FROM NASSA - The National Secretariate for Social Action (Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines)
STATEMENT ON THE KIDNAPPING OF FR. MICHAEL SINNOT The CBCP National Secretariat for Social Action – Justice & Peace strongly denounces the kidnapping of Columban Missionary, Fr. Michael Sinnot, last October 11 in his home in Pagadian City, Zamboanga del Sur. We appeal to the kidnappers of Fr. Sinnot to release him immediately so he may safely return to his parish and his community.
Fr. Sinnot has been active in various social services, like in the Centre and School for Special Children, which he established, and has been bravely working for interfaith, and peacebuilding programs in Mindanao.
We express our solidarity with the Diocese of Pagadian, headed by the Most Rev. Emmanuel Cabajar, and to the community of the Columban Missionaries.
We likewise emphasize that Fr. Sinnot’s kidnapping constitutes a flagrant distortion of the aims and aspirations of the peace-loving people of Mindanao. It is a desecration of the religious values and an infringement against the spirit of human dignity and solidarity, which the Muslims and Christians are jointly pursuing.
A crime of this kind is a fresh reminder of the need for a sustained effort in dealing with kidnapping and abduction committed by terrorist groups. We call upon the government to bring to justice those responsible for this outrageous crime and demonstrate that lawlessness and impunity will not be tolerated.
+ BRODERICK S. PABILLO, D.D National Director
************************************************************************************
From Peace Advocates Zamboanga (PAZ)
An Appeal for the Freedom of Fr. Michael Sinnott
(A statement by Peace Advocates Zamboanga.)
THE kidnapping of Irish priest Fr. Michael Sinnott last Sunday, October 11, in Pagadian City, Zamboanga del Sur is yet another serious assault against our hallowed belief in the sacredness of every human life, against the democratic order that enables us to live in dignity, security and peace as a community and society of God-fearing and law-abiding citizens.
The old age of 79 year-old Fr. Sinnott and the fact that he devoted much of his life to serve the poor and marginalized people of Mindanao, especially those in our home region, including indigenous and peoples of other religious faiths, make this kidnapping extraordinarily cruel and saddening. The value of Fr. Sinnott’s life and work is beyond any ransom price. For its despicable and unspeakable evil and barbarity do we strongly condemn this kidnapping of a holy man.
We, therefore, urge and appeal to our civilian, police and military authorities to exercise their duty and exert all efforts for the early and safe freedom of Fr. Sinnott. We propose that appropriate rewards be given to any person/s that will promptly help bring this about.
We appeal to our fellow citizens, including civil society peace and community development workers, to remain true and strong in the face of this assault against our shared principles and beliefs. We are again challenged by this crime.
We commiserate with the fellow priests in the Missionary Society of St. Columban of Fr. Sinnott in the anguish that his kidnapping may cause them, as they cause in us as well. We are confident – as we stand in solidarity with the Columban community in the Philippines – that no kidnapping, no act of violence against missionaries will ever, as it never did in the past, stop them in their mission to uplift peoples through the power of their faith, benefits of education, and emancipation through social justice and freedom. Indeed, the always divine yet often difficult and dangerous pursuit of this noble, life-giving mission holds the essence of true martyrdom, which calls all to work in the service of others no matter the personal cost.
We appeal to people to pray for Fr. Sinnott, for God to strengthen and preserve him in this his hour of great trial. And yes, let us most of all pray for the captors, that God may overflow their hearts with His miracle of repentance, mercy and grace. “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” – (Mark 11:24).
Zamboanga City, October 14, 2009.
