Project Banig Isabela

“Latag. Buklat. Kuwento” – Project Banig is a storytelling-everywhere literacy campaign, and site-specific volunteer storytelling and book-drive project focusing on underprivileged Filipino communities.It started in December 2012 as a storytelling and book-giving literacy project for children of the Ulingan-Tondo community under Project Pearls. Project Banig is an initiative of storyteller, theatre-maker JK Anicoche and children’s literature writer Christine Bellen together with the contemporary community theater company Sipat Lawin Ensemble, in partnership with the Museo Pambata. 
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Project-Banig-Storytelling-Everywhere/272017162930503?id=272017162930503&sk=info

Having said that it is a site-specific volunteer storytelling and book-drive project, concerned citizens from Isabela started Project Banig in their community.

PROJECT BANIG ISABELA (PBI) was launched last July 28, 2013 in San Juan, Quirino, Isabela.This project has an advocacy to promote love of reading as well as to incorporate values through books.It was headed by Pastor Daniel Pedro and Sister Jennifer Joy Pedro.

Teacher Gelda,one of our members is from Isabela so our group M.A.F.I.A. (Mars And Friends In Action) decided to support the project by doing storytelling and distributing storybooks. We would like thank our friends for their donations.Without you, this project would not be possible. You know who you are.Labyu!

Special thanks to OMF Publishing House for providing books to the kids of Isabela.
As Vera Nazarian once said,"Whenever you read a good book, somewhere in the world a door opens to allow in more light." 

Day 1-- October 30. We have had storytelling in Barangay San Juan which was followed by arts and crafts activity led by ate Charlot Cachuela of Museo Pambata. 

Hot and delicious sopas was served by the generous hosts after the activity.

Day 2-- October 31. We went to Barangay Rizal. I've met the grandmother of one of the kids so I decided to tell the story "Bru-ha-ha-ha". It is a story about old age and also teaches the children to respect the elders.

This was taken last November 1, 2013. The children were trying so look scary but oh! they were still so lovable.

Ang Pagtatagpo sa TAGAPO with Love

"Ang Pagtatagpo sa Tagapo with Love" happened last May 19, 2013

Our storytelling session

Let's get it on!

The Dancing ATEs of MAFIA

Facepainting

Distribution of books and school supplies

On behalf of M.A.F.I.A. (Mars And Friends In Action), we would like to thank everyone who helped 

and supported our outreach project "Ang Pagtatagpo sa Tagapo with Love". 

The school supplies and books you have donated were given to the kids of Barangay Janosa, 

Talim Island, Binangonan, Rizal last May 19, 2013.

Without the support of people like you, we will not be able to reach our goal.

Thank you once again for your generous support of our group. God bless you more.

Sa mga sponsors, we love you so much! May your kindness return to you a hundredfold.

Sa lahat ng ka-MAFIA, hindi magtatagumpay ang proyektong ito kung wala kayo! (You know who you are!) ♥ ♥ ♥

Mabuhay tayong lahat!

"Let us not be content to wait and see what will happen, 

but give us the determination to make the right things happen."

~Horace Mann

 "Volunteers don't get paid, not because they're worthless, but because they're priceless."

Hanggang sa muli! MABUHAY!

Climbing Mt. Tagapo with our kiddo guide :)

Kindness is an inner desire that makes us want to do good things even if we do not get anything in return. 

It is the joy of our life to do them. It is done with sincerity and from the heart. In life, you become truly worthy not for who you are, not even for what you have, but what others have become because of your help. 

So keep on lifting little souls and make them big as you are. 

Coco Beach

This is the GC I won from an event almost a year ago. Kung kilala mo ako, alam mo na naniniwala ako na "The best things in life are libre."Kaya naman bago pa abutan ng expiration date, gomora na kami sa Coco Beach nung Sept. 14. It was an overnight stay with De Luxe accommodation for two and FREE breakfast (gaya ng nakasaad sa GC).

Salamat sa masagana at masarap na agahan.Bilang paborito ko ang tinapay, tinikman ko lahat. Da best ang Pan De Coco nila.Samahan pa ng kape. WINNER!

