SocialProject.PH

**SocialProjectPH is soon collaborating with the Butterfly Home System, a low cost, scalable shelter solution for typhoon survivors in the Visayas.  Our platform is going to help launch this innovative solution for the first village in Estancia, Iloilo through a crowdfunding campaign.  Myself, Justin Garrido as co-founder of SocialProjectPH is also part of the community citizen-led Butterfly Team.  Below is a recent write-up by our good friend Matt Lapid on the Butterfly Homes. Enjoy!

-Justin Garrido

By Matt Lapid

Manila Philippines- According to a recent UN OCHA (United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs) report, there are 4.1 million displaced as a result of the aftermath of Typhoon Yolanda (international codename Haiyan), one of the most catastrophic storms in the world.

An urgent need exists to provide shelter for typhoon survivors, but there are various issues preventing the government from implementing an effective housing solution. Over the past few months, allegations of government officials receiving kickbacks from bunkhouse construction, difficulties meeting international housing standards and garnering support from the UN, and unsatisfactory output of contractors are some of the alarming challenges that the government faces in rebuilding the Philippines, three months after the typhoon.

A citizen’s response to need for shelter

A Filipino-American citizen has designed a low-cost, high-quality housing solution, as a response to the needs of typhoon survivors in the Philippines. The housing option is called the Butterfly Housing System, which is described by its creator, Rogelio “Vonz” Santos, Jr., as a “steel-framed housing structure that can be folded for compact shipping and storage, and unfolded into an immediately livable structure. The housing system is quick to deploy to its target areas and can be setup in less than 5 minutes.”  

The Butterfly House System- A New Disaster Relief Shelter Solution Made in the Philippines!

*Important Note: The shelter shown in the video is the original prototype with the newer unit to be unveiled February 17^th. The latest protoype to be unveiled has been developed with improvements made (i.e. smaller size, materials, and durability). Caption and Video Courtesy of Butterfly.ph

Representative of the Butterfly House System team, Justin Garrido, explains,

“We [The Butterfly House System team] have [has] two prototypes, one is 11sqm, and the second one, called the ‘monarch,’ is 26sqm. Both prototypes have a height of 8ft and when folded shrinks to 8.5ft by 2ft 4in wide.

 New ‘Monarch’ prototype folded. Photo Courtesy of Butterfly.ph

The exterior can be made from marine plywood (same material used for boats).

There is also a lower cost option, which uses sawali (bamboo) exterior to better blend with the local community and environment.  

A third option is poly-carbonate (plastic) that is more durable and lasts even longer.”

Potential for permanent housing

Garrido continues, “Our solution provides a scalable, low cost, and more durable solution for a temporary shelter as opposed to bunkhouses. 

Based on the durability of the unit -and the materials used that are structurally sturdier than current low cost housing solutions- there are opportunities to go beyond just temporary housing, and extend to applications outside of housing (i.e. onsite offices, a popup marketplace, classrooms medical facilities, etc.)”

Santos adds, “We are in the process of developing an assembly plant now. Scalability is inherent since the Butterfly House System is originally designed for mass production.  

However, since this is a new offer, we are anxious to see how well the Philippine people respond to this technology. Accelerating production capacity will be based on demand.”

Santos notes, “The structural price for a unit is 2500 per sqm.”  

The Butterfly House System is designed to respond to disasters

When asked if the Butterfly house could withstand 300 kph winds, Santos replied, “After Typhoon Yolanda, we learned that many structures, no matter how well built, are still subject to nature’s immense power.  

While one can continue to build and build in an attempt to develop what they would consider ‘disaster proof’ housing, one has to also consider that the extent and frequency of natural disasters in the Philippines along with massive poverty requires a solution that is also low-cost and scalable.”

Santos continues, “The Butterfly House System poses the questions, ‘Do we necessarily have to defy nature?  Rather, can we flow with it better?’  That said, what if it was possible- with enough lead time- for one to simply ‘fold’ their Butterfly house?