FR. ANGEL C. CALVO, CMF
President
PAZ/ KATILINGBAN
CLARET
San Jose Road Zamboanga City
Tel: 63 62 9911168CP/ +639177102926
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Western Mindanao
The past three weeks have been spent in facilitating trainings in Zamboanga and Ipil. The first training was five days with a group of Asian Catholics, 27 in all, on the Mission of Peacemaking. The core message for that workshop is "You make peace with your enemies, not with your friends." And who is your enemy? One whose story you have not yet heard because you either do not have the opportunity to listen to this person or you don't want to create that space for the person to tell his or her story. As one of the participants said "This is very very difficult for me!" Sigh... nobody said peacemaking is easy or all nicey-nicey.
The second workshop was a week of working with grassroots leaders, some of them barangay officials, and the core message for this workshop is "When you advocate for peace, you have to involve all stakeholders and anchor your advocacy in policies supportive of peace." And when we say ALL, we mean ALL and that is why it is important do to a stakeholders' analysis as well as dialogue instead of debate on who is the better among us. It was very interesting to note that even the barangay captains did not know that there is a Government's Peace Program.
For the information of the reading public, the Government of the Republic of the Philippines has drafted a Peace Program way back in 1993 with FVR as the signing officer of an Executive Order 125.
The government then identified 5 major causes of conflict in the Philippines -
• massive poverty and economic inequity;
• poor governance (local justice not implemented, lack of response in terms of basic services);
• injustice and abuse of power;
• control by few of political power; and
• exploitation of cultural communities and lack of recognition of their ancestral domain.
In response, the Government’s Peace Process has the following principles:
• …should be community-based, reflecting the sentiments, values and principles important to all Filipinos. Thus, it shall be defined not by government alone, nor by the different contending groups only, but by Filipinos as one community.
• …aims to forge a new social compact for a just, equitable, humane, and pluralistic society. It seeks to establish a genuinely pluralistic political society….
• …seeks a principled and peaceful resolution of the internal armed conflicts, with neither blame nor surrender, but with dignity for all concerned
The government also came up with the 6 Paths to Peace as the Government's Peace Program
• Pursuit of social, economic, and political reforms (that address the roots of the armed conflicts)
• Consensus-building and empowerment for peace
• Peaceful, negotiated settlement with the different rebel groups
• Programs for reconciliation, reintegration into mainstream society, and rehabilitation
• Addressing concerns arising from the continuing armed hostilities
• Building and nurturing a climate conducive to peace
On February 28, 2001, GMA (Gloria Macapagal Arroyo - present President) signed EO 03 reaffirming EO 125 "Defining Policy and Administrative Structure for the Government’s Peace Efforts". GMA stated the peace program in her 10 Point Agenda (or was it 11?) under Agenda # 9.
In 2004, Congress approved the National Peace Plan, and this has been integrated into the Medium Term Philippine Development Plan (Chapter 14).
And yet, Peace work is seen as either a military endeavor or "it's the work of the religious leaders" or "leave that to the NGOs". This brings me so much frustration - the peace program is actually very doable and the government has the infrastructure (down to the purok level) and the budget (delivery of basic services or "seeing governance down to the grassroots"). I just hope that the barangay leaders who participated in the workshop can really do something in their own barangays to further the work for peace.
The third workshop is with a group of inter-religious leaders (Muslims, Catholics and Protestants) in Ipil - it was fun with the Bishop participating as much as the others in the group. The core message is "The world is made for diversity, we learn to live together or perish." (In other words - All religions have peace as their core message. We can tap into that to build a more respectful environment.) My greatest learning in this workshop is how important the presence of the Bishop was ... he participated in the guarding of chairs (ha ha, I wish I had that picture!), in engaging in an out-of-this-world conversation piece (I wish I had the picture of the debriefing laughing so hard with the Bishop, tears flowing down our faces), and freely speaking his thoughts, his feelings, his realizations. I just felt that what the IRD group was doing in Ipil had the 1001% support of this man! And you can see that the members of the group (Muslims, Protestants, lay Catholics) felt they could approach him. I salute you, Bishop Joy!