This is the room. "Nature-neychuran" Ng peg.Walang aircon. Maaliwas. It has two beds. They provide soap made from coconut.Walang shampoo,toothpaste,at toothbrush (unlike sa experience ko sa Lighthouse Marina.I-compare ba?) May towel naman.May shower pero walang heater. Sagana sa tissue.Malinis ang bathroom, yun ang pinakamahalaga.May vault pa para sa mahahalagang bagay na kailangan mong itago (as if may dalang milyones? Hehe! Kidding aside, you can put your celphone,camera, or extra money sa vault for safety lang.)

May bell sa labas ng balkonahe na hihilahin mo lang just in case may kailangan ka. Around 6PM, pinaayos na namin ang aming higaan.Lakas maka-prinsesa ng puting kulambo.Pinasara na namin ang bintana at bago umalis yung tagaayos, nag-spray sila so sa labas muna kami nag-stay.

Ang balkonahe. Nakakarelaks sa duyan. Dinig mo ang hampas ng alon sa dalampasigan.Peyborit ko yung bato-bato (kung saan ako nakasandal). Pakiramdam ko nasa Batanes ako.

*****

Speaking of Batanes, yan ang dream destination ko. Gusto kong nagta-travel dahil nagkakaroon ka ng time makpagmuni-muni. At dahil dyan, narito ang ilang "emo pics":

Mari-realize niya na ang pag-ibig ay laging paghahanap. Pero hindi niya kailanman mahahanap dahil ang totoong hindi niya mahanap ay ang kanyang sarili.

-Ricky Lee (Para kay B)

May isinulat akong pangalan sa buhangin. Sana lang kung paanong binubura ng alon ang pangalang iyon, ganundin ang pagkabura n'ya sa puso't isipan ko.

Be Cool sa Bicol

Welcome to Bicolandia! We arrived  on March 27 around 5AM.We stayed in my co-teacher's house in Guinobatan where we  ate the famous "pansit-bato" and 3 types of suman. Oh sooooooo delicious! Thanks, mam incrediBEL for sponsoring our breakfast...as well as our lunch.

We toured Kawa-kawa where you can see the Sunflower Farm, Stations  of the Cross, and a park perfect for family bonding.

My Bicol adventure would not be complete if I will not visit the famous Cagsawa Ruins.They are the remnants of the Cagsawa Church built in 1724 and destroyed by the 1814 eruption of the Mayon Volcano. So went went there with a P10.00 entrance fee and had some photoshoot ek-ek.

Dayhike it was at Mt.Bulusan. We arrived in Bulusan Lake registration area around 6PM. We had our blood pressure taken and we were issued an ID.But before we went there, we stayed in the house of the former Mayor of Bulusan. We had merienda. Thanks to Marjee Guysayko (the mayor's daughter), friend of Emmthepinaytrekker for accommodating us.

After 6 hours of trekking which started at 2AM, we finally reached the summit. It was so cold that we did not stay that long. But overall, it was such a wonderful experience!

And to make the experience more wonderful, what else should we do? Of course, we did storytelling session  and outreach program. We distributed books and school supplies to the kids of Brgy. Balud, Gubat  and Brgy. Talaonga, Sta, Magdalena, both in Sorsogon.

Mt.Marami SUPER Adventure

M.A.F.I.A. (Mars and Friends in Action) with Sabit-sabit Mountaineers

Maraming salamat po sa lahat ng nakasama namin.Sana'y wag nang maulit muli...ang pagkaligaw! :)



“You have to get lost before you can be found.” 
― Jeff Rasley, Bringing Progress to Paradise: What I Got from Giving to a Mountain Village in Nepal

Ito ang akyat na walang IT. Pero hindi yun ang dahilan kaya kami naligaw. Sadyang marami lang forks kaya GUIDE IS A MUST talaga sa Mt.Marami.May mga pagkakataong malayo na kami sa guide (he has to stay sa dulo.Baligtad 'no?) Nakakapagod mag-isip which way to choose.Parang sa buhay. Chos!

Matindi ang sikat ng araw,nagkaubusan ng tubig...at wala akong dalang jelly ace.Hehe. Umulan...masyadong maputik, madulas.Sa wakas, narating  na ang silyang-bato.Masaya na akong narating ang "most photographed" part ng Mt.Marami kung saan ako naupo, tumayo, at tinayuan ng buhok. Masaya akong nakapagpa-pichur pero mas masaya nung nakabalik na kami sa kubo.

