Cornmill in the lives of manobo

There is also another group of women’s live in mountain.  They are the women’s of Manobo tribe. The women’s of this tribe was blind they have no education at all, because according to them they are indigenous and they are taking for granted by the government. The discrimination on their culture is always there and the other cultures from the lowland not treating them equally like their selves. Yes they are blind because they have no education, the reason why other people lie them. The only things they know before are planting, harvesting, and other way of working in farm. According to them when they going down to the market and selling their products like ube, corn and rice the buyers pay it only in small amount. But because they don’t know how to count they get the money they bought for what they afford only. Now, they already influenced by other cultures and little by little they know how to price their products. With the help also of Pasali who was initiate to put school in their place so that the next and young generation of their tribe will be educate.

Corn mill and the small generator were given to the Manobo in Biao village. This machine really helps them to make their works easy and fast. A woman’s from their tribe who really much benefits this machine, since they are the one who working for the harvest corn. According to them they can grind easily the corn and make it corn rice in easy way.

Hydraulic Ram Pump and B’laan women’s

Hydraulic ram pump a system of water, which also changes the life of many B’laan women in Sitio Pait, Alabel Saranggani Province. The women and the children of this place was getting water from spring and bringing it up to the mountain where they live. Water is their big problem before, especially to the women’s because they are the one who get water for their needs. For a very long time they sacrifice of getting water, and nobody help them to initiate having supply of water in their place since it is in the top of the mountain.  Their children are small and short in height because of carrying water from the down up to the mountain. The privilege have by this group of people is big thing and changes happen to their lives.

Women’s of SRI

System of Rice Intensification (SRI) gives lives to the women. Through SRI trainings conducted by Pasali the women earned money. Every time there are trainings on SRI in Pasali the women are food committee. They were working from the preparation of the venue, accommodation and needs to prepare. The women in SRI are not only in the kitchen. Some of them are farmers and SRI practitioner. Do woman needs to work in farm? Yes, because not only a man could stand in a farm. Farmers are not only the father of the family, but all the members are farmers including the mother.

Women’s of thursday market

Women played an important role, first in the family, community, and country. There are things done by a man and also done by a woman. Without woman world not be completed. Forming an organizations woman is also important. Women have many rights to fight.

Pasali Philippines Foundation Inc. helps women’s to form their organizations.  Most of the members are responsible mothers, played a big role in their own family. Their lives change when Pasali helps them initiate the Thursday Market in Brgy. Kanipaan Palimbang, Sultan Kudarat. Each of them wants to earn money to help the financial needs in the family. Not only depending to their husband. The Thursday Market was started June 18, 2009 and they already celebrating the first anniversary last June 18, 2010. In this way all of them have a chance earning money, until now the market is continues. The women’s group wants to another source of income, other things where they can earn. They want to make “kaong”, dried fish, and even waving possible things. The problem is how they could have the seminars, if they don’t have money to conduct seminars.

Self Evaluation

For almost seven months of having this training, I also feel and experience  different kind of stress, fears, and sometimes laziness  from months. Although I experience those things, I admit that even in a simple way I overcome those feelings. From many assignments I have, I also feel the enjoyment. I was remember before I had this training, I was afraid even to wrote a simple diary, article in English, yes! I   have my self confidence but I think not enough for that time. I could not even stand, face and talk to the people whose has a high educational level.

Who I am now? Is still a young lady facing many challenges in life, but challenge is always there to push as to grow. Now, I’m growing my writing becoming clear, I can already follow the simple way of making sentences. I also learned the basic things in making video, editing pictures, and how to become a reporter. I was happy for the last month activity we have in tech boys. Those having the photo shoot and video making is a good thing I learned. The question and answer potion that we have is also a big thing that make me happy, because in simple way I’m thinking that I was true a reporter even not. From this training I meet some of my ambitions in life.

Now, the knowledge I have is not only for me, I even shared to some children who ask me and let me to teach them in doing there assignments in school. Like teaching them how to write formal and informal theme, even editing some pictures as their projects, and also the making of the press kit. Just simple things but have a sense. I know the trainings are not only  end  up to here.

Lesson’s on Trainer’s Training on FSS- SRI

The Social Action Center (SAC) – Diocese of Malaybalay in Bukidnon visited Pasali- Palimbang through Catholic Relief Services- Davao (CRS) for training on SRI last September 27-29, 2010. They sent total of 15 representatives 10 from their organization and 5 from local government partners. The training has a theme “Trainers Training on: Farm Support Scheme- System of Rice Intensification (FSS-SRI) – Advocating FSS-SRI for food security.”

The actual planting of the trainees on the field.

I was happy that another group   visited again Pasali. To have training about System of Rice Intensification (SRI). Of course every training Pasali had not only the trainees whose learned a new lesson even the trainers and some facilitators. I am the one who proudly says that I really learned a new thing. Operating the weeder is the one thing learned. Because what I know is only boys could operate this machine but when the girl’s trainees tied to operate this machine, I myself also tried it.  Now, I know that this mechanized weeder is not only for a male farmer’s even the girls could operate it. Aside from planting rice, now I learned that weeding the rice through the mechanized weeder is another part of SRI method. There are also things I learned from weeding the rice, one is you need to control your speed , and  you should also follow the lines. Simple things but important in farming.

 

 

The trainor and trainee on actual practice of weeding. "Rotary Weeder"

Second time on the field planting rice.

