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Goducate Training Center’s fish pond

On our recent trip to Goducate Training Center in Iloilo, Philippines we had the opportunity to catch the tilapia in our impounding lake.

The primary purpose of the impounding lake is to provide a source ofwater for our rice fields. Though there are 5 fresh-water springs on site, high-yielding rice requires lots of water to produce optimal yields.

Since the impounding lake is large (about half an acre) and deep (about 5 meters). we decided to stock it with fast-breeding fish. A local fish research institute gave us an hundred tilapia fingerlings a few months ago. Today, there are over 10,000 tilapia of various sizes.

Food to feed the tilapia is obtained from a local meat producer and bakery. Their “spoiled” meat and bakery items are fed to the tilapias.

We were handed bamboo fishing rods and we began pulling tilapia out of the lake every minute. The little tilapias were thrown back into the lake and the large breeders were also thrown back.

A visitor to GTC fishing for tilapia
A visitor with his tilapia (this size of this fish is made much larger because it is held near the camera!)

These fish will be the main source of animal protein for the Goducate trainees when they begin their training at the end of April.

 

The Goducate trainees will also learn to breed tilapias so that they can help poor communities find another source of protein and income.

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Thumbnail sketch of Camp Goducate team, Iloilo Philippines

HERMES CERBO – is our campsite Architect and our Project Manager. He is the one taking care of all the matters in construction. Hermes worked in a Singapore architectural firm for four years,

JUDE LANGUB – is our Electrical Engineer. He is a retired senior officer of a private electric company in Panay.

GLEN GIRAO – is an Electrical Engineer, who presently working in an Electric Power Corporation who distributes electric power in different power companies. He’s helping as a volunteer consultant.

JERU SAMILO – ia a civil engineer who does our structural plans and supervises our work. He is also our camp program director .

MARTIN CERBO – is an architect and a contractor. He and his team will do the construction of our Multi-purpose Hall.

RIC PATRICIO – is an agriculture expert who is our volunteer agricultural consultant.

HOPE PATRICIO – is the soil expert who does all the soil testing for us. She also helps us putting our nursery. She is the wife of Ric Patricio.

MEPHIBOY – he is a Electronic Communication Engineer working in a Technical School but has offered to resign to help us on the farm. He was born and raised in his family farm.

JUN RUIZ – he is a plant pathologist. He is a part-time volunteer.

MAYETH MARRERO – is our building construction secretary and bookkeeper

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Goducate Philippines headquarters staff

1. Oscar – is nurse by profession and he was previously working in the Middle East as nurse. Presently, he is one in charge of mountain and depressed areas community centers in Dumangas, Lacturan, Lanit, Bitoon, Neuva Invecion & Layog Bato.

2. Mike Mendiola – was a Chemistry professor at the Central Philippines University before joining us as volunteer and now a camp director for Camp Goducate Program.

3. Jeru Samilo – is a Civil Engineer who helps us both in our training and camp building project.

4. Belen – trained as English Teacher but worked in a bank. At present, she still pursuing her Masters in English proficiency  and is in-charge of our English Enhancement program for teachers.

5. Selah – trained as a Medical Technologist but worked as office secretary and as a teacher in one of our literacy training centers.

6. Jasper Dex  – trained as a nurse but is presently the our assistant camp director.

7. Teofy – a nurse by profession and presently doing Goducate community work.

8. Rodel – previously in the Philippines military and now camp handyman and teacher of youth in a Goducate community center.

10. Jet – is passionate in helping wayward youth, esp. drug-dependent youth, because he came from that background.

11. Jesusa – a commerce graduate works with kids and is in charge of the kitchen..

11. Biboy – a hotel and restaurant graduate, presently a handyman at Goducate.

12. Ranie – Chemical Engineering by training who is National Coordinator and Corporate Secretary for Camp Goducate. She is also the one in care of Goducate literacy training centers in Panay.