And then... I too have my typhoon story. I was at EUNTES in Zamboanga City when Ondoy first hit the country. There was such strong wind and rain. At around 2 o'clock in the morning of September 26, I woke up to the noise of what was like the dragging of chairs outside my room so I got up and opened the door to peep out and saw the plastic chairs on the veranda being "pushed around" by the strong wind! When it was much lighter, I met up with the other inhabitants of EUNTES and shared my story. The participant from PNG said "I got up and saw our chair missing so I looked for it and saw it thrown into the trash bin!" (and the trash bin is outside and below the veranda!). Sigh... we are proud to be Pinoys who help other Pinoys. And please dear God, spare us from future typhoons, inshaallah!!!
The second workshop was a week of working with grassroots leaders, some of them barangay officials, and the core message for this workshop is "When you advocate for peace, you have to involve all stakeholders and anchor your advocacy in policies supportive of peace." And when we say ALL, we mean ALL and that is why it is important do to a stakeholders' analysis as well as dialogue instead of debate on who is the better among us. It was very interesting to note that even the barangay captains did not know that there is a Government's Peace Program.
For the information of the reading public, the Government of the Republic of the Philippines has drafted a Peace Program way back in 1993 with FVR as the signing officer of an Executive Order 125.
The government then identified 5 major causes of conflict in the Philippines -
• massive poverty and economic inequity;
• poor governance (local justice not implemented, lack of response in terms of basic services);
• injustice and abuse of power;
• control by few of political power; and
• exploitation of cultural communities and lack of recognition of their ancestral domain.
In response, the Government’s Peace Process has the following principles:
• …should be community-based, reflecting the sentiments, values and principles important to all Filipinos. Thus, it shall be defined not by government alone, nor by the different contending groups only, but by Filipinos as one community.
• …aims to forge a new social compact for a just, equitable, humane, and pluralistic society. It seeks to establish a genuinely pluralistic political society….
• …seeks a principled and peaceful resolution of the internal armed conflicts, with neither blame nor surrender, but with dignity for all concerned
The government also came up with the 6 Paths to Peace as the Government's Peace Program
• Pursuit of social, economic, and political reforms (that address the roots of the armed conflicts)
• Consensus-building and empowerment for peace
• Peaceful, negotiated settlement with the different rebel groups
• Programs for reconciliation, reintegration into mainstream society, and rehabilitation
• Addressing concerns arising from the continuing armed hostilities
• Building and nurturing a climate conducive to peace
On February 28, 2001, GMA (Gloria Macapagal Arroyo - present President) signed EO 03 reaffirming EO 125 "Defining Policy and Administrative Structure for the Government’s Peace Efforts". GMA stated the peace program in her 10 Point Agenda (or was it 11?) under Agenda # 9.
In 2004, Congress approved the National Peace Plan, and this has been integrated into the Medium Term Philippine Development Plan (Chapter 14).
And yet, Peace work is seen as either a military endeavor or "it's the work of the religious leaders" or "leave that to the NGOs". This brings me so much frustration - the peace program is actually very doable and the government has the infrastructure (down to the purok level) and the budget (delivery of basic services or "seeing governance down to the grassroots"). I just hope that the barangay leaders who participated in the workshop can really do something in their own barangays to further the work for peace.
The third workshop is with a group of inter-religious leaders (Muslims, Catholics and Protestants) in Ipil - it was fun with the Bishop participating as much as the others in the group. The core message is "The world is made for diversity, we learn to live together or perish." (In other words - All religions have peace as their core message. We can tap into that to build a more respectful environment.) My greatest learning in this workshop is how important the presence of the Bishop was ... he participated in the guarding of chairs (ha ha, I wish I had that picture!), in engaging in an out-of-this-world conversation piece (I wish I had the picture of the debriefing laughing so hard with the Bishop, tears flowing down our faces), and freely speaking his thoughts, his feelings, his realizations. I just felt that what the IRD group was doing in Ipil had the 1001% support of this man! And you can see that the members of the group (Muslims, Protestants, lay Catholics) felt they could approach him. I salute you, Bishop Joy!
