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            Mothers: Amidst ruins of  Typhoon Pablo

IT  was dark when I and my two little daughters went out of a mall in Panabo City, Davao del Norte on a December weekend.  I bought them dress and gifts for their Christmas Party.  Crescent moon appeared shining behind dark clouds partly lit by few stars. 

I clutched my daughters as I looked at the moon which brought memories of typhoon Pablo displaced mothers and their children in badly hit towns in Davao Oriental and in Compostela Valley. Poignant thoughts crossed my mind. 

My fellow mothers in  the typhoon-struck areas could  also be  looking at the same moon, with their children beside them.  We could be thinking the 

same for our children: shield them from harm. However, we’re on different places, going through different situation.  My place was spared from the tragic blow of typhoon Pablo.  My children were saved from a horrible experience.

 My mind flashed back the faces of women   and children at evacuation centers, in relief distribution areas, and along the streets  in severely typhoon-hit  areas. I saw them face to face during  the media visit organized by Philippine Information Agency XI and Radyo ng Bayan.  We went to Davao Oriental east coast towns   of Baganga and Cateel, a week after super Typhoon Pablo made a landfall. 

What the media practitioners saw in those devastated towns confirmed the indication seen in the face of Provincial Governor Corazon N. Malanyaon who had been working as a mother to the province.  Who would not be sad of the damage created by  super Typhoon Pablo  which  lashed Davao Oriental’s east coast towns of Baganga, Cateel  and Boston  with its wind strength of 175 kilometer per hour (kph and gustiness of  up to 200 kph? 

She wore melancholic face the night before embarking on that trip with with PIA Regional Director Efren Elbanbuena.   She tried to keep her feelings from the media visitors. However, on the day Tyhoon Pablo struck her  province (Dec. 04), she confided  feeling  “frustrated”, “devastated” and totally saddened especially  when she learned that the Manurigao bridge which she hoped to lead her, right on that day, to Baganga, Cateel  and Boston,  had collapsed.

Indeed, there was no way she could cross it as 80 percent of the  bridge  was swept  away by the strong surge of floodwaters.  The  destruction could still be evidently seen during the media visit.  The  remaining portion of  the Manurigao Bridge  was partly buried under debris of uprooted trees and logs.

With no other means of crossing the river,  the media visitors, few of whom  were women, took a boat ride to get to Baganga from a boundary in Caraga. They took the same route that everyone  had to pass through without exemption just to get to the severely affected east coast towns  of Baganga and Cateel. (Boston can be accessed through Lingig, Surigao del Sur).

            At the first stop of the media visit in Barangay Baculin, Baganga, a young mother was seen carrying a neo-natal baby, queuing for food relief.  She told her story about how she and her husband with their child hid amidst ruins of collapsed houses,  but still survived the raging storm.

Another scene showed elderly women joining the file of men, and of young and middle aged women  lining up for food assistance.  One of them said she had witnessed how Typhoon Pablo’s twirling wind struck a coconut tree with its fiery blow released in such a force she had never before seen in her lifetime.  

            “May dalang kalayo ang bagyo. Nagliyok nga dulum nga may kalayo sa tunga. (The typhoon brought fire.  It was twirling in gloom with fire at its center). Tan-awa ang dahon sa lubi. Dili na dayon mamatay pero nangalaya nga murag sunog.  (Look at the leaves of the coconut trees. Usually, they would not easily wither but they do; they’re seemingly burned.),” one said.

            Similar story was told by women in Barangay San Isidro in Cateel town.  An elderly woman of 65 years of age told her piece of story how she and her husband came out alive after super typhoon Pablo.  They got out of their lightly structured house when the wind  became unbearably strong.  They ran to an open space away from tall trees and heavy structures. 

            “Pagkusog sa hangin, nanghigda mi sa yuta para dili mi mapalid.  (When the wind blew hard, we lay on the ground so we won’t get swept away.)  Nagliyok  ang  dulum, murag may baga sa tunga.  (It was twirling in gloom,  seemingly with a smoldering ember),  she said.

A mother  and her husband  together with their six little children (the youngest was four months old)  ran fast to an open ground after their house  collapsed under Typhoon Pablo’s heavy blow.  They ducked, tightly clutching   their children, to evade the heavy whip and deafening gust of Typhoon Pablo.