It [the Butterfly House System] places people in an evacuation mode - which is the proper response.  At the same time, a folded Butterfly house becomes a large chunk of compressed steel that, once the storm is over, has a higher potential for structural survivability.”

Manufacturing in Manila opposed to affected areas in the countryside

Santos shares, “We have learned that the price of materials in the Visayas have gone up significantly.  Other areas have run out of building materials, and skilled labor is constantly booked.  

It has become more economically feasible to set up in Manila than in the disaster areas. However, we have options to develop jobs locally in the Visayas as this [Butterfly House System] scales.”

Pilot Project in Estancia, Iloilo

Supported by the governor of Iloilo and the LGU (Local Government Unit) of Estancia, the first pilot of the Butterfly House System will be implemented in Estancia, Iloilo, an affected area of Typhoon Yolanda in which an oil spill called for urgent relocation (READ: DOH: Air pollution in Iloilo oil spill site at critical level).

Garrido says, “We are doing a pilot family acceptance testing and local community for the first five homes, the construction of 15 homes will be matched by donors, both private and individual.

“Within the next two months we plan to setup the five-unit prototype in Estancia.  Since we are early in the process, we are setting up for the full mass production setup which is why initially it will take time (afterwards production will be streamlined and mass produced).”

Estancia, Iloilo City. Estancia LGU Engineer viewing video for first time and excited about the applications and implementation in Estancia. Caption and Photo Courtesy of Butterfly,ph

Collaboration with internationally renowned Philippine architect

Internationally renowned Philippine architect, Royal Pineda and designer Budjie Layug are also supporters of the Butterfly House System and they are emphatic about collaborating with Santos to make his design even better. BUDJIE+ROYAL are now official partners and co-designers of the Butterfly House System.

Pineda declares, “It [Butterfly House System] responded to the needs of the people. The simplicity of it is very important. It resolves a lot of things. It resolves the issue of quality, logistics, corruption and goes beyond the product; it affects behavior. The way it will be implemented cuts out the possibility of corruption because it’s already a finished product. If something so straightforward and honest is to be tampered by corruption, it will clearly say that there is corruption.

Pineda continues, “The point is that if there’s something so clear no one will dare to tamper with it. For me, the honesty of architecture and being true to its original intent is so important. You [the designer] deliver[s] the best quality and put[s] the Butterfly House System there it will cause a ripple effect and reverberate a lot of messages.

There will be standards set here.”

A citizen’s call to action

On Monday February 17, 2014 from 10am-2pm at the Mind Museum canopy in Fort Bonifacio Global City, Taguig, Philippines, Santos and his team will be unveiling the Butterfly House System.  

Santos declares, “Our objective is to share this innovation with the Philippines, and we hope to excite the Filipinos all around the world to take action for the country on all levels.

I [Santos] personally want Filipinos all over to know that our minds and talents are needed now - along with our hearts - and I encourage all to innovate for today and for the future.”

Santos will be discussing full pricing costs for the Butterfly House System during Monday’s launch event. For additional information or inquiries, interested individuals and parties can visit www.butterfly.ph. The crowdfunding website for social projects in the Philippines, SocialProject.ph will also be launching a crowdfunding campaign for the Butterfly House System. 

Nuances…complexities…a world worth understanding. This is what resonates when I think of literature.

Culture, heritage, and a world of unknown tales and unlocked secrets. This is what resonates when I think specifically of Philippine children’s literature.

For many of us Filipino-Americans, we didn’t grow up understanding the language and culture of the Philippines in the same way that Filipinos born and raised here did. Though many of us have a deep longing to reconnect to our cultural roots, our exposure is limited to TFC (The Filipino Channel), academic programs at schools, and perhaps what our parents chose to share with us.

