RC Mandaluyong Follow-up Ocular Visit: Project SILAW for Indigenous People (IP) Community

On August 30, 2025, the Rotary Club of Mandaluyong, together with Barangay San Isidro officials, conducted a follow-up ocular visit to Sitio Maislap (Barangay San Isidro, Rodriguez, Rizal), in preparation for the implementation of Project SILAW. This is a service project that aims to restore a worn-out deep well for water source, provide solar lighting for households and communal areas, and distribute gardening tools and vegetable seeds to support backyard gardening, which will benefit and improve the living conditions of around twelve indigenous people (12 IP) households or a total of around 105 constituents.

In a dialogue, IP Leader Grace shared the small-scale gardening efforts already being practiced by community members, one of whom being Tatay Domingo who plants camote tops, eggplants, tomatoes, and pechay, with his wife selling produce to the neighborhood, the proceeds of which serve as a source of their livelihood.

Observations and recommendations gathered during dialogue included action steps to be taken such as the hiring of an installer for the original deep well to do the repair/rehabilitation work, profiling of households to serve as reference in tracking improvements on children in their studies after solar lighting, assessing health issues related to water, documenting current farming practices, and the expected increase in garden produce after distribution of gardening tools and seedlings. This measure will serve as additional inputs to ensure that interventions are both impactful and sustainable.

The ocular visit reaffirmed that Project SILAW addresses genuine and urgent needs of Sitio Maislap residents. The combination of a sustainable source of clean water, solar lighting, and vegetable gardening support will not only uplift daily living conditions but also open doors to improved health, education, and livelihoods of the residents.

The project, scheduled to be implemented by end of September 2025, is expected to be completed by early December 2025 with follow-up monitoring afterwards.

Tulong tulong. Sama sama.

Mabuhay ang RC Mandaluyong!

Mabuhay ang Rotary!