Stories | CODE-NGO

Weaving the Old Rice Basket

by CODE-NGO | Oct 13, 2015 | Features, Stories

Libmanan was called the “Rice Granary of Camarines Sur” because it had the largest area for rice plantation all over the province. This rich production was attributed to its fertile soil and abundant water supply. However, during the recent decades, rice production declined because of a number of factors such as high soil acidity caused by monocropping, improper use of pesticides and synthetic fertilizers, lack of post-harvest facilities, and the collapse of farmer cooperatives and associations in Libmanan.

CAPIN Center: Normalizing Children’s Lives through Partnerships

by CODE-NGO | Oct 12, 2015 | Features, Stories

“Dati nung wala pang CAPIN (Child Abuse Prevention and Intervention Network), malaki na problema namin sa child abuse cases. Immediately after magkaroon, biglang dumami lalo. Pero normal lang yun.”(Before CAPIN, child abuse cases were a big problem. Immediately after we established it, the figures bloated. That’s normal.)

“Normal” would not be the appropriate term for it if one did not know the whole story, but Ms. Lucille De Leon, Municipal Social Welfare and Development Officer (MSWDO) of Sta. Cruz, Laguna, was quick to move on to the next sentence:

“Normal kasi biglang naging aware sila na may masusumbungan. Kaya dumami. Ngayon kumonti na kasi takot na silang gumawa ng mali sa mga bata. May masusumbungan na, alam na nila na may nagbabantay.” (It’s normal because there was a sudden awareness among the community that there was a place to report cases to. That’s why the figures increased. The number of cases now is not as high as before because they’re afraid to abuse these children. They’re aware that there’s a watchdog now.)

A Disaster Story

by CODE-NGO | Oct 11, 2015 | Features, Stories

It is really terrifying when it rains down heavily and continuously, and flood water starts to rise to the point where it already reaches the floor level of your house. Suddenly, you’ll find your vicinity submerged under water. For an unprepared mind, the impulse to panic first before doing anything is a natural reaction; after all, many possibilities, that will put you and your entire family in danger, may occur.

For the residents of Lambak, in Barangay Concepcion in Lumban, Laguna, facing occasional flood is like an annual routine for them. However, the recent calamities that struck their place, like typhoons Ondoy, Peping and Maring, and the habagat (southwest monsoon), left memories of despair, and properties destroyed. Even if the floods are a usual thing, the residents have employed ways to mitigate, if not to totally avoid, the destruction of belongings.

In Pails and In Lines: Relief Operations for Lumban

by CODE-NGO | Oct 10, 2015 | Features, Stories

“Sobrang hirap po talaga… [Hindi ho namin alam] kung saan po kami pupunta,” (It was totally difficult… [We do not know] where we are going to stay) recounted thirty-year old Liezel Elloran, when she was asked what her family had gone through in 2012.

Her statement sums up the despair that all people from Wawa in Lumban, Laguna experienced in 2012. The place was flooded because of the typhoon Maring, strengthened by the southwest monsoon or habagat. Liezel’s house is located in the middle of a vast rice field, along with other families who depend on farming for livelihood. Because the place is a low land, flood here could reach as high as five feet. She was pregnant at that time and has a three-year old kid with her. Her husband was in Manila during that time, working as a pahinante (porter). Without any assistance, she treaded the flood and camped out on the street, before being transferred to the nearby elementary school.

WE DON’T WANT YOUR MONEY

by CODE-NGO | Oct 9, 2015 | Features, Stories

Let’s face it. Everybody needs money. You have to have money before making money. No matter what the overused cliché says, it isn’t love that makes the world go round. It’s money. If it was love, then everything would be free and we’d be more overpopulated than we already are.

But why the constant arguing about money. In perspective, if everyone pays their taxes and dues, then that would be the income for the development of the country. The government would be able to allocate the budget fairly and improve our roads, facilities, hospitals, schools, drainage systems and waste management systems. Furthermore, government would be able to improve our living conditions. The unemployment rate would go down; everyone would be literate; poverty rate would diminish. It seems like a perfect world. But then again, does the Philippines really lack money?

KIDS TRUST KIDS

by CODE-NGO | Oct 8, 2015 | Features, Stories

Take a child and you will see a carefree spirit, always smiling and laughing, not a trouble in the world. Kids are naturally cheerful and happy, the image of pure innocence. But the other side of the story is a dark world. Despite what the common notion says that kids do not have problems, they do. And when a child is deeply troubled, he or she has no idea where to turn to. Especially if their troubles are caused by adults.

Since its establishment in 1991, the Open Heart Foundation has been giving priority to children and the youth to make the world a better place for them. The Bi ñan division of the foundation has shaped Laguna to give a listening ear to the kids, not limiting to providing their basic needs but also to listen to what they have to say and understand where they are coming from.