So bakit ko naman naisipang sumabit? Natatakot o NAGMAMATAPANG? Naging interesado kasi ako sa kuwento ni "ATEEEEEEEEEEEE!". Hinangad kong makita sya pero hindi kami pinalad. Nagtanong-tanong kami sa community kung may alam sila tungkol sa sinasabing "baliw" na babae sa summit pero wala silang alam. Pero may nakapagbulong sa akin na sinadyang ilagay ang babaeng ito sa taas para matakot ang mga tao at walang makaalam at makialam sa nangyayaring illegal logging .At totoo nga. Rinig na rinig ang malakas na pag-zigazoooooom ng malalaking lagari sa taas.

Photo by sir Rome Romer

Habang pababa na ng trail, nahati ang grupo sa dalawa---grupo nila sir Jesh at sir Gen (kung saan ako kabilang). At kami yung naligaw. Binagtas namin ang isang malawak na taniman na parang walang katapusan hanggang makakita kami ng isang lokal.  Sumabay na lang kami sa kanya pababa. Medyo DUMIdilim na at naduDUMI na ako kaya medyo bumagal sa trail kasama ang pinsan ko. So "doble- ligaw" ang nangyari. Nahiwalay na ang isang grupo tapos nahiwalay pa kami.Akala ko maging candidate na kami sa Search and Rescue.Hehe. Buti na lang nahintay kami nila sir Gen at mam Cecil. Naglakad kami nang konti at sa wakas, nakakita ng kalsada. Tila baga nagkaroon ng "light at the end of the tunnel". Haaaaaaaaaay,salamat. "Thank you, LORD!" ang paulit-ulit kong binibigkas.Tumuloy kami sa isang tindahan kung saan naghihintay ang ibang kasamahan. Bumili ako ng C2. Oh anong saraaaaaaaaaaaaap nang lumapat ang malamig na C2 sa lalamunan ko! Nakihingi na rin ako ng tubig sa sobrang uhaw. May mga batang nakatambay sa tindahan na siya naming binigyan ng school supplies. Original plan ay ipamahagi ito sa Brgy. Ramirez pero ang ending, sa Brgy, Singko, Magallanes na kami nakababa. Buti na lang may mga bata pa kaming nakita. Atleast, naisakatuparan pa rin ang motto ng M.A.F.I.A. "It's fun to climb with friends but it's more fun to climb with a purpose.

"I shall pass through this world but once. Any good, therefore, that I can do or any kindness that I can show to any fellow creature, let me do it now. Let me not defer or neglect it for I shall not pass this way again."

Stephen Grellet(1773-1855, Missionary)

Naniniwala ako na kapag matulungin ka, tutulungan ka rin. So to make the long story short, nakasakay kami ng traysikel at naihatid sa Barangay Hall kung saan "hayahay" na ang buhay. Nakiligo kami, nakiupo,nakikape,at nakinood na rin ng Vice Ganda (na-realized ko na matagal na pala akong di nakakanood ng tv).
Maraming salamat kay Kapitan Felipe Punongbayan ng Barangay Singko, Magallanes, Cavite. Mabuhay!At bilang ganti, nag-mopped tuloy ng floor si sir Gen.WAHAHA!

baLOVEbag 2013

Funclimb/outreach project at Mt. Balagbag in Montalban, Rizal.Brought to you by M.A.F.I.A. (Mars And Friends In Action)

FEBRUARY is "LOVE MONTH" indeed. We celebrated our post Valentine's Day at Mt.Balagbag in Montalban, Rizal. This project was dubbed as "baLOVEbag 2013".

It was a very worthwhile activity full of fun and SURPRISES! We spent almost an hour with the kids. We did storytelling and distributed books and school supplies. It was an "impromptu" event for we didn't have coordination with the barangay. I just knew that it is a community and we just have to gather the kids. Fortunately, we were welcomed by the barangay officials. Thanks to madam Leony and OIC Danny de Luna.

Thanks to the kind-hearted volunteers for being a part of this project. As Mother Teresa has said, 

"We cannot do great things, only small things with great love."

