleep habits. He sleeps late and wakes up late. I do the opposite.
I guess this is part of getting past 60. Luc is a much younger man. He jogs early evening. I can only manage to take a brisk walk down to Orchard Road, the best part of it I missed last night because I took the wrong turn. I ended up near Bercoolen road. I promptly turned back.
We are here for a workshop on individual giving and mass marketing. We have had interesting discussions since Monday. The participants, around 30, are enthusiastic about the topics. I am particularly impressed with the presentation of Jack Sim, president of the World Toilet Organization. He has done quite a job promoting globally the cause for better sanitation.
His slides on include one showing him as a boy doing the improper sanitation thing on the road. I was followed by a slide showing a very modern Singapore. He was able to put awareness about the need for proper sanitation to all significant global fora, including Davos. Impressive!
My co-participant, James Lo, of Kuching Habitat, was also quite impressed with the intensity that Jack put for his cause. He put his marketing savvy to this worthwhile cause.
I think that's at the back of everyone's mind: how to put poverty housing in the consciousness of those who have the political and economic power to make a difference. I have sensed renewed intensity on the part of my colleagues to pursue this advocacy this time armed with more marketing knowledge and insights from Usha Menon, Joseph Scaria and other resource development specialists from Habitat for Humanity.
While the sessions were going on, I was thinking about Malaysia where I am recently assigned to be Interim National Coordinator. Now I have a better idea on how to formulate a resource development plan for the National Organization and the affiliates. I am aware this assignment in Malaysia has come when I am about to turn 66.
Hope I will a few more vital things on the way to 66.
I guess this is part of getting past 60. Luc is a much younger man. He jogs early evening. I can only manage to take a brisk walk down to Orchard Road, the best part of it I missed last night because I took the wrong turn. I ended up near Bercoolen road. I promptly turned back.
We are here for a workshop on individual giving and mass marketing. We have had interesting discussions since Monday. The participants, around 30, are enthusiastic about the topics. I am particularly impressed with the presentation of Jack Sim, president of the World Toilet Organization. He has done quite a job promoting globally the cause for better sanitation.
His slides on include one showing him as a boy doing the improper sanitation thing on the road. I was followed by a slide showing a very modern Singapore. He was able to put awareness about the need for proper sanitation to all significant global fora, including Davos. Impressive!
My co-participant, James Lo, of Kuching Habitat, was also quite impressed with the intensity that Jack put for his cause. He put his marketing savvy to this worthwhile cause.
I think that's at the back of everyone's mind: how to put poverty housing in the consciousness of those who have the political and economic power to make a difference. I have sensed renewed intensity on the part of my colleagues to pursue this advocacy this time armed with more marketing knowledge and insights from Usha Menon, Joseph Scaria and other resource development specialists from Habitat for Humanity.
While the sessions were going on, I was thinking about Malaysia where I am recently assigned to be Interim National Coordinator. Now I have a better idea on how to formulate a resource development plan for the National Organization and the affiliates. I am aware this assignment in Malaysia has come when I am about to turn 66.
Hope I will a few more vital things on the way to 66.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Updates
Mar Patalinghug, BLDF member and loyal contributor to the poverty cafe website, has reminded us our website needs updating. We have explained to him we do not have a full-time webmaster. The site is maintained by the Seloterio brothers, Arnold and Ryan, on a part-time basis. They have other tasks to do and they are not paid market rates due to our current financial difficulties.
I have noticed that my last entry was on 31 Jan yet. Quite a long time ago. What I will do is just to convert this blog into a journal of sort so that we can dispense with the news section later. Looks like it's hard to supply the section with fresh materials regularly.
I will just have the updates here in my blog. Later, I will request Arnold or Ryan to put my blog where there is this news about Loon. It has been there for months, and Mar is justified in complaining about it.
Here go some updates:
INTERN FROM BOSTON COLLEGE:
Erin Hoffman, a social work graduate student from Boston College, has been on internship with BLDF since 11 January. She will work with the BLDF field support team for 8 weeks, which means her internship will be until April.
