Live The Greenfinity

Happy ending, new beginnings

Thursday, May 11, 2017 9:52 PM 0 💬

by Reyn Ortiz

It's the last day of our 6-week immersion in the community and all of us are willing to give it everything we have. Our alarms went off as early as 5 AM and a few members of the team rushed to Poblacion to buy the necessary things needed for the preparation of our culminating activity. We have agreed to have a fun-filled program with the farmers, complete with games and a boodle lunch!

As early as 7 AM, the core group members have left their respective work to give us a hand with the preparations. They helped us cook and when they saw that we had a few problems with the venue set-up, they immediately called other farmers to help. The sun was up and hot above the school grounds and we had to do something to give our farmers shade during the event. The farmers took bamboos and tarpaulins, and immediately got to work. It was a good show of camaraderie and bayanihan when they all got together to give us a hand. Sir Dodoy, vice-president of our core group, said that he had never quite seen the farmers gather as quick as how they do when they are participating in our project. He believes that it's a blessing for all of them that the team came.

The event was scheduled to start at 9 AM but because of another power interruption, we had to wait for another hour to begin. Lucky for us, the farmers patiently waited. The program flow was smooth. We had a series of games prepared for the farmers, which they actively participated in, and we also performed a song and a dance number to entertain them. One of the farmers also gave an impromptu performance and it surprised us that he was able to sing for us very well. It was almost as if he had practiced it many times. It was indeed pure talent.

Halfway through the program, food was placed on banana leaves on the table to achieve the typical boodle lunch. The team in one long table with the farmers dug in and slowly consumed most of what was prepared. With the effort of the team and the farmers who helped us cook the food, we were able to satisfy our hungry stomachs, and there was food left to share and for the farmers to take home to their kids and families.

...Among the teams of 4th year BS Public Health students in UP, we could really say that we are one of the luckiest because we chose a community with people who are willing to give as much as they take, and this is one of the qualities that will really ensure the success of a project. To be honest, we had a really tough time adjusting to the new environment - the hassle of finding transportation so we could go home, the need to make fire so we could cook the food we eat, the long distance travel on foot during our house-to-house surveys, the crappy reception that made communication with our loved ones at home very difficult and the internet inaccessible, the heavy rain that made puddles on our beds, the blackouts that forced us into unproductiveness, the need to budget our money to ensure the provision of PPEs and our daily meals, birthday surprises that made us think of excuses to the point of pretending to get lost in the woods to buy more time for preparation, the scorching hot afternoons and freezing nights - but despite all these challenges, we chose to stay because from the start, we have instilled in ourselves that this project is not only an academic requirement but is implemented for a much greater purpose, and that is to be of genuine service to you, farmers. In this school that we call our second home, there were a lot of times we argued and fought over petty things, personal things, as we knew more about each other the longer we lived under the same roof, but in this place, problems were settled, found solution for and fixed. The life lessons we got from this sitio overpower those that we consider bad memories, and we couldn't be more thankful to you, for this learning experience, for welcoming us and for letting us into your lives...

We ended the program with a thank-you speech to the farmers and they, in return, had a representative to give us a response. The exchange of sincere messages was heart-warming to hear especially when the farmers congratulated us for the success of our project, but we would never have done it without their help.

We may have ended our immersion in the sitio but it doesn't mean that we would stop campaigning for occupational safety and health in the agricultural setting. The desire for the continuity of Project Triple M will always be instilled in us and we have really high hopes that the farmers in Sitio Rero-an share the same sentiment with us. With that said, ending our community immersion is just another beginning for the farmers to keep in mind the lectures that have been taught to them and for them to pass on what they have learned.

Labels: Highlights

To Greenfinity and beyond!

Monday, May 8, 2017 5:35 PM 0 💬

by Reyn Ortiz

We're down to our last week in the sitio and we have high hopes that the farmers, with the leadership of our core group, will be able to sustain Project Triple M, even without our physical presence.

