Ongoing Issues In The Philippines

Another tropical storm is working its way through the Visayas this week.  Tropical Storm Qunita has put Bohol and other islands in the area under Storm Warning Level 2, which is the second of four possible warnings in relation to tropical storms and typhoons.  Qunita is taking a more northerly path through the Visayas, avoiding Mindinao and traveling through Cebu province.  I haven't heard of any injuries or serious damage, but things can change rapidly and with little warning.

Quinta

On a different note: A recent report from the Education Department of the Philippines shows that over half a million students are seriously malnourished.  I will copy the entire news article from the Philippine National Inquirer:

"MANILA, Philippines — While Christendom is feasting on holiday food, poverty pushes over half a million elementary pupils to severe malnutrition.

The Department of Education (DepEd) disclosed that 562,262 pupils in kindergarten and elementary levels (Grades 1 to 6) enrolled in public schools this year have been considered “severely wasted” based on a nutritional status report as of Aug. 31, 2012.

These pupils are the target beneficiaries of a school-based feeding program to restore them to health and to keep them in school.

The DepEd through its Health and Nutrition Center (HNC) said, however, it could only feed 42,372 schoolchildren, or 7.54 percent of the identified severely malnourished pupils, in 1,010 public elementary schools in 28 provinces.

For the feeding of more than half a million malnourished pupils, school officials and teachers should collaborate with their respective local governments, nongovernment organizations, parent-teacher associations and other community volunteers for support, Education Secretary Armin Luistro said in a recent directive.

Schools were also encouraged to plant malunggay (moringa) trees and establish vegetable gardens to source ingredients for the children’s hot meals.

The school-based feeding program used to address “short-term hunger” experienced by children who do not eat breakfast and/or walk long distances to reach school, resulting in their inattentiveness in class or in frequent absences.

Malunggay

But since its implementation in 1997, the feeding program has shifted to addressing the more serious problem of undernutrition among schoolchildren, the DepEd said.

DepEd said the feeding intervention has been targeting young pupils in the critical stage of mental and physical development and vulnerable to illnesses and malnutrition. The dropout rate is also higher among younger pupils.

Luistro said the feeding program aims to rehabilitate at least 70 per cent of the severely wasted schoolchildren back to normal nutritional status at the end of 100 to 120 feeding days.

The program also seeks to increase the children’s attendance by 85 to 100 per cent and to improve the children’s health values and behavior.

The DepEd said each hot meal would cost about P15 based on developed recipes using malunggay.

From being a breakfast feeding program, it has been renamed as a school-based feeding program so as not to limit the feeding to breakfast time and to let school officials decide when best to feed the children."

What the report does not indicate is the number children who do not attend school who are also malnourished. 

Malunggay is a tree found in naturally in the Philippines which provides an extremely high level of nourishment and can be used in a variety of recipes.  A source here on the internet reports that: Malunggay has many nutrients. Each ounce of Malunggay contains 3 times the iron of spinach, 7 times the Vitamin C found in oranges, 4 times the Vitamin A of carrots, 3 times the potassium of bananas and 4 times as much calcium as milk.

I have had meals with this plant - I don't know if it will survive the winters here in New Mexico, but I will surely check it out.  

A Short Diversion

The Angels Acts of Kindness donation center.

I am glad to be home.  Although I miss the Philippines already, I know that being home and dealing with local needs is just as important as helping those on the other side of the world.  In between doing some ghost writing and spending time with the family, I am also helping out with a local charity -- Angels Acts of Kindness.  This Albuquerque-based non-profit has been gathering all sorts of toys, housewares and clothing to give to those families who are in need.  Although the majority of my time is being spent as security for the donation site, I am also playing "go-for" and jumping in where ever a hand is needed.

Novielinda and one of the children from Datag.

That doesn't mean that I'm not still working on projects for school children in Bohol.  In fact, the church at Datag is weighing very heavy on me at the moment. I don't usually "beg" for a donation, but I did already, kind of, sort of did on Facebook today.  Oh well . . . it's just that the small group of people who are trying to do some  good things for the kids in that church are struggling as well.  So to have a little Christmas program and provide some nominal gift for the kids should not really be a big project to accomplish . . . but it seems that bringing in a dollar for each child is asking too much.  It's frustrating -- not only for me, but also for those who are there working directly with the children.

