SOCIAL BUSINESS SUMMIT 2013: More fun and fulfillment in Phl

SOCIAL BUSINESS SUMMIT 2013: More fun and fulfillment in Phl


The Enchanted Farm: Attracting bright minds from around the world

According to 21-year-old Clemence Tricaud, it is not even necessary to go to a beach – this particular Parisiene has found true equilibrium and meaning in the traffic and chaos of Quezon City.
I met Clemence, a Business Management student from the top Paris-based business school HEC, at the Enchanted Farm in Angat, Bulacan. The Enchanted Farm is home to a growing contingent of young, socially engaged visitors who have come to the Philippines to become involved in social tourism, or “volun-tourism.”

The Enchanted Farm is both an incubator-hub for social entrepreneurship as well as home to a thriving rural community of former urban squatters. For many foreigners, it is the gateway to discovering the genius of the poor.

Clemence had first heard about the Gawad Kalinga Enchanted Farm during a forum at her school and soon became curious about a prototype for sustainable development the likes of which she had never encountered before: “It wasn’t just the holistic program or ideas themselves that I found revolutionary, but rather the fact that these ideas really seemed to be followed through with actions

Gawad Kalinga social enterprise with elarZ

Teen Saint Pedro—Faithful, Pure, A Child of Love

Teen Saint Pedro—Faithful, Pure, A Child of Love

October 21, 2013 is a very significant day for the Filipino Catholics. The entire nation, together with Filipinos worldwide, once again rejoiced as Pope Benedict XVI canonized Beato Pedro Calungsod, the second Filipino to become a saint.

from cbcpnews.com

But unlike San Lorenzo Ruiz, very little is known about this young martyr from the Visayas who sailed with Jesuit Padre Diego Luis de San Vitores to the Las Islas de Mariana in 1668. And so, in a effort to introduce Bl. Pedro Calungsod to the Filipino, especially the youth, the National Commission on the Canonization of Blessed Pedro Calungsod, in collaboration with Msgr. Rudy Villanueva of Cebu and 29AD Musicionaries of Couples for Christ, organized the staging of Teen Saint Pedro, The Musicale.

Msgr. Rudy, who is like the Fr. Manoling Francisco of Cebu, wrote the original play titled Scenes from a Martyrdom, which was staged in 1994 in Cebu by a company of priests and willing volunteers. After meeting with the Commission and 29AD, it was agreed that Msgr. Rudy's original script will be adapted, with 29AD's Bob Serrano and Nonong Sampang doing a few rearrangements in the music. And with a little over a month to spare, the company set its gears running—planning, auditioning actors, drawing props and costumes, learning songs and rehearsing for the big night.

The missionaries arrive

The play opened with Padre San Vitores and his co-missionaries sailing the rough seas of the Pacific until they reach what we now know as Guam. The good priest and his crew disembark, excitedly anticipating the mission set before them—to catechize and baptize the native Chamorros.

Popular teen actor Makisig Morales plays and lends his superb singing voice to Calungsod, while Bubi Camus portrays Padre Diego. Their characters being "mission partners", Morales and Camus spend many stage time together. But Morales, being the more experienced one, does not upstage Camus, acting or singing-wise. There was mutual respect for each other's roles.

Choco and the macanjas

The Chamorros, particularly the men, including the tribe chief Mat'apang, played by Stephen Umaguing, met the group with hostility. Together with other antagonists in the story like Choco, the shipwrecked Chinese quack doctor (played by Emer Guingon) and his cohorts of Macanjas (native herbal medicine men), these men made sure they did everything to threaten the lives of the missionaries.

 
Pedro catechizes Chamorro children

However, not everyone showed hostility towards the "white man and his companions". The missionaries were able to catechize and baptize the women-folk and the children. They even befriended Upe, Mat'apang's wife (played by Lorimar Ranario), and one ma uritao (played by Gretchen Yaoyao), a woman who educated young Chamorro men in hunting, fighting, boat-building, the ways of the world included, among others.