It was no surprise that when I first met Agno Almario of Adarna House, the Philippines’ oldest publishing house for children’s books, at Open Coffee, I immediately connected with him as not only a fellow young person who values literature and is passionate about entrepreneurship, but also as the gatekeeper to a world of literature and culture that I was always fascinated with but never fully understood.

Agno is a fellow beyond his years. He comes to the office dressed in a barong (formal shirt) and slacks. He speaks with a certain level of maturity and understanding that most of us his age don’t have. At 26, Agno is the Director of Digital Ventures for Adarna House and one of the company’s key decision makers. On a cloudy Monday afternoon in Quezon City, I get a chance to chat with the young pioneer.

For readers abroad or for Filipinos who may not have heard of Adarna House, can you give a brief background of it?

Adarna House is the first children’s publishing house here in the Philippines. My father Virgilio Almario, a national artist in Literature, started the company over 30 years ago.

There’s always that hint of Filipino culture when we produce our books, and there’s always that expectation that readers will receive high-quality products. A lot of our books are bilingual, in both Filipino and English. We have different types of books from big storybooks to reference books to even board books for preschoolers.

Our books are all about telling stories, sharing Filipino culture and literature, and at the same time making products that are pedagogical and geared towards educating the Filipino mind.

Adarna House has been in existence, since even before you and I were born, what was it like growing up with it?

It was very interesting because growing up I didn’t realize that we had a family business. Both my parents started off as teachers, eventually my mom became a management professional and my dad continued on with his poetry and his love for Filipino. To be honest, I think my dad started Adarna House not as a business venture but really because he felt that the country needed Filipino children’s books. It was more of a venture of love -sorry to be cheesy- or more of an artistic calling, I guess.

When we were growing up, we didn’t really consider it [Adarna House] as a business venture, so we were never really trained to take the reins of the business. It was only when I got older that I realized this. It was also only when I got older that Adarna House became more professional; my mother came in about 10 or 15 years ago to start molding the company into what it is today.

Growing up with Adarna House also meant that I read almost all the books as a kid. Even though we didn’t have degrees in Literature, we had a very deep understanding of art and aesthetics. I don’t know if that’s because both my father and mother love to teach or because we have Adarna House, or maybe it’s a bit of both.  

In your opinion, what is the most common misconception about working for one’s family business?

I guess a lot of people think that working for your family business is the easy way out. But working for a family business is very demanding because there are a lot of things that are expected from you at a very young age that you wouldn’t have a full grasp of. For example, taking care of the existing employees in your business or facing the pressure of making decisions for a company that has been in existence for longer than you’ve been alive is something that most people aren’t expected to do in their 20s.

People sometimes think that it’s easier to have a family business because you’re earning passive income, but that’s not true at all. There’s a lot more pressure being the owner. Some may say that you can control your time, but your time is what your business demands of you. If the business needs you to pay attention for 16 hours straight or seven days straight, then you’re not going to be accountable to anyone. If you fail, the business will fail.  

When did you first embark on the road less traveled?

I graduated college with a Philosophy degree. For some reason, I was always enamored by the idea of working for a bank. Back then, it seemed like a “cool choice.” Eventually, I ended up with one of our largest local banks. I spent one year at that bank and then another year at another bank.

After working with the banks, I realized that I wanted to pursue something akin to entrepreneurship. It dawned on me that the most economical choice was to be part of the existing family business. I liked the idea of having flexibility of time, so that I could pursue other ventures. What ended up happening was that the ventures that I pursued independently actually started revolving around the competencies of the family business.

In my opinion, when you try to become an entrepreneur –I don’t think I’ve earned that title yet- the most logical approach is to look for entrepreneurial opportunities that make full use of your resources. In my case, Adarna was that key resource. The deep understanding of literature is something that I grew up with and has somehow shaped me.  I also grew up loving technology –video games in particular- and having a keen interest in where it would go next. I put all these interests and experiences together, and it has led me to where I am now- leading digital ventures for Adarna House.

What do you love most about Filipino language and/or culture?

