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UP Student Catholic Action

Barriowork Program
Guide to Site Investigation (SI)
Site: Cabanggan, Zambales

Disclaimer: This is not to be taken as the organization’s official guide to accomplishing


an SI whether in the site mentioned or in any other. This is guide is more of a semi-formal
articulation of personal suggestions, insights and processed experiences, designed to
provide a modest amount of help to those undertaking SI. It is also assumed that the
reader(s) already have a deep understanding of what is Barriowork and what is its place
in the organization.

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.

Ultimately, SI is motivated by servant leadership which calls on the TLs to


excellently serve their fellows by going the extra mile in the preparation and designing of
the immersion program and thus fulfilling the Christian call to “restore sight to the blind”—
enlightening others to the social realities that surrounds us.
II. Brief Background of the Site
The site is specifically Sitio Agoho in Cabanggan, Zambales which is an
approximately five-hour bus trip from the Monumento bus terminal in Metro Manila. The
site is considered a rural site comprised of low-income families though progress and
some level of urbanization are already beginning to creep in. The organization’s
immersion site is divided into two: the seaside community (“dagat”) and the community
further inland (“bukid”). This means that Barriowork here is slightly harder to manage,
given the wide area wherein the participants are dispersed and the varying experiences
and settings of the participants but it allows for more opportunities for activities and/or
projects for Barriowork.

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.

The organization has roughly, a twenty year-long history of Barriowork in the


Cabanggan Site and is closely attached to the community not only in the personal
formation stories of individuals but also in the organization’s history of conducting several
service activities for the benefit of the communities (e.g. a medical-dental mission) and
the inception of the now defunct SIKAT, a community organization created by several
UPSCA alumni in order to help and empower the denizens of Sitio Agoho.

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

These are the objectives of the SI, mentioned in no particular order:

A. General—

1. Assess whether or not Barriowork can be meaningfully and effectively


accomplished and as we have scheduled and initially planned;
2. Gain a wide but substantial understanding of the people of the local
communities;
3. Identify possible sub-objectives of the Barriowork program to be met
during the course of the actual immersion as well as in the long-term;
4. Collect and process all observations, data and information that will be
necessary in the planning and actual immersion;
5. Establish the theme(s) and adjust the scope the Barriowork program;
6. Help in the preparation of the TLs for the conduct of the actual immersion.

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:

1. Initial Barriowork plans— as previously stated, these initial plans will


heavily determine what we will seek and initialize during the SI. Without this,
we will blindly go into SI without knowing what precisely to ascertain thus
wasting opportunities and resources.
2. Frequency of SI— we need to know how many SIs are needed for the
Barriowork actual immersion. In our case, as previously mentioned, one SI
will probably be enough, though it is up to the TLs if more SIs will be
required.
3. SI team composition— the organization must determine who will go to the
SI, what are the task delegations of those undertaking the SI and it is
important to make sure that all who are part of the SI are levelled about the
objectives, methods and plans beforehand.
4. Schedule and length of SI and method of initial immersion— Dates for
the SI wherein all involved TLs are available must be determined and of
course the length of the SI itself as well. Optimally an SI should be a one to
two day stay in the community to roughly simulate a “pre-immersion”. During
this, the TLs stay in separate houses and conduct the SI as per their task
delegations.
5. Initial communication with the community— the community leaders
and/or our main contact persons must be informed via call or text that we
plan to hold an SI at a certain date and should we be staying there for more
than a day, if it is alright that the team may be distributed to different
households. This is important as we do not want to shock the community
with our arrival nor do we want to hold the SI at a sub-optimal time.
6. Plans and objectives of SI— a good understanding of parts (III), (IV-B)
and (IV-C) is absolutely necessary before undertaking SI.
7. Special methods with regards to (6)— some special method or activity
aside from a pre-immersion may be necessary depending on the objectives
of the SI and Barriowork itself. Interviews, surveys, talks with local officials,
presentations, etc. may be necessary to strengthen the understanding
between our organization and the chosen communities. Such actions must
be completed during and/or after the SI but before the actual immersion.
8. SI Itinerary— An itinerary must be on hand that will easily guide the TLs on
what to do, when to do it and how to do it.
9. Logistics— Items, materials and supplies determined during the planning
of the SI must be on hand to ensure the success of the initial investigation.
Aside from the personal items for immersions, we may need the following:
a) First-aid kits
b) Note-taking items
c) Phones and cameras
d) Hardcopies of project proposals
e) IDs
10. Transportation— the SI team must finalize the route, costs and method of
transportation for the pre-immersion and the actual immersion which could
possibly be different. The known routine is this: UP-Monumento (jeepney
and bus), Monumento-Olongapo (bus), Olongapo-Cabanggan (bus),
Cabanggan-Sitio Agoho (tricycle/on foot).
11. Financial considerations— funding for the SI must also be arranged as
well as the all-important accounting of expenses incurred during the SI.
Receipts must be kept, discounts must be availed and other costs
minimized especially when the SI is taking its funding directly from the
organization’s funds.
12. After-SI planning— the SI will be useless if the information and insights
gathered through it are not subjected to careful processing and used in the
final planning of the actual Barriowork. We must set dates wherein to finalize
the plans for Barriowork, delegate tasks for the planning and other
preliminary requirements as well as level the TLs in the subsequent
planning.