She has done quite a bit of work since her arrival. Erin has visited several municipalities and villages where the Foundation has some projects. She has been involved developing the survey methodology and questionnaire for ABCD or Assets Based Community Development, which we hope to put on wide-scale replication after the pilot phase in several villages.
Based on the initial piloting in San Isidro and Anda, she has drafted an Operations Handbook which we hope to use in a cluster of barangays or villages to demonstrate the methodology and, hopefully, develop in the process a software that will facilitate the use of assets in local-level development planning.
Tony Irving, our British IT consultant, and Rodrigo Ocarol, field operations chief, have been busy negotiating with municipalities on the replication of ABCD methodology. It is hoped that eventually we can link up the ABCD software to the PDMS (Poverty Database Monitoring Software), which was developed by BLDF based on basic needs approach.
Linking ABCD to PDMS will be quite a milestone in our quest for an effective approach to finding a tool for pro-poor targeting, as well as assets mapping, to ensure that local communities and householdds need not wait for external donors to be able to start something that will help them improve their development status.
Erin will make a profound contribution to the achievement of this milestone with her hard work on the ABCD methodology.
Habitat for Humanity Malaysia in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia is interested to use the ABCD methodology in partnership with University of Malaysia Sabah. Negotiations are underway to make the partnership possible.
SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE PROJECT GETS NOD FROM EVALUATORS
The Sustainable Agriculture Project that BLDF implements with AusAID funding in San Isidro and Sagbayan has been cited for outstanding work with Local Government Units (LGUs). The evaluation was done by the PACAP (Philippine Australia Community Assistance Program) Secretariat.
The project team is composed of Yollie Albuladora, project coordinator, and two community organizers, Dodong Formentera and Moises Alfuerto.
BLDF PROJECT SEMI-FINALIST WORLD BANK'S PANIBAGONG PARAAN CONTEST
The Sagbayan Social Enterprise Development Project (SSEDP) has been selected as one of the semi-finalist in its Panibagong Paraan Contest.
The project seeks to match idle youth in the municipality of Sagbayan with idle land. BLDF will serve as broker to bring together the LGU and its development partners so that unemployed can be trained on sustainable agriculture and be allocated the use of idle land to implement organic agriculture projects.
Arnold Seloterio, BLDF Database Administrator, says the project will have as partners the following: the Central Visayas College of Agricultures, Forestry and Trade (CVSCAFT), the Bohol Association of Hotels and Resorts (BAHR), the Bohol Initiators for Sustainable Agricultural Develolpment (BISAD), and the Association of Concerned Landlords (ACL).
Final selection of winners will be done this April.
PDMS NEW SURVEY IN DEMAND
Updated surveys for the Poverty Database Monitoring System (PDMS) using the revised questionnaire and the latest version of the software (Version 2.1) is on the increase.
Rodrigo Ocarol, field operations chief, says that after Loon and Maribojoc, BLDF has been invited to discuss how to proceed with PDMS resurveys in Pilar, Duero and Tagbilaran. Other municipalities may soon follow.
All 47 municipalities and 1 city in Bohol province has completed PDMS surveys using earlier versions of the questionnaire and software covering more than 150,000 households.
Finally, thanks to Mar for the reminder.
I have noticed that my last entry was on 31 Jan yet. Quite a long time ago. What I will do is just to convert this blog into a journal of sort so that we can dispense with the news section later. Looks like it's hard to supply the section with fresh materials regularly.
I will just have the updates here in my blog. Later, I will request Arnold or Ryan to put my blog where there is this news about Loon. It has been there for months, and Mar is justified in complaining about it.
Here go some updates:
INTERN FROM BOSTON COLLEGE:
Erin Hoffman, a social work graduate student from Boston College, has been on internship with BLDF since 11 January. She will work with the BLDF field support team for 8 weeks, which means her internship will be until April.
She has done quite a bit of work since her arrival. Erin has visited several municipalities and villages where the Foundation has some projects. She has been involved developing the survey methodology and questionnaire for ABCD or Assets Based Community Development, which we hope to put on wide-scale replication after the pilot phase in several villages.
