TAMPEI partners with UAP Cebu for Community and Social Architecture Webinar
Through TAMPEI, the United Architects of the Philippines (UAP) Cebu Chapter conducted its fourth virtual CPD seminar titled: Community and Social Architecture last November 18, 2021 via Zoom.
The main part of the program was Andrea Fitrianto’s talk about his experiences on community architecture and disaster rehabilitation in Banda Aceh in 2011 with his team called Architecture Without Borders / Architecture Sans Frontières (ASF) Indonesia
His discussion about the components of community architecture was both expounded and grounded to the Philippine setting, especially as he had worked on the design and construction of a community bamboo footbridge in Davao with local residents and technical professionals in the city. Joining him as panel reactors were Cebu-based architect and environmental planner Ma. Lourdes Onozawa, University of San Carlos anthropology professor Lorelie Crisostomo, and TAMPEI community architect Ruel Orcajada and engineer Carlo Bongcac. Altogether, the resource speaker and panel reactors gave the attendees a feel of the realities of the concepts of community and social architecture in the Philippines.
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The three-hour event was attended by 164 participants and was supported by industry partners from FilPass, Island Paints, and Converge, and ICT Solutions. Architects and environmental planners who passed the examination and evaluation received 2 and 1.5 continuing professional development (CPD) points, respectively, as accredited by the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC).
PA institutions join resource mobilization
workshops
To increase the capacities of its Core Staff as well as Philippine Alliance network members in pursuing institutional sustainability, TAMPEI organized a five-module workshop on resource mobilization from February to March 2021. The modules were delivered by key TAMPEI members and patterned after the course Nonprofit Fundraising Essentials by the Acumen Academy.
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Opening the workshop series was TAMPEI President Kai Santos who discussed Module 1: An Entrepreneurial Mindset for Nonprofit Fundraising. There she emphasized the unique role each member of the organization plays in fundraising, the value of having a distinct mission statement, and the importance of assessing project impacts using the theory of change framework. “It is easier for PA to ask for funding because of a shared social cause,” said Micah Milante (LinkBuild) during the reflection session.
Ruel Orcajada, TAMPEI Partnerships Coordinator, continued the workshop with Module 2: Funding Models and Diversification which includes a comparative analysis and case examples of the following fund sources: small donors and digital campaigns, wealthy individuals, foundations, government and multilateral organizations, corporations, and earned income. According to Ruby Haddad (HPFPI): “There are many possible fund sources for PA but there is a lack of capacity to write proposals.” Her concern was specifically answered by Christopher Ebreo, then TAMPEI Executive Director, as he discussed financial health, funding gaps, cost allocation, and preparing budget proposals under Module 3: Budget and Fundraising Goals.
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Defining the organization’s value proposition, TAMPEI BoT Member Deanna Ayson continued the workshop series via Module 4: Building a Community of Donors and Partners and enumerated the donor management phases from identification, cultivation, solicitation to stewardship. The Executive Director of PACSII, Rev. Fr. Rolando Tuazon, served as guest speaker, sharing his successful experiences in fundraising being a member of religious institutions which, according to him, are often seen as “good” implementers of fundraising activities because of trust. “Trust is the most important element of a relationship” was Janeth Mandin’s (HPFPI) key takeaway from the session.
Louie Posadas, then TAMPEI Project Manager, facilitated the last leg of the workshop series with Module 5: Storytelling and Communications where he linked behavioral sciences with strategies in targeting the market/audience, crafting key messages using the right voice and tone, along with examining the various communication platforms such as websites, emails, social media, and annual reports.
The workshop series ended with some action points that also served as workshop outputs. This included stakeholder mapping, risk management planning, and project proposals writing which were all geared towards institutional sustainability.
