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Barriowork Program
Guide to Site Investigation (SI)
Site: Cabanggan, Zambales
Before the SI can be undertaken, we must have at least a general idea of what will be the
aims and content of the scheduled Barriowork will be and at best, the Barriowork proposal
itself. This is because the SI, its own aims and how it will be conducted depends greatly
on what the organization desires Barriowork to be in the short-term and the long-term.
After the SI, we can make the necessary changes to our initial plans.
I. Rationale
Site Investigation is both a faithful and specific application of the first phase of the
general See-Judge-Act methodology of the organization to its Barriowork program as well
as a necessary procedure demanded by common sense. Before undertaking such a
difficult and important task as an immersion in a rural (or urban) poor environment, initial
observations, preliminary gathering of desired information, identification of various factors
and considerations is of course essential for the success of the actual immersion.
Thus, a group of skilled and experienced Team Leaders (TLs) are designated to
go to the identified site, accomplish the investigation through a kind of “pre-immersion”
and plan the actual immersion accordingly with the information gathered. The
investigation must allow us to ensure that the objectives of the Barriowork program can
be met as well as assess the safety of the participants, the practical aims of the immersion
within the planned period of stay, adjustments in methods, logistical requirements and so
forth.
The seaside community was and to a lesser degree today, dependent on fishing
while the “bukid” community is depended on rice farming although in both cases, many
residents find income in employment in the nearest municipal center (which is a roughly
twenty minute tricycle ride from the seaside village) or outside of Cabanggan. Both
communities however are in need of much development and are typical of many rural
and seaside villages in the country. There are two “seasons” present in the site: “tag-init”
(Jan-July) and “tag-ulan” (July-Dec) and these play a large part in determining the
activities the communities are engaged in such as fishing, rice planting, etc. The former
is the hot season and is a period of relative ease for the communities but the latter cold
season is a period of relative hardship especially for the seaside community as weather
hampers the effectiveness of fishing and storms cause significant damage.
Given this, the rural setting, the availability of experienced alumni and that the
residents of the site are used to having UP students hold immersions in their
communities (Barriowork is familiar to the residents as anak-anakan), Barriowork in this
site is relatively easy to conduct. This also means that SI for this site does not have to
be done for several times before the actual immersion; one SI generally will suffice. The
challenges which UPSCA has had to face throughout its Barriowork program in this site
stem from mainly from the fact that the site is far away from UP leading to such
considerations as time, money, urban/rural disparity (e.g. the lifestyle and pace in the
site greatly differs from that of our more familiar urban environment) and the monitoring
of the community.
So far, UPSCA has yet to face a serious and immediate threat to its Barriowork
program in Cabanggan, however there has been talk and plans to initiate a pull-out from
the site because it has been judged that the geographical realities, in the long run, will
cost the organization too much without getting the optimal results. With alternative sites,
already being identified, the idea of pulling out from Cabanggan has gained even more
momentum.
III. Objectives
A. General—
B. Specific—
1. Determine if the site’s residents are still willing to accommodate us for the
duration of the immersion as scheduled;
2. Assess whether holding Barriowork as scheduled will cause undue burden
(financially, socially, etc.) on the residents;
3. Identify the maximum number of participants that can be accommodated
and preferably, which families will be willing to accommodate them;
4. Gather as much information on the following aspects and the condition of
the community with respect to them:
a) General characteristics and condition of the residents
b) History of the site and the communities therein
c) Security/crime within the site and en route to the site
d) Health/Risk of Illness
e) Socio-economic situation/current livelihood (housing, education,
employment, etc.)
f) Current lifestyles and local culture (local practices and patterns
of thought and behavior)
g) Status of main infrastructures (roads, electricity, water, etc.) and
transportation in and out of the site
h) Local politics and existing organizations
i) Any other information that might be relevant in the formation of
the participants during Barriowork;
5. Assess the aspects in (4) and ascertain whether they posit significant risks
and/or threats to the welfare of the participants and the effectiveness of
the actual immersion;
6. Adjust plans and scope in order to manage risks and meet the essential
objectives of Barriowork.
