48th Mangrove Study Tour Report

Introduction

Silay city is a part of Negros occidental which one of the site of IKAW-AKO program. Silay city has so many beautiful places like ‘Tinagong dagat’ in Patag.  Balay Negrepse –also called Manvel severino Hofilena Acestral House - was found here in Silay.  ‘Seafood and Mangrove’ is famous in Brgy. Balaring.  IKAW-AKO has a project there like planting mangrove, cleanup of coastal and other more.  IKAW-AKO and Silay City are trying to accept ‘traditional art culture and eco tourism’.  If you see so many delicious food like banana chips made of banana (saging in ilongo), Butong-Butong made by sugar(kalamay), and Bukayo made of sugar and coconut (kalamay and butong).  These foods are just some examples.  You can eat and taste more delicious food here in Silay.  If you go here in Silay city, IKAW-AKO and Silay city government will help you to see the beauty of silay.  IKAW-AKO and Silay city government will also help you here in silay to participate in a tour.  They also help to protect and care the environment so the environment can be away from destroy with most especially the IKAW-AKO program.  IKAW-AKO is an organization - Japan-Negros partnership for environmental protection.  It must be one of the good examples to have a program with Japanese people that want to help here in Negros to protect our environment.  They already have some projects in Brgy. Balaring, Ilog, Sipaway etc.  Silay is also one of the top cities as a tourist destination and there are many tourist places here.  IKAW-AKO members including the director Mr. Goto and one volunteer from Argentina have a tour here in Silay.  From May 1 to 5 is the tour!        

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All about the Tour from 1 to 5 May

May 1,2009
In the morning of May 1, this was the first day of the tour with Aki. She is the new comer here in Silay and the new assistant coordinator of Mari for IKAW-AKO program.  She landed in Silay airport at 6:00am, so Mari, Leo who is a tourism staff, and the driver picked her up in the airport.  After they could meet and introduce each other, they went back to Antilla where there is Mari’s house.  Then they took breakfast and a little rest because Aki had a long trip from Japan.  Around 11:30am, they prepared to go to Estaca to have a lunch threre, because there was a fiesta in Estaca and Mari and Aki wanted to experience a fiesta there.  You can see the face of Mari and Aki was smiling.  They enjoyed very much.  Aki said, ‘the food was so nice and delicious. It is a first time for me to eat Phillipino food.’  
At 3:00pm, they went back to Antilla to prepare for the welcome party and dinner because the other members were coming.  After preparing, they proceeded to Silay airport to pick up the 4 members - Mr. Goto who is the director, Nori who is the vice director of IKAW-AKO, Nami who is the old student of Mr. Goto and a participant of his tour, and Akiko who is also the participant of this tour.  After they picked up to the airport, they went back to Antilla.  The dinner and a welcome party started at 7:00pm.  You can see the smiling faces to everyone because they enjoy coming here in Silay.  They talked about the experiences in Japan and got to know each other.  At 9:00pm, they took a rest and slept well because all of them were tired.

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May 2, 2009
In the second day of the tour, this day was about ‘mangrove planting’ in Ilog.  They woke up so early around 6:30am because all of them were decided to travel to Ilog.   Ilog is far away from Silay, so it was so long travel but you can see their faces smiling because they wanted to go for their project in Ilog.   In Brgy. Bocana, Ilog, they started planting mangrove first.  Here is also one of the project sites of IKAW-AKO.  After they finished planting mangrove, they took their lunch with the community of Bocana at 11:00am.  Then, they took a rest for a few hours and they went to visit the site for proposal nursery for mud crab at 1:00pm.  They left Brgy. Bocana after that and on the way back, they took a rest and had snacks.  It was so long travel again, but you can see they were smiling even if they were so tired.  That’s because they know that they could help to the environment and it was a very nice experience in Ilog.  Before they went back to Antillia, they picked up Ivon, one more new IKAW-AKO volunteer from Argentina.  They went back to Antilla because she wanted to put her things to the house.  And then they proceeded to Brgy. Balaring for dinner.  After dinner, they talked their experience in Ilog and shared their feelings.  They were laughing and talking with drinking beers until 9:00pm and went home for the rest.