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PA institutions attend mental health and stress management webinar
Last September 4, 2021, some 15 members of the Philippine Alliance (PA) from HPFPI, PACSII, TAMPEI, and LinkBuild attended a three-hour webinar-workshop on mental health and stress management facilitated by Lorizza Mae P. Gacott, a registered guidance counselor (RGC) and candidate for PhD in clinical psychology at Silliman University. Anchoring her topic on the biopsychosocial framework, she highlighted the importance of acknowledging and addressing mental health issues both at the individual and social settings through a number of strategies such as recognizing the eight dimensions of wellness: physical, social, spiritual, emotional, environmental, financial, intellectual, and career. She also facilitated online exercises that located one’s self in the mental health continuum and stress curve by distinguishing between stress and burnout, as well as responding to other manifestations such as anxiety, depression and suicide. She added that these issues may be directly or indirectly resolved depending on the extent of one’s circles of control, influence, and concern
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Towards the end of the activity, the participants were divided into four breakout rooms where they shared among their peers the issues that bother them whether about the self, family, career, finance, and the pandemic, to mention a few. To close the session, the resource speaker gave quick insights on how the members of the Philippine Alliance can cope with these emerging challenges — especially now amid prolonged isolation and uncertainty because of COVID-19 — through self-care and professional help.
2021 June 26 - 27. TAMPEI Staff and members went on R&R in Batangas stopping by Tagaytay for dinner and coffee on the way back to Quezon City.
Two TAMPEI entries shortlisted in A-D Global Challenge 2021
Two entries submitted by TAMPEI were shortlisted in the Architecture in Development (A-D) Global Challenge 2021, a competition that recognizes the best community projects and helps accelerate their development through meaningful collaborations and a financial incentive of €3,000 for the top two winners.
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Among the top 25 entries was Agaw-Agaw Resettlement: Social and Spatial Inclusion. Located in Barangay Putatan, Muntinlupa City, the proposal aims to inform resettlement processes through citizen participation and community-building. It pays particular attention to more or less 1,000 informal settler families (ISFs) residing within the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) Compound who were recently transferred to an in-city relocation site along Sitio Daang Hari amid the COVID-19 pandemic. “Just like how the concept is defined in the Filipino language, the essence of Agaw-Agaw’s story is the continuous assertion of the urban poor’s right to the city,” said Architect Louie Posadas, its lead proponent.
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On the other hand, the entry Community-led Housing Design in Munting Nayon landed on the competition’s top 56. The proposal aims for the transformation of a one-hectare informal settlement in Barangay Putatan, Muntinlupa City into a safe and livable community for 35 households through a series of participatory housing design workshops. “The result of this initiative will help the community in accessing technical services that would support their upgrading needs,” said Architect Christopher Ebreo, its lead proponent.
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From over 200 entries, about 80 were awarded eligibility for engendering the design theme “collective spaces” as reflected in the diverse architectural projects ranging from community centers, schools and libraries, housing, and urban gardens, among others. While both entries did not reach the final stage of the competition, TAMPEI was thankful for the opportunity to have been part of this global community believing that “the future of architecture is together.”
Agaw-Agaw Communities benefit from UPCLAS
Socialight 2021
Socialight is an annual fundraising tree lighting event organized by the University of the Philippines Circle of Landscape Architecture Students (UPCLAS). This year, Socialight highlights Community-Oriented Landscape with the theme: Ilaw ng Tahanan: Lights Will Guide You Home. With this event, they want to bring light to the rising concerns about housing poverty at the height of the pandemic in the Philippines. Together, they show support in asserting the basic rights to safe and suitable shelter for all.
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This year, UPCLAS partnered with TAMPEI and chosen community beneficiary: the Agaw-Agaw Communities in Sitio Bagong Daang Hari, Muntinlupa City who have been relocated due to the mixed-used development of their original housing area in the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) Compound. The proposed assistance and intervention of TAMPEI would give these residents an avenue to hold dialogues with stakeholders’ frameworks in their new area. This intervention aims to address the residents’ spatial needs such as incremental temporary housing, and access to sanitation, water and electricity.
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All proceeds will be donated to fund the current community development initiatives in Agaw-Agaw including: (1) Savings group for land tenure, (2) Bigasang Bayan, and (3) Urban Gardening. Part of the donation will also be used to fund the community development planning and construction.