            “Sakit sa panit ang iyang hangin kay may dalang gagmayng bato, dahon, abog.  Nabungol ko sa kakusog sa iyang huyop.  (Its blow was hurting because it brought along pieces of pebbles, leaves, dusts. I got deaf of its gustiness.),” said one woman .

            When we finally reached Cateel,  women stood out in number of typhoon victims waiting for relief distribution and  for release of cash assistance from Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Programan (4Ps). They sat under  tarpaulin tents set up at the town plaza which was  in a mess of debris tossed by the typhoon.

            Some were  with their fellow women  from their neighborhood.  Others were tugging along their children while there were those carrying their babies.  Each had a tale about the horrible experience and each  coughed out a complaint of not enough share of food and non-food assistance.

            “Unsaon na lang namo ni pag-uli nga dili pa man diay i-release ang kwarta. Namaylo lang ko pamasahe. (How can I possibly go back home; the money is yet to be released.  I borrowed my fare in getting here),” one woman said of her  4Ps conditional cash assistance.

            “Wala gipanghatag  ang tarpaulin sa among lugar kay kulang pa daw; dili daw maapod. (The tarps were not distributed in our place because  there aren’t not enough for everyone), “ another one said.

            “Dili mi hatagan ug food packs  here kay sa  barangay ra daw ipanghatag.  (We’re not given food packs here ; were told to get our share at the barangay),” said another.

            Their complaints  are  common elsewhere in severely affected towns.  They  are ubiquitous during distribution of food relief and of Noche Buena  packs,  whether in public places or in small church communities.  They are at the backdrop of every shattered house;  the hovering  spirit of  every typhoon-displaced  families. They continuously look for means to sustain food for their children.  They are the mothers.   (Jeanevive Duron-Abangan, PIA XI)

NEW BATAAN, Compostela Valley, Dec 27 (PIA) -- At the heart of Barangay Andap in New Bataan, Compostela Valley boulders, huge rocks and rushing waters now occupy the spot where the barangay hall, the covered court, the health center and the complete elementary school building once stood.

There used to be flourishing agricultural farms of 

various crops, a thriving tourism industry with mountain and spring resorts, a growing barangay with its infrastructure but these were gone after that early morning on December 4 when Typhoon Pablo caused strong current of a flash-flood to rush through Barangay Andap, sweeping them away. 

When the flash-flood was over human lives were lost and the landscape of Barangay Andap changed. Boulders, huge stones, sand and gravel spread wide across the heart of the barangay particularly in Purok 1A and in Purok 14. The water from the Mayo River were rushing through a new path, far from its original course. 

An aerial survey conducted on Dec. 6 revealed that the phenomenon was caused by a hurricane, New Bataan Mayor Lorenzo Balbin Jr. said. He denied reports of a landslide. 

Based on his account, the hurricane hit Compostela Valley’s highest mountain range known as the White Peak that rises 8,876 feet above sea level. 

Noting those portions of the White Peak which had been broken off, Balbin surmised these were the spots where the rocks, the boulders, stones and grave had come from and rolled, rushing down the hills along with the huge volume of waters poured by the hurricane. 

That incident transformed the picture of Barangay Andap. Looking around, Antonio Maslunag recalled images of houses that used to border along the road leading to the mountain and spring resorts which can no longer be found . 






“Diha to dapit nagpuyo akong mga paryente. Mga baynte kabuok sila nangawala (It was there that my relatives used to live. I lost about 20 of them),” he said while pointing at the broken cemented road which almost disappeared and buried under boulders and huge volume of sand and gravel. 

Because his own family is intact, Maslunag still wants to stay in Barangay Andap not threatened by frequent occurrence of floods as waters from nearby mountains are flowing down out of their usual course. 

Celia Villafuerte, 60 years of age resident of Barangay Andap, holds the same sentiment saying she has to stay because she has nowhere to go. 

“Kung mohawa ko diri, asa ko mopuyo? Unsa ang akong panginabuhian didto? (If I will leave, where will I stay? How will I make a living there?),” she said while clutching a pack of Noche Buena from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). 

In her pre-Christmas visit in Barangay Andap, Social Welfare Secretary Corazon “Dinky” Soliman noted that some of the barangay residents had already moved out of their place. “Those who have no choice but stay, are whom we are trying to help find new place to live,” she said. 

