November 2014 Trip - Travel Team #1

I traveled to Apatut in November, as a part of the first travel team, along with Bob DiFlippo and Steve Kim. Having never been to the Philippines, or anywhere else in Asia, I did quite a bit of "Googling" before the trip, and I quickly learned how diverse this country is. It is comprised of over 7,000 islands with over 170 different languages!

© Eugene Alvin Villar, 2003.

We flew into Manila, which has many of the things you would find in any American city (yes, they’ve got Starbucks..  even Krispy Kreme!). From there, we traveled to the Ilocos Region, to the Barangay (village) Apatut. This is a beautiful and rural area. Common sights include cows and goats grazing in the fields, with a view of the mountains off into the distance. The Barangay is divided into 7 Sectors, each with a welcome sign to distinguish one sector from the next.

 

View from my window

As for food, I definitely ate better in the Barangay than I do at home. The food is very fresh and flavorful. I've been craving adobo and pancit bihon since we left! On the way back to Manila, I was introduced to the infamous balut. Although, I must admit, I was not brave enough to try it; Edgardo seemed to enjoy it. 

Balut

During our time in Apatut, we oversaw  the well development and met with various program partners. We met with members of the engineering department at Saint Louis College, in preparation for the Solar Disinfection program taking place the next week. We talked to the Baloan Water District, to learn about how water distribution systems are typically constructed in the Philippines. We also met with members of the San Fernando Rotary. 

Drilling Rig

Meeting at Saint Louis College

One of the tasks carried out by travel team #1 was walking the proposed route of the water pipeline, paying particular attention to the road and stream crossings. The original drawings, in the 2010 design, show the pipeline going under all stream and road crossings, without cutting through the road. 

The stream crossings have a much greater depth than I expected. If the pipe went underneath, there would be significant elevation dips in the pipeline at every stream crossing. 

Edgardo at an intermittent stream crossing

 

Stream crossing

There were many road crossings in the proposed route, more than previous maps show. Some areas have cinder block walls right up against the road. There is also considerable vegetation planted along the roads, banana trees and crops. The area on either side of the road is used as a stormwater drainage area as well. We have to consider the likelihood of soil washing out during severe storm events and exposing the pipe to debris. 

Crossing the road itself will provide its own challenges. The road has a significant foundation, of various depths. The drawings from the 2010 design show the pipeline being drilled under the road, without having to cut through it. We will have to reevaluate the previous design of the distribution system, taking into account what we’ve learned during this past trip.

Barangay Road

I thoroughly enjoyed my time working on the Water for Life Project in Apatut. I would like to say thanks to everyone we met and worked with in the Philippines. Now that we've confirmed that there is in fact water in the well (hooray!), I am eager to work with EWB-Philly on the next steps of this project.

Gloria and I at a basketball game