B. Actual Investigation

Preferably, the investigation should be undertaken with at least one senior


member or UPSCA alumni who has had considerable experience as a TL
facilitating previous Barriowork immersions and also has had experience
conducting SIs or “oculars” as SIs have been sometimes called. This will make the
SI easier and more inexperienced members can learn skills and practical advice
from their seniors while accomplishing the SI.

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.

The pre-immersion of the TLs should be conducted as close as possible to the


actual immersion of the participants. The TLs must at once achieve their objectives
and foresee how the participants may react or fare in the conditions that they are
in. The TLs are expected to start integrating themselves into the community
(Community Integration) while also initiating a critical judgment of their experience
as it occurs (Social Analysis). It is imperative that those undertaking SI must
always bear in mind Authentic Christian Humanism and exercise Active Listening
to succeed in their integration and investigation respectively.

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.

C. Some Rules and Protocols


Aside from the usual protocols and procedures of UPSCA’s immersions here
are some other important points to consider:
1. Humility is the most important virtue to be exercised in SI (in all actions
of UPSCA, we can suppose). No TL has seen it all; neither is it the case
that any of us are so experienced and wise that a thorough SI is no longer
necessary.
2. Be sensitive. In fact, the TLs undertaking SI ought to be more sensitive
than the average Barrioworker in terms of their interactions with the locals,
in their observations and in their planning of the Barriowork. They must also
be very inquisitive but not to a point of probing.
3. Do not commit nor promise anything. We cannot predict the future and
thus we cannot guarantee anything to the communities in the Barriowork
site.
4. Do everything a response to the need to achieve the objectives. It’s
easy to forget what to do during SI, but so long as you know what the
objectives are and what they call for, the actions will follow.
5. Keep the participants in mind. The TLs must act like TLs but feel like they
are participants so as to ensure that the welfare of the participants are
secure.
6. Always bear in mind that SIs are costly, hence do not waste opportunities
to ask questions and gain information. If you can do it and it will get us
more information, then do it. If we have to wait a little while to talk to an
important person then wait and make full use of the time to converse and
integrate in the community.
7. SI is no time to be shy nor a time to daydream even for a minute. Focus
on the task at hand and don’t let your introversion get in the way on the
day(s) of SI.
8. Do not stick to one place or to a few people. TLs are TLs, not first-time
participants.

V. Assessment and Planning

The importance of a proper after-SI assessment and planning based on and


guided by the Gospels and the organization’s Vision-Mission cannot be understated. After
the SI, the TLs who have taken part in it, must evaluate whether the SI has been a success
or not, what information has been gained, what did we miss, what we can do to obtain
information that couldn’t/wasn’t gathered during the SI, etc.

We might also consider whether another SI is needed or if constant communication


with the local community prior to the actual Barriowork will be enough.

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.

Finally, it is our recommendation that there should be a careful and serious


discussion on whether Barriowork now and thereafter will be geared towards a pull-out
from the Cabanggan site. The organizations must commit itself to the pull-out if ever, with
substantial action, not simply promises or ideas of pulling-out.

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

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