cebu-the long lost recount

Project Mabuhay- More than just a project

It seemed that the odds were stacked against us even before we set off for the Philippines.

On the day of our departure from Singapore, there were no less than three alarming reports about the places that we were going to: first, a storm was coming to Cebu and Leyte; second, there was an undersea earthquake near Cebu; and third, there was a travel warning issued in response to the threat of terrorist activities reported in conjunction with the upcoming ASEAN summit, which was later postponed. Fear and hesitation that plagued each team member and their families, who started having second thoughts about the trip. Nevertheless, six of us flew to Cebu that night; two were to fly in the next day.

Arriving in the Philippines, it turned out that there was a storm; just not in Cebu, but in Leyte, where we were headed. As a result, we were unable to travel down to Leyte as planned, due to the suspension of ferry services. Instead, we spent the next day with a group of children from Barrio Luz, a nearby urban settlement.

After meeting the children and playing a few icebreakers together, we had the great fortune to gain an insight into life in a typical Barrio. Visiting the humble but happy homes of these children was certainly an eye-opener as we witnessed first-hand the quality of life offered to internal migrants who move from villages to towns in search of nothing more than a stable income.

We visited houses, which if situated in Singapore, would have long been slated for demolition due to fire safety concerns; and yet, these were homes that housed up to 14 people in a three-level structure the size of a typical Singaporean bedroom.

Despite these space constraints, we felt welcomed when we stepped into these houses, which were beautifully adorned with religious pictures and home-spun rugs. Knowing that every inch of space here was treasured and valued made us reflect on our own homes back in Singapore; the quest for big but often empty homes are foremost in many of our minds, making it easy for us to take for granted the sheer fortune of having a roof over our head, and also making us forget at times that love and warmth are but most important in a home.

Our next activity of the day was a craft session for the children from Barrio Luz. Indeed, one would not imagine the endless energy possessed by the children; after teaching them to make a Christmas wreath, the children in turn taught us popular local dances, songs, games and of course, the local dialect of Cebu, Cebuano. Extremely enthusiastic and patient teachers, the children clapped at our every effort, despite our awkward pronuciation and impossibly short memory.

At the end of that second day, we were tired, but happy. We had yet to embark on our main project in Leyte but had already learnt much from the children than just games and songs. Despite their stark poverty, the children did not grouse about a lack of basic needs, not to mention material wants; but instead looked towards the little things in life that made them happy. Indeed, many simple pleasures in life are but the greatest.

The next day, we made our delayed journey by ferry and bus from Cebu to Tolosa in Leyte. After a mid-day stop at Tacloban, the capital of Leyte, we finally reached Tolosa at about 5pm, just as the sun was about to set.

For the next week, our days pretty much followed a fixed schedule. We would leave for the school at about 8a.m, walking out to the main road, where we would flag down a trishaw or a jeepney, a long lorry with a covered cargo cart. The journey that took about 20 minutes was a scenic one, as we would pass by wide expanses of green lush grass as well as the occasional river and beach.

On the first day at the school, we were presented with orchid garlands the moment we stepped into the school. This simple gesture touched our hearts, as it was something that is seldom done even in Singapore. It was easy for us to imagine ourselves as movie stars as we walked into the school to a rousing welcome and applause. One almost expected throngs of reporters to set upon us, hurling cameras and fielding questions.

Of course, that was not to be and we soon got into the thick of work, with some of us setting up the computers; others processing the books into a database while the rest of us starting painting the room that was to be the library.

For those working in the computer laboratory, receiving electrical shocks soon became part of a day’s work. To the consternation of our very own computer expert, all the CPU towers brought from Singapore were giving static shocks because the motherboards inside were not insulated, posing a problem in the Philippines, where the electrical supply does not come with Earth/Ground points.

However, the work was not in vain, as soon after the CPUs and the laptops were set up, teachers began wandering into the room, and a short session on basic computer usage and Microsoft Office applications soon commenced. Some of the teachers had not touched a computer before and some groups had to be shown how to use the keyboard and the mouse. To us, the thought of having zero access to computers was unimaginable, as we had lived with it all our lives, often forgetting that it was a luxury and not a right.

It was certainly not an easy task to explain the complicated works of a computer in simple terms. However, after seeing the eagerness and excitement of the teachers at using the computers to make a simple poster, the feeling of satisfaction from being able to impart one’s skills and knowledge to others far outweighed any sense of tiredness felt.

It was equally tiring for those working on the library. Indeed, many of us never realized how much work went into preparing a library from scratch. After painting the walls of the library, we individually wrapped, labeled, strengthened and accessioned each of the 700 books.

However, no matter how tired we felt, all we had to do was look out the door of the room that we were in and we would instantly find the motivation to continue; for there outside would always stand many students, who during their breaks and after school, would come to stand at the door and talk to us, despite both parties mostly being unable to understand each other due to language differences.

In addition, a few of us played the role of relief teachers, taking over the class of the teachers who came to learn how to use the computers and libraries. Eager to learn all that we had to teach them, the children participated actively and engagingly in class, sharing with us and their classmates facts about themselves such as what they wanted to be when they grew up. Indeed, if passion and enthusiasm were all it took to succeed in this world, every single child in the school would easily qualify.

The next few days were spent in a similar way: showing the computers to the teachers and preparing the books for shelving in the library. Our aim was not only to provide a library, but also to ensure that the library and its books were maintained in the long run, so as to serve not only the present students of the school, but also the many more communities to come.