During the last core group meeting, it was decided that the farmers will make atsara, banana chips and cacao tablea from their respective produce, and these will be sold to raise funds for the maintenance of their personal protective equipment.

Yet again, we met with the core group and facilitated a demo on how to make these products so that the farmers will be much more familiar with the procedures. We invited Kagawad Evangelista Huyo to teach and show the farmers how to make tablea or hot chocolate straight from its raw material, cacao beans. Some of the farmers brought cacao beans to be used for the demo. It was an interesting cooking show not only for the farmers, but also for us, team members. We were thrilled to learn about chocolate-making. As soon as the aroma of hot chocolate filled the room, we were off our seats to ask for a taste test.

A demo on how to make banana chips followed after we consumed our mugs of hot chocolate, fresh from the pan. This time, we took the opportunity to share to the farmers what we have learned from browsing the net. We looked for easy banana chips recipes and showed a video presentation explaining the procedures step-by-step. It was the first time we tried to make banana chips and most of the chips we fried were burnt. The farmers ended up giving us a hand and suggesting options or techniques on how to avoid overcooking the chips. Nevertheless, we were able to produce a few good pieces and gave them to the farmers to try. It was relieving to hear the crisp sound when they took a bite. Not bad for our first try!

The team also did a hands-on with atsara. From what we have gathered from the internet, we showed the farmers a quick procedure on how to make atsara. The farmers are already familiar with this product and most of them have already made it themselves. Despite that, they still listened to what we had to say, and assisted during the demo.

Overall, it was almost as if we were all having a casual conversation, and the team members learned as much as the farmers did. Given that the core group has to have a starting fund, the members of Sitio Rero-an Farmers' Association have agreed to allot a percentage of their organization's funds to help with the project sustainability. We were overjoyed to hear this and we trust that our project will not be put to waste with the kind of commitment our core group has for our interventions. Kudos!

Labels: Highlights

Learnings Away From The Classroom

Thursday, May 4, 2017 7:58 PM 0 💬

by Wil Orquia

Learnings do not end inside the four walls of Corazon V. Galindo Primary School. It should be sustainable and must not be easily forgotten. As part of the team’s objective to improve the knowledge, attitude and practices of our target community, the farmers of Sitio Rero-an, towards work-related injuries, the team created Information Education Communication (IEC) materials. The IEC materials were created in order for them to be refreshed and be reminded of all the lectures done throughout the whole community public health practice period.

We had a lot of struggles this week both in the preparation and distribution of our IEC materials. First, we did not know how to conceptualize an IEC material that would easily be comprehended by the farmers given their age. So we created a very concise, not so flashy, yet very informative material. It is a two-page summary of Personal Protective Equipment reminders and Ergonomics lessons that we have tackled with them during our lectures.

Secondly, rain poured almost every day this week. Pitter patter! Pitter patter! Pitter patter! It started pouring right above our beds. With our foams slightly soaked in rainwater, we changed our sleeping arrangement in a manner that would be convenient and away from the water dripping from our roof. We used our pails and bowls in order to catch the drops and to protect our things from getting wet, especially our laptops, printer and bondpapers that will be used to produce our IEC materials. The rain also made it very hard for us to communicate well. It was hard to hear ourselves talking. Everyone is forced to shout to make a conversation. This also hindered us from distributing our IEC materials early since we didn't have the luxury of a covered transportation to the houses of our farmers. It was a challenge for us to go on foot to distribute our IEC materials when the hard rain kept pouring.

Thirdly, blackouts became more frequent in our sitio. One of the power interruptions was caused by a broken electric line; a bamboo got stuck and tangled with the wires when it was transported away. This gave us a hard time to create our IEC materials due to our drained laptop batteries. We were forced to travel to the Poblacion area where electricity is available. One of our helpful friends catered us and let us do our work in his house. We were able to manage our time and money very well, distributing the labor and being very resourceful when it came to printing, cutting and laminating the IEC materials.