Based on the initial piloting in San Isidro and Anda, she has drafted an Operations Handbook which we hope to use in a cluster of barangays or villages to demonstrate the methodology and, hopefully, develop in the process a software that will facilitate the use of assets in local-level development planning.
Tony Irving, our British IT consultant, and Rodrigo Ocarol, field operations chief, have been busy negotiating with municipalities on the replication of ABCD methodology. It is hoped that eventually we can link up the ABCD software to the PDMS (Poverty Database Monitoring Software), which was developed by BLDF based on basic needs approach.
Linking ABCD to PDMS will be quite a milestone in our quest for an effective approach to finding a tool for pro-poor targeting, as well as assets mapping, to ensure that local communities and householdds need not wait for external donors to be able to start something that will help them improve their development status.
Erin will make a profound contribution to the achievement of this milestone with her hard work on the ABCD methodology.
Habitat for Humanity Malaysia in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia is interested to use the ABCD methodology in partnership with University of Malaysia Sabah. Negotiations are underway to make the partnership possible.
SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE PROJECT GETS NOD FROM EVALUATORS
The Sustainable Agriculture Project that BLDF implements with AusAID funding in San Isidro and Sagbayan has been cited for outstanding work with Local Government Units (LGUs). The evaluation was done by the PACAP (Philippine Australia Community Assistance Program) Secretariat.
The project team is composed of Yollie Albuladora, project coordinator, and two community organizers, Dodong Formentera and Moises Alfuerto.
BLDF PROJECT SEMI-FINALIST WORLD BANK'S PANIBAGONG PARAAN CONTEST
The Sagbayan Social Enterprise Development Project (SSEDP) has been selected as one of the semi-finalist in its Panibagong Paraan Contest.
The project seeks to match idle youth in the municipality of Sagbayan with idle land. BLDF will serve as broker to bring together the LGU and its development partners so that unemployed can be trained on sustainable agriculture and be allocated the use of idle land to implement organic agriculture projects.
Arnold Seloterio, BLDF Database Administrator, says the project will have as partners the following: the Central Visayas College of Agricultures, Forestry and Trade (CVSCAFT), the Bohol Association of Hotels and Resorts (BAHR), the Bohol Initiators for Sustainable Agricultural Develolpment (BISAD), and the Association of Concerned Landlords (ACL).
Final selection of winners will be done this April.
PDMS NEW SURVEY IN DEMAND
Updated surveys for the Poverty Database Monitoring System (PDMS) using the revised questionnaire and the latest version of the software (Version 2.1) is on the increase.
Rodrigo Ocarol, field operations chief, says that after Loon and Maribojoc, BLDF has been invited to discuss how to proceed with PDMS resurveys in Pilar, Duero and Tagbilaran. Other municipalities may soon follow.
All 47 municipalities and 1 city in Bohol province has completed PDMS surveys using earlier versions of the questionnaire and software covering more than 150,000 households.
Finally, thanks to Mar for the reminder.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
FR. ACONG ON MY MIND
26 December 1974: I will always associate Fr. Acong Sevilla to that night 34 years ago when I knocked at the Sevilla residence at the “Short Cut” in Lucena City and requested him to help me escape from two armed men who were pursuing me. He was seated on what looked like a rocking chair and he swiftly got up after hearing my reason for coming to his place.
Both of us rushed to his jeep parked by the road. He started the engine and promptly asked me where I would like to go.
For a moment, I could not speak. Then I managed to squeak out the name of the place where I would like to pick up a friend and our clothes and other personal stuff. I guess his calmness sought my frayed nerves and I managed to tell him bits and pieces of the story; how two young men blocked my path while I was walking on the road beside the Lucena Elementary School in Iyam district, in front of our high school; how the two walked with myself in the middle; and how I felt the nozzle of a gun on the left side of my body; my swift decision to parry the gun and free myself from their hold.
The two young men ran after me, but I managed to elude them or, probably, they would not want to risk getting notice by the neighborhood. I was able to reach my relative’s home and told the family what had happened. I decided to leave so as not to involve the family and a young boy volunteered to accompany me in the dark until I reached the main road.
