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The Amazing Energy Camp

By Michael Kho Lim, Contributor

05/18/2008

Forty-eight high-school scholars from northern and southern Negros were chosen to participate in Philippine National Oil Company (PNOC) Energy Development Corporation’s (EDC) first Energy Camp in its Northern Negros Geothermal Production Field (NNGPF) in Bago City. The Energy Camp is an annual summer recreational event that has been running for five years already but this was the first time it would be held in PNOC EDC’s Northern Negros geothermal site since it was just commissioned last year. The Energy Camp in Bago City happened in late April.

Twenty students came from PNOC EDC’s host community schools in northern Negros while 20 other scholars and eight children of PNOC EDC employees from the company’s geothermal site in southern Negros. Priority was given to incoming senior high school scholars, and equal gender distribution was observed in the selection of participants.

The campers spent 10 days away from their families without any form of contact or communication. Many personal items such as mobile phone, watch, money and jewelry were deposited under the facilitators’ care. And just like the popular reality TV series Pinoy Big Brother, the camp had house rules that everyone needs to follow. However, no one gets punished or evicted for violating the rules. The Energy Camp makes use of positive reinforcement to discipline the scholars if needed. And so far, all campers had been very cooperative and participative.

Inside the camp, participants were taken care of very well. They were provided with new sets of clothing from shirts and underwear to jogging pants and rubber shoes. Parents had nothing to worry about their child’s safety and security. The Energy Camp had round-the-clock security patrol and a 24-hour emergency response team of doctors and nurses. An ambulance was also on stand by at the site.

The campsite was located a few kilometers north of the geothermal plant. Surrounded by lush trees and vegetation, the location was ideal for campers to go around and perform the camp’s adapted The Amazing Race culminating activity. The hilly site was also suitable for scholars for some hiking and for completing the obstacle courses and physical challenges prepared for them. And to make their stay comfortable, the participants were housed in air-conditioned rooms built from truck storage containers.

The campers were divided into six groups of eight. They were first tasked to select a group leader, formulate a group name and come up with a group cheer. Every day was filled with exciting activities. From 5 a.m. when they wake up, they begin with their usual morning hygiene routines followed by martial arts training, cooking and breakfast. Their day continues with a series of camp games and team-building activities, which are spread throughout the camping days. The scholars were taught basic survival skills and to make do with what they have around them. These included map and compass reading, knot-tying, rappelling, V-traverse, swimming, wall climbing, basic first aid, and livelihood programs like soap, bead and candle making, among others.

Aside from the physical training and personal development activities, there were also lessons on social graces and table etiquette. The campers were also given classroom lectures about the production process of geothermal energy, accompanied by a plant tour. Here, they learned the benefits and value of geothermal energy to their community and the country, and the relationship of geothermal energy to the environment. The campers also get the chance to visit EDC’s nursery where the company cultivates 14 endemic species and has established the first man-made almaciga plantation in the Philippines as part of the company’s commitment to preserve the environment.

Throughout the training and preparation sessions, there were special prizes given away to encourage and motivate all the participants to do their best. The whole camp program was standard for all PNOC EDC Energy Camps. It doesn’t vary according to venue or person in charge. But every year, something new is added to the line up.

In order to run the Energy Camp successfully, PNOC EDC employees are tapped as facilitators on a voluntary basis. They act as the campers’ surrogate elder brothers and sisters. All facilitator-volunteers are very approachable and friendly. While they enforce the camp rules, they don’t intimidate the scholars by being so rigid or militaristic. They instill discipline in a very constructive way. They also encourage the campers to open up to them if they have any concerns. The participants follow a particular rest and work time but there’s always the fun element in everything they do.

Serving as the first NNGPF Energy Camp commander is Marie Christine Jamiane. Tintin, as she is fondly called, works in the company’s Community Partner for Social Development Program.

“The camp is a way of teaching them independence,” Tintin explained. “It is also during this stage that teenagers are prone to peer pressure. The camp is a good venue to divert their attention from drugs and other bad habits, and provide them with an alternative physical wellness activity.”