Anyway - that's where I am and what I'm doing. I am still hoping for a return to Bohol the end of March or beginning of April . . . but there may also be a reason to go back in mid-February -- it has something to do with Datag.  Pray for it.

How Tough Are You (Part 2)

Gathering firewood and some coconuts

I mentioned a few articles ago about how tough and resilient the Filipino people are.  The recent typhoon which blew through the central Visayas region (which is where I as at) has wrecked havoc for many people. Homes are destroyed, possessions washed out to sea, lives lost, families separated and neighbors missing.  These aren't in any particular order -- I suppose loss of life should be the most significant, but frankly, all of these are quite catastrophic and probably deserve nearly equal emphasis.  This same region was hit by a typhoon around Christmas time last year.  Regardless of these tragedies, the Filipino people seem to be able to bounce back.  It makes me ask again, just how tough are we?

I was visiting one of the churches in Ubay - there are actually seven churches in that community, but I have only visited three so far.  Anyway, as we were leaving I saw a woman and a young boy coming out of the jungle.  The woman was carrying a large bundle of sticks on her head and the boy was carrying a branch and  a couple of coconuts.  This is something they do three or four times each week. I'm not sure I could carry the bundle of sticks.  I don't think I'm tough enough.

Pastor Jul, Scott and Buena

I paid a visit to Faith Christian Church in the Tubigon barangy of Panatayon . Home to a significant squatter settlement, I am always amazed at how much they do and with so little.  One of my favorite people that I've met there is Buenaventurada -- or Buena, for short.  She was struck down with polio when a very young child.  Her legs are severely impacted by the disease and so she's confined to a wheelchair.  No one was willing to take her to school until she was much older.  She finally graduated from high school last year . . . at the age of 26.  How many of us would stick it out?  I don't think most of us are tough enough.

Every time I think about these people, I wonder what is it about them that makes them so tough.  It makes me evaluate my own life, to scrutinize my own values -- and to complain a lot less and to work a lot harder.  And so I ask the question: How tough are you?

Jet Lag And More

So after essentially begging people to continue reading my blog, I found myself so "beat up" by jet lag and overall exhaustion from the previous six weeks, that I had little energy to do much at all -- let alone write a new entry on my blog. I apologize for those who kept coming by but finding nothing new.

Just a scene from Bohol.

I think that is one of the issues that does need to be addressed and acknowledged by both the short term missionary, the missionary's family, and those who have supported and followed that missionary during his or her travels.  Although I came home with a great deal of excitement and exuberance, I quickly found out that I was running on borrowed energy and that I would soon collapse into a state of "uselessness".  Now my pastor did warn me of that a little, urging me to relax and get my feet back under myself.  But you know how well I listen when I have a mission to pursue! Yeah, well, it kicked me hard, much harder than I thought it would.  So for those groups at church who are anxious to hear me talk about my adventures and accomplishments on the mission field . . . give it another week or so.  And with Christmas right around the corner, maybe we should wait until after the first of the year.  I DO want to visit with everyone and share as much as I can, but I think I would do everyone, including myself and those people I worked with in the Philippines, a disservice by responding too quickly to speaking engagements and so on.  Let me spend a little time processing what happened during those previous weeks so that I can give an honest and accurate accounting of my time there.

A few from the "old" port at Ubay.

I also have to get back into a routine regarding my income work -- I really fell way behind while over in the Philippines and that has put a crunch in my life here at home.  To say the least, we're behind a little.  I'm not concerned, but I am needing to be focused and a little more aggressive regarding my work schedule.  And that is another reason why I'm not anxious to start traveling to do speaking engagements -- I have to put some food on the table, make a house payment and all of those other things all of you have to do too.  Oh, and I had a visit to the dentist just yesterday as well -- it was planned already, although I confess I totally forgot about it.  Anyway, my mouth is in need of some work, so that requires some extra monies and scheduling of time.  (There's always something!).  Some good news is that I have been asked to tutor a local high school student -- I will meet with her for the first time this afternoon, so will see how that works out.  If we are a "match", than there will be a little more income to help take care of all of those other things.

