Extending the Stream of Success towards Mahabang Sapa (Lupang Mitra) Creek

Volunteers in action.

With the purpose of replicating the success of the Save Maningning Creek Project, the Angat Kabataan ng Taytay, Inc. piloted the Save Mahabang Sapa or Lupang Mitra Creek last May 31, 2014. This is in partnership with the Pamahalaang Barangay of Sta. Ana headed by Punong Barangay Joselito T. Calderon and other stakeholders, in preparation of the rainy season.

Mahabang Sapa Creek is located in the area of Floodway B, crossing Greenwoods Executive Village – Taytay and Lupang Mitra in Barangay Sta. Ana and is connected towards Tapayan River going to Laguna de Bay.

Image from the Run for Hope 2: Hope for Waterways, last February 23, 2014

The event was made possible through the fund from the generated income of the recently concluded Run for Hope 2: Hope for our Waterways last February 23, 2014, with the help of the local government unit of Sta. Ana and the United States Embassy.

Hoping to re-do the success of the Save Maningning Creek, the clean-up drive was designed through the step-by-step process similar to the previous project, which started by inviting multi-stakeholders and encouraging them participate and help in cleaning and rehabilitating Mahabang Sapa Creek.  Present on the event proper were:

1. Municipal Government of Taytay (MENRO, Green Army)

2. Pamahalaang Barangay ng Dolores, Muzon, San Isidro and San Juan, Taytay, Rizal

4. Local DILG (MLGOO)

5. Homeowners of Greenwoods Executive Village Area 9 & 10

6. PNP – Taytay

7. BFP – Taytay

8. Angat Kabataan

9. Residents of Lupang Mitra and Purok 8 Floodway

10. Manila Water (potable water)

11. SM Hypermarket – Taytay

12. Provincial Government of Rizal

The clean-up drive was a success.  The volunteers were able to de-clog the creek by removing hundreds of sacks filled with trashes and foreign materials.  The waterlilies which hinder the flow of water was pulled out of the water.

Residents of Lupang Mitra Creek helping doing the clean-up drive.

One of the accomplishments brought by the Save Maningning Creek project was it encouraged the residents living beside to creek to do their share in rehabilitating the creek, it happened again during the Mahabang Sapa Creek.  When the actual clean-up drive began, residents went out of their houses, got whatever cleaning materials they have and helped.  This is one important component of the creek rehabilitation project, that the people would have the sense of responsibility in maintaining the creek and the sense of ownership to embrace the project.

Mahabang Sapa Creek is just one of the million creeks and rivers that needs to be put into life once again.  Similar project will be implemented in Mindanao and in nearby countries such as Cambodia and Laos. This project, just like a creek, may just be a small solution to the larger problem which, sad to say, is as big as the ocean.  But, with unity and the heart of taking good care of the environment, these small streams of success will eventually flow and more and more bodies of water will once again, be brought into life. #Padayon

Of Obstacles and Obstructions

Credit to the owner of the photo

Fill up every valley and level every mountains and hills. Straighten the crooked paths and smooth out the rough roads.  Luke 3:5

I was inspired by this verse that I read a few weeks back. In contemplation, I was able to look back and identify on what are the obstacles and obstructions that Angat Kabataan ng Taytay, Inc. had encountered and how we were able to reacted to it, based on the words of Luke 3:5.  Speaking as a member of a youth organization, here are the keys/points which I think would help on how to prevent problems, if not,  react to problems that might arise in an organization.

1. Fill Up the Valley (Identify what you lack or you don’t have)

You need help, seriously.  You cannot do it all, you do not have it all.  You are not perfect.

This is one of the lapses that Angat Kabataan had done when we were trying to start up a program. We taught we can do this, and we can do that, we could solve any problem in this world and we do not have to worry because we are a great organization and we have great members who specialize on things and that, we do not need help. We were wrong.

For instance, I remembered the launching days of the Save Maningning Creek project.  That time, we had the program set, we taught we had everything that we need — and then we failed.  Then we felt brave enough to ask help from the community, the local government unit and all of the stakeholders and the results were astounding and the rest was history.

It is not hard to admit that all are created uniquely.  One maybe great in doing this and the other might be great at doing that.  In the end, what’s important is that you have to identify what you do not have (and admit that you are not perfect), fill it up by having someone who could do what you lack and you’ll be surprise that things would turn around easily.  Once you’ve done this, your organization would be more efficient and would probably solve all the problems in the world :).

2. Level Every Mountains and Hills (Set goals, stare at it. Set priorities, do it.)

An organization may set smart plans and goals, the result of hundreds of meetings and thousands of organizational planning, but in the end, it would still remain as a plan, a goal, a vision, not unless you have worked hard for it and you have learned to prioritize things and arrive on that day when you could say, “mission accomplished”.

Lets admit it, you are not only a member of an organization or association, you might also be a student, a family person, an employee, a church member, a member of another organization, a basketball player, a movie lover, a boyfriend/girlfriend, a husband/wife and the list goes on. I’m not saying that you have to focus your attention on your org and execute all the plans and propose every projects and go home only when its time to take a bath or sleep.

Setting priorities means keeping your eyes on the goal and doing the necessary things to achieve this goal without compromising your life as an employee, husband/wife, student, and all.  You always have time, you are not busy.  If you have time to watch on your television, sleep more than the usual time, read magazines, play on your gaming console, go to the mall, hang out with friends, then you have a lot of time in the world.  Learn to set priorities.