Andap Punong Barangay Francisco Aldueso said Andap is home to 1,557 families. He admits that some have been moving out but some are still staying. 

Looking at a tarpaulin presentation of Barangay Andap accomplishments, he recalls the beauty of the place, the green vegetation, the thriving agriculture livelihood of barangay residents and the facilities set up during his stint. He is glad to have retrieved the tarp which is the only evidence of what Barangay Andap used to be. 

Restoration, however, is underway. Mayor Balbin reveals the on-going rehabilitation effort of Barangay Andap, starting off with rechanneling and de-silting of the Mayo River which river bed has been heavily filled with debris, uprooted trees, sand and boulders. 

Balbin sees the immediate need of such engineering interventions because waters that used to the Mayor River as its course, are now flowing through New Bataan Poblacion area, flooding puroks 4, 17, 18 and portion of Purok 16 everytime heavy rain comes 

Considering such effort to take some time, temporary shelters and bunkhouses are built providing shelter for those who have no place to live. (RGA/JMDA/PIA XI) 

In times of adversity

                The preaching of Dr. Charles Stanley yesterday (Sunday, Dec. 09) came  very timely as the world was looking at the vast destruction  that Typhoon Pablo made, when it  swept  through several provinces in  Mindanao, and went its way to Visayas areas,  carrying a packed wind of 175 kilometer per hour (kph).

Dr. Stanley talked about facing adversity which he described as sickness,  loss,  grief or severe pain.  He explained his thoughts about standing strong  amidst adversity  by citing  the life of Apostle Paul whose life in prison  made believers confident and bold enough to  preach the message of Christ, as discussed in Phil. 1:13-15.   Dr. Stanley drew some insights  from Apostle Paul’s experiences, and explained the lessons that the  Apostle was learning while going through  various forms of adversities.

             
Citing  2Cor. 12:7, he said Apostle Paul learned that everything “comes from God.” In this verse, the Apostle talks about suffering painful physical ailment. He interprets this as the Lord’s way of keeping him from being “puffed up.”

             
Apostle Paul asks the Lord that such pain be taken away (2Cor. 12:8) but God answers him saying, “My grace is all you need, for my power is greatest when you are weak (2Cor. 12:8).”  In the succeeding verses, Paul  testifies how Christ’s power has protected him, making him feel happy and content despite  the adversities he has encountered.  He goes on to conclude “for when I am weak then I am strong.” (2Cor.12:10). (Writer’s discussion)

Citing such positive attitude that  the Apostle showed amidst adversities, Dr. Stanley  said that Apostle Paul “understood that God was with him in it” and that  “Paul was learning the ways of God.”

Apostle Paul also learned that “adversity makes him a more effective comforter”.  2Cor. 1:3-4 says that “praise be  to God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the  Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.” In further explaining the verse,  Dr. Stanley looked at adversity as God’s way of “equipping” us to become comforters of others.

             
If  God is doing good for those who love Him and those whom he has called according to His purpose (Rom. 8:28), and if He is an ever loving Father, why does He allow us to suffer?  It’s because God has specific purpose for allowing adversities  to happen, Dr. Stanley said.

             
He wants  to draw us into an intimate relationship  with him. “An intimacy that goes  beyond flesh.  He wants us to know Him.” Dr. Stanley said.

             
Building such intimate relationship, Apostle Paul learned that, indeed, he could “rejoice” despite some adversities in his life.  He vividly professed rejoicing  in Phil. 4:4 which says, “Rejoice in the Lord Always. I  will say it again: Rejoice!”

Here was a man who had been put to jail several times;  often put to shame; persecuted and eventually executed, had the spirit to rejoice. He even told the world “not to be anxious about anything,”(Phil.4:6).

             
In wrapping up his preaching, Dr. Stanley told his listeners to think about a bridge leading to intimate relationship with God, when facing adversities in life. “A relationship  that revolutionalizes your life; equips you to become a better servant of God.”

             
He ended up his preaching by leaving a phrase that prompted listeners to make a choice, “either to rebel against God or  to surrender to Him,” in times of adversity.

