TABOK’S VAGABOND

Coordinator’s Corner

“This is a story about a man from Bicol who volunteered to take care of AG&P’s Trees for a reason…”

For those living in the lower areas of Tabok River, known to many as “Riverside”, growing trees will become part of their daily obligation to tend seedlings of Mahogany and Narra trees since they squat in private lands of BIPI and AG&P.

Mang Romy, turned vagabond from Bicol, has been living along AG&P land since 1983, 25 years now and has restituted to picking garbage living out of it. Labor settling on construction sites was his main skill but fate deprived him of this privilege after his left foot got stuck to break on a harness that hang him for an hour on a high rise structure in Batangas City some ten years ago.

Alone he lived an austere life in AG&P soil.

Today he is part of Barangay Captain Leo Salcedo’s volunteer team who looks after the trees AG&P Foundation Inc. planted for the country’s clean and green programs, not to mention AG&P’s quest to save lives and create livelihood to Bauan communities.

Families have started gathering to protect the environment, by caring for the Mahogany and Narra trees, AG&P instigated June this year.

When interviewed, Mang Romy narrated that the tree planting ceremony of July 1, 2008 inspired him to look beyond his failures and move ahead to a new life just as the new trees were being planted. He nearly cried after everyone left just looking at the seedlings to find his self like these foliages. He thought that if these trees were pluck out from somewhere and brought to AG&P ground to live a new life, why couldn’t he?

From the stories told about Mang Romy, these trees will all forever be his inspiration. And as it grows to maturity so shall a new life for the man from Bicol grow, a new beginning, an inspiration shared by AG&P Foundation Inc.
His hands will nurture the trees for a reason and this reason grows as a motivation for other residents in Tabok River to follow.

What grows along the Riverside? TREES….. NEW LIFE!