7. Sketch the financial costs and the logistical requirements of the actual
immersion;
8. Identify what will be the local happenings and socio-economic or cultural
activities (whether there will be fishing, sensuro, planting of rice/cashews,
pag-gapas ng palay, balisara) that will be present during the scheduled
actual immersion. This will help us identify the special activities or projects
that might be undertaken by the Barrioworkers.
9. Form at least a general idea of what will be the special and community
activities that will be undertaken by the Barrioworkers and what will be the
necessary considerations/logistics for the endeavor;
10. Ascertain whether we can and ought to have a long-term project that will
form a part of Barriowork.
11. Establish solid connections with the main point-persons and community
leaders and ensure a mutual understanding between them and the
organization about our plans and their concerns;
12. Secure the place/household wherein the TL headquarters will be held as
well as the place for Mid-immersion (this is usually held at the ambay), the
venue for the culminating activity (this is usually held in Nay Marlyn’s
house) and households wherein cooking, meetings, etc. may be held for
the planned activities/projects.
13. Gather information and observations for the formulation of the following:
a) Fallback plans when certain objectives/planned activities fail
during the actual immersion
b) Standard operating procedures and protocols for the actual
immersion and plans/procedures in cases of emergency
(who/what/where/how in case of crime, health emergencies,
natural disasters, accidents, etc.)
c) Knowledge of nearest local authorities, the nearest health
facilities, exit routes, local landmarks, etc., how to get there and
who to contact.
IV. Execution
We present an overview of how the SI is to be conducted in order to help meet
the objectives as discussed as well as some general “rules-of-thumb” for the
investigation.
A. Preparatory
Before the SI can be undertaken, a good deal of prayer and deepening about
the importance of Barriowork and SI itself is necessary for obvious reasons. Next,
the following are to be considered:
B. Actual Investigation
The safety of the TLs must also be one of their priorities, measures must be
taken to secure this. Constant communication as well as a levelled understanding
of one another will also be necessary. As TLs, it is already expected of them that
they are more than willing to undertake this endeavor and that problems commonly
associated with first-time participants will not surface throughout the SI.
In order to achieve the optimal two-day stay in the site, aside from a well-placed
date to hold the pre-immersion, the travel to the site ought to be scheduled as early
as possible in the first day to account for the travel time. Breaks and eating time
should be minimized.
Upon arriving at Cabanggan proper, or “bayan” the SI team should take some
time to survey the market and other key places. The team should also observe the
areas along the route to Sitio Agoho as well as the route itself, its conditions and
whether it or other landmarks have changed.
Once finally at the site, the team may choose to visit the bukid community first,
check-up on the foster-homes of previous Barrioworkers and begin the SI there
and continuing on to the dagat community, making sure also to visit the houses of
Nay Marlyn (our main contact person) and Kgd. Baby (the barangay kagawad),
strengthening our connections with them as well as obtaining relevant information
about the communities and informing them of our intentions to hold Barriowork on
our planned dates.
If the SI cannot be held for more than a single day, then maximize the time
spent in the communities as much as possible and spend time, conversing with
various residents in their homes and conduct all necessary observations and
inquiries as efficiently as possible. If the SI is to be held for several days as a pre-
immersion, then the team must be distributed into different homes, conducting the
SI as individuals depending on task delegations and as a team depending on the
plans stipulated in the itinerary.
Towards the end of the SI, they must communicate their impressions and
intentions to the community leaders as well as begin the processing of their
experiences among themselves, keeping the objectives in mind.
We must also assess whether Barriowork at the planned schedule is even possible
or whether it will be worth it to conduct it. We must consider whether its initial objectives
can be met, do some objectives have to be dropped or changed, can we add new
objectives and so on. There must be an identification of the targets, activities, long-term
projects (if any) and opportunities that will be relevant for Barriowork.
There must be a discussion among the TLs of the actual immersion about the
information gathered during SI and a critical assessment of the facts and a commitment
to the necessary actions as a result of the deliberations.
Prepared by:
Lorenzo M. de Vera (‘13)
BW June-July 2014, Cabanggan- Participant
Formation Director for Members AY 2015-2016
BW January 2016, Cabanggan- Team Leader
UW May-June 2016, Punta- Team Leader