Phase 1: Sama-Samang Pagpapaunlad at Pamamahala ng Proyektong Pangkaunlaran
Project Binhi is a 3-phase community development project with the Women’s Organization of Baseco that aims to teach the importance and value of Project Concept Development to organizations.
To begin with, the phase of the Project BINHI - “Sama-Samang Pagpapaunlad at Pamamahala ng Proyektong Pangkaunlaran” was conducted last November 6, 2021. Initially, the first phase was supposed to be conducted on Zoom Cloud Meeting but due to internet connectivity problems the organizers decided to switch to Facebook Messenger Room as this is the most accessible platform for the partner community. To formally begin the event, a prayer and the national anthem was played and followed by the opening remarks of Aizelle Majam, the project head of BINHI.
The main event is the discussion and workshop spearheaded by Asst. Prof. Froilan Alipao, MCD who also served as the resource speaker that day. In the first part of his talk, Asst Prof. Alipao emphasized on the importance of doing a project collaboratively. He also highlighted how important it is to make the project suitable for the community’s skills and needs. With this being said, doing a project together is a way to strengthen the bond of the community. A part of his talk also talked about the different steps on how to collectively administer a project. It is crucial to pick a project that caters to the needs of the whole community as this will benefit them in the long run. The socio economic work should be focused on the development and success of the project as this will be the backbone of success of the whole community. Aside from focusing the project on its success, it has been highlighted that a project should also be focused on strengthening the skills of the community when it comes to planning and administering a project development. Asst Prof. Aliapo also mentioned the common problems that may be encountered when it comes to implementing a project. Microlending can be a problem if someone decides not to pay for it but the partner community assured that all in the community if someone borrows money they make sure that they pay for it. Another problem mentioned was the lack of stability and honesty that may lead to the downfall of a project so it is important that the community have a good values system. Each member of the community should be participatory in order to have a more cohesive bond that will help the project. Asst Prof. Alipao also showed a blueprint that talks about “pagpapaunlad ng pamayanan” that serves as the backbone of the project. The framework showed how important it is to be cohesive as a community because a project will be more successful if its organizers are as one.It is crucial to assess the needs of the community and identify possible project development. After identifying a list of possible projects, it is important to study what you intend to do and finally decide if what project will really be feasible. It is also important to prepare a project proposal and plan the project and after this the community can implement the project it will be up to them on how they will monitor and evaluate their project. After a thorough discussion, an open forum happened wherein the partner community can ask the speaker for further information and clarification. One member of the community asked if they should pick a suitable project and Asst Prof. Alipao said that there can be a lot of projects that will help the community like health and wellness and education but he also pointed out that the project should focus on their needs. Ms. Noemi Estrella also added that the community should pick a project that would be easy to manage and beneficial to all members of the community. She also pointed out that it is important to have a livelihood project that is sustainable.
On november 7, 2021, at 2pm PHT — The UST Sociological Society conducted the second phase of Binhi: Project Concept and Proposal development workshop entitled “Pagbuo ng Panukalang Proyektong Pangkaunlaran”. Held on messenger call due to difficulties in connecting via zoom, the goal for the second phase was to primarily guide the conceptualization, writing, and creation of Project Concept & Proposal fitting for the community, specifically The Women’s Organization of Baseco.
To start off the program, the Women’s organization of Baseco led the prayer and was followed by the opening remarks of USTSS Vice President-Internal, Katarina Gabrielle Vicedo. Spearheaded by the resource speaker Simbahayan Director Asst. Prof. Froilan Alipao, MCD, the workshop for project conceptualization and creation commenced with a recall of the previous phase’s discussion.The community recalled that planning for the project should be analyzed and assessed thoroughly according to the needs of their community, emphasizing on sipag and tiyaga as a core value that they should exhibit. Using the previous workshop’s framework, the community first spoke from their experiences and perspectives on their situation; wherein one member remarked that in spite of those that decided to leave the group, they maintain their strength through perseverance and the desire to succeed with the people who stayed and the people who have just joined. They also talked about the pandemic’s effect on their livelihood, how the men’s livelihood are less restricted compared to the situation of women.
