What's It like to be a Child Protection Volunteer

I volunteered for a psychosocial relief operations in a distant town in Laguna.

I was with 3 German girls, a Swiss girl, 2 students from UP and some social workers of ERDA (Educational Research Development Asswhipping, or was it Association...)

We went there riding a mobile school which was like a mini bus with a classroom inside.

It wasn't that fun because the seats are moving as well:)) when the driver turns.

I like the hair of this girl (Marrie) because it's strawberry blonde:P

I read to them The Legend of the Mango which is one big bullshit-ed story. It wasn't a legend at all because Jose had a Mango seed even from the start so it didn't explain the origin of Mango... anyway... the kids were also lost

We made paper trees (I guess this is what they teach in Germany:))

played their own version of baseball which uses their feet and kicking skills instead of a bat...

coached their official cheering squad headed by miss gay on the left, i mean little straight boy. ang lakas ni tili! tinalo pa ang limang babaeng pinagsama sama.

They can now do the wave:))

Here are the donations from our partner UNICEF (for their food) and East West Bank

at first I thought these were really sober kumots, but they turned out to be cloths for (ugly colored) uniforms...

It was around 4:30pm when we said goodbye to them.

Everyone was happy, including the parents and the teachers. We bid our final goodbyes and left feeling satisfied with ourselves even though...

I looked ugly when I arrived around 9:30pm.

oh diba UNICEF child protection volunteer!:D

Note to the public: NEVER TRUST YOUR DONATIONS TO THE GOVERNMENT. THEY HAVE A VERY HIGH TENDENCY TO BE FILTHY THIEVES WHO WILL JUST PROFIT FROM YOUR DONATIONS!!!

I might be on a fun run on Saturday at 6:00am at Quezon City Circle and Secretary Cabral of DSWD will be there para magpabango ng masangsang niyang pangalan. If someone sees her before me, can they do the Ondoy victims a favor and hurl a stone right at her face. Please and thank you.

Allegory of the Cave

Plato imagines a group of people who have lived chained in a cave all of their lives, facing a blank wall.

The people watch shadows projected on the wall by things passing in front of a fire behind them, and begin to ascribe forms to these shadows.

According to Plato, the shadows are as close as the prisoners get to seeing reality.

He then explains how the philosopher is like a prisoner who is freed from the cave and comes to understand that the shadows on the wall are not constitutive of reality at all, as he can perceive the true form of reality rather than the mere shadows seen by the prisoners.

Here's my new painting inspired by one philosophy class with sir Jope.

Sana ay kaya nating kalagin ang taling pumipigil sa ating makita ang katotohanan at ang totoong totoo.

Libera sings Bayan Ko

This was the first time I heard "Bayan Ko" performed live in front of me and it was done by a choir of British boys ages 7 to 16. It's amazing how Libera were able to lift Philippine nationalism even though they sung it with a foreign tongue.

We watched their concert this night at CCP and it was really heaven listening to them. I recommend their songs to everyone who needs rest from a heavy burden. (Buy their DVD, do not torrent)

We were supposed to take pictures of them up close and line up for the autograph signing but, forget it. People were all over the place.

This Makes Me Want to Slash and Burn the Government

Got this from my Inbox.
I've been asked to reprint this blog entry which disappeared but is all over Twitter and has been captured on Google cache.
A blogger named Ella wrote about her experience volunteering for the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), and discovering that a lot of relief good are being kept in a warehouse and not actually being given to typhoon victims.
You know what really got to me are the toys. WTF are they going to do with the toys they're keeping in the warehouse?? This makes me so mad.

I don't understand their being selective of what goes out to the victims. They will withhold imported sleepsacks and release banigs only.
Take a look at the care package packed by the mother packers of Moms For Moms. This is a sample package that went out to babies in Laguna.



Check out Moms For Moms' relief operations to Laguna.
Special thanks once again for your donations, including Nickelasia.

If Ella's allegations are all true, we're hoping someone will pressure DSWD to release the goods and explain themselves.