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May 3,2009
The third day was all about ‘mangrove planting ’ in Brgy. Balaring.  They woke up at 7:00am to prepare their breakfast at home.  After breakfast, they proceeded to Brgy. Balaring for planting mangrove.  At 11:00am, they finished planting mangrove seedlings for their site and they cleaned up the site.  After the clean-up and planting mangrove, they proceeded to Tama Plaza to have a lunch and have a little rest.  At 1:00pm, they returned to the hall for a ceremony.  After this ceremony, they went back home and took a rest.  At 3:00pm, they proceeded to a department store ‘Robinson’ located in Bacolod for shopping and ‘Negros Showroom’ to see the native souvenir.  They enjoyed very much and felt happy because they could buy many things they wanted and the native souvenirs.  At 6:30pm, they proceeded to the restaurant ‘Chicken Deli’ for dinner. They enjoyed talking, eating and drinking very much and then the special guest was coming!  She is an old friend of Nori.  She was very beautiful, and he looked so happy. So everyone was laughing at him and made fun of them.  It was very good time.  At 9:00pm, they went back to Antilla to take a rest.  But before they took a rest, they watched the video from Urban Files about their tour in Patag.  

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May 4,2009
The fourth day is all about ‘mangrove planting’ in Brgy. Balaring again.  They woke up at 6:30am and had a breakfast at 7::00am.  Before they went to Brgy. Balaring, they proceeded to the city plaza in Silay to attend the flag ceremony.  After the flag ceremony, Mr. Goto and all IKAW-AKO members went in front of the stage to show the people that IKAW-AKO donated one laptop to Brgy. Balaring.  After this, they went to Silay city hall and the mayor’s office, for they planned to have a meeting with the mayor ‘Oti Montelibano’ about the proposed project in Brgy. Patag and Balaring.  Then, they proceeded to the shop ‘Talleres de Nazaret’ to watch how to make recycle juice pack products.  They talked with workers and bought their products like a wallet, a lunch bag.  They enjoyed very much there.  After that, they left for Brgy. Balaring to plant mangrove seedlings with 2 reporters and cameraman from ‘Urban Files’.  Around at 11:30am, they ate lunch with the government employees and people in Brgy. Balaring.  At 1:00pm, they went to the site for mangrove planting and cleaned up coastal area in Brgy. Balaring.  At 5:00pm, they went back to Antilla to take a rest until the dinner setting up.  After the dinner, they had a closing ceremony with all the members of this tour and shared their feeling and experience. You can see them smiling, laughing. Especially the volunteer from Argentina enjoyed this time very much.  Each of them also looked happy to have this experience and they told that they would miss them.  About 9:00pm, they cleaned up and slept well with good memories of this tour.
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May 5,2009
May 5 was a day to go back to Japan for members.  Before they left the house, they went to the market to buy something they wanted.  At 9:15am, they left the house for the airport because 10:30am was their boarding time. After the departure, Mari, Aki and other local volunteers went back to Antilla and took a rest with missing the tour. 
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Epilogue

Silay city is open to all of you if you want to come here.  Either you are a foreigner, Phillipino or who you are?  You are welcome to go in Silay city and look the beauty of Silay.  IKWA-AKO Japan Negros Partnership for environmental protection in coordination with Silay government and tourism staffs will always help you about travel in Negros and show the beauty of this island.  And in 2007, Silay airport was finally constructed, so it became to be easy to come here for everyone.  Now we need your support to help the environment even in a small way just like a volunteer.  It will be very helpful for us and I proud that you are the one have a willing to support in a project of IKAW-AKO in Silay city.  WELCOME AND ENJOY!!!And please help us to support a project of ikaw-ako. Thank you. 

Impression

My expression and impression was asked from one of the volunteers of IKAW-AKO program.  It was unforgettable memory, because it was the first time to join the program like this.  I enjoyed very much and I miss the members.  Not only I enjoyed because it was my first time but I really enjoyed expressing my feeling, emotion that even if I am one of ordinary people, I can help to support my environment- ex. free planting, mangrove planting, separating our garbage properly and recycling plastic.  Planting more trees is not only for us but for our environment and especially for the new generation.  I was happy because it was my pleasure to join with the IKAW-AKO program.  Even though I was nervous and afraid on the first day, at last I realized that I enjoyed very much.  Also I could show a model of my fellow people to protect and care our environment and natural resources just like same as IKAW-AKO members.  They are the model because they are very helpful to protect our environment through their project.

Message

I have my messages for IKAW-AKO members and especially for Mari, the coordinator here in Silay.  I want to say ,’ thank you’ to give me a chance to join this tour.  It was my pleasure to join this activity.  I feel very thankful to know and learn more things like planting mangrove and separating the garbage of bio or non-bio. 

Thank you very much and I enjoyed the tour with you guys.  I wish that more people will know and join their tour and their projects in the future.  And all of their project will improve and succeed.  I would like to tell you to take care and get more energy.  It was the really nice tour and members.  Once again, I want to say ‘ thank you’ and ‘god bless you all of you.’   How about joining the next tour??