Journey to Sitio Paglitaw, Calawis Antipolo

The journey to Palitaw took-off from the Barangay Proper at 8:30 in the morning, with an hour and a half trek to Sitio Apia on a rough gravel road inaccessible by transport during the rainy months. To reach Sitio Apia, we took a shortcut through Apia River instead of taking the route with a hanging bridge – not advisable to use at this time.

Sitio Apia is the take-off point going to Sitio Paglitaw, which we reached at around 10 a.m. We took a brief rest and some refreshments to gather our strength for the longer trek ahead. I really didn’t know what to expect at this point, but I was advised to proceed on horseback. The start of the journey seemed easy enough and I was quite enjoying the horseback ride and scenery. We reached Manadlang River, with its clear and refreshing waters, at around 11:00 a.m. After we crossed it, the trek started to get rough. The trail got narrower and narrower, more muddy and slippery and steep. At some some point, the horse slipped with me on it trying to ascend an 80˚ slope. Of course, I screamed and got terrified that both I and the horse would fall with the horse landing on me. Then shortly after, the horse went on a slippery descent and I desperately wanted to get off the horse because I remembered I had no insurance. Towards the final approach, the trail was just enough for one person to pass with a steep drop more than a hundred meters to the raging river below. I was desperately begging my guide to let me off, but he just turned a deaf ear. He thought that I would have a more difficult time walking and that going horse back was an easier option. When we got to Paglitaw River, I couldn’t wait to jump off the horse in a near nervous breakdown. I was determined to cross the river on foot despite the strong current and the fact that I couldn’t swim. I also made the final climb to the village on barefoot after my trusty North Face trail shoes got so caked with mud. We got to the almost deserted village at 12:30 p.m. The Dumagats were busy in their farms so the afternoon was spent resting before the 4 p.m. community meeting.

Sitio Paglitaw is a Dumagat community composed of 40 – 50 households or a population of about 240 – 300 individuals. Livelihood is mainly derived from slash and burn agriculture. The economy can be described as subsistence and non-cash. They get from the land only what they need and produce what they can for their daily sustenance. They sell produce in the Barangay proper only when they need cash to procure other essentials and when they run out of rice supply. With their produce, they are proud to say that they are able to eat thrice a day.

Almost all of the villagers are illiterate. The children would like to go to school and the elders don’t want them to grow up illiterate like they did, but there is no school in the village. The school teacher who was assigned to the village quit. Children don’t go to school because the nearest school is in Sitio Apia and access for small schoolchildren is very difficult. They also face ridicule by lowland schoolchildren for being dark-skinned, ignorant and backward.

In general, the people describe their situation as difficult, but they have dreams for the Dumagat people and their children. Some of the children want to become farmers, teachers and sari-sari store owners. The elders want some kind of development to happen in their village – easier access to public services like education and health, but still maintain their simple, peaceful lives and traditions. They, however, distrust outsiders who have given them promises of help but never came back. They hope my visit turns out to be different, even if I didn’t leave them any promise.

Development Issues and Potentials Undertaking development projects in Sitio Paglitaw faces tremendous challenges.

The people possess have very few material assets except those that nature has given them: lush green forest, rich biodiversity, strong and clean water supply. They also possess human and social assets – values, practices and traditions, which still need to be studied but are in grave danger of being dissipated.

The major challenges facing the villagers in any development undertaking are: low literacy and lack of access to public services and market. They also face a threat from prospectors. (I spied some Koreans on the way up and a couple of Chinese living there) and land speculators, who already own large tracts of land in the area. The absence of a farm-to-market road hampers mobility of people, supplies and goods to and from the area. It is not feasible to implement the bamboo and vegetable project in the area. Because they are illiterate, they are tricked into giving up their rights to their lands, making them very vulnerable of being pushed further back into the hinterlands.

Post-script:

Because it rained the afternoon we were there, I dreaded the walk back home since I didn’t want to go on horseback again. The trails were more slippery and the rivers were higher with the currents stronger. Still, we started our trek back at 5:30 in the morning and I braved the walk. I made it through the first stretch and thought I would have to crawl in the next leg. I just had to learn to trust my horse and bear the metal saddle and short stirrups. We finally reached “home” at 9:00 a.m. and so I end my trip with sore butt and thighs. But hey, I didn’t fall off the horse the entire trip, nor slipped and fell in the trail. I have to be honest; Sitio Paglitaw is not a place I would like to go back to. I doubt the Rotarians will even get there. Even if they make a sincere attempt, I’m sure they will give up a quarter of the way. Sleeping without a wash after a long journey is not a habit anyone would want to develop. The outhouse is also something else. I am too old for this and have become a creature of comfort.

Words by: Angel 3kings (July 8, 2008)

God's Wondrous Works, The Rotary Way

Indeed, God works in mysterious ways, His wonders to perform. Call it Miracle, Divine Providence, serendipity or simply destiny. Things have an odd way of falling into place since 2005, when I was re-inducted as a “balik-Rotarian” of RC Makati San Lorenzo.

