Barako Publishing proudly co-hosted a landmark community workshop on July 12 at La Luz Beach Resort, a pioneer in the Laiya tourism industry. Facilitated by WWF-Philippines educators Dino Calderon and Maye Padilla, the workshop focused on co-creating the Barako 77 Educational Module—a localized curriculum component that will be integrated into both public and private schools across the town.
The commmunity workshop participants
The workshop brought together a diverse and dynamic group of stakeholders united by a shared commitment to heritage preservation, environmental advocacy, and youth empowerment. Among the attendees were Barako Publishing Publisher Ciara Marasigan Serumgard, Barako Publishing Executive Director Farrah Rodriguez, Concerned Citizens of San Juan Heritage Preservation Advocate Horacio “Zaldy” Marasigan Jr., Boy Scouts of the Philippines Senior Vice President Cedrick Train, Municipal Environment and Natural Resources Officer Noelito Pasco, Municipal Tourism Representatives Jholo Vilano and Lara Reyes, Rover Circle XXIII Institutional Head and Circle Manager Vincent Fabella, Rover Circle 23 – Musketeers Representative Leann Muego, Casa Amara Resort Owner Gemma Corotan Kolb, Joseph Marello Institute Principal Bega Ladao, Batangas Eastern Colleges Academic Coordinator of the College Department Geraldine Bagnes, Department of Education San Juan East District and West District Principals and Heads of School, Batangas Scuba Academy Instructor and Marine Life Photographer Marivic Verdadero Maramot, Scouting America’s Kirby and Kieran Serumgard.
Participants engaged in a variety of collaborative and creative processes including memory mapping, visioning exercises, identification of learning blocks, and designing contextualized learning experiences. These activities laid the foundation for an educational module that honors local memory, highlights the town’s abundant heritage, and empowers learners to be stewards of the environment.
Batangas Scuba Academy’s Marivic Verdadero Maramot
Sico 1.0 National High School Principal Job Triviño and his team impressed participants with their swift initiative by releasing a published pamphlet documenting the community workshop on the very same day. Back in the 1970s, Concerned Citizens of San Juan leader Horacio V. Marasigan found a powerful way to inform the public about the dangers of a proposed copper smelter: the pamphlet. With the use of a typewriter and a Gestetner mimeograph machine, pamphlets were produced and widely distributed through teachers in both public and private schools, reaching students and their families across town. Research now shows how effective that grassroots system was in educating and mobilizing the community. Horacio’s brother Cesar is the visionary behind La Luz Beach Resort, the workshop venue partner. He was also a valued member of the CCSJ.
The Barako 77 Educational Module is inspired by the eco-activism of the Concerned Citizens of San Juan in the seventies, whose legacy lives on through the youth of today. This module aims to nurture the Barako Values (Pagiging Mausisa / Curiosity, Masusi sa Pagsusuri / Critical Thinking, Malasakit sa Kapwa / Care for Others, Lakas ng Loob / Courage), instill pride in local identity, deepen environmental consciousness, and spark collective action in classrooms across San Juan. Barako Publishing proudly supports the mission-aligned Scouting Movement—a partnership that empowers the next generation of eco-champions with values-based education, fosters impactful leadership, and cultivates a lasting love for heritage.
