Having spent 24 days in the Philippines, the day has finally come where we all have to head back to our beloved home, Singapore. The 24 days of stay were truly amazing.

Not only had we given our services to the poorest of the poor, we had also learnt, gained and grown in countless ways. The Concepcionanons taught us to look at things from a different perspective
and made us realise how much we have taken for granted, things like electricity which is easily accessible all over Singapore. Over the 24 days, we met new friends with whom we forged a strong bond. Therefore, when we left, our hearts were heavy as we bid farewell to our newfound friends and foster families.

We left Cebu at about 1330 hours where we had to make a short transit at Davao before reaching our final destination, Singapore. The trip from Davao took us three hours and ten mins and we landed at Changi Airport at 1900 hours. Looking back from the day we departed Singapore with our service and learning (s & l) being at its minimal.
Today we came back with our service and learning (S & L) being at its maximum! And as we all continue with our life’s journey, this part of memories that we shared all will stay in our minds and hearts till time indefinite.

Salamat Concepcion, Iloilo, Philippines!!

With this, we closed the chapter on the Overseas Community Service Project in Philippines 2008…

BUT!!!

We’ll be back with more!! Stay tuned!

+ Group Photo at Changi Airport

We woke up very early today as we had to sail back to Iloilo City from Boracay to visit Guimaras,
the island where you can find the sweetest mangoes worldwide. We learnt how the mangoes were being planted and exported to various countries.

By the way, this is the only mango plantation in the whole Philippines which is allowed to export their mangoes to other countries because they are free from seed and pulp weevils.

+Mangoes in Guimaras

As we had to catch a morning flight from Iloilo to Cebu, we did not stay long at Guimaras before heading to Iloilo Airport. Though our trip there was short, we managed to learn about how the agricultural system there works.

The flight to Cebu from Iloilo took us approximately 35 minutes. The activity of the day was to visit Bohol, where we got to see and study one of the Philippine’s most popular natural wonders, the Chocolate Hills. They are hills which are actually grass-covered limestone formed ages ago by the uplift of coral deposits and the actions of rain water and erosion. The 1,268 uniformly cone-shaped limestone hills were named that way because in the summer, the grass on the hills would turn brown, making the landscape look like chocolate hills out of a cartoon.

+ Chocolate Hills

We also got to see the tarsier, the smallest type of primate in the world. From our tour guide, we understood their lifestyles, their habitat, their behaviors so on and so forth.

The tarsiers are nocturnal animals but as many tourists constantly visit them in the day time and “make noise”, the lifestyle of the tarsiers had been very much affected.

+ Tarsier!

Lastly, we visited the Bilar Mahogany Forest, a two-kilometer stretch of densely-planted Mahogany trees. It is said that this is largest manmade forest in the Philippines.

Covering an area of 8.574 sqkm, it is located in the border of the towns of Loboc and Bilar. We stayed at Bohol for the night before making our way back to Iloilo Airport to catch our flight back to Singapore.

++Bilar Mahogany Forest

There always comes a time to say goodbye. It was hard for us as we have all become so attached to the people and place, but we knew that eventually, we have to leave Concepcion. With our eyes red and hearts heavy, we bid farewell to the people whom we have learnt so much from. Hugs were exchanged, goodbyes were uttered, before we all piled into our vehicles and left Concepcion.

++The kids that we spend our time with after a tiring day of work, sending us off at 6 in the morning..

We took a long ride on a van, and reached Boracay by ferry. In Boracay, we paid a visit to the Tourism and Immigration Office on the Island. As this is one of the hottest tourist spot, we learnt a great deal on the history of the island and how the various departments work. We also went Coral Surveying in the afternoon. Armed with our snorkeling gears and excited spirits, we braved the waters around Boracay, and saw some astonishing views of life underwater.

++ At the Tourism Office in Boracay

++ Coral Surveying

We attended our second ‘flag day’ at the Municipal Hall early in the morning. We handed over the 16 laptops to Hon. Mayor Elizabeth T. Salcedo in a ceremony. Afterwards, we proceeded to Aglosong Elementary School to hand over some reading materials.

++ Ceremonial Turnover of Books and Laptops

In the afternoon, we had the closing ceremony at Lo-ong Primary School. Various VIPs such the Hon. Mayor Elizabeth T. Salcedo, Hon. Vice Mayor Jun Arcosa, First Secretary of Singapore Embassy – Manila, Mr Raymond Chow, Kapitan of Barangay Lo-ong, Rizalino Panes Jr, our team leader, Mr Lim Moon Choon and team facilitator, Mr Emilio T. Chiu gave their closing speeches.

Certificates were presented to the students who had attended and passed the IT teaching programme. We were also presented certificates for being adopted as the “Sons and Daughters of Concepcion” earlier in the opening week. Our foster families were also presented with certificates as an appreciation for adopting us as their children.

However, the main focus was on the ceremonial switching on of a lamp by our student leader, Kuri and the Kapitan of Barangay Lo-ong to signify the lighting of the houses which we had carried out electrical installation on.

++ Receiving of Certs

++ Receiving of Certs with foster family

The closing ceremony ended with an impression given by our student leader, Kuri in the language that Concepcionanons are most familiar with: Ilonggo.

Here’s an excerpt of his speech that afternoon.

“…kag sa amon mga abyan kag ika-duha nga pamilya, ang amon daku nga pagpasalamat indi mapabutyag sa tinaga lamang.

Sa tagsa ka pag-ulopdanay may tion guid sa pagbulagay apang kon may kabubut-on, may ara guid paagi.

