Last August 19 – 21, 2023, the UPD Ugnayan ng Pahinungod conducted ocular visits across multiple communities in Laguna, Bulacan, and Quezon provinces to explore the possibilities of working together with UPD NSTP units for the purpose of serving relevant partner communities through volunteer initiatives.
The first day took place on August 19, Saturday, with the Pederasyon ng mga Mangingisda at Mamamayan ng Biñan (PMMB) in Malaban, Biñan, Laguna.
Upon arrival at the residence of PMMB Founder, Mr. Ernesto Capili, the Pahinungod team, together with NSTP coordinator Dr. Angelito Meneses, Ms. Joan Tolibas, and the committee members of the PMMB, initiated the consultation meeting.
Mr. Capili started by explaining the history and origins of PMMB. He stated that the group started over 5 decades ago, with the goal of strengthening community ties through social and livelihood endeavors–particulary with fishing, shoemaking, and carpentry. Throughout the years, these acitivities have not been as lucrative as they used to be due to the advent of new technology, environmental pollution, and market competition for products from Chinese manufacturers. As a result, the residents of Malaban have been grappling with the struggles that come with rising inflation and decreasing profits from the usual livelihood endeavors they engage in.
Junior Project Associate, Alessandra Uy, then proceeded to introduce the Ugnayan ng Pahinungod. She discussed its vision and mission, as well as its projects and programs of the in detail, namely: (1) Gurong Pahinungod, (2) the Affirmative Action Program (AAP), (3) the Tutorial Service Program, (4) the Teacher Development Program (TDP), (5) Buhay Pahinungod, (6) the Psychosocial Support Program (PSP), (7) the Integrated Volunteer Program, (8) the Social Services and Wellness Program, and the (9) Internal Support Committee. All of which have been geared towards fulfilling the vision of the Pahinungod to propel the efforts of the university into serving disadvantaged communities through volunteerism.
The members of the PMMB then shared the state of their current community situation. They mentioned that people in their community do not rely on the government for help. Rather, the community members themselves are proactive and take matters into their own hands when it comes to community affairs and matters.
Then, they shared their struggles as a community. Though characteristically a fishing town, fishing alone is no longer enough to earn a decent living–due to environmental factors such as land reclamation, pollution, and illegal fishing. To compensate, the people would have to take on many jobs, such as carpentry, and food vending. Likewise, Laguna de Bay is in need of ecological protection, and rehabilitation. Similarly, flooding remains to be a problem.
Further, the community has expressed their other social concerns. Many young people have left Malaban for greener pastures. As a result, there are not many headstrong advocates and community leaders left; most of the leaders are now elderly.
Some community children have also been topics of concern. A number of them have stopped attending school in order to earn a living for their families–they drop out of school and result in the selling of garbage. Addiction to electronic gadgets, and inhalants (rubgy) have also added to their plight.
From these discussions, both the Pahinungod team and the PMMB identified possible key points for collaboration, and cooperation–with the long-term goal of sustained partnerships in mind. Several opportunities were discussed, such as the exploration of alternative livelihood activities, clean-up drives for Laguna de Bay, introduction of alternative learning systems (ALS), as well as disaster risk reduction & management (DRRM) and psychological first aid (PFA) training for both children and adults alike. The meeting concluded with a group photo of all attendees.
In the afternoon, the Pahinungod team was taken around the Malaban community to conduct ocular visits in order to have a better understanding of their living conditions. This first community visit day ended with a visit to Mrs. Eva’s residence.