Man, I don’t know. I’m so ingrained in it…I don’t even know if I’m aware if something is Filipino or not. For Filipino language, I think my father said it best when he said, “Ito yung wika ng gunita (this is the language of your collective memories).” When you express something in that language it comes out differently…there’s really something unique about using your mother tongue. In regards to Filipino culture, we were raised to be extremely nationalistic in our household, so I can’t really pinpoint one particular thing, but I can say that I can’t imagine not being in the Philippines.

What is your favorite children’s story and why?

Si Langgam at si Tipaklong (The Ant and the Grasshopper). I just remember it being my favorite simply because I remember reading it over and over again as a kid.

In your opinion, what would the Philippines be like without Filipino children’s stories?

The Philippines would definitely be different. Filipino children’s books are an introduction to our culture…an introduction to understanding what being a Filipino means. Taking that element out would make it much harder for us to appreciate what it means to be Filipino. Being Filipino is hard to define already in itself. Our culture is not as distinct as other Asian cultures. We’re more of a melting point of several colonizers. Understanding our culture is a nuanced activity, I guess. Our children’s books are key to understanding that nuance.

If you could crowdfund for any type of project, what would it be and why?

I would crowdfund for something that would promote Filipino writers and illustrators, or even Filipino artists in general.  I think one part of our business as publishers of Filipino content is that firm belief in the ability of the Filipino artist. I think that’s also ingrained in our family values. We know that the Filipino artist, the Filipino writer, the Filipino illustrator is one of the best out there. But we think that this type of skill is not reaching its fullest potential or given enough attention. I think we should have a project that would enable artists to easily promote their skills.

Considering the Philippines has been strongly influenced by American culture, as a former US colony, and that the world is more global than ever, how do you envision the landscape of Philippine culture in the next 20 years?

To be honest, I think we’re already global as is. Some may argue that the several waves of colonizers that entered our country slowly washed our culture away, but that unique identity is still there in a nuanced form. It proves that the Filipino identity is resilient. I think within the next 20 years that resiliency will continue. We will always have a Filipino identity, though it may not be an obvious one.

What is your definition of a pioneer?

I guess a pioneer would be someone who pushes his/her craft or industry to its limits and defines it for the next generation. 

Photo References (From Top to Bottom)

1) Agno keeping busy at a coffee shop in Quezon City. 
2) The store window of the Adarna Publishing House in Quezon City showcasing Good Night Lala, a collection of short stories that take place in Pampanga during Japanese Occupation in the Philippines, by Corazon Ordoñez-Calica 
3) The Adarna House logo, which represents the mythical bird whose song could cure any sickness.
4) A display of the But That Won’t Wake Me Up Interactive Storybook, the latest Adarna House App. 
5) My nephew with Tight Times by Jeanette C. Patindol, a Filipino children’s book that he challenged me to memorize and read with a decent Filipino accent. 

by Matt Lapid
Photography by Zee Zamora Perez & Rob Crisostomo 

This is the first feature of my Manila Project. Ironically, the interview took place in a homey restaurant in Dumaguete, Negros Occidental. Over lunch, I interviewed entrepreneur, Rob Crisostomo, after he asked me if I wanted to try some of his bacon burger. “Have some, Pare (friend)!” he exclaimed.

Rob’s the type of guy that makes friends with everybody and is a genuine people-person. He jokes around about how he has earned the self-imposed title of the People’s Friend amongst the cacao farmers. 

Just the day before I was with Rob on a visit to various farms in a barangay, about a two and-a-half hour bus ride from the city. During the trip, I witnessed Rob’s passion for what he does. On the back seat of a bumpy bus off-roading to remote villages in Negros, I would turn to my right and see Rob on his laptop going over spreadsheets. In between meals, he would excuse himself and take business calls. On our drive up the mountain, Rob’s eyes gleamed with excitement, as he was already envisioning the countless cacao trees that could thrive in this type of land.

