Category: Livelihood Training

For several years Goducate staff in Laguna have been trying to make a business out of producing vermicompost—compost produced by earthworms from manure—at the Goducate farm. It has been quite a struggle, until the last quarter of 2015, when they were able to sell the vermicompost at a good price and to get a regular customer.

The farm could produce 4.5 tons of the compost every 45 days. To meet demand vermifarming was extended to the Goducate Training Center in Laguna, to produce an additional 6 tons every 45 days. The first lot of these extra 6 tons was harvested in the second week of January.

Since we are producing the compost, we also produce organically grown fruit and vegetables as well. The bulk of these would be from creepers (eg, passion fruit and various gourds), which provide the shade needed for the worms to produce the compost. Some of the harvest has been sold and the rest used for personal consumption.

Goducate’s aim of helping Asians help themselves extends to our staff and to Goducate itself. Thus financial support from headquarters for Goducate staff and Goducate work in Laguna has been gradually phased down. The proceeds from the vermicompost project in Laguna are used to boost the allowances for 5 workers, to buy the raw material for the vermicompost, and to contribute towards Goducate funds.

The Philippines is a typhoon-prone country. Around 19 tropical cyclones or storms enter the Philippine Area of Responsibility (for tropical cyclone warnings) in a typical year, and of these usually 6 to 9 make landfall, which cause the country a loss of billions of pesos in damage to the economy and to physical structures. Worst of all is the loss of many lives.

For these reasons the Laguna Provincial Public Safety Company (LPPSC, the part of the Laguna Police Provincial Office that sees to internal security operations), conducts Search and Rescue (SAR) training. 6 of our Goducate volunteer workers attended the training held on Sept 3-5 and are now deemed qualified to answer the call of duty if necessary. One of these volunteers is Jelmar Lobusto, who, with Goducate’s help, passed the Alternative Learning System exam this year (see Aug 21, 2015 blog), which made him eligible for the SAR training.

The SAR training taught (1)Proper application of bandages on different parts of the body, (2) Cardiopulmonary resuscitation, (3) Quick response and communication, and (4) How to effectively  pass  information in the community.

The training also raised awareness about being prepared for the earthquake of magnitude 7.2 that is expected by the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology to hit Manila and its surrounds (including Laguna) within our lifetimes (http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/316877/scitech/science/the-next-big-quake-in-metro-manila-may-hit-within-our-lifetime)

After that training session, the LPPSC’s Provincial Advisory Council ( PAC), on which sits a Goducate representative, decided to raise funds to purchase some of the most basic needs for an immediate response, such as life jackets and chainsaws. Thus the Council held a Dinner for a Cause, and Goducate helped to sell 150 tickets at PhP500 each for the event held on Nov 7, which raised PhP 75,000. A similar dinner may be held in Feb 2016.

On Nov 6, 2015, when the Masaya National High School celebrated their 2nd assembly, Card Giving and Oath-taking ceremony for the officers of their Parents and Teachers Association, Goducate musicians were invited to play for the event. The school had known of the Goducate music program since 2011, when some of their students then were part of the program. But the school had a pleasant surprise when they found out that 4 of the 6 musicians who turned up for the event were current students at the school. The other 2 were alumni of the school.

The four current students were Ericka Laus and Loween Ricafort, both grade 7 students at the school and Blessina Suncaya and Sonny Boy Espanola both grade 8 students, and all were violinists. The other two, Manuel Factor and Rea Cabalfin, are volunteer workers at Goducate Laguna, who were glad to be able to show their gratitude to their alma mater by playing for the event.

The principal and teachers were very pleased with their students’ musical performance and look forward to more performances by Goducate musicians. Goducate hopes that our musicians’ love for music and dedication to learning to play an instrument will be an inspiration to others.