Still no sign of the two young men, but I had the feeling they were just observing from a distance. I rode in a passenger jeepney and to ensure I would not be followed, I got off after the Iyam bridge and followed the familiar unlit and stony path leading to the Sevilla home. In fact, I remember I ran unmindful of the barking dogs.
Looking back to this incident, which I did many, many times during the last three decades, I had the same feeling of relief that Fr. Acong, at that moment of extreme anguish, did not hesitate to help me and a friend find ourselves out of a difficult situation.
We were being pursued like rats on account of what we stood for at that time against what we perceived as injustice committed against our people and the more than thirty of our friends who had been persecuted and just disappeared without a trace.
By extending help at a time when we needed it most, Fr. Acong demonstrated what it meant to be a shepherd to his flock, including those who had strayed off the path. When my friend and I finally decided to leave the underground, two weeks after Fr. Acong brought us to a safe haven, you can doubtless say his singular act of kindness had influenced for the most part that crucial decision. ####
Nestor M. Pestelos
Kuching, Malaysia
28 January 2008
Both of us rushed to his jeep parked by the road. He started the engine and promptly asked me where I would like to go.
For a moment, I could not speak. Then I managed to squeak out the name of the place where I would like to pick up a friend and our clothes and other personal stuff. I guess his calmness sought my frayed nerves and I managed to tell him bits and pieces of the story; how two young men blocked my path while I was walking on the road beside the Lucena Elementary School in Iyam district, in front of our high school; how the two walked with myself in the middle; and how I felt the nozzle of a gun on the left side of my body; my swift decision to parry the gun and free myself from their hold.
The two young men ran after me, but I managed to elude them or, probably, they would not want to risk getting notice by the neighborhood. I was able to reach my relative’s home and told the family what had happened. I decided to leave so as not to involve the family and a young boy volunteered to accompany me in the dark until I reached the main road.
Still no sign of the two young men, but I had the feeling they were just observing from a distance. I rode in a passenger jeepney and to ensure I would not be followed, I got off after the Iyam bridge and followed the familiar unlit and stony path leading to the Sevilla home. In fact, I remember I ran unmindful of the barking dogs.
Looking back to this incident, which I did many, many times during the last three decades, I had the same feeling of relief that Fr. Acong, at that moment of extreme anguish, did not hesitate to help me and a friend find ourselves out of a difficult situation.
We were being pursued like rats on account of what we stood for at that time against what we perceived as injustice committed against our people and the more than thirty of our friends who had been persecuted and just disappeared without a trace.
By extending help at a time when we needed it most, Fr. Acong demonstrated what it meant to be a shepherd to his flock, including those who had strayed off the path. When my friend and I finally decided to leave the underground, two weeks after Fr. Acong brought us to a safe haven, you can doubtless say his singular act of kindness had influenced for the most part that crucial decision. ####
Nestor M. Pestelos
Kuching, Malaysia
28 January 2008
Monday, January 14, 2008
A Week to Remember
Now it's Monday, 14 Jan 2008. What a relief! I have just gone through a nerve-wracking, energy-sapping, emotion-draining week!
Gardy Labad and I met with Director Ted Romo of the Department of Social Welfare and Department, Region 7, last Monday. We went through the basic concepts of creative industries and what is known as ABCD or Asset-Based Community Development.
The following day we had the consultation meeting with Mayors and/or the representatives of the six municipalities of Bohol where the Kalahi Creative Industries Development Project (KCIDP) would be implemented on a pilot basis. The Mayor of Pilar would like the project implemented immediately in his municipality. The others preferred to be assisted first in explaining the project to key sectors in the municipality, most especially the barangays.
KCIDP is not the type of projects municipalities are used to. This will be focused on creative industries considered as assets at both community and household levels. What everyone is used to are projects on basic needs: water supply and santitation; roads, clinics and other infrastructure; assistance for malnutrition or households with school dropouts, etc. Teatro Bolanon will present a cultural showcase to help communities be aware of their cultural and arts assets. Hence, the planning for creative industries will start not with the usual identification of needs and problems.