As the founder of Seed Core Enterprises, Rob exports container loads of Philippine cacao to Barry Callebaut, the world’s largest supplier of high quality chocolate and cacao products. During our interview, I asked Rob how he got into the cacao industry and started to export to the world’s largest supplier of high quality chocolate. 

He tells me that him and his wife, Bea, started religiously drinking tsokolate (Filipino hot chocolate) because there was a stall called Nana Meng’s that sold delicious tsokolate next to their store, Ritual. At the time, Rob and Bea were also working with coffee farmers in Maguindanao, Mindanao, and they sold the farmers’ coffee through a subscription service. Eventually, people started approaching them about sourcing cacao. After traveling to various farming communities in the Philippines, they found a healthy and conducive environment to grow cacao in Davao. 

From the recommendation of a German chef, Rob heard about Barry Callebaut. Rob liked the idea of working with a company like Barry Callebaut, so he wrote to their headquarters in Switzerland. Some time passed, and the folks from Barry Callebaut corresponded with Rob, telling him that they spoke to his store manager at Ritual and expressed their interest in his cacao.  

In response, Rob -feeling a bit shameful that the team visited his store and he wasn’t there to properly welcome them- quickly booked a ticket to Malaysia to pay them a visit at one of their satellite offices. The team at Barry Callebaut greeted Rob with open arms, but they shared their feelings of surprise and amusement at Rob’s daring behavior. Typically, when the company is interested in potential suppliers, they travel to see that person. It doesn’t usually happen the other way around. That’s when Rob realized that they never actually took a trip to his store. 

It’s a moment that Rob attributes to his tendency of acting rashly in situations, which he explains is a gamble that usually works against him, but this risk gave him one of his biggest rewards; it didn’t only land Rob his biggest client, but also enabled him to learn from the industry giant.

Rob reminisces,

“That small glitch was eventually the biggest opportunity that I was able to realize. Imagine…I was just an eager person who got lucky…was able to talk to the world’s largest chocolate manufacturer and learn from them.” 

Because of his accidental audacity and knowledge of the Philippines as both producers and consumers of cacao, Rob successfully brought Barry Callebaut to the country.

————

Rob admits that it’s his competitive nature that keeps him going, but that he is also really passionate about nurturing the environment and working with farming communities.

The vision for his company, Seed Core, is to

“Guarantee the market first, so that when the project is ready to scale across the nation, and say someone wants to plant 10 million trees that initiative will create livelihood for 10,000 farmers and potentially bring in PHP 20 billion worth of economy to a community across the whole value chain.”

Rob further expounds and reveals a genuine understanding of his stakeholders and the problem he is trying to help solve. He candidly shares,

“The reason why we set that system up is because tree-planting activities are normally failed activities in the Philippines. They’re usually for photo-ops; nobody really takes care of the trees. By planting fruit trees or marketable fruit crops, people have a strong incentive to maintain their trees because they’ll earn from them within 3 to 5 years.

Whereas if you’re planting very large trees, they’re like, ‘Shit I won’t be alive during that time…it takes 10-15 years…I’ll be dead.’

Considering that the average age of Filipino farmers is 56 or 57, the planting of new hardwood is unrealistic for them.”

From Rob’s honest insights, I observed that he sincerely likes what he does. While he’s working for a noble cause, Rob articulates in a matter-of-fact tone that does not seek glorification or affirmation. He does stuff because he enjoys doing it and is confident about his vision. Individuals like Rob are constantly trying to take their innovations to the next level and reach more people in their work.

In line with SocialProject.PH, I asked Rob about what type of project he’d like to crowdfund. He told me that he’d ask his supporters to give money to fund the planting of their own cacao trees. In turn, they would  get a chocolate bar in the mail, as an example of what a cacao tree could produce. This would be an initiative to link tree planting to single origin cacao bars.