It is also the camp’s objective to promote environmentalism, and provide productive enjoyable summer activity that is centered on the aspects of teamwork, discipline and self-esteem.

“There’s one camper who’s really very shy,” Tintin shared. “At first, I didn’t know how to get him to speak up, but after his third day of participating in the group activities, I was very happy to see him actively leading the group. It really shows that our program design works towards directing the campers to express themselves confidently, and provides an experiential learning for everybody.”

The scholars get to apply everything they have learned during the culminating activity on the ninth day. PNOC EDC has designed a battery of physical and mental challenges by creating their own version of the The Amazing Race. In the ninth station, for example, the group is required to write an essay and a poem about environment, and asked to make a product out of indigenous materials that can be sold for two pesos before they can claim their lunch.

The six teams have 10 stations to complete in a span of around six hours. The first team to finish the race though is not automatically declared the winner. The facilitators will review all the tasks required in each station before announcing the winner during the closing ceremony in the evening.

Everyone looks forward to the graduation ceremony. It is a night of showcase, recognition and celebration. The graduation rites open with special numbers from all the campers. They demonstrate their talent in ballroom dancing and martial arts. And during the program, a number of scholars sing to some guitar music and stage a short skit as intermission numbers.

The awarding of major and special prizes brings great joy to the campers. It is time to receive their rewards after a hard week’s work. Some scholars also delivered their speech of thanks and appreciation. First on the list was Nolven Nichole Noble, a 15-year-old incoming senior student at Silliman University High School in Negros Oriental. He also holds the title of Mister Energy Camp. “I will never forget my experience here,” he said. “I have discovered that I can do a lot of things on my own like washing my clothes and cooking my breakfast using charcoal and firewood.”

It was the first time for Noble to be away from his family that long. “At first, I was afraid because no one will guide me and tell me what to do,” Noble continued. “But I took it as a challenge and learned to discipline myself and become independent.”

Noble was very happy to have joined the camp and stressed that he will surely miss his new-found friends.

Miss Energy Camp, Mary Kimberly Cagape, also had something to say. She is a 15-year-old incoming senior student at Lopez Jaena National High School in Murcia. “Thanks to the Energy Camp,” Cagape shared, “I have learned to face and conquer my fear of deep water and heights through the swimming, rappelling, and the Slide for Life activities.”

Unlike Noble, Cagape is used to being away from her family for months because of her schooling. What caught her by surprise was the hectic schedule. “Even though we got very tired from all of the activities,” she added, “I’m very happy to have met new friends.”

Noble and Cagape belonged to one group called the Bumble Bees that won the best cheer.

The evening would not be complete without a statement from EDC chief executive officer and president Paul Aquino. “Without you,” Aquino addressed the campers, “there’s no Energy Camp. Thank you for making this first NNGPF energy camp successful. You can be sure that there will be another energy camp next year.”

Unfortunately, Aquino reminded everyone that the scholars can only join once to give way to other interested and qualified students to experience the benefit from this kind of social interaction.

It was a summer camp full of energy indeed. The night was capped with a group song followed by the symbolical lighting of torches. The turnover of torches by four PNOC EDC officials (including Aquino) to the four scholars represented the passing of responsibility to the future leaders of the nation. The scholars then lit the bonfire which signified the burning passion and youthful energy of the campers as they are the future hope and light of the country. Everyone gathered around the bonfire and gazed at the sky lit by the fireworks. The participants and facilitators stayed awake until midnight as they gave one another hugs and promises of keeping in touch as they said goodbye to a summer camp that they will never forget.

The Energy Camp is Aquino’s brainchild. It had already gained praises not only from the scholars’ parents and the company’s host communities and local government units, but also recognition from the prestigious Public Relations Society of the Philippines (PRSP), Anvil Award, and the International Association of Business Communicators’ (IABC) Gold Quill award for being more than just a public relations project. It has become the company’s commitment and social responsibility to contribute to the growth and development of its beneficiaries. Once again, PNOC EDC shows that the best investment can be found in the youth-that they are tomorrow’s greatest source of energy in creating a better future.