Aanhin pa ang damo kung patay na ang kabayo?
(A special report from a volunteer)
Oct 21st, 2009 by ella

Dear friends,

I’m asking your help to spread the word. Tulungan po ninyo akong ikalat ito. Beyond this, we should also demand action. I disabled a plugin so you can copy the photos of relief goods rotting in DSWD warehouses. You can link this post to your blogs, facebook, websites etc. You can also email the photos.
Philippine News (US based Philippine newspaper) will use this as its front page story this week. Every Filipino has the right to know where the tons of donations from the UN and other counties go. Kahit po nakakahiya sa mga nag-donate. Kung sa ganitong paraan, matutulungan natin ang mga nasalanta, then by all means, let’s do it.
For those who have the time, please try to volunteer sa DSWD warehouses. Getting in was not easy. A friend had to put in a word for us. Let’s see kung madali nang makapasok sa DSWD warehouse ang mga volunteers.
Please read on and good luck to us.

Ella

(This post was last edited Oct 22, 12:30 pm)

Kahapon, tinanong ng Philippine News si DSWD Secretary Esperanza Cabral:

Editor of Philippine News: Why are the relief goods in DSWD warehouses not moving?
DSWD Secretary Esperanza Cabral: Wala kasing volunteers.

This short interview was done over the phone. Philippine News wanted to hear her side pero ayaw niyang makipag-usap sa press. After four tries, pinasabi na lang niya ang maikling sagot na ito sa secretary niya - “Walang volunteers”.
I don’t want to accuse her of corruption but at the very least she is showing signs of being totally incompetent. We are in a state of calamity where every second counts. May namamatay araw-araw dahil sa sakit.
In my opinion, these deaths could have been prevented if Secretary Cabral had tried a little harder to do her job.

DON'T FORGET TO CLICK HERE

Deaths from Philippine storms nears 1,000

“Tropical Storm Ketsana left 420 dead and 37 missing when it flooded 80 percent of Manila on September 26, a disaster the government said affected 4.35 million people.
Some areas are still flooded three weeks later and 189,000 people remain in evacuation centres,
Typhoon Parma hit the northern Philippines on October 3 and lingered as a tropical storm for a week, triggering landslides that killed 438 people and leaving 51 missing mostly in mountain communities.
The government agency said Parma affected 4.16 million people, including more than 32,000 who remain at evacuation centres.”

• • •

During the first week after the storm, lumabas ang “bayanihan spirit” ng mga Pinoy.
“Makatulong lang kahi’t konti,” katwiran nila.
Kung walang volunteers, ano ‘to, komiks?

From Stella Arnaldo’s blog:

“At the offices of many civic groups and private organizations, hundreds of people showed up to volunteer in packing relief goods.
At the Tulong Bayan center at the Expo Centro in Cubao, Most of the volunteers were adolescents as young as 10 years old, along with their kuya or ate in high school and college.
They came in huge numbers, many of them barkadas, classmates or siblings, dressed just in their tees and shorts, wearing their Havaianas. All were just enthusiastic to do their share!

Photos by Leah Navarro


Even grade school kids pitched in to help!


Youth volunteers repack detergents for distribution


Making beds from carton boxes

GMA asked world for donations

Our government begged the world for more donations. Sumagot ang buong mundo sa ating panawagan. In less than three weeks, dumaong ang mga barko, ibinaba mula sa mga cargo planes, i-diniliver ng mga trak at container vans ang sandamakmak na relief goods. Cash donations were in the millions of dollars.
But these donations must be coursed through DSWD.
Nagpalabas ng directive ang pangulo. Individuals, private companies and other nations were ENCOURAGED to send their donations to DSWD. I blogged about it here and the video of her announcement here.
This PGMA directive sounded suspicious to me then. Now I know why. Here’s the story.
A group of eight people, your ate Ella included, went to one of DSWD warehouses to help in repacking relief goods. We know they need volunteers pero hindi namin akalaing WALANG TAO TALAGA SA LOOB NG WAREHOUSE!
As in sa isang humongous warehouse (1000++ sq.m) NA PUNONG-PUNO NG RELIEF GOODS HANGGANG BUBONG, ISANG DSWD employee lang at ISANG SECURITY GUARD ang tao!!