During their stay in the island, Pedro was sometimes attacked by homesickness. This was interpreted in a piece calledMother's Song, with Cerisse Balatbat singing the part of Pedro's mother, Maliksi Morales as the boy Pedro, and Makisig as the teenage Pedro. The song evoked a longing for everything familiar while in an unfamiliar land, with Pedro taking comfort in the consolation that Padre Diego, who was like a father to him, was there with him.

Pedro, my child of love

Conflict sets in when Choco, banking on Mat'apang's dislike for the missionaries, spread rumors that the baptism water used by Padre Diego and his companions was poisoned and was causing the death of many Chamorros. Mat'apang's dislike turned to rage when, after his child with Upe was baptized against his will, dies as well.

Padre Diego baptizes Mat'apang and Upe's child

Pedro takes the spear intended for Padre Diego

The scene wherein Mat'apang and his right hand man confront and attack Padre Diego and Pedro was the highlight of the play. This was followed by a gut-wrenching song titled Pedro's Farewell, sung by male members of the company while Pedro lay lifeless at center stage, with the following lines stirring up mixed emotions:

I feel no grudge for those who gave me pain
Just a bit sad that I can't speak of God to them again
But remember Land, beloved of God, who has bathed you with my blood
No martyr never ever dies in vain!

For a theatrical debut, Makisig Morales used the confidence and timing he gained from his TV acting, which gave him an edge over his amateur co-actors. However, the cast, most of whom were also in an earlier produced musical Selpie, equalled Morales, both in acting and singing.

Makisig Morales plays teen Saint Pedro

All in all, the production was very well executed. There may have been a few glitches in lighting and transition here and there, but the story and the talents more than made up for these shortcomings.

Way Sukod ang Pagmamahal

The final song, a Visayan song titled Way Sukod ang Pagmahal (Love Without Recompense) sang by the entire company, with Gretchen Yaoyao on solo, gave the audience goosebumps. The lyrics may have been in Visayan, but the melody to which Yaoyao lent her versatile voice to, stirred up a feeling of melancholy. The song aroused a sadness—for Pedro's mother who lost a son, for the Chamorros who lost a friend, for the missionaries who lost a leader in Padre Diego and a co-missionary in the person of Pedro. At the same time, the song inspired a feeling of boldness, that despite the threats and difficulties, Catholics must remain faithful and trusting in the Lord for He will reward that faith and trust with everlasting life.

After the performance, Aileen Serrano of 29AD asked Msgr. Rudy if he liked the play. Msgr. Rudy replied, "Tell cast and crew I am very happy. See you in Cebu next week!" as he couldn't wait for his fellow Cebuanos to see the play.

Msgr. Rudy Villanueva, Vic Abarquez and Bob Serrano

However, Cebu would have to wait a few more weeks because Teen Saint Pedro, The Musicale will be shown on November 28, 2 days before to the canonization thanksgiving Mass on November 30, 2012.

The musical succeeds in introducing the now San Pedro Calungsod to its audience. But more than telling the newly canonized saint's life story, Teen Saint Pedro, The Musicale inspires not only the young, but people of all ages, to remain faithful, pure and full of love.  (Text by the UMC Docu Team; photos courtesy of Teen Saint Pedro Facebook page and 29AD)

Welcome to Gawad Kalinga

Welcome to Gawad Kalinga

As I perused the flyer for the GK Countryside Fair last weekend, I couldn’t help but be curious. Drawn to the slogan “Eat, Shop, Help End Poverty”, it appeared to offer me the chance to do two of my favourite things (eating and shopping), and yet this time not have to feel guilty about it — after all, it would be for a good cause! Certainly, anything arranged by GK was likely to be a far cry from the typical countryside fairs I had grown up with back in the UK, where old age pensioners and cake baking competitions tend to dominate proceedings. This was a countryside fair with a difference — the chance to show us city folk the magic of the Filipino countryside, as well as the vast potential it holds to bring this nation out of poverty.  

The Filipino Countryside could, and should, produce much more

Whilst Thailand leads the world in rice production, New Zealand’s cows seem to dominate the dairy industry and Costa Rica can teach us a thing or two about coffee, the Philippines seems to have accepted life as an importer of so many of its consumables. And yet a brief observation of this nation’s climate, as well as its vast expanses of fertile lands which all over the country are left sitting idle, suggest things should not be this way. Whilst gorging on cheese, chocolate or salted eggs, all produced locally by GK's young and ambitious social entrepreneurs together with local farmers, the Countryside Fair was an opportunity to realise the huge potential for this country to produce more of what it consumes. In this way, GK's Enchanted Farm can be seen as a model for sustainable job creation and economic development in the countryside.