To cut the long story short, even though we battled the bad weather and worse luck, we were able to produce the IEC materials and we were happy to have distributed it just right on schedule.

Labels: Highlights

A Helping Hand

Tuesday, May 2, 2017 8:28 PM 0 💬

by Bella Labatos

Ever since the project was launched, it has been our goal to decrease the incidence of work-related injuries among the farmers of Sitio Rero-an through, of course, giving them personal protective equipment. However, these PPEs are also susceptible to damage. They should be well-taken care of, because if not, they might need replacements. This dilemma brought the team and the core group to discuss possible sustainability ideas.

Prior to the actual meet-up for sustainability planning, we consulted the core group during our team building activity about the different farm produce that are abundantly available within their vicinity. They suggested a lot of vegetables and fruits but we were able to narrow it down to five, namely okra, cacao, papaya, patola and banana. From these produce, we deliberately searched for possible products that are simple and cost-effective.

After the consultation, we scheduled another meeting with the core group. This time, we introduced the products which we think are feasible and helpful for them. These products include turning cacao into tablea or chocolate, banana into banana chips, papaya into atsara, okra into a conditioner, and patola into a loofah soap. Each product comes with a simple procedure and financial breakdown. These products will be introduced and sold to stores within the area, to the neighboring barangays and also the town proper.

An open forum then followed after our presentation. This was the time where the members of the core group gave their opinions and suggestions. One can actually see how devoted and active they are based from their insights. Mrs. Lagaurdia, representative of Zone 6, even suggested to do three products than doing only one, which was our initial plan. She suggested doing the tablea, atsara and banana chips because for her, these are the products they are most familiar with. The other members were also in favor with Mrs. Laguardia’s opinion. Thus, these products was our utmost priority in terms of finding possible trainers who could teach them.

This meeting was very productive. It allowed us to hear more from them and less from us. They became more participative than ever, which is a good thing. Based from the forum that we had, you can really see how dedicated they are. In fact, they assured us that they will work together as a group, and as a community, to make the products and sell it. This, more than ever, have intensified our desire to help them and make things work for them.

Labels: Highlights

Together, we stand. Divided, we fall.

Friday, April 28, 2017 9:58 PM 0 💬

by Rafael Tupas

In all honesty, the team was pretty skeptical about the whole idea of the team building activity. Maybe blame it all on exasperation, or the fact that we wanted to go home after finishing the last of our major activities for the week. We also had concerns about the core group members, especially if they really had time to take off of their busy schedules just to come to the activity. Nevertheless, all of the members had to be a team players and not abandon each other and the farmers, so we stayed.

Preparations for the event weren’t too tedious for any of us. The games that were to be played were discussed the night before, with rules only left to be improved if need be. We just had to clean the room that we were going to use for the games, and prepare snacks for the rest of the core group members. In any case, it all went smoothly and we were sure that we could have a fun time and strengthen our relationship with the rest of the core group members.

The event itself was more fun than initially expected. There were only a handful of core group members present, including the President, Vice-President, Secretary, as well as the Zone leaders for each of the zones comprising Sitio Rero-an. We played games like Who’s that Pokemon? where we had to identify the person and their place of residence after a curtain drawn between 2 groups is dropped. There were a lot of funny moments during that game, lots of stuttering and lapses in memory due to the pressure. Another game we played was Pinoy Henyo, where we picked terms related to Sitio Rero-an and farming as the words that we needed to guess. A lot of passes were done in that game, mostly because our representatives were very nervous about trying to stay in one word because of the time limit.

After this game, we all took a break and had our snacks. Desperate for water, we concentrated on the watermelons, since there were many pieces that we had cut up from the fruit that we had purchased earlier that day. The team, as well as the core group members, all shared the food that we had prepared; watermelons, cheese sticks, bread with Nutella and sandwich spreads, as well as iced tea.

Once snacks were finished, we went into discussing plans for the sustainability of our project. We ended up discussing with them the list of crops that they were cultivating in the Sitio, and we took it upon ourselves to search for possible products that could be made from the listed crops or vegetables.

