Twenty-two BPP Volunteers from Accenture Photography Club headed by Karen Lysette Chan participated the workshop held last July 17, 2010, Saturday, 7:00AM to 2:00PM on the Disability week at the Manila Zoological and Botanical Gardens.

San Juan – Chikka employees and friends trooped Cinema 5 of the Promedanade in Greenhills Shopping Center in San Juan on June 30, 2010. Supporters also went to watch the benefit screening of Twilight’s latest saga Eclipse on first day. Last minute movie fans also bought tickets at the venue and were very enthusiastic about the company

of Chikka Asia, Inc., creator of the first instant messenger with mobile features, fund raise for Black Pencil Project. Organized by the company’s Social Action Committee, the initiative offers a first day benefit movie screening of the much-anticipated third book of the Twilight Series, Eclipse, in Promenade, Greenhills at 7:00pm.

The distribution of National Book Store Foundation’s Project Aral Kits as well writing pads (papers) and black pencils were completed in three weeks distribution period.

Mountains, rivers were scaled and crossed to reach the communities of Dueg Resettelement in Barangay Maasin, San Clemente, Barangay Labney in Mayantoc, Sitio San Pedro in Iba in San Jose, San Martin in Sta. Juliana in Capas.

Over 1,600 study kits were distributed benefiting at least 820 pupils in enrolled in the elementary. A feeding program was also held courtesy of the Tarlac Mountaineering Club. Prior to the distribution, parlor and fun games were also held to bind the rapport among the volunteers and the children.

SYNNEX-Concentrix Corporation (formerly Link2Support, Inc.) is a world-class solutions provider and contact center that delivers voice, email, tech chat support and other high-value technical services to clients across the globe. With its strategic direction geared towards servicing technology, both in terms of support and new project initiatives, SYNNEX-Concentrix has gained the domain knowledge and expertise that has earned the trust and confidence of its customers. With a proven track record in the industry, the Company has experienced rapid growth in clientele, resulting in a leap in our manpower complement of close to 3,500 employees, over 1,300 employees in Manila alone.

In line with upholding its mission to foster employee growth and development and at the same time promoting our Back to School Program, SYNNEX-Concentrix is willing to help the Black Pencil Project advocacy by sharing the joy of giving among our friends, colleagues, and officemates.

Black Pencil Project facilitates marked Donation Drop Boxes (20″ x 20″ x 20″) for organizations, schools and companies during their activities or events. Once collection program has ended or boxes simply get full, the boxes will then be fetch or returned to Black Pencil Project for inventory and distribution.

by Dennis Capulong

Tarlac City – Joining a BPP Trek, wherever it may be, is fulfilling. Having been joined previous treks doesnít make it more common, rather it makes it more fun and exhilarating. But each trek is a totally new experience. This time around, Black Pencil Project teamed up with Tarlac Mountaineering Club (TMC) in bringing up the Project Aral Kits from National Book Store Foundation, Inc. (NBSFI) to Dueg Elementary School. It was my first time to meet the TMC guys as well so at first I was having little awkward feeling but as the day progresses, we were all having fun & enjoying what we were doing for the community of Dueg. The TMC guys were very accommodating & very friendly.

Tarlac Mountaineering Club climb to different communities and schools around the province and provide a reach out project of their own. Usually what they do is host a few games for the kids & provide prizes to the winners. After all the games, the group distributes food & drinks to the kids and parents. The food is cooked while the kids are enjoying the games.

Narrating our experience during the recent BPP Dueg Elementary School in San Clemente, Tarlac was one hella of a ride in the literal sense of the words.

After 3 hours, 2 dump truck rides, and 1 happy group of people, we arrived at Dueg Elementary School, up the mountains surrounding western part of Tarlac Province dividing Zambales and Tarlac. Upon arriving and a few minutes of stretching those numb feet and shaking those sore butt from the cool dumptruck ride, the group started by gathering information from the school. After which, the games TMC has prepared for the students started. You can see in their young eyes, the joy and happiness they were having that moment, the simple cheers, and off course the smiles. Just in time for lunch the games finished and TMC brought out the food they have prepared and we have helped in distributing them out. After a hearty meal, and just as the heavy rain clouds were about to cover the place, we started the distribution of the Project Aral Kits with some words of inspiration from both TMC and BPP representatives and their School Principal Maíam Valencia, to the students. Smiles and twinkling eyes surround the place, the kids were excited for their kits and for the coming school year ahead. After the distribution, the trip wonít be complete without the traditional group hug with the kids, the faculty and the group. CLICK.

As the kids went on their way, the group had our lunch and chit-chats. And then, off we went, bringing with us, memories of smiles from the children and parents and off course, smiles from ourselves for a successful reach out project. ’till the next trek guys.

Pencils up!

Pasig City – employees of Chikka Asia, Inc., creator of the first instant messenger with mobile features, fund raise for Black Pencil Project. Organized by the company’s Social Action Committee, the initiative offers a first day benefit movie screening of the much-anticipated third book of the Twilight Series, Eclipse, in Promenade, Greenhills at 7:00pm.

Ticket sales will start tomorrow at Php 350.00 per person. Twilight fanatics may contact Chelo Flores (0917-5349777) and Michelle Pestano (0917-8866045) to reserve and purchase tickets.

Makati City – Eighteen volunteers from BayanTrade Group of Companies participated the Black Pencil Project’s roll out of National Book Store Foundation’s Project Aral 2010 in two (2) communities in Tanay, Rizal on June 12, Independence Day. No less than BayanTrade President and Chief Executive Officer Dante Briones headed the outreach in Sta. Ines and Sto. Nino, home of some Dumagat Remontado (Returning Dumagats) in Rizal.

