Hawaiian Lomilomi Workshop for Local Therapists

In December 2018, AWH vice president Casey Takayama, who acquired a Hawaii State massage therapist license in the United States, voluntarily held free Lomilomi massage workshop for Filipino therapists at AWH. Each workshop was conducted for around 3 hours and whole sequence of lomilomi massage techniques was taught in 2 days. The participated therapists would still need to practice on their own to memorize them. Once the therapists master Lomilomi massage, it will be offered to AWH guests as one of the therapeutic body massage choices.

National Children’s Month Celebration

On November 26, 2018 the National Children’s Month celebration held by Alfonso DSWD (Department of Social Welfare Development) and municipality was attended by Academy of World Healing (AWH) members at the Alfonso event center.
About 600 selected indigent Grade 3 and 4 pupils from local elementary schools in Alfonso, Cavite attended the event. 72 out of 600 were PWD (persons with disabilities) pupils.
AWH donated P15,000 to DSWD to buy hygience kits for all of the participants.

Waste Management for Environment

A MRF (Material Recovery Facility) has been constructed in Barangay Sicat with financial support from RIMM (Rotary International Multinational Manila) in April 2018.

The barangay MRF Fund has been established and it collects monthly dues (P1,000 – P2,000) from commercial establishment in barangay Sicat, Alfonso, Cavite. After several months, Alfonso municipal dumpsite was closed down and MENRO (Municipal Environment and Natural Resources Office) has dispatched dump trucks to Laguna dumpsite ever since. As a result, pick up from some barangays were less frequently prioritized and barangay Sicat MRF had accumulated a large volume of garbage inside.

AWH vice president Casey Takayama talked with Engineer Malou Tibayan at Alfonso Municipality and learned the followings:

  • All garbage from Alfonso have been picked up and transported to Laguna dump site at P20,000 per dump.
  • Alfonso Municipality has contracted with a hauler including Laguna dump site fee of P7,500 per dump, gasoline, truck and labor. Other municipalities pay P20,000 – P25,000.
  • Trash pickup is 5 days a week, i.e. every working day, costing P100,000 a week, approx. P6 million a year.
  • Engineer Tibayan is willing to install a heat processor that turns combustible trash into ashes without any smoke nor dioxin with over 1,000 degree Celsius. She mentioned that Silang Municipality is studying to buy a heat processor from India.
  • A year spending of the dumping expense (approx. P6 million) can already purchase a heat processor. AWH will assist in researching about sources of heat processors.

Update December 13, 2018:

Municipality of Alfonso dispatched another empty dump truck (which costs the municipality P20,000) to barangay (unit of a village) Sicat MRF. Barangay Sicat MRF fund paid for four helpers who also brought their children. The dump truck was fully filled up but about a half of the MRF trash still remained.

We noticed that many bags contained recyclable materials which were supposed to be segregated. It needs to be instructed to MRF pickup team to inspect all the trash bags and not to pick up unsegregated trash. Further more, we discovered that one particular commercial establishment (restaurant business) produces more than 30 trash bags per week. Although it pays P2,000/month MRF fund to barangay Sicat, it needs to be either excluded from trash pickup or charged more because of too large volume of waste.

LCPC Meeting – 2018 November

Alfonso LCPC (Local Council for Protection of Children) meeting was held on November 12, 2018 at the Mayor’s office in the municipal building. Mayor Varias, Dr. Manzo from municipal health department and Gina from DSWD (Department of Social Welfare Development) as core members also attended the meeting.

Main subject was Children’s day event which is scheduled on Nov. 26 and Alfonso day event to be held Dec 13-15. Children’s day will be attended by 571 children consist of 500 selected grade 3-4 elementary school students and 71 handicapped children. Proposed gift for the children is hygiene kit which include tooth brush/paste, soap, rubbing alcohol, towel, etc.). AWH has decided to donate P15,000 to help this gift giving. P2,100 each will be given to those 71 handicapped children from another government entity.