Local planning will start with a process of identifying assets. BLDF has taken the challenge of producing the survey methodology and the software for this revolutionary approach and link these tools to Poverty Databased Monitoring System (PDMS) developed as pro-poor targeting tool based on basic needs approach.
On Wednesday, I had to fly to Manila to meet friends from UNICEF and CIDA in efforts to get some support for developing the ABCD tools. There's some hope we could get CIDA to co-share with BLDF the support for the IT programmer and specialist. In exchange, BLDF will make available data that could be used by CIDA for writing up case studies.
Habitat Malaysia waits eagerly for the outputs which can be used for a community survey in cooperation with University of Malaysia Sabah.
Thursday I had to spend almost half a day with Habitat Philippines so we could finalize my work plan for the first quarter of the year. We had to agree on the case studies to be undertaken and on the role I have to play in implementing the ADB urban project.
Friday I had to pick up the CD on a friend's funeral from Guadi. We had to meet for this at the Greenbelt chapel. By late afternoon, I was back to Bohol to meet Erin Hoffman and the BLDF team. Erin had arrived earlier from Boston College to start a four-month internship with BLDF.
Saturday I had to meet them again at our place in the village. Then the news was broken to me gently by Jojie about the passing away of my close friend, Atty. Nitz Cambangay, who just retired as Provincial Planning and Development Coordinator. All of us were shocked by the news. We met with him 04 January to finalize plans for the registration of a new entity, the Institute of Poverty Studies and Governance.
Afternoon of that Saturday I had to rush back to Baclayon Church to serve as sponsor in the wedding of Toby Martin and Dagni Aya-ay. Prior to that I had to attend a wake for the mother of the former Mayor's mother. Shortly before midnight, when the wedding reception ended, I went with the family to visit Nitz at Funeraria Gomez. The place was full of people. We emphatize with Helen's situation, who now must confront a future without Nitz.
Early Sunday, after attending morning Mass, we went back to Nitz where he seemed only sleeping there and for the first time during the week, I had moments to recall how we conspired to make poverty not only a "showbiz" issue, but the overarching theme of all development plans here in Bohol.
We will go on with this journey and this is probably the best way to remember our friend and colleague, Nitz Cambangay.
Gardy Labad and I met with Director Ted Romo of the Department of Social Welfare and Department, Region 7, last Monday. We went through the basic concepts of creative industries and what is known as ABCD or Asset-Based Community Development.
The following day we had the consultation meeting with Mayors and/or the representatives of the six municipalities of Bohol where the Kalahi Creative Industries Development Project (KCIDP) would be implemented on a pilot basis. The Mayor of Pilar would like the project implemented immediately in his municipality. The others preferred to be assisted first in explaining the project to key sectors in the municipality, most especially the barangays.
KCIDP is not the type of projects municipalities are used to. This will be focused on creative industries considered as assets at both community and household levels. What everyone is used to are projects on basic needs: water supply and santitation; roads, clinics and other infrastructure; assistance for malnutrition or households with school dropouts, etc. Teatro Bolanon will present a cultural showcase to help communities be aware of their cultural and arts assets. Hence, the planning for creative industries will start not with the usual identification of needs and problems.
Local planning will start with a process of identifying assets. BLDF has taken the challenge of producing the survey methodology and the software for this revolutionary approach and link these tools to Poverty Databased Monitoring System (PDMS) developed as pro-poor targeting tool based on basic needs approach.
On Wednesday, I had to fly to Manila to meet friends from UNICEF and CIDA in efforts to get some support for developing the ABCD tools. There's some hope we could get CIDA to co-share with BLDF the support for the IT programmer and specialist. In exchange, BLDF will make available data that could be used by CIDA for writing up case studies.
Habitat Malaysia waits eagerly for the outputs which can be used for a community survey in cooperation with University of Malaysia Sabah.
Thursday I had to spend almost half a day with Habitat Philippines so we could finalize my work plan for the first quarter of the year. We had to agree on the case studies to be undertaken and on the role I have to play in implementing the ADB urban project.
Friday I had to pick up the CD on a friend's funeral from Guadi. We had to meet for this at the Greenbelt chapel. By late afternoon, I was back to Bohol to meet Erin Hoffman and the BLDF team. Erin had arrived earlier from Boston College to start a four-month internship with BLDF.