Kailangang magpa-register at i-schedule ang volunteering

UNICEF Registration (as a volunteer)
The warehouse can only take as much as 50 volunteers at a time or per shift. Here you will find that there is a 4-hour shift, and an option for a 6-hour shift for the volunteers to indicate their availability.

What “volunteers”? Nasaan?
Aside from the 8 of us? Nope, there was nobody there. Bakit kailangan ang scheduling? Feeling hindi ba magkamayaw at nagu-unahan ang mga volunteers?
I know somebody who wanted to volunteer many times. She was always bumped off, laging nirere-schedule kasi “there were too many volunteers” daw. At tuwing Sunday lang daw puwede. What the hell is going on here?
Nakatambak ang donations ng UNICEF sa warehouse, local and international
Mga banig na dapat ay nahihigaan ng mga nasalanta. Mga imported camp beds na hindi na yata masisilayan ng mga biktima. Mga kumot na hindi naman nakabalot sa katawan nila. At mga pagkaing hindi sumasayad sa sikmura nila.
The relief goods are not going anywhere
We arrived at about 8 am and left by midafternoon and yes, you guessed it right. Kami pa rin ang tao bukod sa isang DSWD employee sa loob ng warehouse maghapon. Walang ibang dumating.
The relief goods are not moving. By the way things look, they are not going anywhere. Hindi maglalakad mag-isa ang mga donations na ito papunta sa mga evacuation centers.

LET THE PICTURES DO THE TALKING

Note: Pinagbawalan kaming kumuha ng pictures sa loob ng warehouse. I wonder why.


“Not a creature was moving, not even a mouse.”


Parang haunted warehouse ang dating. May multo na yata.


Kahit na daig pa ang tindahan sa Divisoria sa dami ng naka-stack na kaldero


At walang katapusang kaldero pa ulit


Kahit halos natakpan na ang mga bintana sa dami ng mga kahon


Kahit umabot na hanggang kisame ang stack ng mga kahon


(Close up ng Coleman camp beds sa previous photo) Hindi ito kasama sa ni-repack naming goods. Para sa mga “special victims” kaya ito? Ire-repack kaya ang mga “imported” camp pads na ito ever?


Sabagay, may BANIG naman para sa “ordinary victims”. Ito ang kasama sa inimpake namin. Sayang ‘yung imported.


Ano kaya ang laman nito? Hindi rin pinabuksan. Pang-special victim din kaya ito? (teka, dito nga pala galing ‘yung mga kumot)


Mahiwagang mga kahon from Japan Aid.


(close up ng mahiwagang kahon) Hindi rin ito kasali, of course. Hindi namin alam kung ano ang laman nito. “Imported” are not included, we have concluded.


Marami ito, mga laruang kasinlaki ng tao. Hindi nakunan ng pic kasi nasa tabi ng sikyo.


PORK AND BEANS? Yup, you’d think kasama ito sa relief bag. Pork and beans lang ‘to, puwede na sigurong ipamigay,


Naaah! “Imported” pork and beans from Spain po ito. Sorry, hindi pa rin included

Now let’s take a look at what a victim will get from DSWD


Look Ma, sampung lata ng sardinas! How generous! Kaldero ang unang ilalagay sa sako. Sabong panglaba (bar soap) at sampung sardinas sa ilalim. Siyam na sabon sa gilid ng kaldero. Local goods lahat syempre.


Tapos papatungan ng isang tuwalya at isang pack ng sanitary napkin.


Sisiksikan ng tatlong rolyo ng kumot(?) ang blue water jug tapos ipapatong sa kaldero sa loob ng sako.


Last but not the least, lalagyan ng dalawang banig.


Sabay tatahiin na ang sako. O di ba, parang asong tinapunan ng buto ang mga nasalanta? Eniwey, busog naman sila sa SAMPUNG lata ng Mega sardinas


YOU THINK?? WTF is the matter with these people? Mag-iisang buwan na mula nang masalanta ang mga kababayan natin. ISANG BUWAN!! Do you mean “do not delay ang dati nang delayed”?? Shet.

