Bayanihan Spirit, Cash For Work and Disaster Mapping
In the previous story, we asked where the parents were. And here is the answer...
They were 'at work'. Some did attend mass at a distance (from the shades of trees).
Why did they keep a distance? Why were they in uniform? Working? On a Saturday?
They told me they have to let their children be. Whatever the kids were doing, it was school activity (Saturday make-up class). Kids can't skip (escape actually!) when they see their parents nearby - especially the little ones in Grade 1. Oo nga naman. ano?!
But why were they in that blue uniform?
CFW. Ano yan? Bayanihan pa rin!
One of many, I must say. It generally aims to help disaster victims help themselves!
How does that work? Aw, disaster victims (like farmers, fishermen, housewives, other meager earners, etc., who lost their livelihoods) are 'hired' for 'paid work' on a project.
What projects? What qualifications? How much is the pay?
Teka teka, isa-isa lang!
In theory, if you were already employed somewhere wherever, you won't be "hired" in this program. I heard though, because many jobs don't actually pay minimum wage, some residents opt not to report to their existing employment to join cash for work.
Example? Si manong guard (of a resort). His salary as guard is way far from the daily minimum wage mandated by government. So ba't pa sya mag-ga-guard nga naman!
Bright and practical di ba? Dapat lang. Di na sya magbibiyahe at mamamasahe!
Like? Like cleaning (dredging ba?) of a canal; clearing of road obstructions like trees and shrubs; gardening; beautification, etc., that don't require specialist or tech skills.
In their own barangay... ONLY!
Look at the manangs in the photo above. Making and maintaining a "vegetable and fruit-tree garden". In their own neighborhood area, for the benefit of well, all of them!
Wheelbarrows, hindi lang isa yan - per team. Bolos, procured from local makers - as many as needed. Shovels, picks, axes, everything needed, meron pa daw chain saw!
As you can see in the pictures, they were provided with uniforms (blue long sleeved shirts) and helmets! Wag ka nang umangal, ganun yata ang 'international standard'!
I-it na man, an pag-tanum pechay kinahanglan naka-helmet hahaha!
Oh you must have noticed the logos printed on the helmet? It means, this particular Cash-For-Work activity was being implemented by UNDP, with funding from Japan.
That's the reality. Nagtutulungan din ang buong mundo, para makatulong sa atin.
Di ba 'no?!
Precisely pa rin! That's the whole point/objective of CFW hahaha! Ayy, no NGO/NGA will officially publicly admit though: that it's really actually just a monetary dole out!
Pero alalahanin natin...
Their lives have been ruined by Yolanda remember? Yes, even if ruined na naman na talaga, bago pa bumagyo (we're a 3rd world country after all). Everyone needs money.
So namimigay ang meron pambigay. Manood ka na lang, 'wag kang ano!
Now, for reasons like 'abusuhin ka ng tao', 'victim-mentality', 'di na nagbabanat ng buto naghihintay lang ng abuloy'... you have to make it appear they seriously worked for it!
The real truth is: you the NGO/NGA wants to give "help money" to each one of them.
It's the same as me kendi ka, gusto ng baby mo, and you say "dance muna anak"!
Let me say that again:
Abuloy talaga yan, pinapalabas lang na sweldo para wag abusado't naka-nganga na lang ang mga tao. At least yung kunwari work nila also benefits them, kanila yun eh.
I like that. So the "already economically deprived" (at kung anu-ano pang katawagan), eh hindi lang puro dasal na nakatunganga nalang at nag-hihintay lang ng mga abuloy.
Oist! That quick, nag-tanung-tanong at nagsaliksik ako. CFW is a global practice.
I hope they also do that to the pantawid (4Ps) adult beneficiaries. Work to earn.
Ah, I discovered (from the NGOs):
If there's anything beautiful with this CFW (lalo na yung galing sa NGOs), everything is managed by them INCLUDING the disbursement of "salaries". Walang politicians!
But CFW isn't forever. As I said nga, projects. Projects: they have a start and an end.
Oh, not all in a barangay may be members of CFW teams, right? So, where were the other parents/adults this Saturday? Curious lang! I saw many at the barangay plaza.
Have you heard about that program before? Hardly or seldom, right? Ako rin, even if I've been just everywhere in this country, I haven't heard about such valuable activity.
Nag-paalam naman ako to listen-in and watch. All I can say is: I got engrossed!
