YOOK FINDS HOPE

YOOK FINDS HOPE

NORWEGIAN AMBASSADOR VISITS MARINDUQUE


There are large numbers of organizations, projects and programs that attempt through action to uplift the living standards of poor communities. Barangay Yook in Buenavista, is one of the many communities in Marinduque faced with several tough challenges. Many spirited organizations have provided support to the barangay through various programs during the last decade. Yet, the programs adopted were apparently unsustainable. The same challenges have remained and there’s so much gnashing of teeth afterwards, even up to the present, at the complexity of the situation.

Recently, Ambassador Stale Torstein Risa, the first Norwegian Ambassador to set foot on Marinduque soil, had a look at Yook. Yook is one of the most picturesque barangays south of Marinduque but also one of the most deprived. Risa was to lend moral support to the challenges taken up by the Norwegian Mission Alliance (NMA), the Mission that refuses to accept that Yook is devoid of hope.

The Norwegian Mission Alliance, is a ‘diaconal’ mission, a role in the Christian Church generally associated with service to others to pursue a vision. NMA took notice of Yook a year ago in an effort to identify barangays in Marinduque, the province listed as the poorest in the MIMAROPA region.

Consultations with the municipal and provincial government, national and local social welfare offices and barangay officials were immediately undertaken. By July the NMA was ready to initiate a strategic plan focused but not limited to the development of children and youth of this pilot community.

The NMA approach is unique for it involved the creation of a Participatory Action Research (PAR) Team composed of community members who have the potential to facilitate interventions for the community. Selected from a cross-section of farmers, fisherfolks, women and youth, the team received training from the NMA’s program development team after which their thorough research began which lasted for four months (October 2007 to February 2008).

House to house visits, focus group discussions with all sectors of the community which, through active sharing that elicited much information were conducted. The ins and outs of their community life were examined, problems identified and solutions were recommended by the people themselves. Rain or shine the PAR Team worked hard, armed only with the strong determination to make a change in their community. They worked hard, and the wise were appalled and could hardly believe it when they found out – the team took their tasks voluntarily and without financial remuneration.

Community validation of the research work conducted by the PAR Team was undertaken, after which, collation of the research and its revalidation that included the primary issues and concerns affecting the various sectors in the community were identified.

Some of the issues identified were the lack of livelihood opportunities, non-ownership of their sources of income (land (80% are privately owned, 10% government-owned and only 10% are owned by residents), crops, livestock, banca), depleted soil and marine catch.

Environmental concerns raised were the lack of toilets (70% of households are without toilets), poor waste management, depleted forest, and use of wrong methods in fishing. Issues on children include malnutrition (5-10 cases per sitio), and diseases (including tuberculosis), physical and emotional abuse, dropping out of school for lack of money, (The CBMS Report of 2004-2005 revealed that only 58% or 531(from a total of 903 children aged 6-16 go to school), and lack of playground.

Youth issues included lack of opportunities for out-of-school youths, and lack of spiritual development and discipline among others. Women issues spelled out were: lack of income sources, did not finish schooling, physical abuse and separation from the family and children (some mothers work as domestic help in Boac, Quezon, Batangas and Manila ).

Yook Profile

Yook is located in the southern part of the province of Marinduque , one of 15 barangays in the municipality of Buenavista . It is 7.5 kilometers away from Buenavista and 38.5 kilometers from Boac.

Yook has a population of 3,600 (in 2005). 50.9% are males and 49.1% are females. There are 600 households with an average of 6-7 members per family. It has eight sitios (Banabang Munti, Estancia, Madre Cacaowan, Gala-Gala, Banabang Malaki, Balikot, Yook Proper and Binunga), with Binunga as the most populated with 230 households.

432 (70.6%) out of 612 children aged 6-12 are studying in elementary schools, while only 34% of 291 children aged 13-16 are studying in high school.

The main economic activities in Yook are farming (39%), livestock raising (33%) and fishing (28%). In agriculture 44% are engaged in copra-making, corn production (30%), banana (5%), cassava (5%), vines (5%), vegetable (5%), monggo (5%), and rice (1%).

Six community organizations are active in the barangay. These include the Parents-Teachers Community Association (PTCA), Small Coconut Farmers Organization, Marinduque Council for Environmental Concerns (MACEC), Samahan ng mga Kabataan, CARD members and Barangay Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Council (BFARMC). There are no linkages with one another among these organizations with the exception of the heads of the PTCA, Barangay Council, Barangay Nutrition Scholars and Barangay Health Workers who coordinate their work-related tasks.

Cognizant of the fact that the Norwegian Missionary Alliance could not alone take the initiative in developing a child and youth friendly community, the need to partner with other organizations with similar concerns to sustain programs in health, education livelihood, water-supply, emergency shelter, spiritual development and the like, is a continuing program.

Ericson Lazarte, Area Manager of the NMA Marinduque Cluster, stressed the hope that cooperation in these various aspects with the Social Welfare and Development Offices, Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD), Provincial Health Office (PHO), Department of Trade (DTI), Technology, Eduation & Science Development (TESDA), Department of Education (DepEd). Provincial Planning & Development Office (PPDO), Marinduque State College (MSC), the municipal government of Buenavista, the provincial government, as well as the various church organizations and community organizations in Yook would be strengthened.

The integration of existing projects to new ones where NMA support is needed and the implementation of programs resulting from the rich and lively focus group discussions will be next undertaken.

Lending support to the program is no less than Ambassador Stale Torstein Risa of the Royal Norwegian Embassy who was accompanied by NMA Director Petter Buer and other Norwegian representatives from the Norwegian Missionary Alliance in Oslo .

In his remarks during the presentation of the PAR research to partners, the Ambassador stressed “the importance in this type of work where the collaboration aspect is so stressed, after the practical things have been done”. Risa added that he has no doubt that seeing the beauty of the island of Marinduque and noting the challenges faced by its friendly people and their positive attitude, that Marinduque “will have a good future”.

Aside from visiting Yook the Norwegian Ambassador also paid a courtesy visit to Buenavista Mayor Ofelia S. Madrigal and proceeded to Binunga Elementary School and barangays Bagacay and Bagtingon where similar PAR activities are being undertaken.

Risa’s visit was capped with a dinner hosted by Governor Jose Antonio N. Carrion at the latter’s residence where the ambassador’s party was treated to a “putong” welcome ritual by the Marinduque Provincial Capitol Choir.

But perhaps the shower of petals and leaves, the shouts of “Mabuhay” and crowning with flowers the “putong” way should have also been shared with Yook’s PAR Team composed of Enrique Fiedalan, Winnifredo Famadico, Teresita Saez, Linda Reanzares, Helen Fiedalan, Paquito delos Santos, Teresita Reanzares, together with the Punong Barangay, Edgar Perlas. This new expression of community based leadership has strongly spelled big hope for Yook.