So from the bottom of my beautiful heart, let me thank my fellow mountaineers mem Emm Balabat, mem Jenny Espeno, and sir Milo O. Ramos Jr.; Papa A's Angels aka HARDCORE mountaineers with soft hearts Jhoanna Grace, Yuri Ishida, andIris Batuigas; Papa Dom, our photographer ( I therefore conclude, malakas makapagpagwapo ang SLR.hehe); my cousins who were firsttimers Ghedlaloo Marquez Fadriga andGeneroso Fadriga aka Papa JR.; my co-teachers incrediBelinda, Gelds Pedro, and Shen; and opkors, OPKORS (kaway-kaway!), our storyteller Jubebang who came just to share the story "Bruhaha". Always remember that we are all B.R.U.H.A. in our own ways.
Brave. Resourceful. Unique.HARDCORE.Amazing.

Salamat, mga ka-M.A.F.I.A! Til our next project!

*As per mountaineering experience, it was my 3rd time in Mt.Balagbag. But as the quotation goes, "You never climb the same mountain twice, not even in memory. Memory rebuilds the mountain, changes the weather, retells the jokes, remakes all the moves."
But it was my first time to notice the school in the community (considering that I am a teacher). It was also my first time to interact with the family staying in the "kubo". It was also my first time to ride a motorcycle. Yes, I did...because I have to accompany my friend who had experienced difficulty in trekking (she just came from Mt.Apo climb.hehe).
It was also my first time to climb with mem Emm, the Pinaytrekker. And it made this climb VERY special because we share the same passion for travel and adventure plus we are both advocates of WORLD PEACE (chos!).And we are going to conquer Mt.Mayon together...soon!


For the firsttimers, I salute you! I send my warmest congratulations to teacher Shane, teacher Gelda, cousins Ghed and JR, and nurse Dom.
"But risks must be taken because the greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing.
The person who risks nothing, does nothing, has nothing, is nothing. He may avoid suffering and sorrow, but he cannot learn, feel, change, grow or live. Chained by his servitude he is a slave who has forfeited all freedom. Only a person who risks is free. The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; and the realist adjusts the sails."

It's fun to climb with friends but it's MORE FUN to CLIMB with a PURPOSE.
Mabuhay di lang para sa sarili, kundi para sa kapwa(hayahay!), sa bayan, at sa Diyos.

"Masarap mabuhay. Kung hindi ka nasasarapan, ibahin mo ang timpla." BOOM! ♥ ♥ ♥

The Year That Was...On Volunteerism

"The heart of a volunteer is not measured in size, 
but by the depth of the commitment 
to make a difference in the lives of others." 
- DeAnn Hollis

MAY 7-8,2012. ZAMBALES OUTREACH. We had storytelling sessions in four schools in Zambales namely Iba Elementary School, Nagyantok Elementary School, Subic Elementary School, and Olongapo Elementary School. The project was spearheaded by Ms. Bea Torres of National Book Store Foundation.Part of the G-skwela (Galing skwela) Project was the construction of the library and book donations  to the chosen schools.

MAY 25, 2012. We were invited to do storytelling.

The storybook that we used was "Bolet Bolate" written by Dr.Luis P. Gatmaitan. 

Ms.Rina Tiangco who is a Toastmaster/teacher/storyteller/artist/cancer survivor (Yes! You'll be amazed with her energy and enthusiasm) suggested that we act out the story and so we did. The children enjoyed it as well as the parents who were given lectures on nutrition and cleanliness. The children were served lunch and afterwards, distribution of school supplies to the pupils of Inigan Elementary School.It was a fun-filled,worthwhile activity indeed. 

Thanks to Medicard Foundation and the people in the community.

Inigan Elementary School is a public school located in Rodriguez, Rizal.

AUGUST 12, 2012. As a grade one teacher, I'm always surrounded by energetic kids who keep running around and seem like doing non-stop talking. But this time, I'm with kids who were just sitting down and whose mouth were covered by face masks. And yes, you guessed it right. I'm with the kids of Childhaus in Quezon City. We did storytelling and have some fun games with the kids. They were served Jollibee foods courtesy of PHP (People Helping People), a volunteer organization also.

DECEMBER 1, 2012. I told myself  that as much as possible, I'll be doing outreach project whenever I climb and so the this project was formed. Thanks to sir Jet Reyes for providing all the information I needed to have a coordination with Nanay Josie, a concerned citizen who accommodated us when we arrived at the place. We had storytelling session to the kids of 

Mt. Timbak. I would like to thank Ms. Jenny Torres of OMF Publishing 

and Charlot Cachuela of Museo Pambata for the book donations

 in Mongoto Elementary School.

Thanks also to my fellow mountaineers and fellow Toastmasters who supported the said event.