Subanon youths host nutritional supplement program for kids

Jumel Gumamay, an 8 year-old Subanon, rarely gets to taste poultry, meat, or fresh fish. In the poor hinterland village of Barangay Tabayo in Siocon town where Jumel and his parents live, meals are often in the form of root crops or mashed green bananas, and on some occasions, dried fish. As a result, many children aged 2 to 12 in the area are malnourished or undernourished like Jumel.

But thanks to a newly formed group of teenagers and young adults who call themselves the Subanon Youth Organization (SYO), Jumel and some 500 children in and around their ancestral domain had the chance to enjoy several nourishing cupfuls of arroz caldo (chicken porridge) during the SYO feeding program that coincided with the International Youth Day celebration last August 12.





"Lami kaayo ang lugaw nga naay sagol nga manok. Hinaut unta nga sige nga naay in-ani nga arroz caldo (the porridge with chicken is so good. I wish we will always have arroz caldo)," Jumel said happily as he sat with his second serving.

The night before the feeding program, SYO also sponsored a well-attended dance-for-all and fund-raising event dubbed "Pabayle sa Malusok" (Dance Party at Malusok, a county in Tabayo) to finance the group's basketball court project, which SYO members hope will help promote youth development through sports and fight against substance abuse.

Employees of TVI Resource Development Philippines, Inc. (TVIRD) helped raise funds for the SYO feeding program by way of a lunch-for-a-cause organized by Rocelle Magpayo, TVIRD Program Officer on Human Rights Initiatives, and Jaja Bangkas, Human Resources Officer, at the company's corporate headquarters in Makati, near the nation's capital. "This is so great. The Subanon youths want to make a difference, and we in TVIRD believe that these young people, given the motivation and support, can contribute a lot in effecting positive change in, and in achieving sustainable development for, their indigenous community," Magpayo said.

TVIRD operates a gold-copper mine in Canatuan, another county in Tabayo, Siocon, Zamboanga del Norte under a Mineral Production Sharing Agreement with the Philippine government.

"Duyog sa among pagsaulog sa International Youth Day, mao ang paghatag sa pagpakabana dili lamang sa susama namo nga mga kabatan-onan apan lakip na niini ang mga kabataan sanglit sila ang sumusunod nga henerasyon. Angayan nato sila nga hatagan sa maayong pagtagad sama sa gihatag nato sa atong kaugalingon (Our celebration of the International Youth Day is not only limited to giving attention to our fellow Subanon youths but to children as well since they represent the next generation. We should take care of them as much as we take care of ourselves)," SYO President Regino Tumangkis told his peers.

SYO was formerly known as the Canatuan Youth Achievers (CYA), organized last year by the Green Earth Multi-Purpose Cooperative (GEMPCO), a consultancy group hired by TVIRD to assist in the implementation of its livelihood programs. CYA disbanded when GEMPCO's contract with the company expired.

Shortly after TVIRD consolidated its Community Relations and Development Office (CReDO), the company encouraged former members of CYA to undergo leadership training and to participate in a summer youth camp in the hope of strengthening their leadership and organizational skills. The renewed vitality that SYO members have been exhibiting in recent months indicates bright prospects for the young citizens of Canatuan and nearby communities.

"Among dakong pasalamat ngadto sa TVIRD ug sa mga empleyado niini tungod sa gihatag niini nga suporta sa among organisasyon. Hinaut nga kini magapadayon pa. (Our deepest gratitude to TVIRD and its employees for the support they are giving to our organization. We hope that they will continue doing so)," Tumangkis said.

You can count on that, young man. (Rene Patangan)