>>> Learn more about social entrepreneurship and the GK Center for Social Innovation 

Showcasing the best of the Filipino countryside

When Nation Builders Get Busy 

It was hard not to be caught up in the excitement of the occasion. A typically inspirational address at the beginning of the event from Tito Tony himself set the tone for the rest of the day. “More and more people are learning to love this country” he said, and through the Enchanted Farm’s growing army of social entrepreneurs, more and more young Filipinos appear willing to translate that love of country into a firm commitment towards its future. After all, isn’t it about time that this country’s greatest export became its produce and not its people? Moving around the event’s social enterprise demo areas, I met a lawyer-come-cheese entrepreneur, a former UP student-come-future ‘golden egg’ tycoon and a young Frenchman committing his future to this country’s essential oil industry. Clearly, the ‘GK bug’ is being caught in the most original, yet wonderful ways. 

Spreading the 'GK bug' and raising new nation builders

Local Solutions, Globally Relevant

As Tito Tony represents GK at the World Economic Forum in Tianjin, China this week, one of the key issues to be discussed is that of food security. The impact of climate change, population growth and our growing appetites in general all point towards an impending food crisis which is not only of Filipino, but of global concern. The answer lies not in rural-urban migration, but in increasing the productivity of our countryside. The ambition is that GK's Enchanted Farm, the site for the Countryside Fair, is soon replicated at other destinations throughout the country, and shows just how job creation in rural areas can also help address the issues of food sustainability nationwide.           

The partnership of DAR (represented by Sec. Gil delos Reyes), the province of Bulacan (represented by Gov Alvarado) and Gawad Kalinga (represented by Tony Meloto)

>>> Learn more about the GK Enchanted Farm

Packing Fun into the Fair

But aside from these rather more serious issues, the Countryside Fair was, simply put, just a whole lot of fun! And fortunately it’s set shortly to become a regular Sunday event. A great reason to get off the couch, escape Manila’s filthy air, support the local farming industry and learn about the huge potential of the countryside. Oh, and don’t forget to gorge on the locally produced goat’s cheese while you’re at it!      

DOT launches contest to promote ‘cultural tourism'

DOT launches contest to promote ‘cultural tourism'

The project aims to “enhance appreciation of the inherent greatness of the Filipino people and give new meaning to old places by re-contextualizing them in the life or event of an icon,” the Tourism department said in a statement. 

 

Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez, Jr. also highlighted that the contest is a means by which the DOT can reach a wider audiences. “One of our advocacies is to raise public awareness on the importance of safeguarding our cultural heritage and rekindle the Filipino spirit through the lessons of history,” he said in a statement.

 

“We hope that this project will engage the youth to be informed of their history, instill pride in cultural heritage, develop love of country, and bring more fun and excitement to travel in the Philippines,” 

Welcome to Gawad Kalinga

Welcome to Gawad Kalinga
""Can you do something for me?" he asked his audience. "Yes!" we said. "Can we all sing the national anthem together?"

In that sunlit pavilion, in a farm where lemongrass is grown, duck eggs are harvested, and goat cheese is made by a community who reap what they sow, we campers stood up, placed our right hands over our hearts, and sang Lupang Hinirang, led by this brown-haired British man with a microphone in his hand.

For the first time in my life, I understood what the song was saying. For the first time in my life, I meant what I was singing. "…Ang mamatay nang dahil sa 'yo." I was willing.

At Gawad Kalinga, we are called to be heroes for our countrymen. It builds on bayanihan, a trait we Filipinos have had even before the colonizers arrived."

