Port employees reach out to Badjao kids in Surigao City
SURIGAO CITY, Surigao del Norte (PIA) — The Port Management Office of Surigao, through its Pambansang Tinig at Lakas sa Pantalan (PANTALAN)-Surigao Chapter, distributed hygiene kits and meals to 50 children from the Badjao community during a recent community outreach program in the city.
Themed ‘Anchored in Solidarity, Sailing Towards Progress,’ the activity held on September 15 took place at the Badjao Supervised Neighborhood Program (SNP) Day Care Center in Barangay Canlanipa, with the supervision of Attorney Raffy M. Lafuente, chapter president.
The outreach program, aimed to provide essential hygiene supplies and nutritional support to children in the area, was organized as part of PANTALAN’s 38th anniversary celebration
Each beneficiary received a hygiene kit containing hand towels, toothbrush, toothpaste, alcohol, shampoo, soap, and comb, along with candies and chocolates. The organization also provided packed meals, including chicken, spaghetti, burger, and healthy drinks for all the participants, including daycare learners and other children from the seaside Badjao community.
Mary Jane Asis, half-Badjao, who runs the Badjao SNP Day Care Center, expressed deep appreciation for the outreach program. “We are truly grateful to PMO Surigao and to PANTALAN’s kindness and support. This means so much to our children and our community. It shows that we are not forgotten.”
The Badjao are an ethnic group known as ‘sea gypsies’ who traditionally have a nomadic lifestyle centered around the sea like in Surigao City, a confluence of three major bodies of water namely, Pacific Ocean, Surigao Strait and Mindanao Sea. This topography made it ideal and conducive for the Badjao to thrive in the city.
Meanwhile, PANTALAN is a professional organization representing employees of the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) and it serves as the official employee’s union. The Surigao chapter actively engages in community service activities while advocating for workplace benefits and welfare of its members. (SDR, PIA Surigao del Norte with a report from PPA-PMO Surigao)
