Project Aral 2010 roll out on Independence Day, successful!

Makati City – Black Pencil Project’s roll out of Project Aral 2010 of National Book Store Foundation on June 12,  was a success. Two (2) simultaneous outreach were made on Independence Day, benefiting a total of 800 pupils of three indigenous communities of Rizal and Tarlac provinces. Over forty (40) volunteers participated the back-to-school outreach organized by Black Pencil Project in time for the opening of classes on Tuesday, June 15, 2010.

“This is the first time, simultaneous treks were done on the same day by Black Pencil Project, we’ve never done something like this in the past and its very uplifting to know that somewhere in Zambales mountain, a similar endeavor is also being made.” program director Mon Corpuz confirmed during the outreach in Tanay, Rizal.

The Tarlac outreach was held in Dueg Resettlement site in Brgy. Maasin, San Clemente, Tarlac and was handled by local Black Pencil Project partner Tarlac Mountaineering Club (TMC). It was attended by Black Pencil Project volunteer Mykie Ibarra and Dennis Capulong of Tarlac City.

“We’re overwhelmed, I never expected we are about to distribute this much!” said Angel Simbol of Tarlac Mountaineering Club when his team picked up the sixteen (16) large boxes of Project Aral kits last June 11, 2010 in Manila.

Select indigenous communities and impoverish barangays in Tarlac benefited from the back-to-school program, providing basic study kits to more than eight-hundred (800) elementary pupils. The outreach were divided into three (3) legs, Dueg, San Clemente on June 12, Sta. Juliana, Capas and San Pedro, San Jose towns on June 19, and Labney, Mayantoc on June 20. Dueg and Labney are Black Pencil Project communities since 2009.

Similar activity was held in barangay Sta. Ines and Sto. Nino of Tanay, Rizal on the same date. The outreach was conducted with volunteers from BayanTrade Group of Companies headed by their President and Chief Executive Office Dante Briones.

“Black Pencil Project are doing such a noble cause. This is only the beginning of what we see as a good working relationship” said BayanTrade’s Marketing Manager Kay Facto.

Sta. Ines and Sto. Nino are home to some remaining Dumagat Remontado (Returning Dumagats). During rainy season, these valley communities becomes inaccessible as the river overflows flooding arteries of dirt roads connecting the barangays. The outreach was facilitated by Black Pencil Project co-founders Mon Corpuz and Zer Cabatuan. Composed of 18 employees of BayanTrade Group of Companies, the outreach benefited over six hundred 600 pupils of each barangays. The ePLDT subsidiary BPO Company facilitated the transportation handed out school bags to complete the Project Aral kits from National Book Store Foundation Inc. (NBSFI). The outreach was also joined by two (2) observers from Namaste, an organization that promotes solidarity and adventure tourism with concept of fair sharing.

“Aside from the still serviceable roads which are practically part of river banks, your visit are very timely for the school opening on June 15. Thank you you’ve chosen our school” said Mr. Valdez of Sto. Nino Elementary School. Black Pencil Project learned from the teachers the official first day of school year is also their enrollment day as some families are coming from kaingin farms which are kilometers away from the community and school. Families of Dumagats Remontado were present during the outreach which was held in the school grounds with a simple program.

In March 2010, Mon Corpuz visited the community for ocular and was accompanied by Rizal-based photographers headed by Jon Aguirre. Aguirre fed the information to Black Pencil Project about the Dumagat community that’s very close to Metro Manila.

“When I first visited the community, I was in shock to learn a community comparable to a community of Babuyan Islands  - dirt road, no cellphone and terrestrial television signals and the irony of it that its less than 50 kilometers away from Manila.” Corpuz shared. The team had a hard time getting valuable information of enrollment data at the beginning because the teachers were not present so they had to rely on interviewing other source. Black Pencil Project during oculars are very careful not to divulge upcoming programs to avoid expectations from the communities.

“We’re happy to know the community was included on the target areas of Black Pencil Project and National Book Store Foundation Project Aral Program” said Aguirre who were also present during the outreach together with his team.