TAMPEI Holds Orientation Activity for CEA Students in USA

ILOILO CITY-(Friday) March 11, 2011, Technical Assistance Movement for People and Environment, Inc. (TAMPEI) held an orientation activity for the engineering and architecture students of the University of San Agustin’s (USA) College of Engineering and Architecture (CEA). The aforementioned activity was one of TAMPEI’s strategies to solicit technical support from students as a response to the pressing need of the Philippine Alliance (composed of Homeless Peoples Federation Philippines Inc. and the Philippine Action for Community-led Shelter Initiatives Inc.) for additional volunteers in the implementation of   its Slum Upgrading Initiatives and Community-led and Managed Housing Projects here in Iloilo City. It was attended by junior and senior students taking up architecture, civil, chemical and mechanical engineering from the same university, as well as some community leaders of the Philippine Alliance.

 The orientation activity started with a prayer led by Angela Cham, a 5th year architecture student and was followed by a brief introduction of participants facilitated by Engr. Reynaldo Asuncion, Dean of the College of Engineering and Architecture. Arch. Villa Mae Libutaque, TAMPEI President gave the rationale of the activity and discussed the common perception of students regarding the commercially-driven nature of their work. Libutaque stressed the fact that the poor people, especially those living in congested cities like Iloilo also need their assistance. As a follow-up to the discussion, a video presentation about the role of technical professionals in upgrading slum dwellers' physical and environmental conditions was shown to the students. It was followed by another video presentation  focusing on Philippine Alliance's community-managed housing initiatives currently supported by the Community-led Infrastructure Finance Facility (CLIFF) Programme.  

Community leaders from Kabalaka and San Isidro Housing Projects presented the on-going CLIFF initiatives in San Isidro Relocation Site, Jaro and the upcoming projects for new CLIFF expansion communities in Iloilo City for the second phase. 

Given the scope of work that the HPFPI-PACSII and TAMPEI in Iloilo is currently undertaking and will be facing for the next consecutive months, Arch. Christopher Ebreo and Arch. Alcor Mandario of TAMPEI facilitated a discussion about the possible  participation or contribution of the student volunteers. Libutaque stressed out that the nature of their involvement will be tasked- based which means that students will be doing output-oriented tasks such as drafting and design works, surveying, facilitation of technical trainings and workshops,   research on alternative and low-cost housing technology, and incremental housing development. 


On the other hand, for students who will be doing internship for the federation, they will facilitate the formalization of design outputs of the housing participants and be part of construction supervision along with the site engineer. 

Sonia Cadornigara, HPFPI Coordinator for Western Visayas and Board Member of Slum Dwellers International also added that the bulk of ongoing and upcoming projects of the Philippine Alliance, especially in Iloilo City make it ideal for both architecture and engineering students to do their internship in the federation. Aside from the challenge of coming up with designs with very limited financial resources, students are also given the opportunity to supervise actual implementation of the project. “The multi-faceted nature of the required technical support of the federation makes it an ideal laboratory for students and technical professionals alike who want to learn and at the same time impart their technical skills to the urban poor sector”, Cadornigara added.

Speaking in behalf of the College of Engineering and Architecture of the University of San Agustin, Engr. Reynaldo Asuncion assured the Alliance of its continued support by linking the university's internship, research and extension programs with ongoing upgrading and housing initiatives of the urban poor sector.