Tabang Sendong

Xavier Ecoville houses 10 seminarians from the Augustinians of the Assumptions for a community exposure from April 26 to May 10. Each seminarian is assigned to a foster home and will offer services to the community throughout their stay.

“We came here with the intention to be available for any help that is needed in the community and to be close with our host families. We also picked Xavier Ecoville because it isa peaceful area and is a place where people are friendly,” said Canadian priest, Fr. Gilles Blouin, 66.

The 10 seminarians, coming from various locations in the Philippines, are sheltered in the Livelihood Center where they help in the business operations while communing with their foster families.

Brother Christopher Quiñal, a seminarian hoping to be ordained in 4 years, said in the vernacular, “Our goal is to be exposed and learn the simple life, do pastoral works, getting to know our fellow Brothers and to render spiritual services to the people.”

Their activities consist of the seminarians cleaning the St. Francis Chapel and conducting the Flores de Mayo and the evening prayer. Each Sunday, Fr. Blouin leads a mass in the St. Francis Xavier Chapel in Xavier Ecoville and another chapel in Gran Europa.

The immersion in Xavier Ecoville is the second year for the Augustinians, hoping to be back once again for a third immersion in 2014. (Althea Dianne Felix-OJT.)

The Xavier Ecoville (XE) youth club partnered with the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) officers of Brgy. Lumbia to jointly stage the barangay’s summer sports league, holding athletic competitions in basketball, volleyball and badminton. 

Aiming to foster unity among young adults through competitive sporting events, the summer sports league opened on April 23 at the barangay covered courts highlighted by a disco.

XE youth club president Mark Caballes, 19 said in the vernacular, “The Xavier Ecoville youth needs a break from everything that they went through two years ago and the sports festival is a way for them to forget about the things that happened and just enjoy the games that are available to them.”

Aside from building camaraderie, SK chairman Gerald Yvan Cabarrubias expressed, “This is also a great way for them [XE and Lumbia youth] to show their skills and talents in each sport.”

The volleyball and badminton competitions, handled by the XE youth club, will run for a week while the basketball competition, handled by the SK officers, will run for over a month.

Xavier Ecoville coop release 1^st batch of loan

As part of facilitating livelihood development in Xavier Ecoville, the Xavier Ecoville Multipurpose Cooperative (XEMPCO) released on Wednesday the first batch of loan amounting to Php 285,000.00 for 36 individuals. 

XEMPCO, established last year in Xavier Ecoville, the Xavier University-led resettlement site in Brgy. Lumbia for Sendong-affected families, has started processing loan applications since December to assist in the livelihood needs of the community.

The cooperative’s lending enterprise lets members apply for loan of up to Php 10,000 with a monthly interest rate of 3 percent.

Approved loan applications for batch 1 have business proposals that include retailing, meat vending, repair shop, sewing and food processing.

Funded by the Peace and Equity Foundation, the lending enterprise is an answer to the Sendong-affected families’ need for capital to start up or upscale their small enterprises, said Nancy Joy Tolinero, Community and Enterprise Development team leader of the project management team at Xavier Ecoville.

“The lending program, aside from providing capital to the applicants, also develops a person’s morale though their pursuit of proving themselves that they are able to pay and rise from the situation on their own” explained Tolinero.

Receiving the loan

The 36 individuals who make up the first batch of debtors were asked to go to the XEMPCO office where they were given priority numbers and made to sign promissory notes and acknowledgement receipts.

After signing the papers, each of them were now wearing hopeful smiles as they receive their loaned amount.

Margielene Edulsa, 32, who was among the first batch of approved loan applicants, said in the vernacular, “I’m happy since I can add the money as capital for my rug-making business”

Another debtor, Rose Marie Parado, 25, has other plans in using the loaned amount, saying "I'll be dividing this for my small business and what my family needs in the upcoming days."

Edulsa and Palado may apply for another loan in the future once they have paid their initial loans. The second batch of loan applications is currently being processed.

XEMPCO, duly-registered to the Cooperative Development Authority, is operated by community volunteers and facilitated by the project management staff from Xavier University to assist in the livelihood development of Xavier Ecoville. Its enterprises include savings and credit, wholesaling, tree nursery, sewing, food processing and bakeshop.