The activity was a success. Not only did we all enjoy the games that we played, but we strengthened the camaraderie between our team and the core group members. We also started work on developing our sustainability plan, which would save us from more troubles later down the road.

Labels: Highlights

Lesson 3: Basic First Aid For Physical Injuries

Thursday, April 27, 2017 4:05 PM 0 💬

by Jessa Tordesillas

The farmers of Sitio Rero-an were, once again, gathered for a supplementary lecture on first aid. It was a lecture that the team conducted together with the Municipal Disaster and Risk Reduction Management Office (MDRRMO) of Cabatuan.

First aid is the immediate care that is given to a person when they are either injured or ill until there is an availability of full medical treatment. The Philippines is considered as an agricultural country. In 2015 the recorded overall labor force of the country totaled 41.34 million, 11.29 million of which are working in the agricultural sector. Pesticide exposure, injuries that they may obtain from the equipments that they used while farming, musculoskeletal disorders, diseases caused by prolonged exposure to the sun are just a few of the wide range occupational hazard that these farmers may experience. Many consider farming as one of the most dangerous jobs worldwide and many of these farmers are prone to occupational accidents where application of first aid is a must.

The farmers who attended the lecture were oriented on the role that a first aider plays when accidents occur. They were taught of the proper ways of handling different situations where there is an accident such as fainting, nose bleed, and how to handle different types of wounds and fractures. Part of the lecture was the use of indigenous materials that they could easily obtain on the site of the accident. The lecture continued on to the demonstration of the proper way of bandaging different kinds of injuries.

It was yet, again, a job well done! It was not only the members of the team who deserve to be congratulated but also to all who helped make the event successful despite the rainy weather.

Labels: Highlights

How Far We've Come

Saturday, April 22, 2017 9:29 PM 0 💬

by Robyn Espedido

Community immersion began on the 1st of April and will end on the 12th of May; it has been three weeks in and the Team has accomplished so much than what was expected. Project Triple M was launched last March 26 with a little less than 30 farmers, since then it has doubled, reaching 61 farmers of Sitio Rero-an. With so many farmers engaged, it was clear to the Team that selling Empanadas would not be enough to fund the projects of the team, a benefit concert was planned in order to raise enough money. SYNERGY: A Benefit Concert for the Farmers of Sitio Rero-an, Barangay Acao, Cabatuan, Iloilo was held on April 6, 2015 at Blandina Sunrise in Miagao, Iloilo. The Team partnered with Songwriters Philippines – Iloilo, who also performed in the concert together with other UPV performing organizations and bands, and also two local artists – The Pretzels and Trauma.

Patience, persistence and perspiration make an unbeatable combination for success.
Napoleon Hill

The Team was able to organize the event within two weeks which was not a minor feat. Various establishments also helped in sponsoring the event, including Ayala Business Club Iloilo, Iloilo Women's Health Care Specialists Incorporated, Panay Orthopedic and Rehabilitation Institute, Panay Orthopedic Supplies Incorporated, Panay Medical Ventures Incorporated, Papermints, Aningalan ATV Adventure Park, Damires Hills, Cafe Diem, Farm To Table, Pepsi Cola, Premier Purified Drinking Water, Hobby Touch Printing Services, UP SCINTILLA JVRIS Fraternity and UP STELLA JURIS Sorority, and the family of Team. Without these organizations, establishments, family and friends, SYNERGY would not have been a success. A minimum of Php 30,000.00 was accumulated from the concert.

A core group composing of farmers, kagawad and barangay officials and LGU representatives was formed the following day after the benefit concert. An election of officers was then conducted together with the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement between the Team and the Core Group, headed by Sir Romeo Relatos, Jr.