               
To rejoice in this time of trouble is unimaginable.  Such is beyond the thoughts of displaced individuals, of people who have lost their loved ones,  their homes and their means of livelihood. But  whom can we cling to and hope for miracles?

             
Our church, Iglesia sa Dios Espiritu Santo, has been warning us of calamitous events to  happen.  It has been  telling its members to prepare. We can only pack few food and some belongings.  What we can  load up  is so much faith and trust in God.

(Dr. Charles Stanley: www.InTouch.org) 

Tagum Coop’s Norma Pereyras, working from the heart

                 

(photo from Tagum Coop)

THIS WOMAN holds this year’s crown as the  Most Outstanding Cooperative Leader in the Philippines, besting two other nominees to the 2012 Gawad Parangal of the Cooperative Development Authority (CDA), but such award is seen as long overdue because she has been living  and giving her best all the time.

                She’s a vibrant woman, mother, wife, entrepreneur, church volunteer, Rotarian, Girl Scout leader, gender and family enrichment  advocate,  lector,  resource speaker, mediator rolled into one as a cooperative leader.  She is Norma Pereyras,   chairperson  of the award-winning Tagum Cooperative  and concurrent president  of  the Philippine Cooperative Center.

                As a jolly and vivacious woman, she has earned the nickname, Normskie   that sounds like “may K” which in colloquial Filipino means “she has the capacity”, and this can actually be gleaned in her personality. She has the drive to give her best with passion, enthusiasm, dedication and sincerity to serve  and deliver what is expected of her.   She’s often been heard saying “mula sa puso ni Normskie, baby!” along with her wacky trademark in conveying “I work from the heart.”

                Normskie rose from the ranks of ordinary coop members and has built her leadership over time.  She has been with Tagum Cooperative for three decades, and has served 25 years  as a leader of the home-grown cooperative based in Tagum City where she settles with her family.

                Taking no shortcuts, she attended seven-days seminar 29 years ago just like the others who wanted to become a  member of Tagum Cooperative at that time. She was not loaded with much money when she came in as a coop member.  She was just then running a carenderia (eatery) business. What she had, was her intense passion to serve: the spirit she had developed as a Gagmayng Kristohanong Katilingban (GKK) coordinator, catechist and church lector. 

                “I participated actively in Tagum Cooperative activities. I was  then convinced to run as an officer and I then got re-elected again and again,” she said.

(from Tagum Coop)

                In Her  25-year stint  as an active officer of Tagum Cooperative,  Normskie   came out five times as the chairperson.  Instituting reforms in 1995 amidst intense resistance among fellow coop officers was her greatest feat.   She looked at her come-back this year as God’s mission to check the gains of such struggle for reforms,and  to further push  the development Tagum Cooperative “to better serve  our members.” 

                “In my reflection, as if God is saying telling me to see  if the reforms we made are still there.”

                The system is in place for Tagum Cooperative to operate soundly but Normskie doesn’t want to sit on her laurels, nor does she like the cooperative to stay over confident about being the Most Outstanding Large Cooperative in 2012.  

“We are reviewing some of our policies to strengthen our services to our members,” she said.

Apart from its existing products and services from savings deposits, loans, member benefits,  and funecare services, Tagum Cooperative  is looking at the prospect of online banking.  It now uses automated teller machine (ATM) to dispense money as part of delivering improved services to its members, and that it now works on strengthening its human resource policies.

Tagum Cooperative has built wide network of alliance with Finance Organizations Achieving Certified Credit Union Standards (FOCCUS),  Asian Confederation of Credit Unions (ACCU), Mindanao Alliance for Self-help Society Southern Philippines Educational Cooperative Center (MASS SPECC) , CLIMBS Life and General Insurance Cooperative, Model Cooperative Network, Philippine Cooperative Center, Metro South Coop Bank  and Asian Women in Cooperative Development Forum (AWCF). 

(from Tagum Cooperative)

 “My dream is for Tagum Cooperative to reach 100 years. It may not happen in my lifetime; we may be gone in this world, but Tagum Cooperative will continue to exist,”  she said.

Along with  the vision for centennial existence of Tagum Cooperative,  Normskie wish to see her gender and development advocacy  to flourish and to continue spelling a difference in the lives of coop members whom Tagum Cooperatives would like to experience joy and prosperity as they continue investing their trust and confidence.

