Let's Green the Cordillera!!!

After the workshop in Balbalan, Kalinga, we went to Aguinaldo, Ifugao to give the same workshop to the participating theater group of Aguinaldo. The students came from Aguinaldo High School and Ubao National High School. They presented their script which was written by an LGU employee. Yoshi san was impressed with their story and we had a very interesting critiquing session for their script. We will return again to Aguinaldo next week to check on their development...

In preparation for the 3rd Cordillera Youth Eco Summit - the Eco Summit team composed of Yoshida Toshihisa (theater director), Rei and Charm (Actresses), Carla and Liliy (CGN staff), Ruel Bimuyag (Photographer), and Talanay (driver) once again braved the mountains of Cordillera to visit one of the participating theater groups which is the Balbalan theater group of St. Theresitas, Balbalan... The road was tricky..Our travel was just after the typhoon..We had to remove slides along the way..we cleared rocks and soil just to get to our destination...it was quite an experience!

    ELAMFLA (Ebe, Lipucan, Abas Farmer's Livelyhood Association) and BPPGLFA in Poblacion, Kibungan; organized by CGN during the implementation of the reforestation in the area, requested some food for work for the destroyed pathways, water system, rice fields, apiaries, tree plantations by the typhoon Pepeng. CGN donated reliefs but they unload in Kibungan Municipal Office Extension in Benguet Capitol because the road going to the municipality is still close. The Kibungan LGU will soon deliver it to Kibungan as soon as the road will open.
    Last Nov. 5-8, the CGN team went and visited Kibungan. You need to transfer 2 times to another bus/jeep to reach Kibungan. Its so hard to go because the trip schedules were not actually followed and the the car is always full. Road in Suyoc, Tublay was washed-out and the Salacop bridge in Balacbac, Kapangan was destroyed. Until now, the municipality is still isolated.
    Most of the area in the Pob. Kibungan was converted to sayote plantation. Peolple here lost most of their livelyhood, They dont have access in the city for them to sell their products.
         
   

Yesterday, November 5, 2009, I was able to join CCP headed by Eva Salvador together with Ruel Bimuyag, Alex Tumapang, Jason Domling, and Carlo Altamonte for an Art Therapy activity in Coroz, Ambassador, Tublay. Ambassador was one of the barangays in Benguet that experienced massive land erotion with property damage. In the area near Coroz, 40 houses were burried in soil and rocks when a mountain collapsed during the Pepeng super typhoon almost 3 weeks ago. The residents were able to flee the area and seeked refuge in the elementary school and church on top of a hill.

The CCP team coordinated with Ruel and Father Costa of CICM to do a two-day therapy session with the pupils of  Coroz Elementary School.

I was given a brief introduction of their project by Ms. Eyna. She said that the project started as the "Sining sa Skwela" under the Sagip Sining Project. This is a teachers training project for elementary teachers whose goal is to train teachers to teach art and use art for teaching. It also provided intructional materials for teachers to use in school. UNICEF learned about this CCP project and partnered with them in aproject that aims to establish a child freindly space in war sticken and calamity stricken areas through art. Ms. Eyna said that their basic objective is to introduce and bring art for therapy in itself.

Day one started on November 4. The team arrived at Coroz after lunch. They first did a series of songs and games for the kids to warm up to the group. After which, a coloring/painting activity was facilitated wherein each group was to draw a map of their community before the super typhoon came. While the kids were doing their activity, the other team members met with the teachers and interviewed them about the pupils and their situation in school. According to the teachers, the kids are restless most of the time so it is hard to get them to concentrate on their schooling.

On the second day, the team arrived around 10 in the morning. They started with a game called "Crossing the River". They positioned mats on the ground like they were rocks on the riverbed. The idea is to get the kids to cross the river by stepping on the mats. The kids however had to hold hands until they reach the other side of the river. They are not allowed to let go of each others hand and the bigger kids should carry the little kids on their backs. While the kids were crossing, the team cheered at them and told them to cross slowly because the water is very strong. It seemed like an emergency training for the kids but they did it like a kid's game.

After the game,the pediatrician of the team and the theater artist asked the kids to explain the community maps they did the previous session.The pupils described their community using their maps. After which, a story was read to the kids. The stories told were about a little girl and her dreams about a dozen beautiful shoes and another story about a little boy's secret with his grandfather. After story telling, the facilitators now asked the kids to tell stories about their experiences during the typhoon. The older pupils became the story tellers but they were very shy. To compliment this story telling, the kids were asked to draw a picture of their community after the storm and later on, say something about their drawings.The facilitators asked some questions about the kid's drawings but it was hard to solicit answers from the kids because they were so shy.

