By
Dominic I. Sanchez
ZAMBOANGA
CITY - Nasser never had the chance to proceed to high school
because of poverty. But this misfortune did not stop him from doing more than
what was expected of him.
He
actively takes part in community affairs, especially those that, in his
perception, can spur development in the far-flung and
socio-economically-challenged community of San Vicente in Tungawan, Zamboanga
Sibugay.
Nasser
has been an active barangay sub-project management team chairperson for the
Kalahi-CIDSS Project in San Vicente. He works with other Kalahi-CIDSS
volunteers, and is in charge of making sure that whatever project the community
undertakes is seen into completion. But instead of being credited for the efforts,
he was made fun of in return.
"It
really hurt when some of my neighbors make fun of me for volunteering," he
remembers. Occasionally, Nasser recalls, his neighbors would make jokes about
him. "Maybe they think that I get money or something else in return."
Nasser
has a huge family. He has nine children, but his income as a farmer and fisher
can barely afford to keep the family afloat. "I make about P3,000 in a
month, P5,000 if I am lucky." Basically, that means about a hundred pesos
in a day, covering all of the family's expenses from food to the children's
education. "We couldn't afford to eat three meals in a day. Most of the
time, we eat kamanting (cassava) just so we wouldn't starve."
Even
so, considering such difficulties, he is bent on doing his part for the
community. Nasser, aside from being the BSPMC chairperson, is also a “Pantawid
Pamilya” parent leader.
Through
his efforts, as well as that of the other volunteers, they were able to
successfully implement a road rehabilitation project through funds and training
from Kalahi-CIDSS.
Dedication to a
project
"I
had become familiar with many documents and financial transactions in the
course of implementing our projects," he said. It dawned on him that
anybody can implement projects - even those worth a million pesos - if they
just put their hearts into it.
Their
latest completed sub-project under Kalahi-CIDSS for Peace and Social Cohesion
is a tribal hall, which, as Nasser puts it, has been more than just a place
where disputes and grievances are settled among San Vicente's
culturally-diverse inhabitants; it is a place where the people, despite their
different religious backgrounds and traditions gather and celebrate as one.
Meanwhile, a second project, a seaweed farming training is well underway, which
is seen to benefit the fisherfolks making up a bulk of the community's
population.
A sense of duty
Nasser,
given his own personal difficulties, always finds time to serve his community.
He says that trainings on leadership and conflict resolution, among others have
indeed equipped him with the necessary knowledge to address the most persisting
problems they face. And having that knowledge, he senses that it is his duty to
use it for the betterment of the community.
"There
are times when even our barangay officials have their disputes. I would see it
as a responsibility to step in and help them settle their differences. They are
officials, and I am only a volunteer with very limited education. But this will
not stop me from doing my part for everyone's well-being."
Nasser
recounts that he still occasionally gets teased at by some of his neighbors.
But he said that he already sees past the jeers and taunts. "They can keep
on teasing me, but I hope that they realize how much effort we volunteers have
put into the projects. Those who benefit will not only be us, volunteers, but
all of us in the community," he said.