Thus, apart from physically preparing the books, discussion sessions were held with the teachers of the school. Ideas and thoughts about how to best utilize the new facilities in order to provide maximum benefit to the students and teachers were discussed and shared during these sessions, where we also learnt more about the education system in the Philippines. In addition, we held lessons with the teacher and student librarians on the library policies and on how to best run a library of this scale to ensure that there would be continued maintenance of the library even after we had left.

We picked up many interesting facts about the local people of the Philippines on our trip. This was indeed a nation of song, where karaoke seemed to be the national pastime. Every night, we would go to sleep in the company of voices belting out karaoke songs in all pitches possible.

Apart from that, we also experienced frequent black-outs and brown-outs (low supply currents), as often as three times a day. Indeed, there were afternoons with frequent blackouts when a sense of despair crept in: when our very own computer expert realized that the electrical supply would not be consistent and several voltage regulators we brought might not be sufficient to protect the computer hardware from current surges (there was already a burning smell in the little computer room!).

Yet, as the saying goes, all’s well that ends well. The day of the library handover was unexpectedly moving for many of us. We started the day putting finishing touches to the library: finding missing books, drawing & putting up a few more posters, and making sure the computers worked.

All the hard work that we had put in that past week finally came to fruition as we stood back and gazed at the room that had once been nothing more than an empty shell. Now painted bright yellow and decorated with colourful educational posters, it was finally a place we could rightly call a library.

Standing there, we realized what having a library truly meant. It was not just about having books per say; instead, it was knowing that a place where one could explore the depths of knowledge and escape into the realms of fantasy and history existed. It was an avenue that children who were caught in the vicious cycle of poverty could use to broaden their perspective of the world, increase their knowledge and break away from that cycle of poverty. It was an avenue for hope, hope for a better life and future.

In a country where graft and corruption were rife, we were deeply comforted in the knowing that the school principal, Mrs Fe Ibanez, was a woman of integrity. Her careful attention to details and planning was exemplary. Though we were somewhat averse to officious ceremony, we eventually came to appreciate the way she was determined to make the opening ceremony and handover as grand as it could be, from recording every donation made, right down to inviting local officials to the ceremony, in order to make the setting up of the library and computer lab as transparent as possible.

The short programme and hand-over ceremony that the school prepared for us was beautiful and sincere. In addition to the speeches and official handover of a certificate bearing the name of the library, a group of students performed a ballet dance for us. It was evident that much work had been put in to perfecting the dance, which truly touched our hearts.

In turn, our team prepared a short skit based on Roald Dahl’s “ Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” to entertain our friendly hosts: the principal, the teachers and the children. Apart from entertainment, the objective of the skit was to entice the students and interest them in borrowing books from the library.

The last item was truly one of the most simple and yet heart-warming performances that we had ever watched in our lives. As is common in the Philippines, a blackout occurred just before the last performance.

Nonetheless, we were amazed when a little boy no older than eight years old climbed up the stage and proceeded to sing a beautiful and sincere solo rendition of a popular Christmas hymn despite having to compete with the loud drones of passing vehicles in the absence of a microphone. The tenacity and strong will of this young boy reminded us that many things in life, and life itself, must go on despite any challenges faced. Indeed, the show must go on.

The trip has been one that would not have been possible without the cooperation and hardwork of everyone, from our contact in Leyte and Cebu, to the donors of the books and computers that we brought over. Initially, we had some "gung-ho" notions about the work we were going to do there, notions that we were going to do the project fairly independently But now we realize the usefulness and effectiveness especially of having local contacts and local people (Filipinos) on the team - they facilitate our requests, and know the local culture, people and practices more intimately. They bridge any language barriers and reduce the probability of cultural misunderstandings.

For many of us, the best part of the whole trip, apart from the fact that we were able to do something for the community in Leyte, was the experience shared among all of us. The idea, that we are all experiencing something new, and while doing so, enjoying each other’s companionship, in spite of our different perspective, cultural background, and upbringing. Although we had set goals before the trip, we were not focusing solely on them. Instead, it was the day-to-day experience that mattered.

Although most good outcomes are results of good planning, there was no mistaking that the role each one played during the project contributed even more to its success. Along the way, a lot of changes had happened. During these changes, we were relying on one another. If all institutions in all countries have this type of project and this kind of experience, then the world will be a better place to live in. If, in each unit of society, there is this practice of unity and diversity, would not the world be a perfect place to stay in?

The day we were to leave, we were both excited and sad at the same time; excited at the thought of comfortable warm beds and clean bathrooms, and yet sad at the thought of leaving this place and community that had taught us just so many important lessons in life.

Life is about learning to adapt. We must make do with all we have and be satisfied with what the world has given to us. It is not simply asking what the world can do for us, but what we can do for the world.

Serving these people gave us a sense of joy and belonging. It gives us a place in the world when we help others. Likewise, after seeing the quality and standard of living, life in Singapore has taken on a different meaning. What we perceive to be normal, to be standard, comes to pieces in impoverished places where life just is.

To quote a team member who joined us from The Philippines: We do not always have to have more than others to enjoy the wonders of this earth. Sometimes, the things we hoard for our own vanities can be given to those whose hearts are yearning for even the tiniest blessing that could possibly come their way.