I do plan that my next article will be back to things that happened in the Philippines.  I have many more stories to tell and photos to go with the stories.  I still have several dozen video clips to sort through and play with as well, and I hope to post those here as well (or at least links to them on YouTube).  With that, please accept my apology for not having posted something sooner, but please also understand my need for a little break.

Don't Stop Now!

I confess . . . I'm a "numbers" guy.  I can look at  numbers and find significance in their order and the manipulation of data.  So when I see my blog numbers plummet the moment I return to the US, I begin to panic.  Please, don't stop reading my blog just because I'm back in the States.  I have many more stories to tell, and I will be planning my next visit to the Philippines and will like you to plan along with me.  Even if you don't think you will ever take that trip across the ocean with me in person, please be willing to plan and travel with me in spirit.  I have said this before, and it holds true for the future  . . . I can't do this alone.  It takes many people to get me there, to sustain me while I'm in country, to watch over my family while I'm gone, and to encourage me when I return.

I have many more stories to tell -- don't stop reading now!

So anyway -- this is just a short plea to everyone out there who has read my blog in the past, please continue to visit each day to see what new story I have to add.  Among my plans for the future include a series of lessons on how to prepare for a short-term mission project, how to become a new breed of missionary, why it is important that people support missionary efforts and various ways to provide support.

Mall of Asia

My last two and one half days in the Philippines were spent in the capital city of Manila.  Compared to the simple life-styles enjoyed in much of Bohol where I spent the better part of five weeks, Manila is just chaotic.  People walking, people selling things on the streets, Jeepneys, tricycles, buses, trucks and cars.  More people.  More street vendors.  More vans, cars, motorcycles and Jeepneys.   Now I was in the area known as Pasay (PASS - eye).  It was near the airport and offered some inexpensive hotels.  There are other areas of Manila which may be a little less intense, but I think Pasay is representative of most of Metro Manila.

Mall of Asia from the Jeepney drop off point.

One of the attractions of Pasay is the Mall of Asia.  Touted as the largest mall in all of Asia, it offers corridor after corridor of shops.  Some of them are large, some of them small, all of them selling things that the average Filipino living in a bamboo house somewhere in the province could never afford.  The Mall of Asia is great for tourists and for those Filipinos who make a generous living.  I've never talked about that latter class of people, but there are around 20 percent of Filipinos who enjoy a life style equal or better than the average American.  They are mostly professional people who have found a niche that pays them on par with their counterparts in the rest of the world.  And they enjoy shopping for the finer things in life which are all offered at the Mall of Asia.

Yes, it is Krispy Kreme!

I found a place to enjoy a cup of coffee -- it was a Krispy Kreme donut shop -- for real.  I sat and watched the people.  Unlike the streets of Manila near EDSA and Taft where my hotel was located, the corridors of the Mall of Asia were reasonably peaceful and calm.  It is a shopping mall, however, so there are throngs of people making their way from shop to shop.  What set them off for me as I watched was the way they were dressed.  The majority of men were dressed casually -- jeans or khakis, polos or nice t-shirts, and brand name sneakers.  Most of the women were wearing designer jeans or skirts or slacks from one fashion house or another.  They had more than enough jewelry.  What I saw that caught my attention the most were the shoes.  I have a friend who likes to wear some rather outrageous shoes, but she has nothing on what these women were wearing. I should have taken pictures but didn't want to be rude or "touristy".  I think if I were ever to open a business in Manila, I would sell shoes.

A portion of the ice skating rink in MoA

There is even an ice skating rink there.  Most of it was covered with a special Christmas village selling all sorts of European style wares, but a small section of it was still open and I did see several people enjoying the ice.  It looked like a fun place.  In all, the Mall of Asia was one of the nicer malls I've ever been to.  I did a little shopping for gifts to bring home at a place called Kultura, which sells Filipino culture-related items.  They were all a little over priced, but everything sold in malls no matter where you're at are over priced.  Still, the t-shirts that I bought were not more than $10 each, so I considered my shopping experience to be a bargain compared to what I would have paid in the US.