Now with sustained budget, such advocacy has been enhanced and become known as Family Enrichment Program that talks topics beyond gender equality. It now tackles family affair,  spirituality, community involvement and volunteerism, violence against women,  and problems on drug dependence. 

Normskie  considers her work with Tagum Cooperative as an apostolate, believing that “it is an instrument of God to improve the lives of our members.”  She may find herself in a taxing situation doing several volunteer work,  but words of gratitude from coop members bring her solace and soothing feelings at  the end of the days work.

From Tagum Cooperative

                She’s glad to hear “our members say because of Tagum Cooperative we have food on our table; we are able to put up our house, send our children to school,  provide medical  needs of our ailing family members, repair our house.”

                She brings such joy and fulfillment beyond the walls of Tagum Cooperative as she keeps her thought tuned in on leaving good legacy, “on making a difference in the lives of people that I have met, touched, inspired and encouraged.”

                To  coop leaders, she leaves words of encouragement for them to become models of transformational leadership .  She advises them to “adhere to good governance, to become competent and passionate.”  

“Let’s do our assignment and leave a legacy,” she  said.  (PIA XI/Jeanevive Duron-Abangan)

Banay-banay farmers go techie

By Jeanevive Duron-Abangan

BANAY-BANAY, Davao Oriental Nov. 6 (PIA) -- Rice farmers used to recall instructions of their forefathers when solving problems on rice farming. 

That however is no longer the practice of farmers in the municipality of Banay-banay in Davao Oriental. They now access the internet, search the web for information and talk to experts either via videoconferencing or short messaging system (SMS). 

Their modern way of solving rice farming problems has made the Farmers’ Information Technology Services (FITS) Center of Banay-banay bagged this year’s Best Community e-Center (CeC) Award with a P100,000 cash reward given during this year’s 8th Knowledge e-Community Center (KeC) national conference held in Davao City. 

(Picture lifted from internet)

The award marks a sustained effort through the support of the municipal government under the leadership of Mayor Pedro Mejos who was recognized as a “CeC Champion” during the same occasion, for his support to the Cyber Village Project of FITS Banay-banay. 

FITS Manager Ester Solamo who now sits as the Municipal Agriculturist said the award came a long way from 2007 when Banay-banay FITS (a project of the Department of Science and Technology) first implemented the Cyber Village Program Phase I in rice-based barangay Caganganan in cooperation with the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PHILRICE), the Open Academy for Philippine Agriculture(OPAPA) based in Nueva Ecija and the University of Southeastern Philippines (USeP). 

The Cyber Village Program brings internet connection at the barangay level with the barangay hall as the connectivity site where rice farmers do online research on pest management, farm input supplies and marketing. 

Through it, they can also directly consult experts on particular rice farming concerns either through video-conferencing, SMS or internet calls. 

Solamo said the Cyber Village Program has played a crucial role in improving the rice productivity of Banay-banay which has long been known as one of the major rice producers in the Davao Region. It has a total of 2,161 hectares of rice farms devoted to commercial rice and certified seeds production. 

Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) XI data on best replicable practices reveals in its documentation that the Cyber Village Program Phase I resulted in reduction in the volume of fertilizer applied by farmers who were into cyber research; increase in diversity of rice varieties grown; reduction in rice diseases; 15 percent increase in average yield of rice; and 100 percent use of certified seeds among cyber farmers. 

The cyber program was also found of help to teachers and students who were given the opportunity to access the internet in doing their research work particularly on School Technology and Entrepreneurship of the Philippines, on fertilizer computation, on the health benefits malunggay among others. 

The felt successes of the Cyber Village Phase I in Barangay Caganganan gave way to the fabrication of Banay-banay Mobile Internet Cab patterned after the “Pinoy Farmers Mobile Internet Bus” (M/B) of OPAPA. 

Inaugurated on April 22, 2009, the mobile IT cab of Banay-banay bears a slight from its model as it is capable of carrying eight laptops, instead of only four, accommodating more community users particularly rice farmers, students and even out-of-school youths (OSYs). 

(from internet)

Philrice-OPAPA provided four laptops while the four other laptops were solicited from local government officials of Davao Oriental, from the Department of Agriculture (DA) XI and from the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCARRD). 