Layman's terms nga, drawing lang na naiintindihan ng lahat kung nasan ang ano. Then they plotted the vulnerable areas for each kind of disaster they previously identified.
I observed them discussing "where danger can occur", "who and what are at risk", and "where safety and help are located". All under the guidance of some expert resource.
That map became the basis of their many and further discussions. Ang galing!
Pati paano magco-communicate sino. Ang galing galing, bilib ako! Very engaging!
As I kept pacing from one group to another, I was silently asking "bakit hindi itinuturo yan sa school? I think all they were saying are 'learnable', even at elementary school.
The topic can actually be a full subject - together with the "duck-cover-hold" thing.
I think for both activities, emphasis of 'communication during disaster' (what, when, how-to, who-will, where) are crucial for communities to have homogenous knowledge.
Yes, doble-dobleng bayanihan pa. Me ganun na ngayon, because I declare so hehe!
Look at it this way: 1) nag-babayanihan ang mundo to help our Yolanda-devastated kababayans; 2) nagbabayanihan mismo ang ating mga victims, to help themselves.
Remember the birthday earlier? Same. Maraming 'micro'-bayanihan sabay-sabay.
At masaya ha! Imagine this: sabi ng isang misis sa akin 'malay ko ba ano ang trowel at bakit kelangan naka-helmet at naka-gwantis ako'! At meron na silang wheelbarrow!
Di ba? You're just trying to recover your pre-Yolanda situation, in the process (since meron nagbabayanihan to help) kumita na, natuto ka pa ng mga 'bagong kaalaman'.
O sige, Yolanda pa more! [simba ko, joke lang ano ka ba]
But for me as an on-looker (uzisero), I didn't even know what to expect, yet now I am saying, this was a trip with lots of meaningful lessons. I'm certain more are coming!
They were 'at work'. Some did attend mass at a distance (from the shades of trees).
They told me they have to let their children be. Whatever the kids were doing, it was school activity (Saturday make-up class). Kids can't skip (escape actually!) when they see their parents nearby - especially the little ones in Grade 1. Oo nga naman. ano?!
But why were they in that blue uniform?
CFW. Ano yan? Bayanihan pa rin!
What is Cash-For-Work (CFW)
Ever heard about Cash-For-Work Program? It is a 'disaster recovery' mechanism of NGOs (Non-Government Organizations) - even NGAs (National Government Agencies).One of many, I must say. It generally aims to help disaster victims help themselves!
What projects? What qualifications? How much is the pay?
Teka teka, isa-isa lang!
How Much?
Each worker (resident of the barangay or town where the project is located), earns the prevailing Minimum Wage of the area (in this case Region VIII), for each day of work.In theory, if you were already employed somewhere wherever, you won't be "hired" in this program. I heard though, because many jobs don't actually pay minimum wage, some residents opt not to report to their existing employment to join cash for work.
Example? Si manong guard (of a resort). His salary as guard is way far from the daily minimum wage mandated by government. So ba't pa sya mag-ga-guard nga naman!
Bright and practical di ba? Dapat lang. Di na sya magbibiyahe at mamamasahe!
What sorts of work project?
Aw, just about anything, as agreed between the donor NGO/NGA, and the barangay.Like? Like cleaning (dredging ba?) of a canal; clearing of road obstructions like trees and shrubs; gardening; beautification, etc., that don't require specialist or tech skills.
In their own barangay... ONLY!
Look at the manangs in the photo above. Making and maintaining a "vegetable and fruit-tree garden". In their own neighborhood area, for the benefit of well, all of them!
What are the 'working conditions'?
Everything is provided, even things these "workers" may not have imagined hehehe!
As you can see in the pictures, they were provided with uniforms (blue long sleeved shirts) and helmets! Wag ka nang umangal, ganun yata ang 'international standard'!
I-it na man, an pag-tanum pechay kinahanglan naka-helmet hahaha!
Oh you must have noticed the logos printed on the helmet? It means, this particular Cash-For-Work activity was being implemented by UNDP, with funding from Japan.
That's the reality. Nagtutulungan din ang buong mundo, para makatulong sa atin.
Isn't that a "giveaway" / wasting sponsor money?
Precisely! Natumbok mo! Eh mga sarili nilang kapaligiran yan; they're the ones who should attend to those without pay; ang labas tuloy, namigay lang ng pera si sponsor!Di ba 'no?!
