Kitcharao, Agusan del Norte- Samuel, 45, from Barangay San Rafael in this town, is a simple man who dreams of having a happy life with his family. He is a responsible father to his three children, and a loving husband to his wife, Cecilia. As he stated, as long as he can provide for the needs of his household and maintain his good relationship with his neighbors, he would not ask for more in life.
A civic-minded citizen, Samuel is the president of the MAFIA, which stands for Marginalized Fisherfolks Association, a group of fishermen from this coastal barangay.
Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan-Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (Kalahi- CIDSS), one of the programs of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), immediately caught Samuel’s interest upon its entry in their barangay.
He said that this anti-poverty project of the national government, through the DSWD, united the villagers because of its requirement for high participation rates during barangay assemblies. Its processes led them to identify their most urgent needs. More importantly, it also taught them how to address these concerns by capacitating them so they can get improved access to basic social services.
A volunteer is a volunteer
Samuel’s original intent was to volunteer. His fellow residents, however, had other ideas, as he was voted as the Barangay Sub-Project Management Committee (BSPMC) Chairperson, the de facto leader of the volunteers within the community. While he accepted the role of BSPMC Chairperson because of his desire to help his community, he admitted that he thought that the position came with certain perks.
“Ako man lang ‘tong gidawat kay usa pud sa akong pagtuo nga ako chairperson nga duna koy madawdaw ani nga project o duna koy sweldo. Pero pag-ingon man gud nga volunteer wa ko magdahum nga volunteer ra man diay na (I just accepted it because I thought that, as the Chairperson, I will have something to get from the project, more so, a salary. I didn’t know that a volunteer is literally a ‘volunteer’),”Samuel said.
“Ang pagtuo man gud nako duna koy maayo ug taas nga position taas pud ang akong sweldo. Pero volunteer ra gyud diay siya (I really thought that by having a higher position, I would also have a high salary. But eventually a volunteer is a volunteer)”, he continued.
Samuel was honest in saying that not getting paid for working initially disheartened him, so much so that he had thought of quitting.
“Adtong nagsugod ang proyekto, nibiya ko. Gituyo jud nako nga wa ko mag-pasko sa akong pamilya kay aron musibat na ko, biyaan na nako ni. Kay unsa man diay ning sigeg atubang atubang nako nga volunteer ra man diay ko wala man diay ko sweldo (I left at the start of the sub-project. I intended to celebrate Christmas apart from my family so that I can sneak out of the responsibility of being a Chairperson),” he admitted.
“Niadto ko ug Butuan, nanarbaho ko, pero usahay magabie tulisukon ko sa akong kalag. Kay gisangon ni sa akoa, chairman, maoy mudumala sa trabaho, unya akong hawaan. Mao to nga anang bag-ong tuig nibalik ko (I then worked in Butuan, but every night, my conscience pricked my soul about the responsibility that I left behind. I realized that I was entrusted to perform the task, and I should not leave it unfinished. I returned in San Roque after New Year),” he said.
Change of heart
Upon his return, Samuel led the implementation of the one-unit two-classroom elementary school building, which amounted to P1,458,125.54. He conducted regular weekly BSPMC meetings and guided his co-volunteers in their respective responsibilities. He was present in the area every day. When he needed technical assistance, he sought the help of the Area Coordinating Team (ACT) and Municipal Coordinating Team (MCT).
He also attended all the trainings that were conducted to assist the volunteers in project implementation. Through his involvement as a community volunteer, he gained knowledge and learned new skills.
Aware of the crucial role he has, Samuel worked hard and inspired the other volunteers to double their efforts. As a result, they completed the sub-project ahead of time without jeopardizing its quality.
The barangay local government unit (BLGU) officials, the Municipal Mayor, the Vice Mayor, the parish priest, and other key officials all saw the hard work Samuel put into the implementation of their sub-project. Samuel’s efforts led to Barangay San Roque being recognized for its outstanding sub-project implementation.
New efforts
Due to his hard work and determination, he was hired by Mayor Aristotle E. Montante for the construction of the oval at Kitcharao Central Elementary School in preparation for the athletic meet to be held at the municipality.
At first, he refused since he thought that he could not do it.
Mayor Montante, however asked him, “Nganong dili man nimo makaya? Giunsa man diay nimo kadtong sa Kalahi-CIDSS nga dali raman nimo nahuman? (Why do you say you can’t do it? What did you do to finish the Kalahi-CIDSS project ahead of time)?”
Mayor Montante’s questions pushed Samuel to accept the task, although he still felt anxious.
Samuel, his neighbors, the members of the MAFIA, and the skilled and unskilled workers who volunteered in Kalahi-CIDSS worked on the construction of the oval.
Like the construction of their school building, they ended up finishing ahead of time, completing the oval before the 12-day deadline.
Upon payment, the Mayor jokingly asked Samuel, “Ingon ka dili nimo makaya, makaya man lagi (You said you cannot do it, so how were you able to do the job)?”
Samuel went home, his feelings overwhelming him. He proved to the Mayor and to himself that he could actually do the job if he worked hard on it.
Just recently, Mayor Montante hired him again as a contractor for the clearing of the Municipal Public Market and the construction of a two-storey building on the same site. Again, he mobilized and managed his group to work on it. They were able to complete the project on time.
The series of successful engagement he had with the LGU prompted his neighbours to apply to him as skilled and unskilled workers. Others even got interested in enlisting to be volunteers for Kalahi-CIDSS because they observed the positive impact of the project to the people.
While he did not actually earn from serving as a volunteer in Kalahi-CIDSS, he was still led to other opportunities for him to support his wife and children, two of whom he managed to send through college. According to him, Kalahi-CIDSS allowed his skills to be honed and recognised.
Throughout the sub-project implementation, Samuel thought that the construction of the school building was only what Kalahi-CIDSS is all about. He later on realized that the classrooms were just like wrappers concealing the real gift of the project to the community – empowerment and opportunities. These, for Samuel, are the true perks of being a community volunteer.
“Kaya ko ang pagbabago !” he said with a grin. ###