I first joined Rotary in 1995, quit after 4 years and turned to a cause I thought was equally important as “feeding the body” nourishing the soul by supporting the struggling Filipino artist. To some, including my family, my civic work seemed frivolous and too “pa-social”.

A year after I rejoined, I reluctantly accepted the nomination to be the club president. My six months as PN breezed by, thinking I could wiggle myself out of the situation and knock some sense into the head the heads of my Rotary Family. Didn’t they realize that my emotional and psychological make up just doesn’t constitute and exemplary Rotarian and certainly not a Rotary Club President.

Another of God’s mysterious ways sparked my awakening. Now a PE, I was drawn into a huddle of veteran Rotarians where my ignorance could hardly be veiled. That launched my relentless quest for knowledge about Rotary, being a Rotarian and a Rotary President. I logged on to www.rotary.org almost nightly, read the President’s Manual upon the advice of my CP Rennie Andrews from cover to cover not once but many times. That was when I began hitting the ground running so to speak, only to fly to the moon and reach for the stars and make dreams real. Strangely, the more I learned about Rotary, the more I became committed.

Early on, I realized that funding is a major concern. And so I began appealing, begging, cajoling, pestering and cashing in IOUs for donations from family and friends. I also started fund raising thru garage sales and “Pera sa Basura”.

The outcome is a wonder in itself not to mention the fact that we are helping reduce garbage and recycle items that would otherwise go to dumpsites.

Last February our club organized an RCC in our benefiting community in Calawis, Antipolo and held several meeting with them. Being a self confessed O.C. (obsessive compulsive), one who brooks no delay, I arranged the club’s two day strategic planning session in Mount Purro in Calawis March 1-2.

The turn of events again showed God’s Hand in all this. It was a very fruitful and touching weekend especially during the visioning with the community.

The villagers concretized their vision and dreams for their community by drawing their wish list on a Manila paper after which a discussion ensued. We knew right them that we had to do something to make them believe that yes, there are people like us, Rotarians who genuinely care and are willing to help. And this was the start of fulfilling a dream, the community’s and ours: We will plant bamboo in 1000 hectares of forestland together with 1000 farmers.

Putting together an ambitious long term project can be daunting. There were endless meetings with the core group composed of Pres. Erwyn, CP Rennie, PPs Maridel, Mari, Tyrone, Tot. Marie, Fred, Munte, myself, our social development specialist, Angel Tatlong, our bamboo expert Romy Sta. Ana, mayor Sumulong and the community.

The painstaking process of gathering information and data from government records (DENR and the LGU), from key informants in the area and from the local villages themselves proved to be very difficult. At last, we have a business plan for our Bamboo project code named “CALAWIS-wis Kawayan Project.”

After we thought we completed the most challenging part of the task, we struck another hurdle. Where do we get the staggering 37 million to fund the 5 years project? We identified possible donors and of course the matching grants of The Rotary Foundation.

I researched in the Rotary website for information about funding projects and also found the No Contacts list, meaning agencies or individuals we cannot ask for donations. On the lighter side, PP Maridel was seriously concerned that we cannot tap Bill Gates because he already donated 100 million dollars to RI Polio Plus. We told her, it is alright because we don’t know him anyway. But that simply illustrates how serious we were in making this project happen by exploring all possibilities. I also visited local and international funding agencies, including ADB, Embassies and UNDP.

During a meeting with Nash Pablo, the group decided to apply for 3H Grant, barely a week before the submission deadline. Since we already have a comprehensive project study we were able to submit our proposal on March 27, four days before the deadline.

As we waited for the response from TRF, we continued our work related to the project, like pursuing our other benefactors including our sister clubs and co-sponsor, RC Taipei Capital.

We also laid the ground works for the project by regularly visiting the community and implementing small parts of the project like construction of the water well in the village, conducting medical missions to establish rapport and bring goodwill to the indigenous farmers.

Exactly a month later, I received communication from the 3H grant committee informing us that our proposal is being considered and that the project is very competitive.

More documents and requirements were sent for us to complete. Although we have not actually received the grant, I am gratified to enjoy my own rewards for the months of arduous work. People who knows where I come from understood my dreams, appreciated my efforts and gave their unwavering support. That in itself is again God’s wonderful handiwork.

For sure, there were many disappointments along the way. But this didn’t dampen our spirits nor weaken our resolve.

We faced valid questions and problems squarely. We didn’t dwell on problems but concentrated on the solutions, we didn’t focus on the questions and doubts but only on the answers. It was wonderful to discover that my wellspring of resources would be own Rotary Family.

Be it money, time, knowledge, expertise, skills or wisdom, everybody was just willing to contribute his or her share. And all I had to do was ask and I received.

The whole process was a labor of love that has produced invaluable results. The result is an astonishing picture of dedicated Rotarians of diverse personalities working together with one purpose in their hearts.

Only by continuing in this vein can our club finally achieve success in this endeavor.

Yes, God worked in mysterious ways in RC Makati San Lorenzo, His wonders to perform. But the rest is up to me and my Rotary family to MAKE DREAM REAL!

Words by: Pres. Cha-Cha Camacho