Searching Knowledge

Manobo children of Manobo Village in Sitio Biao

There is a Manobo village in Municipality of Palimbang, Sultan Kudarat. The village of Manobo is in the top of the mountain, there are 17 kilometers going up from the National Highway. They are illiterate people; you can even say that they are blind. The children cannot go to school because of the walking distance and most of all the discrimination to their tribes.  They always encounter the bad treatment; they don’t even feel that they are human because of the discrimination of other tribes.

Their lives changed when they meet one foundation who help them to have education. Their chieftain Duma Bonifacio, want literacy to his tribes, because they always encountered people keep on lie them. The chieftain wants education for the young generation of his tribe, because he doesn’t want illiterate children. When they have a change to put a school in their place they are very happy. They helped each other to build a simple classroom for their children.  When the class started not only the children whose send to school, also the parents.

The students are from five to fourteen years old, and came from different mountains. Some are still walking with a distance of three to four kilometers from home to school. There are students riding a horse going and back home. They were sending to school even without taking a bath, no sleepers and wearing dirty clothes. Since, they want to learn the teachers don’t mind the images of their student’s s long as they understand the lesson they have. Some of them are bringing gallons going to school and when they send back home they are getting water from the spring.

Seven years old child still in kindergarten.

After two years of schooling the students can already read, write, and count. They can even speak and understand Tagalog, and memorizing poems and songs. Despite that the teachers are lacks of teaching materials the students are learning. What they have is the simple way of searching knowledge because the things they have are not enough. Even their classroom is empty, you cannot even see some learning materials for the children, but still they continue to learn. The teacher are volunteers no salary to receive, they even spend their own money for the needs of their students. They are not professionally teachers but they trying their best to teach the children of their tribes.

If you asking the students about their dreams in lives, all of them answered that they want to become a professional teachers, police, and some other profession. Somebody answered teachers because they also want to help their tribes for the future. The lives of the people there is very touching in heart, they even said that the Government has already forgot them.

You can see that the children are very interesting in their studies. Even that they don’t have the quality of education, the important are they will learn and they not become an   illiterate people.

Biao Second Anniversary Celebration

August 28, 2010 we witnessed the Biao Second Anniversary Celebration, for the second time the Manobo people from this village again they are celebrating the anniversary of their place. It was my from time to saw these people having the modern dance (disco in the night), they also have the sportsmanship relationship. They build good relationship with the other tribes, who also joined the celebrations. We also witnessed the performance of their talented pupils from kindergarten to grade to pupils.  I saw the happy faces of the tribes, and most of them praying and wishing that this celebration in their village were not end up to next.

Their chieftain Duma Bonofacio, he was very happy and thankful, that the anniversary of their village celebrated peacefully. According to him his tribes before are blind, the children are lack of education, but now they are thankful because there are open hearted person become an instruments to help their community and people to lift up.

I was very happy when we are going back home, because I saw how happy they are during the celebration. Everybody was participating and each of them donated food for they said party. I also saw the real situation of the tribes and how they survived in their daily lives, in spites of lack and difficulties in their lives.

My First Visit in BIAO

Last August 27, 2010 was my first visit in Sitio Biao. The Manobo Village in the Municipality of Palimbang. Going to this place is not easy because you need to walk 5hours going up to the mountain. My experience was to walk almost 6 hours in 17 kilometers going up. I’m so tired, my foot scrams.

The road going to Biao

My first time as a climber and it’s very memorable. I and my group passed the rocky roads with deep canals and muddy. Sometimes you can ride in a motorcycle but only few drivers can managed to drive going up and down to this place.

Baseline Survey Experiences

Baseline survey is a way to know the situations of the people in a place in a present time. In conducting a survey there are many ways to make it, one of these is through interviewing the respondents you want. This is the one way we used in our survey.

Last August 23, we started conducting survey to the farmers from thirteen villages in the municipality of Palimbang. I and Lis encountered many faces during the survey, many opinions which give many lessons. On the first day we did our task, we finished to interviews group of farmers from the village of Kanipaan.  For the second day, the survey team goes to another three villages, Colube, Kolong-kolong, and Maguid. From these area Colube and Kolong –kolong we didn’t find difficult interviewing the farmers, because they are already slightly consult by Mr. Florante Sabiwang one of the PASALI farm technician. Around 2:00 pm on that day we finished to interviews all the respondents in those villages. Since we want to meet our goal on that day we proceed to Manobo Village in Barangay Maguid.  We hiked four to five kilometers from the highway. It’s is also touching in our heart when we saw the situations of Manobo’s in their village.  According to them, like other people they also want education, because they are very much behind.

FARMERS IN BARANAYAN VILLAGE

                August 25, 2010 we went to Baranayan Village and conducted and interview to the farmers. We surprised that all the farmers from this area are willing to give their self opinions.  Although we told them that we only need eighteen farmer respondents from their village. Most of them have shared their experienced in farming and how they farm. I remembered one of the farmers told me that his more than 20 years in farming but he never get rich and he become poorer in spite of working hard. According to them financial, farm inputs (seeds, fertilizers, pesticides), machineries are the major problems in their farm. Even the irrigation system they had is not enough to support their farm. I feel that maybe they asked help from the organization where belong.

 MISSION  ACCOMPLISHED

                Around 2:00pm on August 25, 2010 we finished to survey the three villages, the Baranayan, Lupuken, and Wall. One of our next target villages is Barongis, the interviewers proceed and continue to conduct interviews in Baromgis farmers. Here comes the very srong rain, and we stranded in a different houses. The task for today is done according to Roy one of our teammate. We went home by showered the rain.