Remove, if not minimize the time you put into things that are least important.  That is the meaning of leveling the mountains and hills. You could never have a glimpse of your success unless you remove all the things that obscure your vision.

3. Straighten the Crooked Paths & Smooth out the Roads (Don’t let negative things hinder you)

There would be more problems that you would encounter during the long stretch of implementing such projects. There would be personal issues between org members, there would be critics outside of your peer, there would be a lot of “we should have done this, or we shouldn’t have done that” instances.

These are bumps and humps in the long road towards accomplishing your goals.  There would be a lot of curves and turns once you start traveling towards the endless road of success. Doing great things for the community is never easy. You would feel that you have run out of gas , but keep on pushing the pedal.

Keep your eyes at the end goal. Commit yourself to the tasks ahead.  Be ready for the problems that may pop-up “anytime” and always be prepared to deal with it “all the time”.

On the following verse, Luke 3:6 says:

Then everyone will see the saving power of God. 

Always do things for the Glory of God so that, not only you, but so as the people around you, will be able to see the reward of serving the people, the community, and serving God with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your heart.

To God be the glory.

The Maningning Creek Before and After

The creek before, and after the rehabilitation project

This image depicts what volunteerism, innovative ideas and dedication can bring out the best positive results.  We are still in awe of what the Save Maningning Creek Project has been accomplished since starting the project last February 2011.

More than the dream, more than the effort, more than the trophies and special citations, and more than the tangible things, what made this endeavor successful and reach greater  heights is that we were able to impart the message to the people, specially those who are living beside the creek, of what are the possible result of bayanihan (volunteerism), unity and dedication, mixing it with  the heart to care for the environment.

Padayon [pa.dá.yun.]  –  carry on (v.); continue (v.); go ahead (v.); go on (v.); last (v.); maintain (v.); persist (v.);remain (v.); resume (v.)

(c) binisaya.com

Little is MUCH

How much can be accomplished with “little”?

We used to think that a lot can be done with bigger resources (yes, I’m referring to money), larger network or innovative ideas.  What we tend to forget is that sometimes, smaller ideas could make a bigger impact and you would just have to dream, act and persevere to make this idea evolve into greater results.

The Tale of Two Sticks

Last month, I was reading one of the text in Our Daily Bread and it was about turning little into much.  One of the story was about Moses and how his rod (stick) was used to perform miracles (Exodus 4) and how it lead the people of Israel out of Egypt.  The other was about the less-popular story of Shamgar (Judges 3:31) and how he defeated the 600 Philistines single-handedly with nothing more than his oxgoad (a stick sharpened on one end to drive slow-moving animals).

FAN-ta-STICK

As I was reading the story of the sticks of Moses and Shamgar, I can’t help it but to relate the story of Angat Kabataan and their reliable stick. The fan-ta-stick, the ever-popular stick which is used by the volunteers of the Save Maningning Creek Project to remove the foreign materials found in the Maningning Creek.  This innovation, which is made only of bamboo poles and covers of old electric fans, has been the major reason why lesser and lesser debris are found in the creek.

Similar to the story of Moses and Shamgar, this simple stick has became one of the main reasons why the creek rehabilitation program has been successful this far.  Through it, not only we were able to clean the creek, but also, we were able to send the message that the group has been trying to convey to the people even before the start of the creek rehabilitation project.

Many Doubted Moses, and so does AK

Three years ago, during the early days of the campaign, a lot of skeptical people have been doubting our cause of reviving the creek.  “Wala na yang pag-asa.” (There is no chance that you could revive the creek) and “Sa una lang yan.” (You could never sustain your project) are just some of the words thrown to us by the people who think that the project will never be successful.  But we prove them wrong, just like how Moses proved his fellow people wrong.

Many of Moses’ people have doubted him that he needed to perform numbers of miracles just to show that he is the person that God has chosen to save the Israelites.  Many who have said that it is impossible to bring the creek back to life. Many have doubted the positive outcome of the Save Maningning Creek Project. It took numbers of clean up drives, hundreds of volunteers and thousands of bokashi balls to prove  that impossible is temporary.

Small Step, Giant Outcome

When we were planning to revive the creek, we had no idea that we would be successful.  And never that it came into our minds that the simple act of rehabilitating the creek would make the group be cited as one of the Ten Accomplished Youth Organization not only in the country but in the ASEAN region as well.

The simple step of removing the dirt away from the creek would raise the awareness of the residents beside it to the importance of having a healthy water ways in their area.  The smallest act of throwing the bokashi balls into the water would lead to financial and other logistical support from different agencies for the continuity, replication and innovation of the program.  Never that it came into our mind that the simple dive towards the creek would bring us to different places just to discuss and share the outcome of our cause.

Sticks = Talents/Gifts/Interests

The three sticks are the representation of how you could make a difference with your simple act, talent, interest or gifts.  It just a matter of how you could use your God-given talent, abilities and resources to make your own way of contributing to the betterment of the world.

If you are into social media, you could launch a campaign on protecting the environment.  If you are a singer, you could use it it convey the message of mitigating the effect of global warming. If you are a writer, write about sensible stuff. These are just simple things that you could do, it is just a matter of, first, identifying what you have or what are your gifts, and second, identifying how you could use it to make our world a little more better.

Moses’ stick, Shamgar’s oxgoad and AK’s fan-ta-stick are basic things that turned into powerful tools which made changes in the world.  This was possible because of the help of our God and the idea of changing the world through one, simple step.

Angat Kabataan

Spreading Positivity