When I asked him about his motivations for a project like this, Rob said,

“It’s nice to get people involved and to give them an understanding of why you’re doing certain things.“

"In relation to crowdfunding, it’d be interesting to see how many individuals, not large scale investors, would want to get their feet wet in something long-term that also has an immediate and tangible incentive. It’d be also interesting to see how many people would choose to invest in the future.”

As my journey in Manila has taught me, the future is unpredictable. It takes a special type of person to trek along in the midst of uncertainty, but as Rob has exemplified the biggest risks can harvest the greatest rewards.

I suppose picking up and moving to the Philippines, in pursuit of change was a big risk on my part. Though the unwanted uncertainty definitely shaped me, it wasn’t deliberate. In contrast, my treading in the unknown is a result of my environment and experience in the Philippines. Taking risks and being aware of the costs calls for a much wiser owner. 

If the Philippines could teach a naive young person from the suburbs of LA this valuable lesson, I wonder what others could learn from life here. 

As a result, I asked Rob about his thoughts, as not only a Filipino entrepreneur who works on a global scale, but also as one who chooses to take the road less traveled everyday. 

 Rob replied,

“Resilience and keeping a good attitude…in spite of shit.”

I leave you with Rob’s sharp insight, and challenge you to defy the odds and stay optimistic “in spite of shit.“

Let’s be sure to keep each other posted on our progress over a hot cup of rich tsokolate. 

From Manila,
Matt

Photo References (From Top to Bottom)

1) Rob under the sun in organic farms in Negros Oriental exploring a potential area for planting new cacao trees.
2) From my recent tour of farms in Negros Oriental with Rob. Although currently planted to organic rice, Rob is encouraged at the prospect of also growing cacao here. 
3) Coaxed by boiling water out of chocolate balls (or disks) called Tablea, the viscous tsokolate or Filipino hot chocolate set Rob on a search of good quality Philippine grown cacao.
4) From raw to retail: chocolate nibs and chocolate bars are also on the cacao product portfolio of Seed Core.
5) Cacao beans drying on covered beds at Seed Core’s buying station in Davao. 
6) After drying, cacao beans are visually sorted to remove defective beans; a task mostly done by women at Seed Core’s buying station in Davao.
7) On top several tons of cacao beans at their Davao warehouse; Rob exceeded their production targets for the current harvest season. 

I have an idea…a plan…to make things happen. Who will see the logic in  my unorthodox ideology? 

Earlier today, I caught up with Justin, co-founder of SocialProject.PH, and Zee, a speciality coffee buyer, over some merienda at Plaza Cafe in Makati. We started talking about all our hopes and dreams for our personal endeavors and the development of the country. In the midst of this exchange of ideas, creative juices, and positive vibes, I realized how lucky I am to be part of a community of like-minded individuals of the likes of Justin and Zee. Being around such dynamic and passionate people, who are pioneering different industries and bringing Filipinos to the international stage, day-in and day-out is making my departure all the more difficult. 

I’m a Filipino-American who is currently based in Manila. For the past three years, I’ve been back and forth between LA and Manila in pursuit of chasing my dreams. However, due to obligations back home, I have decided to return to the States for some time. 

I know that I will return to Manila in the future, but I will miss the daily conversations, brainstorming, and realization of honest change. I have so much faith in this community of passionate pioneers, and with my remaining days in the Philippines, I’d like to share their stories with you. 

In hopes of accomplishing this goal, I’ve come up with this simple writing project, which I’d like to call my Manila Project. This is the low-down:

I plan to feature a Filipino pioneer each week for the rest of my days here. There will be a total of 8 features.  

Basically, the individuals that I’ll feature are pioneers that I’ve crossed paths with and think you should know about it. 

While this isn’t the typical type of project that SocialProject.PH usually features, I hope that it will inspire others to believe in their ideas and to create their own projects. The possibilities out there are endless and there are platforms like SocialProject that can help you realize your ideas. 

With this said, I hope this is the start of something special. I’m thrilled to have you on board.

From Manila,
Matt