Up with People Cast B 2010 On Tour

Saturday November 22nd was regional learning day for Cast B in Manila.  There was a long list of stops throughout the city, so it was a jam packed day.  We started off learning about the history of the Philippines.  We learned about the long Spanish and American occupations in the past.  It is the blending of these two cultures that is still very evident in the Philippines to this day.  We loaded the buses and headed to a place called “Intramuros.”  Literally meaning walled city, intramuros was built by the Spanish in the 16th century and served as their fortress to enemies during this tumultuous time…alright, enough with the history lesson!  

Intramuros was very beautiful and surprisingly still in tact.  We walked from one side to the other where we stood on the Pasig river, a very large (and extremely dirty) river that part of the walled city was protected by.  After a 5 minute downpour rain storm, we visited a local cathedral and “casa manila,” a restored mansion from the early 18th Century.  It was a very interesting walk through time, especially in a city so rich with history as Manila is.  

Our next stop was GK (Gawad Kalinga) BASECO.  You may remember from the last blog post that Gawad Kalinga is a filipino organization that is out to transform poverty.  They rebuild slums, restore lives, and impacts people and families through lifestyle education, livelihood projects, and putting a roof over their heads.  Now with around 1000 “Villages” in the Philippines and surrounding SE Asian countries, Gawad Kalinga is well on their way to realizing their dream of a slum free future.  Our cast visited their BASECO village which has over 1000 homes.  This is a community that was once considered one of the worst slums in the world…It has been transformed to new light.

We were greeted at BASECO by many children and their families.  They sang a Gawad Kalinga song for us and we performed “one-to-one” and “up with people” for them.  They led us around the village and showed us some of the homes and facilities that they have for the people living there.  The cast spent the next hour playing with the children.  I have sever seen so much chaos and fun with GK children and UWP students running around playing tag, basketball, singing, climbing on one another, and just having fun.  It was a nice moment to step back and see a small, but possibly greater than we know, impact that was made on this Gawad Kalinga community.  

The day ended with a beautiful dinner at a local restaurant called Oceana.  The Philippine’s depart of tourism had prepared a traditional Filipino dance group to perform for us.  They showcased native dances and even got the cast involved.  A few of our cast members got up and danced with the bamboo sticks that were opened and closed as they stepped in and out of them.  You may remember this dance from other parts of the world.  The costumes were beautiful and vibrant, and it was a great ending to an exciting day.

Just another packed day, and a trip around  Manila…

A Three hour flight, Denver to LAX…12 hours in the LA Airport…16 Hours, LAX to Manila with a touch down in Guam for some fuel…Were here!  

I met up with 7 other students and our local contact on Thursday morning to begin the two-week CI project we would be working on in Manila.  He led us through a vibrant neighborhood in Pasig City, one of eight large cities that make up metro manila.  We stopped the car at a bridge and looked to both sides where we could see an endless row of slums that hugged each bank of the creek side.  This was the location of our CI project for the next two-weeks…GK Tawi Tawi.  GK, or “Gawad Kalinga,” is an impressive organization in the Philippines that is single handedly reducing poverty on a massive scale.  At this moment, they have just under 1000 GK “Villages” now in the Philippines and a few other South East Asian countries.  It is their vision to not just build a home, but to re-build a family’s life. They create a community of people that take responsibility over one another, and ownership over their own future.  GK imptants school programs for young children, livelihood workshops for women, and work projects for men.  They educate people and inspire them, while restoring their lives.  

GK Tawi Tawi is a fairly small village with near 1000 people.  We toured the area and spoke with men, women, and children whose smiles could light up a room…they were very happy to see us.  After a shortwelcome by one of the GK representatives, we grabbed some shovels and got to work.  Our projects for the next two weeks will be focused around construction, education, and livelihood.  We hauled gravel from the Tawi Tawi entrance down through the streets and to a home site that is beginning construction.  I jumped on one of the bikes that had a “side-car” attached, and transported bags of gravel down the street.  People were coming out of their homes to see who the visitors were.  Everyone wanted to say hello.  Kids were running beside us as we worked.  Two children imitated me while I carried a wheelbarrow full of dirt and dumped it onto the pile.  

After a delicious lunch, prepared by local women, of fresh steamed rice, whole fried fish, and vegetables, our UWP group sat down to plan out our week at Tawi Tawi.  Our team of eight represents seven countries…black, white, brown, asian…a great testament to who Up with People is.  We discussed what “livelihood” activites we could teach the people of the village.  Grace from China will do paper cutting, Ai from Japan will teach origami, Lexi from the United States will lead a workshop on knitting.  All of these, projects that Tawi Tawi can use as a way to earn extra money and in some instances provide themselves with self sustainable products.  

In the afternoon, a group of teenage guys challenged some of us to a basketball game at an old hoop that is set up within the village.  While I may have been the tallest by a good 10 inches, filipinos are fast and have quite a jump shot.  Many people heard us playing and begin crowding around to watch.  Basketball is a popular sport to Filipinos, and it was an exciting way to break the ice between them and our group.  We played for about an hour in the 90 degree sun and then relaxed on the front steps of their one room school.

It is our overall goal for these next two weeks to inspire.  We want to show the people of this GK village our love…and that people have not forgotten about them.  They will see that a group of students has traveled thousands of miles to work, teach, and play side-by-side with them.  We hope to create friendships and make a difference…

More to come…

Matthew Erley, United States  

Cast B has left this morning for a 2 day travel “experience” from Denver, Colorado to Manila, The Philippines.  Denver – Los Angelas – Hong Kong – Manila…What a travel day!  There will be updates coming to UWP on tour every few days from The Philippines.  Keep checking in with Cast B as we begin an incredible month.  While the semester may be coming to a close…this journey has only began!

Up with People Cast B prepares for their journey to the Philippines in less than 2 weeks.  They will spend 4 weeks total…first 2 1/2 weeks in one of the most populated cities on earth…Manila.  Then it’s a few hours North for a 2 week stay in Subic Bay.  

Please enjoy this sneak peak video from the past cast, Cast B 2007…the first Up with People cast to ever travel in the Philippines…