Welcome to Gawad Kalinga

Welcome to Gawad Kalinga

An Enchanted Gap Year Experience  by Thomas Graham The Gap Year experience, whereby students take a period of time out from studies to go travelling abroad, is a well-known phenomenon in Europe, but it is one I have become increasingly disillusioned with in recent years. Myself a Gap Year veteran, I have come to recognise how so many Gap Year experiences, supposedly “life-changing”, provide little opportunity to gain much other than a very lightweight impression of a new country or culture. Backpackers hang out with fellow backpackers, take some snaps of the local tourist hotspots, and then drink beer for the rest of the evening. All in the company of fellow backpackers, of course. Even volunteer programmes, mass produced and often over-priced, sometimes struggle to truly provide for volunteers’ skills and interests in more than a superficial way. For this reason I was particularly keen to meet Thomas de Torcy, a student from France who is currently experiencing his own kind of Gap Year experience working at Gawad Kalinga’s Enchanted Farm. When I met Thomas in February this year he appeared a 22 year old going on 17. When I met him again last week, he appeared a 22 year old going on 26, enthusing over the profound impact the last few months have had on his life. Clearly Thomas has caught the “GK bug” like so many of the rest of us! >>> Learn more about the GK Enchanted Farm Thomas with Tito Tony (Photo by Myk Tolbo)  Towards the end of last year, Thomas jokingly claims that he had the “misfortune” of meeting Tito Tony at a lecture the latter gave at one of the top business schools in France. Such was the enthusiasm and expectation created by Tito Tony’s speech that Thomas, as well as several other French students, wanted to get involved with GK for a few months. Instead of majoring in Finance, a prospect Thomas was not exactly thrilled by, he opted to do a semester with GK. As for the link between a Business Studies Degree and working at GK, Thomas was to gain practical business experience by collaborating on one of GK's social entrepreneurship projects. >>> Learn more about social entrepreneurship and the GK Center for Social Innovation He has since been working on one of GKs flagship Social Enterprise projects, supporting local entrepreneur Alvie with his Golden Egg business venture: “I have managed to learn more about business over the past three months than I had previously during my entire business studies course in France. We have had to develop almost everything from scratch, and I have had direct exposure to every aspect of the business, from setting it up and stock piling, to product development, community development and now even the marketing of the product to the consumer”. Whilst Alvie has shown the vision and courage that all great entrepreneurs have, he needed better organizational skills to really get the product off the ground. This is where Thomas has come in, along with another French intern, Alexis, who joined the team soon after. Thomas goes on to explain how the last three months have seen both he and Alexis every bit as involved in this growing business as Alvie does himself: “You have to see yourself as part of the business. It really is an almost 24-hour commitment we have made. It hasn’t always been easy, but when you start to see results it’s certainly worth it”. Alvie and Thomas brainstorming at the GK Enchanted Farm  Faced with the challenge of ensuring the business evolves in both a financially sustainable and pro-community/pro-poor manner has inspired Thomas to challenge his own long-term career objectives. “This experience has certainly challenged the ideas I had previously, which were more about getting rich. I never before considered myself an entrepreneur, but I’m now starting to look at one day opening my own business. The Philippines itself is such a land of opportunity, so maybe I’ll come back one day and start something here.” And what type of enterprise would he like to begin? “A French restaurant, run by the local community. That would be nice!” Thomas replies, an enthusiastic grin now beaming on his face. Thomas playing with the kids in GK Enchanted Farm  How many students at the age of 22 can claim that they have been exposed to the practicalities of growing and running a business in the way Thomas has? Perhaps not many. But it is Thomas’ exposure to the Gawad Kalinga dream, and the burning desire he now has to fight poverty all over the world, which will surely leave its most enduring mark. “The challenge will now be when I get back home - it is easy when you are working directly with the poor, the harder part will come when I’m back in France”.   Golden Egg, a business venture housed in the GK Enchanted Farm  As for Golden Egg? “Our aim is to be the first in the market and to flood it. We registered the company on 2nd May and can now sell to supermarkets. The potential is great”. You can tell by the look on Thomas’ face that he already dreads the day he has to leave - “I think I’ll even miss eating the rice! But seriously, what I’ve learnt about business, about myself and about the people and culture here, it’s incredible. This experience is not about what I’ve given the Filipinos - it’s about what the Filipinos have given me.” Now surely that beats the typical backpacker experience, doesn’t it?