Anong ginagawa ng mga donations na ito sa warehouse?? APAT na warehouse ang nasa loob ng compound na ‘yon! APAT na warehouse na punong-puno ng inaalikabok na relief goods! Relief goods na ayaw yata ibigay sa mga nasalanta. Halatang-halata.

Marami pang pabubulukin


Wow! May bagong shipment na naman! At the rate DSWD is moving, next year na madi-discover kung ano ang laman ng mga kahong ito.



“The first of two of the largest high-energy food shipments from the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) arrived in the country two days ago for victims of storm “Ondoy” and typhoon “Pepeng.”
The biscuits were fortified with essential vitamins and minerals for supplementary feeding to children, pregnant women and the elderly in evacuation camps. Another 100 tons of biscuits will arrive on Oct. 24, in a continuing effort to provide food assistance to flood victims.
Sige, ideretso ‘nyo ulit ‘yan sa DSWD warehouse. Para AMAG naman ang abutin ng biskwit… at sapot ng gagamba.

Conclusion

Sa maghapon namin sa warehouse,nakagawa kami ng 150 sacks of relief goods. 150 bags of relief goods lang ang lumabas sa warehouse na ‘yon that day. At nandoon pa rin sa loob ang mga imported relief goods, safe, sound and packed as the day they arrived.
Nakisakay kami palabas sa isang DSWD delivery van. Gusto sana kaming ihatid ng driver hanggang Makati pero wala raw siyang sobrang gasolina. Ibinaba na lang niya kami sa gitna ng EDSA. Millions of dollars in donations, walang extrang pang-gasolina.
Susulpot din siguro ang laman ng mga mahiwagang kahon at mapapasakamay din ng mga tao…sa ARAW NG ELEKSYON. O mabibili na nila ang mga imported goods na ‘yon sa mga puwesto sa Quiapo at Divisoria.

Suggestions lang po sa DSWD:

• Alam ‘nyo palang walang mag-volunteer sa inyo, bakit hindi kayo mag-hire ng mga tao? Bayaran ‘nyo ng arawan para mag-repack. Ang daming walang trabaho, makakatulong pa kayo. Hindi naman malaking kabawasan ‘yon sa bilyong pisong donasyon na natanggap ninyo.

• Isa pa, gaano ba karami ang mga sundalo natin? Hindi ba puwedeng ipagawa sa kanila ‘yan? Baka isang araw lang, tapos na ang problema ‘nyo

• Bakit hindi ‘nyo ibigay ang trabaho sa mga NGO, churches, private charities, TV stations? I’m sure they are more than willing to help. Time is of the essence. Huwag kayong suwapang. Obvious ba, hindi ‘nyo naman kaya.

Kung talagang gugustuhin ninyong makarating agad sa mga kawawang biktima ang mga donasyong ‘yon, nagawa ‘nyo na ‘yan. Maraming paraan…kung talagang gusto ‘nyo lang.
You are the government. You have the power, the resources and the money. You just have to really care.

***

reblogged straight from Chuva.

More Deaths

Kermit's body found in the streets after typhoon Ondoy hit the Philippines after attempting to save Miss Piggy who lives in Bulacan Piggery Farm

And i thought frogs can swim well in the rain...

Where I'm From, Everyone's a Hero

While everybody's busy volunteering, I spend my every waking hour doing this:

and this:

and this:

and this:

oh this one's nice:

and of course, I have to be prepared for Pepeng:

Anyway...

Be safe for the next few days. Pray that Pepeng won't do much damage.

We might travel to the province tonight or tomorrow (i know right, in this time of weather!!!) because of some unavoidable reason.

Maging bayani in your own little ways. Don't attempt to do charity work on your own, you might get swept away by the flood/wind.

*Go to http://markgosingtian.tumblr.com/ if you want to order the “Where I’m from, Everyone’s a hero” shirt.