Artemio c. andaya, jr.

Individual - Adult Category

Mr. Artemio C. Andaya Jr is a visual artist/painter and community organizer who is nominated in this year’s SOV for the Individual Adult category. He is a newly elected Municipal Councilor garnering the highest votes among all the candidates in the municipality in the recently concluded local elections.

Mr. Artem lived and immersed with the Manide Tribe for almost a year and took it upon himself to learn the language and lived the ways of the Manide. Being able to learn and communicate with the locals in their native tongue allowed him to gain the respect and credibility among the tribe. Some tribe members contemplate adopting the Andaya surname as their own. He initiated several community-wide programs while the pandemic was in full swing. At the height of the lockdown, when the livelihood of the majority of the people was affected as mobility was constraint, the Manide tribe had enough food for their sustenance because Mr. Artem introduced community-based agriculture. They had plenty of organic vegetables to spare, so they sold some at the market, split the money among themselves, and gave the rest to the frontline workers. This prompted the LGU to reassess the food basket in the Manide community.

Mr. Artem had taught the people of Manide how to paint, which has become a source of income for the community. The LGU of Jose Panganiban has launched an exhibit to showcase nearly 150 pieces of these paintings and all paintings were sold, the price varied from PHP2,000 to PHP8,000. The artist receives a portion of the profits, while the rest goes to the tribe. Mr. Artem's sponsors and donors contributed the funds for the materials necessary to create the paintings, making it possible for the community to enjoy them at no cost.

As the katutubo are vulnerable to recruitment by the insurgents, he painstakingly taught them to value the interventions they receive from the government through community organizing. The number of potential recruits in the area has recently dropped. Mr. Andaya has also conducted lectures on non Manide Tribe members on how to properly deal and communicate with the Katutubo. Even the Mayor himself received lectures and teachings from him on how to address the members of the tribe. Mr. Andaya was instrumental in the development of Isla ni Sion, the newest tourist destination in the island barangay of Salvacion. He initiated the negotiation with the owner of an idle beachfront lot along the shoreline of Barangay Salvacion, putting some small cottages where visitors can relax and enjoy the long stretch of fine white sand and crystal-clear sea.

Through his creativity, promotion, and support of his network group, the place has developed into a tourist attraction with water sports activities such as kayaking and paddle boarding. Mr. Artem assisted in the preparation of the documents of Mr. Ricky Noblesala so he can sit as IP representative to the Provincial Board. Mr. Andaya initiated the installation of the Sala de Manide or the Manide Nest, an elevated structure where visitors can take pictures of the views of the mountains and the blue seas below. The project harnessed the tourism potential of the community and is now frequently visited by many tourists. Mr. Artem does not derive any personal gain from the project, even materials used for painting were not deducted from the proceeds of the sales but 50 percent goes to the one who paints and the 50 percent is shared by the other members of the community.

Mr. Atem's proficiency in Manide's language allowed him to comprehend the needs of the Katutubo. They can easily relate to him because he was able to fully immerse himself in the IPs' way of life. He was able to make the necessary interventions to address the members' concerns since he was aware of the issues or needs in the community. Mr. Andaya, persuasion skills and the help of social media mobilized hundreds of volunteers during the massive clean-up conducted along the coastline of his barangay when it was covered with debris from shattered houses and structures brought ashore in the aftermath of Typhoon Ulysses. In less than two months 550 metric tons of debris and garbage were collected during the activity, saving the government about PHP1 million for labor and materials. Mr. Artem, who lives in the coastal Barangay Parang, observed that fishermen's fish catch was consistently dropping. In the barangay, he initiated the installation of artificial coral reefs. About 160 artificial reefs were installed along the waters of Barangay Parang. These artificial reefs provide fish habitats and help prevent the loss of biodiversity. When the waters of Barangay Salvacion were severely affected by the Crown of Thorns Starfish (COTS), Mr. Artem organized a team of volunteer divers from their barangay and they were able to remove thousands of COTS from their sea waters. Another positive effect of the activity was that the activity has instilled a sense of awareness among the residents on the importance of preserving the natural resources of the barangay. Illegal fishing was rampant in the area, but the Barangay Kagawad declares that it has now declined because the people have become more vigilant.

He also collaborated with Ms. Melba Angela R. Arciga, a Guidance Counselor of Jose Panganiban National High School (JPNHS), Jose Panganiban, Camarines Norte on the Learn Inspire Keep Healing thru Art or the Likha Project. Likha is a psycho-social intervention program that uses artistic expression as a strategy to maintain mental health balance. The activity was very helpful during the pandemic. They organized creative, fun learning and recreational activities for the teachers of the JPNHS. The guidance counselor provided the lectures and briefings while the drawing and visual aids used during the activity were from Mr. Andaya.

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