One of the many corridors inside MoA

Honestly, I didn't spend too much time there. I visited twice.  Once on the day I arrived in Manila and once on the day I left Manila.  The ride to the mall was 8 pesos each way (20 cents) via Jeepney or van.  The traffic was generally chaotic, the pollution was intense, and the visual impact of the scenes along the main streets of Pasay was surreal.  The mall was an interesting diversion from everything else I had seen in my five week stay in the Philippines.  But just like New York City doesn't represent life in the majority of the US, life in Manila is far from representative of the provinces and communities of the Philippines.  I was glad to have had the experience of visiting Manila.  I'd like to take other people there to show them what it's like.  But if I have a choice of where I would want to spend my last two days in the Philippines during future visits, Manila would be last on the list.  Give me Carmen or Jagna, Taliban or Datag, or even Tagbilaran or Cagayan de Oro, but  leave Manila off the itinerary.  As for the Mall of Asia, it too was an interesting place to visit -- but for the people I've met in Bohol and Camiguin, the Mall of Asia is a fantasy land.  The cup of coffee I enjoyed there cost far more than most Filipinos earn in a day.  With the exception of visiting there while playing tour guide, I doubt that I will return to the largest mall in Asia -- I'd rather visit the market in Ubay.

Back In The USA

This will be short.  I left Manila on Dec 5th.  I arrived in Guam on Dec 6th.  I arrived in Hawaii on Dec 5th.  I arrived in Albuquerque on Dec 6th.  I think getting over the jet lag is going to be rough.

I have several other articles to write regarding this latest trip, but I'm so wiped out from the travel that it will be a day or two before I get anything new posted.  I hope that Friday is productive, both here on the blog and also on my writing-for-a-living work.

Other than the jet lag, my trip home was uneventful.  Well, I confess I was a little annoyed at the number of times I went through airport security screenings.  I'm grateful for a system that wants to keep travelers safe, but I was searched four different times -- it seemed that no one knew who had been screened and who had not.  But if that is the worse that happened, I think I did just fine.

More tomorrow -- I'm eating dinner and then headed for bed a little early.  I don't know what time I will wake up.

How Tough Are You?

I've met some resilient people in the Philippines -- people who survive against what most of us in America would consider incredible odds.  I think they put us to shame when I consider all that we have and how much we complain.  They do it with a smile.

Merlym Tajo

I came to the Philippines with a specific mission.  Although I don't feel like I accomplished all that I set out to do, I am coming back home with an armload of information and ideas.  But like my first visit to the Philippines last February, it has been the side trips which are providing the real story.  Here is a story aimed at the high school students.  So if you're an adult reading this, please be certain to share it with any of the young people you know.

I want you to meet Merlym Tajo.  She is 16 and has one and a half more years to complete in high school.  But unlike most of the high school students I know back in the U.S., Merlym has a little different situation to deal with in completing her education.  Her home is tucked back in the hills somewhere -- I never had the chance to visit her home -- one of the many things on my to-do list which never came to be.  No one makes her go to school.  No one expects her to go to school. But she goes every day.  In order to get to her high school, she has to walk a little over three kilometers (two miles).  But the trail to her school runs up into the mountains through the jungle overgrowth.  There are some roads she could walk but it would triple the distance she would have to travel.  The roads are narrow and extremely dangerous.   There are no school buses.  No mom or dad or older brother with a car to drop her off and pick her up at school.  She makes the trek every day, regardless of the weather.  I've walked in some of those jungle areas and can assure you that you don't really want to be there when it's raining.  It becomes muddy and slippery very fast, it's hot and the humidity reaches 100 percent, the mosquitoes and other insects seem to come out in full force.  I'll say it again -- you really don't want to be there.  Yet, Merlym pushes herself every day, never missing school, never late to class.

The jungle path to Merlym's house.

What is her motivation?  Why does she continue on, day after day?  What makes her "tick"?  She has a goal.  She is determined to go to Bible college after she graduates from high school.  She is already in the process of taking over teaching all of the children's Sunday school classes and she is a leader among the youth of the church.  She is committed at all costs to the work of teaching others about her faith and her love of her Lord.  Don't let the  photo at the beginning of this article fool you.  The sweet looking girl dressed in blue and pink is tough and tenacious -- both physically and mentally.

