TVIRD supports highland kids’ volleyball team in Siocon Meet
is, for Alvin Tumangkis, “an unforgettable experience.” Before he
participated in the Siocon District Athletic Meet, Alvin Tumangkis had not left
the confines of Sitio Canatuan, the ancestral domain of the Subanon tribe he
belongs to in the mountainous eastern portion of this Zamboanga del Norte town.
The participation of his volleyball team from the Canatuan Elementary School
was made possible with the support of TVI Resource Development Philippines,
Inc. (TVIRD), a mining firm now producing copper concentrates in proximity to
his village.
“We are so glad we were able to join the Meet,”
Tumangkis, 11, relates. “I feel so blessed for having been part of this
event.” He says he feels proud he was chosen to represent his barangay
(the smallest political unit in the Philippines) and to meet and play with children
from different barangays who gathered in the town center for the annual sports
event sponsored by the Department of Education.
|
Above,
Alvin Tumangkis in his classroom and below (in blue shorts) on the volleyball court. “Now that TVIRD is here, a whole new world opened up to my people, including us children, because we can now travel outside our community,” he says. |
Traveling to distant places was an unfulfilled dream for many
generations of Subanon children in Canatuan. The little money their parents
earned from farming and small-scale mining were spent for their families’
basic needs. Exposure of their children to other places and people was simply
not a priority of Subanon parents.
“Even my parents hardly visited Siocon before TVIRD (operated
in Canatuan),” Tumangkis points out. Siocon is merely around 27 kilometers
away from Canatuan, but the rough roads and the lack of safe transportation
modes made traveling unappealing, if not prohibitive. “Now that TVIRD
is here, a whole new world opened up to my people, including us children, because
we can now travel outside our community,” he stresses.
Since 2004, TVIRD has been helping the local government maintain
the road between Canatuan and Siocon to the west, and between Canatuan to R.T.
Lim in adjacent Zamboanga Sibugay province to the east. The company also provided
primary assistance in the building of four bridges along the Canatuan-R.T. Lim
route. The improved roads have enabled bus companies to ply the Zamboanga City-Canatuan
route via these now passable thoroughfares, thus enhancing the socio-economic
well being of people and communities along the way.
|
Above,
Federico Sapian says his participation in the Siocon District Meet, made possible with TVIRD’s support, gave him self-confidence. Below, students from “Unit 7” a group of four elementary schools from Siocon’s highlands, display their banner during the parade. “We placed only third in the games, but it does not matter,” Sapian adds. |
For the Siocon Meet, TVIRD and its employees shouldered the
transportation and food of participants from “Unit 7”, a group of
teams from Canatuan Elementary School, Cuyan Elementary School, Candiz Elementary
School, and Mambong Elementary School – all from Siocon’s highland
villages and mostly beneficiaries of the company’s other social development
program: responsive education. A total of 27 elementary schools participated
in the Meet.
“We owe TVIRD our participation in the sports competition,”
says Josephine Ciruela, head teacher of Canatuan Elementary School. “We
also appreciate the generosity of its employees who provided us with financial
assistance. You see, our school budget for this activity just wasn’t enough
to offset expenses. Employees responded so kindly to the solicitation drive
we undertook so we can participate and play in the Meet.” Ciruela gave
special mention to Shaun Persaud, a consultant of the company in the ongoing
construction of the Sulphide copper tailings dam, whom she says contributed
“a lot” to the children’s campaign.
Federico Sapian, 13, another member of the Canatuan volleyball
contingent, says the Meet has improved his self-esteem. “Now I know how
to talk to other children, especially non Subanons,” he avers. “Before,
I was too shy to engage other people in a conversation like this. I now have
a little more confidence talking and playing with other kids, particularly those
who are not Subanon. We placed only third in the games, but it does not matter.
I understand that in playing games there are winners and losers. I extended
my hands and congratulated the winners. Next time we will practice more so we
can win the championship.”
|
Below,
Josephine Ciruela, head teacher of Canatuan Elementary School, says TVIRD Sulphide Dam consultant Shaun Persaud (above) contributed “a lot” to the school’s participation in the annual sports event, which saw students from 27 learning institutions joining. “We appreciate the generosity of TVIRD employees,” she says. |
Tumangkis adds that his exposure to the world outside Canatuan
has kept him abreast with what is happening around him, thus adding more knowledge
to his young mind. “But most of all, the experience is so valuable and
enriching!”
Ciruela explains that today’s youth sports program does not focus on physical
development alone. “Sports activities are also used as a platform to teach
young people about teamwork, conflict resolution, and leadership,” she
says.
For his part, Persaud says he will continue supporting activities
and programs for the Canatuan indigenous people whom he has learned to love:
“As future leaders of the Subanon tribe, the children and the youth should
be molded well,” he waxes philosophically. “They will carry the
lessons we are teaching them for the rest of their lives. And there is no better
place to teach them about the world and its ways than in the field of sports.
|
Parents,
teachers, and students from Canatuan sharing a bonding moment over lunch. “They will carry the lessons we are teaching them for the rest of their lives. And there is no better place to teach them about the world and its ways than in the field of sports. |
“My experience reminds me of that. Competition teaches
us not only how to win and lose, but also how to win with dignity and to be
gracious in defeat. It promotes sportsmanship as well as respect for one’s
opponents and teammates. This will translate later on to your co-workers or
business partners. In participating in sport events, one learns how to work
and play in a team. All these will come in handy in every aspect of life, not
only in sports.
“I am pleased that TVIRD’s Community Relations
and Development Office is putting much weight on Social Development and Management
Plan for the Subanons, with emphasis on education,” Persaud adds. “Undoubtedly,
these children will become good leaders of their tribe in the future.”
(Raymond Acopiado)