BUT FIRST: (The story begins)
01/14/19 AM
They say to get rid of weeds; you have to go straight for the roots… We say; to solve the problem in unsafe drinking water, we have to first solve any problem at the source. To do so, we would have to know if there was a problem at the source in the first place. So when the opportunity presented itself, in the form of a kagawad offering to be our guide, I could think of no reason to decline.
AN UPHILL BATTLE: (To the Source)
01/14/19 PM
I always knew … that our fight against “Unsafe Drinking Water” wasn’t only an uphill battle in a metaphorical sense but also in the literal sense. As we made our way up the mountain, we had to struggle for every inch we take. Every time we took a picture, we lost sight of the one in front of us. It seemed as though we were going through the hard part of the story but alas how mistaken I was. As we went from source to source, I begin to realize that the problem was more than meets the eye, that the sources differed so much from each other and that we had over-estimated the development of the sources because of the abundance in our area. As we made our way home, all I could really think of was the type of resources, in terms of time and money, needed to solve this problem and how that was yet another battle to be fought.
OBLIGATIONS (To the Council)
01/25/19 PM
So many nights I have spent looking over the existing barangay ordinance on drinking water to figure out what it lacked. So many nights I took into consideration the people’s suggestions. So many nights I spent writing up a proposal of points to add to the ordinance. Tonight I presented the problem that I saw and that a way to solve the problem in the long run is to create obligation to create and maintain safe drinking water at every source. I know it is not my obligation to carry this burden but rather it is their obligation to solve this and every other problem in the community.
ROUTINE AND BEYOND (Back to School)
01/28/19 PM
We were given the responsibility to assist in the deworming activity of the Department of Health, an activity that is done TWICE every year in schools nation-wide to make sure that school children are parasite-free. This was routine, maybe even a little mundane but it was also necessary especially considering the consequences of parasitism in a child’s development. I also took advantage of the students being gathered to impart some knowledge regarding topics like water-borne diseases, handwashing and parasitism. Considering the audience, I decided on having a film viewing that included animated and song videos that was as entertaining as they were informative. While it may have been a small act beyond our obligation, I like to think that it would go a long way in the lives of the students. This is what it takes to solve any problem, doing the routine religiously while also innovating beyond the usual. During our stay, I can only hope we could do the routine and beyond.
EVIDENCES (Back to Zamboanga/Back to the Sources)
01/29/19 AM
I am a college graduate with a science major; stereotypically I must believe that the truth is supported by evidence. To know whether unsafe drinking water being a problem in Barangay Camul is true, then we must have evidence supporting that fact which is why we went around collecting water samples to be sent back to Zamboanga City for analysis. Due to certain limitations, we weren’t able to collect from every source and even the ones’ we had may or may not be tested depending on how many we are allowed to test. In the end, whatever the results may be it though it may not show the whole picture but it will still be evidence of the truth on the matter of safe drinking water in Barangay Camul.