Precisely pa rin! That's the whole point/objective of CFW hahaha! Ayy, no NGO/NGA will officially publicly admit though: that it's really actually just a monetary dole out!
Pero alalahanin natin...
Their lives have been ruined by Yolanda remember? Yes, even if ruined na naman na talaga, bago pa bumagyo (we're a 3rd world country after all). Everyone needs money.
So namimigay ang meron pambigay. Manood ka na lang, 'wag kang ano!
Now, for reasons like 'abusuhin ka ng tao', 'victim-mentality', 'di na nagbabanat ng buto naghihintay lang ng abuloy'... you have to make it appear they seriously worked for it!
The real truth is: you the NGO/NGA wants to give "help money" to each one of them.
It's the same as me kendi ka, gusto ng baby mo, and you say "dance muna anak"!
Let me say that again:
Abuloy talaga yan, pinapalabas lang na sweldo para wag abusado't naka-nganga na lang ang mga tao. At least yung kunwari work nila also benefits them, kanila yun eh.
I like that. So the "already economically deprived" (at kung anu-ano pang katawagan), eh hindi lang puro dasal na nakatunganga nalang at nag-hihintay lang ng mga abuloy.
Oist! That quick, nag-tanung-tanong at nagsaliksik ako. CFW is a global practice.
I hope they also do that to the pantawid (4Ps) adult beneficiaries. Work to earn.
Ah, I discovered (from the NGOs):
If there's anything beautiful with this CFW (lalo na yung galing sa NGOs), everything is managed by them INCLUDING the disbursement of "salaries". Walang politicians!
But CFW isn't forever. As I said nga, projects. Projects: they have a start and an end.
Oh, not all in a barangay may be members of CFW teams, right? So, where were the other parents/adults this Saturday? Curious lang! I saw many at the barangay plaza.
Disaster Mapping & Planning
They were huddled in groups (teams?). I think there were 4 or 5 groups. But it being already summer, groups had to compress to keep out of the harsh midmorning sun.
Nag-paalam naman ako to listen-in and watch. All I can say is: I got engrossed!
Barangay Disaster Mapping
Everything discussed were in "layman's terms" -kasi naintindihan ko eh! All members, I mean 'altogether', made for themselves a map of their barangay, not even to scale.Layman's terms nga, drawing lang na naiintindihan ng lahat kung nasan ang ano. Then they plotted the vulnerable areas for each kind of disaster they previously identified.
That map became the basis of their many and further discussions. Ang galing!
Barangay Disaster Planning
When the map was "done", they proceeded to talking about their plans whenever an identified disaster would happen. It included 'roles and responsibilities' of everyone.Pati paano magco-communicate sino. Ang galing galing, bilib ako! Very engaging!
As I kept pacing from one group to another, I was silently asking "bakit hindi itinuturo yan sa school? I think all they were saying are 'learnable', even at elementary school.
The topic can actually be a full subject - together with the "duck-cover-hold" thing.
I think for both activities, emphasis of 'communication during disaster' (what, when, how-to, who-will, where) are crucial for communities to have homogenous knowledge.
Were these (CFW & Disaster Mapping) really bayanihan?
It is easy to doubt (like I did) because of our mis- or pre-conception of bayanihan as illustrated in my previous post. But reflecting on them I realized they're even double.Yes, doble-dobleng bayanihan pa. Me ganun na ngayon, because I declare so hehe!
Look at it this way: 1) nag-babayanihan ang mundo to help our Yolanda-devastated kababayans; 2) nagbabayanihan mismo ang ating mga victims, to help themselves.
Remember the birthday earlier? Same. Maraming 'micro'-bayanihan sabay-sabay.
At masaya ha! Imagine this: sabi ng isang misis sa akin 'malay ko ba ano ang trowel at bakit kelangan naka-helmet at naka-gwantis ako'! At meron na silang wheelbarrow!
Di ba? You're just trying to recover your pre-Yolanda situation, in the process (since meron nagbabayanihan to help) kumita na, natuto ka pa ng mga 'bagong kaalaman'.
O sige, Yolanda pa more! [simba ko, joke lang ano ka ba]
But for me as an on-looker (uzisero), I didn't even know what to expect, yet now I am saying, this was a trip with lots of meaningful lessons. I'm certain more are coming!
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