Sa pila ka adlaw, makit-anay kag maga-upod kita liwat. Ang aton mga handumanan, wala guid sing may makatupong.

Isa ka bagay nga wala sing bisan ano nga-kwarta, ang makabakal!

Kag ini tanan, maga pabilin tubtob walay katutuban.

Madamo guid nga salamat! Kag gina higugma namon kamo tanan…”

This is the translation.

“..and to all our friends and families here, words cannot express what we feel for you.

The memories we shared together is truly beyond compare; it is something that no money can buy and will remain to time indefinite.

We know that with every meeting, there will come a time to say goodbye. However, I always believe that where there’s a will, there’s a way. One day, we will meet again.

Thank you and I love you.”

The team went to the next municipality, Sara, early in the morning to procure the ingredients for tonight’s cultural night food tasting session. We started the food preparations from noon and finished only at the very last minute before our Cultural Night. The dishes that we had prepared were Bak Kut Teh, Carrot Cake, Roti John, Rojak, Cheng Tng, Stir-fry Shredded Potatoes and Perkedel. We had prepared enough food for around 100 people.

++ Cooking of food for tonight’s Cultural Night

Amidst the preparations, the First Secretary of Singapore Embassy – Manila, Mr Raymond Chow paid us a visit. We had a sharing session where we shared our feelings, learning and reflections on the trip. He was pleased with our comments and encouraged us to continue participating in work of such voluntary nature. We then gave him a glimpse of lives in Concepcion, by giving him a short tour of our living quarter (which he praised as neat and tidy).

++Sharing Session

++Living Quarters Inspection

As planned, the Cultural Night began at 1800 hrs. Our honorable guests, our foster families and some of the locals living nearby started streaming in for seats. The event started with the National Anthem of both countries before going into the main programme. The night was split into two segments where our presentation was followed by that of our Filipino counterparts.

Members from Singapore Polytechnic’s Guitarists Club performed two pieces namely “Quein Sera” and “Leaving on a Jet Plane”. A few of our students also presented a series of magic tricks to the audience to round up our cultural sharing presentation segment. This performance consisted mainly of card tricks, there was also an assortment of coin trick, rope trick, and magic marker trick.

Next, we sang “Home”, the NDP 1998 song. “This is where I won’t be alone… For this is where I know it’s home…”, suggesting that Concepcion has become our second home already. Accompanied with guitar, the team next sang another song “Guan Huai Fang Shi” (My Way of Caring) to bid goodbye to friends and families in Concepcion.

The students from Roberto H. Tirol High School presented two folk dances and two songs. They danced gracefully and sang beautifully. We were so amazed as the performers were only at the age of 12 or 13.

As finale, we invited the high school students and local volunteers to sing the Tagalog version of “Qing Fei De Yi” and dance the popular “Papaya Dance” with us, bringing the the joy and enthusiasm to a climax. Finally, we presented the food as Mr Mario gave a short introduction to the dishes.

++ Cultural Night

Though the day was hectic, and not without minor “mishaps”, we enjoyed ourselves tremendously.

We did electrification for 3 classrooms at Lo-ong Primary School and hammering of plates to our past years project like the street lamp and the multi purpose hall. All in all, we completed installing electricity for 38 houses and 3 classrooms. Thinking back, the work was indeed meaningful in the sense that we had a part in improving the lives of the people. Our initial project was 25 houses, but we completed more than expected as we realized how electricity meant so much to the locals.

++ Our members serious at work

++ Elsewhere, our members hammering in of the plates

With the end of all our value-added activities, we had our full manpower back and were ready to focus on our main electrification project once again. At the end of the day, we managed to complete our electrical installation for all the houses.

++ One of the many Lo-ong Bukid Houses

++One of our team members doing nailing

++One of the houses which we finished working on

A friendship band handicraft session was conducted by a team in Nipa Elementary School today. Most of them had prior experience creating crafts using strings, yet they were patient and eager to learn the new styles, design and techniques. As the children were fast-learners, the team took lesser time to complete the lesson than expected. We spent the rest of the day watching and learning from them the “Papaya Dance”, a traditional dance here in Concepcion.

++ Friendship band

++ A team member showing how it’s being done

++Students with their proud work

As per usual, team members who are not involved in the value-added activities continued with our electrification project today, and we completed a few houses today too.

We had another fencing session at Roberto H. Tirol High School, as requested. The students were passionate about the sport as fencing was uncommon in Concepcion. There was a mini-competition among the students, the winner being the one who scored the most points. The prize was a token from the Fencing Association of Singapore, hence competition was fierce as everyone tried to prove their skills. Even though lesson has ended, the students were reluctant to let us go, pleading to learn more about this sophisticated and exciting sport. We were flattered when the students asked for autographs as mementos for this session.

++all about fencing..

++this is how you go about fencing..

In the mean time, team members who are not involved in the value-added activities continued with our electrification project today, and we completed a few houses today too.

It was the second day of our Home Stay Programme and we began to feel a sense of attachment to our foster families. Despite their busy schedule, our foster families showed us around the sights in Concepcion. In one of the foster family, the foster parents brought their foster children to their farms to have a look at their hard work. We also got to realise the vast difference between the rich and poor people in Concepcion. But due to work commitment, the time we spent with our families was limited.

++A group at the beach with their foster siblings

++Another group at their foster parents cow farm

++Feeding of cows

We continued with our electrification project at Lo-ong Bukid where we worked hard to complete the work on time. With full manpower, we managed to complete electrical installation for five houses that day.