While the mobile IT cab spreads sharing of internet access among rice communities, it limits access to cyber information as it visits rice-based barangays on scheduled basis. 

The need for a steady access to cyber information gives rise to the idea of soliciting assistance from the National Computer Center (NCC) for the establishment of Community e-Centers, giving birth to Cyber Village Phase II which covers five more rice-based barangays of Rang-ay, Cabangcalan, Mugbongcogon, Calubihan and Barangay Poblacion. 

Initially only three barangays have been given computer package from NCC through the Philippine CeC Program which provides recipients barangays four computer units and one unit of all-in-one printer capable scanning and copying. The rests are working ways to get internet connection through the assistance of FITS. 

As farmers in the six Cyber Village barangays have been enabled to access the internet for information, resulting in production increase and effective pest management, upland farmers are expressing their desire to get on line and be connected with experts, as well. 

Taking heed of such call, Solamo said the municipal government through the Municipal Agriculture Office is planning to connect the eight other barangays to the internet to gain fast access to reliable information. 

“Gusto din nila maging cyber village. (They also want to become cyber villages.)” he said. (PIA XI/Jeanevive Duron-Abangan) 

Exploring the banana beach

        Jeanevive Duron-Abangan

               

For us to convince tourists to come and visit our place, we should first spend time exploring our locality.  Surely, we can find a place of beauty to enjoy with our loved ones and friends. Discovering such place will prove that, indeed, it’s more fun in the Philippines.

                In Davao del Norte, the Banana Beach Resort stands out as a must-see place to visit and explore.  It lies within reach along the coastal area of Barangay Madaum in Tagum City which is just more than an hour ride from Davao City.

                The Banana Beach Resort takes its name from its location along the beaches of the 760-hectare banana plantation owned by Hijo Resources Corporation.  It primarily allows people  to enjoy the beach, but   it  also provides an opportunity for visitors to take a side trip  to the banana tissue culture plant of Hijo banana plantation.

                The resort’s coastline stretches 4.5 kilometers, giving guests a wide area either for beach volleyball, kayaking, skimboarding or boat riding.  They may also opt to do  building  sand castles just to enjoyably let time pass by.  River cruising can also be an option to take for seekers of water adventure.  Facing the Davao Gulf, the Banana Beach Resort also borders with Madaum River which is worth exploring  as it  treasures century-old mangrove trees.

                The  sea at the Banana Beach allures visitors to take a swim. They may yield to it or they may take the option to dip into the infinity swimming pool. Its  clear blue water appears to be somewhat flowing out to the sea. If swimming may not be a pleasurable moment for visitors, they can try hook-and-line fishing at “The Spot”  to  catch either Bangus, Kitang or Lapu-lapu for a fine dine at its  cottage built at the place.

            Visitors must not miss to see and explore the nearby 60-hectare  forest which Hijo Resources Corporation (HRC)has preserved in line with the thrust to “nurture nature today to benefit the generations tomorrow” as  what Chief Executive Officer Rosanna Tuason-Fores said.

 To commune with nature, visitors need not wait until they reach the forest.  Along the way, they can marvel at the towering coconut trees planted in orderly line.  While approaching the forest, they will be greeted by sights of monkeys  leisurely walking along the road.  On lucky occasions,  wild boars  are just within sight.

                My work assignment in Davao del Norte opens a number of opportunities for me to visit the Banana Beach several times.  I was there during a coastal clean up  early last year with members of the Philippine Coast Guard  and with media practitioners of Tagum City.  An exposure tour with student journalists in mid last year again brought me to the place. 

Discussion about the resort  in the office led our boss to schedule our  2011 Christmas team-building  at the Banana Beach Resort.  We took our  children with us during that activity which left wonderful memories of fun and enjoyment as we spent time playing at the resort’s playground.  The children went swimming  in the infinity pool and joined  tours to the forest and to The Spot.

I might have gone there for several times but the thought of going back there rouses a feeling of joy and excitement.   Knowing that the place is such a beauty and wonder, I feel proud of seeing it featured in one of the editions of Balitang K. 

There swells within me the urge to tell about the place.  Who  else can we expect to better  tell about the beauty of our place but  us?  But before taking such task, it is wise to put on the gear as local explorers: appreciate and then enjoy what we have in our place.     (Jean Duron Abangan))