On the morning of July 4, 2025, the usually quiet Barangay Hall of Bagumbayan, Sta. Barbara, buzzed with voices, ideas, and even a few unexpected mentions of Roblox. Twenty participants—barangay officials and CSO leaders—came together for a CSO Orientation and Profiling under SEA Inc.’s IPAT-SIAD Program. What started as a formal session turned into a lively exchange about budgets, programs, and yes, even online games.

Warming Up the Room

The program began with a prayer led by Kagawad Jacil, followed by Captain Segundino, who gave a short speech introducing SEA and the importance of the orientation. “This is not just another meeting—this is about finding out how we, as a community, can work better together,” he reminded everyone.

Big Questions, Bigger Hopes

Miss Angelic of SEA Inc. then took the floor, presenting the IPAT-SIAD program and SEA’s track record in other partner barangays. Her presentation sparked curiosity, especially from Tatay Exequiel, president of the Senior Citizens group, and Kagawad Jacil.

“What exactly can this program do for us and our CSOs?” Tatay asked with the earnestness of someone speaking not just for himself, but for his sector. He added that more reading materials would help them better understand IPAT-SIAD. It was a gentle but firm reminder that communities want knowledge just as much as they want resources.

Meanwhile, Kagawad Genalyn raised the elephant in the room: budget. “Our AIT comes only from the barangay fund. It’s very rare that we receive anything beyond that,” she shared, voicing the frustration of many grassroots leaders who feel constrained by financial limits.

Miss Angelic responded by explaining the Inner Conditioning Workshop (ICW) conducted last June, highlighting how SEA doesn’t just bring technical programs, but also focuses on mindset and values—because real change, she explained, begins within people before it shows in systems.

From Budgets to Roblox

Just when things seemed heavy with talk of funds and frameworks, the conversation took an amusing turn. The participants began discussing youth issues, education, and even popular games like ML (Mobile Legends) and Roblox.

One barangay official laughed and said, “If only our youth played ‘Barangay Simulator’ instead, maybe they’d already know how to manage our budgets!” The room erupted in laughter, a reminder that even serious conversations about governance need humor to stay human.

Profiling: Putting Communities on the Map

The latter part of the session focused on profiling Bagumbayan’s CSOs. Representatives from each sector filled out sheets detailing their membership and activities. At first, it looked like routine paperwork, but as one participant quipped while jotting down details, “This is the first time we’re officially putting ourselves on record. It feels like we’re being seen.”

And that is the quiet power of profiling—visibility. Because a CSO that is recognized on paper is a CSO that can be heard in decision-making.

The Morning’s Takeaway

By 11:00 a.m., the orientation concluded, but the bigger work had just begun. Beyond the PowerPoint slides and filled-out forms, what mattered was the realization that community organizing isn’t abstract—it’s about voices, laughter, questions, and yes, even a little Roblox on the side.

As one participant summed it up:

“We may not have all the funds, but if we organize, we’ll always have a way forward.”

And maybe that’s the real lesson of Bagumbayan’s orientation: that sustainable development doesn’t start with big budgets, but with conversations—sometimes serious, sometimes funny—that slowly stitch a community together.