Dubbed as BTG Trek and Serve, the program benefited over six hundred elementary pupils of both barangays, providing each with a bag from BayanTrade. The BPO company also facilitated the transportation of Project Aral kits from National Book Store Foundation to the community, as well as food and snacks for the volunteers.

Children were extremely delighted with the unexpected visitors, beaming smiles and saying thank you’s to the volunteers.

“I think we should be the one to be thankful, in Manila we only see walls, buildings and cars. It has been a while since my daughter and I saw an albino carabao” said BayanTrade President and CEO Dante Briones to his employees. He also revealed he’s a product of public elementary school and the outreach reminded him of his childhood memories. “This is indeed a great opportunity to show my daughter that there’s life outside her school” Briones added, who brought his daughter with him during the outreach.

Program Director Mon Corpuz addressed the school and volunteers that Black Pencil Project’s role aside from inspiring the children to go to school despite of long kilometers of walk, their goal is to uplift the morale of public elementary school teachers who continue to embrace a noble but difficult vocation as well as bring experiential activities to its volunteers in the hopes that they get to appreciate simple things in life and the joy of giving.

Touched by the sincerity of the advocacy, Briones didn’t wait the program to end and have announced a firmer involvement of BayanTrade to the Black Pencil Project communities in Tanay. Rizal. “We want to make this effort more sustainable” affirmed Briones who vows to steer the corporate social responsiveness of BayanTrade more meaningful by adopting a communities like Sta. Ines and Sto. Nino. He promised to come back really soon.

Teachers meanwhile, were in tears learning the story behind the outreach and the Black Pencil Project. “We’ve seen you in Eat Bulaga and you’re programs are very much inspiring and uplifting especially for us teachers. We are lucky you’ve chosen our school and indeed very timely for the opening of classes on Tuesday” Mr. Valdez, school principal told Black Pencil Project.

Black Pencil Project also learned that 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.

In Sto. Nino, pupils patiently waited for the group to arrive before 2pm in the afternoon. “They were here as early as nine in the morning. They were anxious if you are still coming as the rain is about to fall but I said wait a little longer. Teacher Julia said to Black Pencil Project. Not even the rain could stop the team aboard a service jeepney from visiting the second community. Instead of the school grounds, the team proceeded with the outreach in the nearby covered court. A beeline of pupils started fill the stadium and sooner the excitement can be felt in the air. “Thank you, you didn’t disappoint the kids and their patience payed off “ said Teacher Julia, who later recognize the group who first visited the community few months back.

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. During oculars, Black Pencil Project is 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’s Project Aral Program” said Aguirre who were also present during the outreach together with his team.

Black Pencil Project co-founders, Mon Corpuz and Zer Cabatuan led the group during the outreach, answering questions to eager guests about the Black Pencil Project advocacy and programs.

While the group have safely conducting the outreach, a gunfight occurred in Barangay Laiban, leaving a member of the New People’s Army killed and a soldier wounded during the one-hour encounter between communist rebels and government troops in Tanay, Rizal.

“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.

The outreach ended with a celebratory dinner hosted by BayanTrade president and chief executive officer Dante Briones at Balawbalaw Restaurant in Angono, Rizal.

“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.

Makati City – Black Pencil Project has successfully reached Lake Sebu in South Cotabato last June 5, 2010 together with local Black Pencil Project partner Maniniyot Community (MCom) who spearheaded the initiative.

From Manila, Black Pencil Project co-founder Zer Cabatuan flew to South Cotabato via Davao City to oversee the outreach and personally assess how future endeavor could be possibly made for the community. He met with the MCom group headed by Phillip “Toto” Biboso in Marbel, South Cotabato. Marbel is a four and a half hours bus trip from Davao City. Passing through the cities of Digos and General Santos. This is the meeting place for the volunteers joining the Lake Sebu outreach activity.

“It’s very refreshing to see this side of Mindanao, clear blue skies, sweeping plantations and verdant rolling hills against the mountainous background are quite a sight to behold” said Cabatuan; a Davaoeño who is now based in Manila. From Marbel, the group travelled to Lake Sebu for forty-five (45) minutes on an elf truck and another forty-five (45) minutes to the the first community, which is Sitio Be Nef.

The back-to-school program benefited the communities of Be Nef and T’no-us. About 200 T’boli children received the school kits prepared by the team. Each pupil received a basic start-up study kits of notebook, pad paper, pencil, sharpener, eraser and crayons, complete with a bag.

“I’ve been to quite a number of outreaches and treks but this one was totally different. It was culturally uplifting” shared Cabatuan when asked how the trip was. “The T’Boli community are very proud of their cultural traditions. During the outreach, the team were serenaded with songs by the kids and cultural dance was performed as appreciation and gesture of receiving the kind-hearted photographers. At night, the volunteers were granted a performance by Ma Fil. Ma Fil is a known artist from Lake Sebu who plays the hegalong, a T’boli lute. The performance, together with his cousin and son, revealed a much interesting tribal culture of Lake Sebu. “It’s like Cambulo (Ifugao) of the south” Cabatuan observed.

When asked what else the community need, Cabatuan revealed that they (families) asked for  ”a carabao” to help with the farm and transporting of goods, several shovels for each family to be used for planting root crops, and assistance to build a new classroom at Sitio T’nu-os. Aside from rattan furniture making, fishing and subsistence farming of root crops are the main source of livelihood in the area.

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