On a rainy Friday afternoon, July 4, 2025, the Barangay Hall of Sangcate, Sta. Barbara, wasn’t just a government space—it became a classroom, a consultation room, and a small think tank. Twenty residents gathered for the CSO Orientation and Profiling under SEA Inc.’s IPAT-SIAD Program, ready to learn how their community organizations could make a bigger impact.

The session began with a prayer led by Kagawad Devilla, followed by a warm welcome from Barangay Secretary Lea, standing in for Captain Annabel. “We’re not just here to listen—we’re here to plan together,” Lea reminded the group.

Why CSOs Matter

Miss Angelic from SEA Inc. took the floor to present the IPAT-SIAD program. She explained SEA’s journey, its partnerships with barangays, and its belief that sustainable development thrives when community-based organizations are involved.

Her message was simple: organized citizens are powerful citizens. “SEA has seen how communities grow faster when people don’t just act as individuals, but as groups with a shared voice,” she stressed.

The participants quickly picked up on this. Someone mentioned Sangcate’s four sitios (sub-villages), while another proudly recalled their involvement in the mushroom farming training program in New Lucena. These weren’t just random stories—they were reminders that the barangay already had the seeds of organization.

From Mushrooms to Milkfish

What made the discussion livelier was when aquaculture came into the picture. Residents asked how they could seek funding or support from the LGU and DA for their fishpond ventures. One participant joked, “If we managed mushrooms, maybe we can also manage milkfish.”

Miss Angelic gave practical advice: instead of going individually, why not form an organization? “It’s easier for government agencies to provide help to organized groups than to single applicants,” she explained. Heads nodded. The suggestion made sense—strength in numbers, after all.

Profiling the Community

The second part of the orientation was about profiling Sangcate’s CSOs. Different sectors filled out forms, appointing representatives to record their membership and activities. What seemed like simple paperwork was actually the first step toward visibility—putting names, numbers, and stories into a structure that can be recognized by both the barangay and higher agencies.

One participant quipped while filling out the sheet, “This feels like our first membership card.” The laughter that followed broke the formality and reminded everyone that organizing doesn’t have to be intimidating.

More Than an Orientation

By 3:00 p.m., the orientation wrapped up. But what remained was more important than the program slides or the filled-out sheets. It was the realization that development doesn’t just land on a community’s doorstep—it has to be claimed, requested, and built together.

As one resident reflected,

“If we stay as individuals, our voices get lost. But if we organize, even our smallest needs sound louder.”

And that is exactly the point of SEA’s IPAT-SIAD work: helping communities see that they already have the people, the skills, and the will—what they need is to come together, profile themselves, and start claiming the resources and recognition they deserve.

Because sometimes, the biggest change begins with something as simple as filling out a form.