Upon understanding their situation, the workshop continued to its next segment which is the identification of possible projects that could aid their situation. Two projects were suggested: pananahi and itlugan. For pananahi, they discussed that they already have the machinery, however maintenance of these machineries (ie. rust removal), materials, and the time to create products were needed. For itlugan (as suggested by a member named Annabelle), they considered selling eggs & delivering to the mothers of Baseco that had stores. They also said that these eggs could be paired with tuyo and mantika, along with their existing project which is the bigasan (rice). After considering the options and their environmental situation, they remarked that the more likely project was the itlugan since it is easier to manage and the products were easy to sell. This was then developed by the members of the organization, wherein they were given 10-15 minutes to discuss among themselves the specifics of their proposed project; the technical aspects of how it will be implemented. They were given a guide for factors to ponder by Asst. Prof. Froilan, which are the following: a) What are the tactics needed in order for them to conduct their project well from the start to the implementation proper? b) How will the project start and How will this project run? c) Where will the materials be taken from, how much is their price? d) Where will the project be conducted?. This served as a guide for them to list down factors that they would have to consider for the implementation of their project. They used what is dubbed as the community feasibility study, wherein they identified the necessities for the project from the tangible aspect (materials, expenses) to the intangible (action plan). After their discussion, they presented their identified factors like the source of their eggs, the pricing, and the management process. They also looked into the projected challenges of the project, like the paperworks and the situational obstacles which may be encountered, which accounted for another 10 minute discussion among the members present. After considering the possible factors and challenges, the workshop came to an end with them being tasked to build on the already existing work and create a proposal to be presented by the next and final phase.
The program ended with the closing remarks of USTSS Secretary Michelle Margaret Zuñiga, who gave her gratitude with the people present from the speakers to the community and stated that she was amazed by the sheer resilience and willingness of the Women’s Organization of Baseco in creating a project that would better the livelihood of all. “Umaasa po ako na ang Project Binhi ay maging hakbang sa patuloy pa pong pakikilahok ng mga miyembro ng komunidad at pakikipagtulungan sa pagpapaunlad ng ating pamayanan, hindi lamang po sa kasalukuyang panahon pati na rin po sa susunod na henerasyon”, she remarked.
To be a catalyst for social change was what inspired us to push through with everything. Working in this pandemic is very difficult as we are interacting virtually which hinders a lot of motives to push through in this event. Even if our motivation is there –to develop and help other communities who are struggling, in the back of our minds, accomplishing this event is really full of doubts considering that we aren’t able to monitor everything completely. But surprisingly, we were able to make something out of our resources. Reaching this far was very fulfilling for the organization. The participation of everyone also was a very large factor for this event to push through.
Through the help and willingness with support of everyone, the UST Sociological Society was able to aid the Samahan ng Nagkakaisang Kababaihan ng Baseco a Baseco Women's Organization to create an income-generating project. This was Phase 3 of the event which means that the main spotlight is the women’s organization. They are to share with us what they have thought of as a project through the influence of the previous phases. Our organization’s adviser who is also the director of the community development of the University was the main lead of this project. His past and ongoing on-ground practices made him used to situations like these. The way he handled both organizations was fascinating; handling these kinds of community work is not easy –one must really have the heart, determination, and patience for this. Moreover, the women’s organization was able then to think of a project that is fit for their environment and situation. They chose eggs as their income-generating project. According to them, eggs are economical; eggs are easy to cook and are easy to eat. Aside from that, having a stall to sell eggs is doable even under this pandemic since eggs are a staple in almost every Filipino household. With the project proposal they presented, you could see that they were really determined and willing to participate in this project.
After they presented their ideas and proposals, the event had a segment where they were to share their opinions and were able to ask some questions. With the questions and concerns shared, we are still uncertain about what is to come since it hasn’t been implemented yet.
We would also like to consider that this project is not the project of the UST Sociological Society but the project of Samahan ng Nagkakaisang Kababaihan ng Baseco, a Baseco Women's Organization. We would like to express our gratitude to everyone who became part of the team –from organizers to participants. Although as much as we would want to expect the best in this project, we still cannot conclude what may come. To succeed in this project would be a statement that there are people who need help and that to voice out the realities of hardships in life. This accomplished project (phases 1 to 3) is not only a community development project that is required for us to do but also an outlet for us to mobilize as advocates for social justice.
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