Saturday I had to meet them again at our place in the village. Then the news was broken to me gently by Jojie about the passing away of my close friend, Atty. Nitz Cambangay, who just retired as Provincial Planning and Development Coordinator. All of us were shocked by the news. We met with him 04 January to finalize plans for the registration of a new entity, the Institute of Poverty Studies and Governance.
Afternoon of that Saturday I had to rush back to Baclayon Church to serve as sponsor in the wedding of Toby Martin and Dagni Aya-ay. Prior to that I had to attend a wake for the mother of the former Mayor's mother. Shortly before midnight, when the wedding reception ended, I went with the family to visit Nitz at Funeraria Gomez. The place was full of people. We emphatize with Helen's situation, who now must confront a future without Nitz.
Early Sunday, after attending morning Mass, we went back to Nitz where he seemed only sleeping there and for the first time during the week, I had moments to recall how we conspired to make poverty not only a "showbiz" issue, but the overarching theme of all development plans here in Bohol.
We will go on with this journey and this is probably the best way to remember our friend and colleague, Nitz Cambangay.
Sunday, January 06, 2008
Back to Blogging
Now let me see: almost 18 months I have not had any entry to this blog site. Long time, yes. Long time to prove if somebody will care if I don't blog. Hahahahah! It's really missed.
So why return to it? The answer is probably more of a wish to get things documented and hope somebody else will read it and spark a thought or two that everybody will profit from in terms of new insight or for just the share pleasure of knowing somebody somewhere shares the same thought.
For the long absence, I do not have to cite the same excuse about being busy. It may be true, but if you really want to do something, you will always find the time to do it. Or it could be poor planning, being unmindful of how to allocate time based on priorities. Or it could be plain and simple fatigue, a certain tiredness of the spirit, a physical inability to do things which are not directly related to one's work.
Whatever it is, those 18 months are gone, as far as my blog is concerned.
Among my friends, only Vanni Villafuerte of the Philippine Business for Social Progress, commented about the blog during the long period of its absence. In a visit to Bohol a few months back, he said he read my blogs because it deals with a common interest we share: poverty. Of course, it's not all about poverty; sometimes I renege and deal with with some topics remotely related to poverty. I must admit it's tiring to think and talk poverty all the time, especially if your friends want to talk about something else - which is often!
Let's try again going into this blog with the regret that some incidents or experiences I have had during the last 18 months are gone forever - except perhaps in images I have stored in my digital camera or captured in scribblings on my notebooks, faithful companiorns since I am 11 years old.
Thanks to Arnold Seloterio for facilitating my access to the blog spot. Now let's see how long I can sustaing blogging this time.
So why return to it? The answer is probably more of a wish to get things documented and hope somebody else will read it and spark a thought or two that everybody will profit from in terms of new insight or for just the share pleasure of knowing somebody somewhere shares the same thought.
For the long absence, I do not have to cite the same excuse about being busy. It may be true, but if you really want to do something, you will always find the time to do it. Or it could be poor planning, being unmindful of how to allocate time based on priorities. Or it could be plain and simple fatigue, a certain tiredness of the spirit, a physical inability to do things which are not directly related to one's work.
Whatever it is, those 18 months are gone, as far as my blog is concerned.
Among my friends, only Vanni Villafuerte of the Philippine Business for Social Progress, commented about the blog during the long period of its absence. In a visit to Bohol a few months back, he said he read my blogs because it deals with a common interest we share: poverty. Of course, it's not all about poverty; sometimes I renege and deal with with some topics remotely related to poverty. I must admit it's tiring to think and talk poverty all the time, especially if your friends want to talk about something else - which is often!
Let's try again going into this blog with the regret that some incidents or experiences I have had during the last 18 months are gone forever - except perhaps in images I have stored in my digital camera or captured in scribblings on my notebooks, faithful companiorns since I am 11 years old.
Thanks to Arnold Seloterio for facilitating my access to the blog spot. Now let's see how long I can sustaing blogging this time.
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