In the following days, the Team went house-to-house to conduct a pre-assessment on the farmers and gather data on their knowledge, attitude, and practices. A lecture on the safe and judicious use of pesticide and the importance of personal protective equipment was given by representatives from the DILG and the DA, respectively. The farmers in attendance listened avidly to the discussion, asking questions and participating.

All the proceeds from the concert was used to purchase the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) of the farmers. Boots, gloves and masks were given to the farmers on April 10, 2017. The smiles on the faces of the farmers as they received their PPEs were enough evidence of how grateful they were. Some were overwhelmed with excitement that they started to try on their goodies as soon as they got them.

As Public Health students, our goal as a team is to help the community in maintaining their health, giving them the opportunity to take care of themselves and to decide on what they think is best for them and their families. To be able to give them the equipment they need to achieve these gave the Team a great sense of fulfillment. Despite being only halfway into the project, these recent events had fueled and inspired the Team to do more for the farmers of the community.

Labels: Highlights

Lesson 2: Ergonomics

Thursday, April 20, 2017 9:18 PM 0 💬

by Mariel Lim

For the past several years, agriculture has been generally regarded as one of the most hazardous industries worldwide. However, due to inadequate equipment and knowledge, official data of work on ergonomic risk factor in agriculture sector are miscalculated and imprecise. The main question that still lingers: What does ergonomics exactly mean?

Many people are actually wondering what the word ergonomics means and what it actually implies. So here is the answer. According to Human Factors and Ergonomic Society, ergonomics is a multidisciplinary science that endeavors to make a better fitting between the job and the worker to make them safe. It also deals with designing and arranging things so that workers can use them easily and safely.

Last April 18, our team conducted a house-to-house pre-assessment survey regarding ergonomics. The questionnaire involved a series of queries that include knowledge, attitude and perceptions toward occupational hazards. We divided ourselves into two groups and went separately to the two different zones. The houses are far from each other and distance is always a major concern in this kind of activity. Even so, after 3 hours of walking, we managed to finish the survey.

After 2 days of preparation, we conducted a lecture on ergonomics and invited the farmers to attend. Sir Tommy Leo Losbañes, a graduate of Bachelor of Science in Physical Therapy from St. Pauls University, and is currently working at the Municipal Health Office of Cabatuan, was our chosen speaker for the topic. 30 minutes before the lecture, there were only 18 farmers who arrived and we were nervous and slightly disappointed that only a few might be coming to the event. However, 10 minutes before the lecture, many farmers started arriving, and out of 61 farmers in the sitio, 52 were present. Observing the farmers during the lecture, they were really eager to learn and very curious of everything. Sir Tommy enumerated some ergonomic problems that the farmers face every day and these are farmers’ awkward postures, and work-related musculoskeletal disorders and injuries. He suggested that the farmers should make a work-rest schedule and trainings. He also explained and demonstrated proper body mechanics, and later on gave handouts to everyone. The room was filled with positive energy and it can be seen in the eyes of the farmers that they were very pleased and delighted.

Another activity achieved and completed! At the end of the day, we were just very thankful for our core group who helped us make this activity a success, and also to those farmers who were present all the way considering that their houses are far from where we were staying. It was a fun and unforgettable day for us. Seeing the farmers’ willingness and eagerness to learn more on how to keep their body healthy and how to avoid such accidents during work, made our day and made us realize how these unsung heroes of our society are very happy and contented with such little things. Kudos to all the farmers out there!

Labels: Highlights

The first fruit of our labor

Monday, April 10, 2017 11:06 PM 0 💬

by Czarina Trojillo

The afternoon sun was slowly coming to a descend after the lectures, as we started another major activity - the one that we've put our all into. All of our preparations to raise funds for the last months, all of our labor in selling empanada at school and at the hospital during our duty, the effort in organizing and selling tickets for Synergy, all our energy exerted to visit every hardware store in the city, has finally paid off. We have distributed Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to our beloved farmers.

