TREE PLANTING, ECO WALK AND ENVIRONMENT-INSPIRED PHOTOGRAPHY

TREE PLANTING, ECO WALK AND ENVIRONMENT-INSPIRED PHOTOGRAPHY

October 20-22, 2017

 Brgy. New Casul, Concepcion, Misamis Occidental

This activity has been my passion. Tree-planting is not a diminutive task but requires a lot of courage, skill, and love for the environment. This activity does not only help our environment but also helps the humanity at large especially during calamities.  People tend to seek refuge from the environment every time calamity visits.

This activity does not only concern on the tree- planting but also with the student’s capacity to walk a certain distance and their ability to communicate with other people- with foreign people and their application to what they learned during the classes.

This activity is paralleled to MAPEH and EsP subjects correspondingly. The students are expected to produce the following outcomes: (1) planted at least two (2) bamboo saplings, (2) different photo shots, (3) reaction paper and collage, (4) article for Native’s View (Official School Paper).

The activity was a bit complicated at the start for the place is about 8 hours walk and the road is hard to cross especially when student would have to bring bunch of things for the said activity. So, to make this activity realized, I together with Daniel Manday- a Grade 10 student, made a surprise visit to the barangay and to the Barangay Captain. Luckily the Brgy. Capt. is holding a session for the post evaluation on Barangay Fiesta Celebration.  He invited me to join in and present my plan and what they can help me with. So, I presented my plan in visiting the barangay on October 20-22, 2017 together with my students to plant bamboo saplings. They asked me what makes me choose their barangay, I answered for I know that the area is blessed with rivers and good people to protect it. With that, they gave me permission to do the activity on the said date. I made a request that since students may find it hard to travel having baggage, I request that they would let us borrow things such as, sleeping materials, cooking materials and the like in which they gladly provide.

I also made a letter addressed to our Municipal Mayor asking for our safety since the area is a remote and we are plenty. Gladly the Mayor is very much eager to support me on this activity. I am hoping that he may send us barangay tanods to escort us on our way which was not met during our journey.

Our long walk started on October 20 at exactly 10:00 AM and made a quick and fast walk to reach the area fast to be able to reach it before night because the road is hard to pass by. The students are grouped and began walking with their respective teacher guides- Jaypee Veradio, Bhebz Hearty Joy Anggo and me.

We reached the area at around 6:00 PM and we are welcomed by the barangay officials, tanods, settlers Mr. & Mrs. Bernardo – New Casul Primary School teachers. After which, we are guided to our quarter and made us a quick community mapping.

Since it is time for supper, the group assigned prepared the meals while other prepared the area for sleeping and rested. After the meal was cooked, we ate our supper with so much joy and laughter for we reached the area with so much anticipation. After that, the group assigned to wash dishes and clean the cooking area did their part.

When we finished the chores, I instructed everybody to gather in the room for an orientation. Orientation of the rules and regulations and purpose of the activity is very essential for students to know for their own and group’s safety, avoid miscommunication and to have a successful activity that is purposeful and beneficial. Everybody agreed to the orientation and we prepared for tomorrow’s activity- the bamboo sapling planting.

In the morning, at exacly 7:30AM, the Brgy. Capt. together with his Brgy. Councilors have prepared things we need for planting and guided us all the way to our respective areas. The Barangay Capt. is obviously happy to serve us for he personally prepares things we need and made a joyful chit-chat while we did the planting near the river. Students are required to plant two (2) bamboo saplings which they did.  

Next to the bamboo sapling planting activity, we made a joyful journey to the river to take a swim and bath with the students while the Brgy. Councilors gladly prepared us with buko fruit for snacks and drinks also. Also, we saw Mr. & Mrs. Bernardo washing clothes on the river and happily invited us to come over and offered us their buko salad which students hungrily ate. Everybody enjoyed the activity.

While we’re on the river, I reminded them to take extra careful with their actions and to do their output on my ART subject- the photography for we will returning to the quarter for lunch at 12:00NN. They quickly made the splash and swam tirelessly and did the activity which we forgot to take note of the time. The Barangay Capt. and Councilors are still guarding us during the time and they saw us enjoying all the time that they want us to come back. We finished bathing at around 1:00 PM and hiked backed to our quarter to take our lunch which was not ate because everybody is full and tired that they wanted to rest than to eat, with this, I agreed to their request in as much as I also want to rest as much as them. So we slept and woke up to eat lunch at around 3:30 PM. After that, I instructed students to organize a parlor games for the children and give them prizes after it.

The students excitedly organized the games and gather all the children in the gym for the game. The children cheerfully participated it with their parents on the side to cheer them up. Every child is competitive to win the prize that we don’t experience any problems on the course of the game. Children who participated are given prizes that they made them shocked and surprised as well as their parents who was with them.

The group played volleyball after the activity while the other group is making a stroll around the barangay to gather “Pako“ leaves for our dinner which is very nutritious and is then included in our viand.

We ate our dinner at around 6:30 PM and did chores afterwards. I communicated to everybody to gather in the room for our post activity evaluation and open forum prior to sleep.

During our post activity evaluation and open forum, everybody is encouraged to talk and share their experiences, observations and their comments, suggestions and recommendations for future activities concern and to resolve issues if there is.

Everyone is observed being attentive and mindful which made it seamlessly light and conclusive. I thank everybody’s participation, support and manners during the activity for without them, it can’t be realized and it can’t be fruitful. Activity such like this integrated not only consciousness to environment but consciousness towards self and other also. Everybody captivated each of our moments especially that we are bonded as one family during sleep. Our nights there is also secured for there are barangay tanods safeguarding us during our sleep. I instructed students to wake up early for we will head back to school at around 9:00AM and prepare necessary cleaning of the area before leaving.

The next day, many of the students are unwilling to go back home because they like the place and they want to extend for a day but I persuade them to go back home because we only have today to stay here and your parents might look after you and may question me for staying long at the area. So with my persuasive behavior, I convinced them to pack their bags and ready for leaving at around 7:00 AM. 

Prior to leaving, we returned the things the Barangay Captain lent us and did proper farewell to him and to everybody for giving us great accommodation and supporting us all the way. We did group picture and started our hike back to Brgy. Poblacion at around 9:00AM.

We arrived at Brgy. Poblacion at 5:30 PM and did separate ways going back to their respective homes.

I am so glad and blessed that this activity was successful and purposeful that God gave us good weather condition and people who will support me all the way and with this -is self-fulfilling on my part. This activity is the second (2^nd) time for we did our first tree planting activity at Brgy. Mantukoy last March 17-18, 2017 with the same Grade level.

I only wished and hoped that the barangay will took care of our plants for we will visit them after a year or so for monitoring purposes.

In quest to environmental protection and reservation, I realized that the best way to do it is to influence people. By influencing people to do it with you, you make them realize that it has to everybody’s responsibility to take care of our environment because we only have one Earth that in general everybody is expected to return kindness towards environment.