So my question for any high schooler in the U.S. who might be reading this . . . how tough are you?  Do you have what it takes to possess this level of commitment?  No one expects you to move into a bamboo hut deep in the jungle.  No one is asking you to reject a ride from a friend or family member on your way to school or youth group.  But when you look at the things you have, the opportunities which are so readily available to you, are you going to complain about how difficult your life is?  Or will you step up to the challenges which are in front of you and tackle them with a sense of urgency and purpose?  I hope you chose the latter.  I hope that Merlym can serve as an example for you, to give you inspiration and courage as you face the life ahead of you.

A candid moment reveals some of Merlym's toughness.

One more thing.  Merlym hasn't a clue about where she will get the financial resources for college.  Her family doesn't have the ability to send her.  The church doesn't bring in enough offering each week to pay for its own expenses, let alone support a college student.  Now her schooling is nowhere near as costly as it would be in America.   Fifty dollars a month will send her to a Bible college in Cebu, covering all of her expenses: room, board, books, and tuition.  It wouldn't include any "spending" money, but most of the youth in the Philippines don't know what spending money is anyway.  Here's a thought . . .maybe one of the youth reading this will accept the challenge of raising support for Merlym to go to college.  It isn't a huge amount, and you have over a year to do it in.  What do you think?  Any takers?

Where In The World Is Datag? (Part 2)

I've looked on the best maps I can find -- but I still can not find Datag.  When I do a Google search I come up with a place on Bohol called Datag, but it is not the same location -- it is too far east from where we were.  We had traveled from Carmen into Sierra Bullones, which is to the west, and then up into the mountains from there.  I will try to get some better directions from Pastor David and see if I can actually pinpoint the location.

Novie at the entrance to  Datag Christian Church

So I left off telling about my arrival in Datag (DAH-tag) and how there were several children waiting to meet me.  Actually, it turned out that there was a total of 81 children gathered to meet Pastor David and myself.  There were probably 20 parents there as well. I was impressed.  Not because so many had gathered, but because this little church was holding itself together without the benefit of any "assigned" pastor.  The elders were leading worship services on Sundays as well as Bible studies during the week.  I was told that the list of 81 children was not complete . . . there were others who were unable to meet with us that day.  This was a very large church considering that the town was small and the church building even smaller. We have Sunday school rooms in American that are bigger than this church building.

Some of the children awaiting our arrival.

Novie and Sanny led the children in some songs, with David playing the guitar.  It was a mix of English and Bisaya -- I am picking up on the dialects a little . . . I heard a lot of Boholano "country-folk" pronunciations.  Then I was given a chance to talk for a while with David doing a running translation for me.  I'm not sure what they expected, but I did my best to tell some encouraging stories.  Afterward was a meal that the women of the church had prepared.  I was a little surprised at that.  These are extremely poor people.  Their primary means of subsistence are the vegetables they grow in little garden patches.  Even the church had beds of green onions growing.  They either use the vegetables for their own meals or they take them to into Sierra Bullones to sell.  One man told of his trip down the mountain -- about three hours walking from his place in Datag -- to sell some beans.  He was able to sell them for 150 pesos . . . which is about $3.75.  He bought some rice and a few other items they needed and then returned home . . . about four hours walking, as it is all up hill.  This was his income for his family for the week.  While most of the meal consisted of vegetables, there was some meat also -- pork and chicken -- which surprised me a little as well, as meat is very expensive for them.  I tried to slip some money to Novie for her to give to the woman in charge of meal preparation . . . the woman declined gracefully.  I left the money under my plate.

The children are very eager to sing and worship.

After our meal I sat down among the children and tried to engage in some conversation.  As is typical with Filipino children, they are shy and very reluctant to try their English around a real "kano".  But there are always a few bolder ones who take up the role of "go-between".  I've found that it is easier to get them to help me learn some of their dialect than it is for me to try teaching them English.  They all laugh at the funny sounding American and enjoy correcting his poor pronunciation.  We compared some similarities between Spanish and Bisaya - numbers, sapatos (shoes), la mesa (table) and so on.  It was a fun time and a good ice breaker.  I am sure I will be greeted warmly the next time I visit.

Soon it was time to go.  Junel had gotten the other motorcycle repaired and had joined us just in time for the meal.  David promised to take me on an alternative route -- it would take longer but would not require any walking.  That sounded good to me.  The roads were still unimproved, and there were many muddy places where we "slogged" through but nothing that required any walking.  After about an hour we intersected with a paved road.  Ah, civilization!  The remainder of the trip was uneventful and we arrived safely in Carmen several hours after beginning our ride home.  It was still better than walking.

