NBSC, PARTNERS BREAK GROUND FOR “COMFORT ROOM, COMFORT LIFE” PROJECT IN SINONTAO IP COMMUNITY
Northern Bukidnon State College (NBSC), through its Community Extension Services Division (CESD), facilitated the groundbreaking ceremony for the proposed construction of a comfort room for the Sinontao Indigenous Community Clan in Barangay Santiago, Manolo Fortich, Bukidnon.
Dubbed “Comfort Room, Comfort Life: A Community Partnership for the Sinontao Indigenous Community Clan,” the project is a tripartite partnership among NBSC, Multicare Pharmaceutical Philippines, Inc. (MPPI), and the 52nd Engineer Brigade of the Philippine Army.
The initiative seeks to provide the community with a safe, sanitary, accessible, and culturally appropriate comfort room. Beyond addressing a basic infrastructure need, the project aims to promote health and sanitation, uphold human dignity, and contribute to a safer and more comfortable living environment for members of the Sinontao community.
College President Dr. Christie Jean Villanueva-Ganiera attended the ceremony together with Mr. Alven L. Gomez and Dr. Julius S. Gabinete, Director and Coordinator for Community Extension Services, respectively; TSgt. Ken Tonggao, representing the 52nd Engineer Brigade; and the MPPI team represented by Mr. Dave Tan.
In her message, President Villanueva-Ganiera emphasized the importance of partnerships that respond directly to the needs identified by communities. She affirmed the College’s commitment to bringing its programs and services closer to its adopted communities and ensuring that its extension initiatives produce meaningful and lasting benefits.
Representing the Sinontao Clan, Kag. Elemer Sinontao expressed the community’s gratitude to NBSC and its partners for responding to their need for an appropriate sanitation facility. He conveyed the clan’s appreciation for the time, resources, and expertise contributed by the three partner institutions.
The villagers welcomed the guests through a pamuhat, a traditional Indigenous ritual performed to seek guidance and blessings and to signify the community’s acceptance of the undertaking. The ceremony reflected the partners’ respect for the culture, traditions, and identity of the Sinontao Indigenous Community.
Adding warmth to the occasion, MPPI distributed gifts to the children and organized parlor games, creating moments of joy and fellowship among the children, community members, and guests.
Under the partnership, NBSC provides institutional leadership and community-extension coordination; MPPI contributes resources and social-development support; while the 52nd Engineer Brigade provides the technical expertise and engineering assistance needed to help bring the project to completion.
The groundbreaking marks not only the beginning of the comfort-room construction but also the strengthening of a continuing partnership envisioned to support future initiatives in health and wellness, water and sanitation, education, livelihood, environmental protection, Indigenous culture, and community infrastructure.
Through the “Comfort Room, Comfort Life” project, NBSC and its partners demonstrate how bayanihan, shared responsibility, and culturally responsive community engagement can transform an identified need into a concrete intervention that promotes a healthier and more dignified life.