Some indigents under 4 P’s (Pantawid Pamiliyang Pilipino Program) have been working on recyclable trash and DSWD has conducted a project to utilize them. Five among the 4 P’s who came up with good ideas to utilize recyclable trash will be awarded at Alfonso day event on Dec. 12. AWH committed to donate 5 sacks of rice for it.

Expanded Local Health Board Meeting

AWH attended the Expanded Local Health Board meeting on August 31, 2018 held at the Alfonso Muincipal Hall headed by Mayor Varias and Dr. Manzo.

Issues discussed were the following:
1. Voluntary Blood Council
2. Expanded Local Health Board
3. Municipal Nutrition Council
4. Alfonso Task Force on Smoking
5. Local Rabies Control
6. TB (tuberculosis) Infection Control
7. Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STD), HIV and AIDS

Area of high TB cases were in barangay Pajo, Taiwanak Ibaba and Upli. As of the 2nd quarter 70 TB cases were reported. 9 were children. Most of the patients were male. The health department gives free medical treatment and are strictly monitored.

Dr. Manzo headed a mass TB screening on May 20, 2018 for tricycle drivers. Out of 150 tricycle drivers 16 were positive.

It was reported of increase cases of HIV in Cavite. There are reported 56,000 HIV/AIDS patients from 1984 to present in Cavite. 16 new cases were reported Alfonso. They conduct seminars in local high schools about STD, HIV and AIDS.

Local Waste Management Meeting

On August 5, 2018 AWH was invited by our newly elected Barangay Captain Arnel Caisip along with Material Recovery Facility (MRF) Board members and other Barangay officials to attend the MRF meeting at the Sicat Barangay hall.

Most establishments in our barangay have been paying their monthly MRF dues.

The municipal dump truck has been picking up residual wastes at the MRF shed, which has been built with the donations by AWH and RIMM.

Material Recovery Facility (MRF)

Many barangays (local communities/villages) do not comply with laws pertaining to separation/recycling of garbage and not polluting nearby waterways and groundwater with dumped garbage. AWH officials who are mostly members of Rotary Club of Multinational Manila (RIMM) therefore had met with local and City Health official in their community and had proposed a bi-weekly curb-side residual waste pickup brought to a roadside collection site designated by the community for monthly pick-up by the City’s dump truck. Project start-up, first year and creek clean-up financial assistance would be provided by RIMM in addition to the money collected from 12 commercial facilities including AWH.

However, the project started on the wrong foot with the residual waste collectors picking up all garbage despite the strict order of only picking up residual waste after the garbage had been separated by residents. The wrongly collected garbage immediately caused health concerns as it accumulated along the road designed for residual waste pickup only. AWH, RIMM members and local officials immediately made the garbage pickup rounds with garbage collectors to further educate the public and to assure that only residual waste was picked up. AWH and RIMM donated to build a roofed and dog-proof MRF (Material Recovery Facility) collection site for the temporary storage of residual waste because of public health and safety concerns.

2018 March Healing

This season (2017-18) subsequently to January group, AWH had March healing schedule open for everybody. Having healing sessions in the morning, some guests visited nearby elementary school and the poverty areas in the afternoon to extend their research to help.

2017 Home for the 100th Sheep Christmas Event

In the morning of December 20, 2017, AWH staff attended children’s Christmas event of the Home for the 100th Sheep in Dasmarinas, Cavite, a relocation camp of formerly homeless Manila families.

AWH, as it does every year, donated sacks of rice, canned goods, used children’s clothing donated by its guests from Japan, assorted school supplies and firewood.

M’aam Kimiyo read a message of gratitude to AWH written by the daycare children on a colorful poster. Likewise Kaloi and Edna, who lead Home for the 100th Sheep, were appreciative of the donations for their pupils.

2017 Brgy. Sicat Children’s Christmas Party

In the afternoon of December 20, 2017 AWH staff attended Children’s Christmas event held at barangay hall of Sicat, Alfonso, Cavite, Philippines.

There were more than 70 children who attend the event and sang Christmas songs. After singing they enjoyed spaghetti and ice cream donated by AWH. Captain Arevalo provided rice cake.

In his speech Captain Arevalo conveyed that he is appreciative to AWH for its community services over the years.