We have spent the last weekend buying PPE for the farmers, such as boots, industrial masks and gardening gloves, on our prospect hardware stores. Yesterday morning, the whole group woke up early and prepared to run errands around Iloilo City. Good thing that we have Raf’s car to transport us all comfortably to our destination. However, we have encountered several problems during our shopping. The industrial masks we were supposed to buy had stock shortage and the gloves we had anticipated to buy was already out of stock. So the day that we thought would go smoothly as previously planned, turned into a chaotic adventure. We had to find substitute brands and alternative stores in order to push through with our major event. Nonetheless, with our teamwork, we found solutions to the difficulties we encountered. But the day does not end after that. We has to transport everything we bought back to the sitio. Luckily, a friend offered his private car to transport the boxes of boots but we had to carry all the other remaining PPE through habal-habal. The experience was quite challenging and very tiring but the whole team was pumped up and excited to distribute the products of our labor, the farmers' PPE.

We were all very hyped and were looking forward to the reactions of the farmers when they would finally receive our gifts. All of the green bags with the industrial masks and gardening gloves inside were lined up in front of the room and all the pair of boots were labelled with the name of each of our recipient farmers. As the whole venue started to be packed with farmers, we can really feel the aura of excitement filling the room. Time came when their name was being called one by one for them to come up front to receive their PPE, we could really see the happiness painted all over there faces. Smiles were plastered, Thank you's on replay, bliss was in the air. We can really see that the farmers are beyond thankful for the blessing they have received. Some were uttering multiple words of appreciation, others even hugged some members of the group to show there gratitude, and almost all of them said that they were more encouraged to work on the field. Although, the only response we gave them was just a simple, "You’re welcome, po" and a smile, it was unknown to them how much they also have inspired us to work harder to help them, how much we appreciate their reactions and how much it pushes us to utilize all means to help them help themselves.

It was only a sunny smile, and little it cost in the giving,
but like morning light, it scattered the night and made the day worth living.
F. Scott Fitzgerald

We have all gone out of our comfort zones to help the unsung heroes of our society. But this is just the start of our journey in helping them achieve a safer workplace and in turn, a healthier community. As much as they would say that we are changing their lives, they should also know that they are also changing ours by letting us become part of theirs.

Labels: Highlights

Lesson 1: Safe and Judicious Use of Pesticides and Importance of PPE

9:43 PM 0 💬

by Miggy Lavalle

We woke up at first morning light and we were immediately fired up for the activity we're planning for the afternoon - a lecture for the farmers, touching aspects of occupational health and safety. Our whole morning was spent for the necessary preparations. After our breakfast, we went straight to cleaning up the venue where the lecture is going to be held - just the classroom adjacent to where we are staying. We then prepared the food and drinks of our beloved farmers and speakers. Lunch was spent discussing and planning the program flow so things would run smoothly. Not long, we were all set for our first major activity!

By 1:30 PM, the room was already full of farmers, eager to listen to the speakers from the Department of Agriculture (DA) and Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG). Things were started off by Ma’am Hepzibah Santoceldes of DILG who discussed about safe and judicious use of pesticides. It was really nice to see the active participation of the farmers who were all given the chance to speak up and express their thoughts. They were very attentive during the discussion. Ma'am Hepzibah also taught the farmers to identify different kinds of pesticides and determine toxicity just by looking at color codes on the bottles. Safety precautions before using pesticides were also discussed to emphasize that these chemicals can bring harm to the farmers' health.

Ma’am Maria Rona Collantes, on the other hand, talked about the importance of the use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). She gave away printed hand-outs that explained the importance of religiously using PPE. The hand-outs also contained other details such as the risks and hazards that farmers can be exposed to if they refuse to wear their PPE.

One good thing that we saw during the lectures was the exchange of ideas between the farmers and the lecturers, which showed their willingness to really learn and participate. All in all, we could say that the lecture was a complete success, and we are very much grateful for Ma’am Hepzibah Santoceldes and Ma'am Maria Rona Collantes for sharing their time and knowledge to the farmers of Sitio Rero-an.

Labels: Highlights

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