Datag is one of those places that I will always remember.  I'm not sure how or when or why, but I know that I will return there again.

Where In The World Is Datag? (Part 1)

Datag -- if you've ever wanted to get far away from the crowds, than this is the place.  I'm sure there are more remote places in the world than Datag, but on the island of Bohol this is probably about as remote as you can get.  We were going to visit a small church there and meet with the some of the parents and children.

It doesn't look bad here, but this is the "road" we
traveled on to reach Datag. It becomes much steeper.

We left Carmen early Saturday morning.  I had been warned that the road to Datag was rough.  My host family from Ubay was trying very hard to discourage me from going due not only to road conditions, but also  because the area around Datag has been home to some unsavory people.  My travel companions, one whom  has been a member of the police auxiliary and also police chaplain, assured me that there was no danger.  So, we started out.  Two motorcycles with five travelers.  There was myself and Pastor David on one and Pastor Junel, Novelinda and Sanny on the second.  Please understand - I weigh more than Novie and Sanny combined, so the second motorcycle was far better off than the one I was on.  The first hour was uneventful, but finally we reached the place where the ride started to become difficult.  We passed a walking trail that headed off into the jungle.  David explained that it was used by the people in that area as a shortcut when traveling on foot.  I noted that it was probably a  nice path on a bright sunny day, but if the weather turned wet or once nightfall came, it would not be a very good trail to travel on.

Pastor David waiting near the trail at the first shelter for
his wife Sanny and her sister Novelinda.

David and I ended up ahead of the others by five minutes or so.  The incline was such that I had to get off and walk.  David went ahead and I caught up with him at the next level section of the trail (I'd never call it a road).  We waited for the others.  We waited a little more.  Finally David headed back down to see what was keeping them.  And there I was, standing in the middle of I-don't-know-where all alone and realizing that this was a rather uncomfortable setting.  I checked my cellphone -- I had one "bar" -- more than I'd expected to have.  About ten minutes later David returned.  The other motorcycle had a flat tire.  Junel was pushing it back to the nearest "vulcanization" shop while Novie and Sanny were taking the shortcut on foot.  So David and I started back up the path to where there was a shelter for the walking trail.  Several times during the trip to meet the others I had to get off because the incline was too great for the motorcycle to handle.  Finally we reached the first shelter.  We waited.  And we waited.  My cellphone chimed -- it was Novie -- they were already at the second shelter.  It had taken us so long to get up the path with the motorcycle, they had actually gotten ahead of us.

We continued our little game of walking and riding, and eventually we caught up to them.  I've posted those photos of the Filipino family with four or five people riding on a motorcycle.  Well that was now our situation.  While the road was "level", we loaded all four of us onto the bike - David driving, then me, then Novie -- Sanny sat side saddle on the gas tank.  For me, this was truly a unique experience. For the others, this was just another typical trip to Datag.  David had made this trip two times a week for over a year when he was doing an outreach program in the remote village.  Sanny and Novie also traveled there repeatedly during that same year.

The church at Datag.  It's only a little longer than its width.

So we continued on our journey. Walking and riding, walking and riding.  We reached the edge of Datag and were greeted by a shout from up on top of a hill.  You've seen those bamboo military-looking outposts on the old war movies and such.  That's where the shout came from.  I saw the men.  It looked like they had guns.  Yes, they did have guns.  Oh . . . interesting . . . is all I could think of to say.  It turns out that it actually was a military outpost.  David knew several of the men, and after a brief conversation we continued on down the road.  Once inside the village, the road turned to real concrete and it almost seemed like any other small town in the Philippines.  After several hours, we'd finally arrived in Datag.  I'm not sure of the actual driving distance, but I don't think it was more than 8 or 9 kilometers.  A short distance down the road we pulled up at the entry to the church and parked our one motorcycle along the edge of the road.  From the doorway of the church I could see curious children peering out at us.  Lots of children.  I'm not sure how the building was holding them all as it was just a tiny building.  They were ready for us.  

 Was I ready for them?