   The next activity was on art installation facilitated by the visual artist of the team. Each group was to make an art installation of the community they dream of having in the future. They were asked to use found objects as material for the installation art. After they put up their installations, they were asked to say something about their work again.

A special ritual was done to culminate the art therapy activity in Coroz. This ritual was facilitated by Ruel Bimuyag and Alex Tumapang. They adopted the concept of the Puchus which is a clump of long grass tied to a knot at the center and placed at a location or on a piece of material to signify that it is an important area that has been prayed over and is sacred. It also keeps bad things away from it and keeps it safe. Ruel gave each group leader a Puchus to be placed on their art installation. A prayer was offered through an "uggayam" rendered by Alex. The "uggayam" is a traditional song or chant used by many tribes in the Cordillera. As the "uggayam" is being done, the pupils were asked to face the West because this direction is the entry of typhoon Pepeng.  After the solemn "uggayam", the group leaders placed their Puchus on their art installation.  It was a very meaningful and moving moment for the team and the community. The Vice Mayor went around the art installations and congratulated the pupils for a job well done.  

The team now brought out some goods and distributed them to the kids and they took pictures for remembrance.

CGN staff donate relief goods to the typhoon Pepeng victims in Kayan, Mt. province last Oct. 18, 2009. The goup started the trip around 10am of Oct. 17 and reach Kayan arouround 10 am the following day because of the condition of the Halsema highway.. There were 17 houses destroyed; 4 are vacant. Victims were burried already when the group reach the area. As of that moment, LGU's, volunteers and the community itself were breaking the big stones above the community because they might fall down again, they are negotiating to the ricefield owners so that they will divert the canals away from the area and they are looking for possible relocation site. They are planning to invite a geologist expert if they find the area..

Halsema Highway is the major highway of Cordillera connecting Baguio City and to the other provinces of Cordillera. Last October 8, typhoon Pepeng stirred Cordillera, portions of the road has been washed out it was difficult to reach the provinces. The road has been impassable. Relief goods for the victims of mudslides had been airlifted to bring it to the provinces. Victims of mudslides from Atok, Buguias, Mankayan and Tadian were airlifted and had been brought to the hospitals in Baguio City. Last October 17,2009 CGN staff went to Tadian to bring relief goods to the victims of landslide it took them more than 10 hours to reach Tadian  passing thru Halsema Highway.

Yesterday, Oct. 14,  Christy Aban, the president of IYAMAN an NGO based in La Trinidad came to the CGN office together with Mr. Imaizumi to report the case of Brgy. Pasdong in Atok, Benguet. Pasdong is a small farming community located 30 Km going down from the Halsema Highway.  A big landslide occured in the area wherein 4 persons were killed, 1 is still missing and 8 were injured. These injured men were trying to save an old man and woman and were checking for the water level of the river. They brought the rescued villagers to the community church but unfortunately the men, the church, the clinic, the Brgy.Hall, the school, 10 houses and 6 hectares of rice field went under tons of mud and rocks when a whole mountain facing the village suddenly eroded. All the evacuees in the church were found dead and the  injured men were brought to Sayangan Hospital on foot for first aid treatment and then brought to Km16 also on foot where vehicles were waiting for them to be transferred to Baguio General Hospital.

It took 2 days before the injured men reached BGH and they suffered massive blood loss, infection and are in great need for blood and financial help for medicines and food.  Brgy. Pasdong remains isolated due to the large landslides along Km 16 to Km35 of Halsema Highway and are in much need of relief goods. According to one of the officials, they have only received 2 sacks of rice as of Oct. 13. The  community has lost  a big part of its farm lands and all roads leading to it are destroyed. There is no electricity in the area now so communication with the people is impossible.

We would like to ask for any help for the residents and the surviving victims from Pasdong, Atok specially food, medicines, and blood donations. We will be closely working with IYAMAN and bring any donations we have directly to the victims of Pasdong, Atok.

These are photos of Pasdong before the typhoon:

 
Here is Pasdong now...

Last Oct. 10, some CGN staff including the director and CGN scholars of BSU were able to visit the Little Kibungan landslide din Puguis, La Trinidad. They brought with them clothes and food for the evacuation center. There are still more areas needing assistance but the washed out Halsema Road have prevented the entry of much needed help. CGN is now calling out to possible donors for the victims of the typhoon in Benguet and rest assured, we will bring the help to where it is much needed.