And then... I too have my typhoon story. I was at EUNTES in Zamboanga City when Ondoy first hit the country. There was such strong wind and rain. At around 2 o'clock in the morning of September 26, I woke up to the noise of what was like the dragging of chairs outside my room so I got up and opened the door to peep out and saw the plastic chairs on the veranda being "pushed around" by the strong wind! When it was much lighter, I met up with the other inhabitants of EUNTES and shared my story. The participant from PNG said "I got up and saw our chair missing so I looked for it and saw it thrown into the trash bin!" (and the trash bin is outside and below the veranda!). Sigh... we are proud to be Pinoys who help other Pinoys. And please dear God, spare us from future typhoons, inshaallah!!!
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Being in Timor Leste
Timor Leste
August 21, 2008
The Prayer
“Lead us to a place where we’ll be safe…”
In 2006, when TL blew up because of the violent conflict, one sister played this song in a workshop saying “When things are just so bad in our compound full of IDPs (Internally Displace Peoples), I listen to this song over and over again.” She played the song and then I saw that when the words “Lead us to a place where we’ll be safe” was sung, this was the part she cried the most. My tears fell, too. And from then on, whenever I heard this song, I thought of her and her people and the many more IDPs in the world.
My heart is with the around 100,000 people in Mindanao who are also displaced by the war. So many years spent on building the trust and confidence and relationship between warring parties. So many resources (human and others) already used to push the peace talks forward. Hopes have been built, bridges have been constructed, professionally ethical relationships have been forged… and then WHAM!
My thoughts on this – along the way of years of talking peace, lessons have been learned and incorporated. However, one key lesson that I am not sure if the government has learned is that the peace talk is not the peace process. I am very disappointed because I am proud of the fact that my country is one that has an Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) and it is because of this that the government invited the different rebel groups to talk peace with the state as part of the over-all peace process. If only my government focuses as much on the peace process (which is involving the LGUs in working for an environment more conducive for sustainable development and peace which translates to food on the table, money for school, clinics and free health support, the option to allow or not allow mining in one’s ancestral land, sleep in one’s house without being threatened, to walk freely and safe around one’s town)… as on the peace talks….
I believe it is the moral responsibility of the government to ensure that the peace process and the peace talks go well. When I say government, I mean the duly elected leaders from the barangay to the national level because it is their peace plan. We, civil society, are working hard to cooperate with the peace plan because this is our country after all and the plan is the most noble one so far, from the government of this country. Sigh… there seems to be a HUGE disconnect between the national government, its agencies, the local government, local agencies and the over-all PEACE PLAN of the GRP. When can they put their act together? Meanwhile…
My heart bleeds for my people…, emergency aid workers, the parishes and dioceses, the ummah, the religious leaders, civil society workers who are trying to make some sense on what’s happening, the fighters, the national leadership but most of all… the displaced many of whom are being displaced… again! (for the nth time?)...
In my heart is also a sense of smoldering anger… the people who started all of these: Can they sleep comfortably in their homes? Can they eat and not choke knowing there are people out there who are lining up for their daily supply of food? Do they feel a sense of guilt or are they so consumed with their sense of triumph and self-righteousness that guilt has no place in their hearts? Who are the sectors that feed into the conflict? Can they hum happily to themselves on the way to the bank knowing they are gaining so much at the expense of people’s lives?
The most difficult part is that I am not with my people right now. I miss my team back in Davao. I know they are now sitting down with some of our partners, making sense out of the chaos, and I am looking forward to their sharing their analysis with me. I feel proud to belong to a team who unceasingly works with the people in the communities and listens and responds! Keep our hopes burning!!!
------- 0 0 0 -------
There are less IDPs now in Timor. Many have gone back home. Some say it is because the police have been stronger – before arriving here, I read of how the young people protested against the parliament buying so many luxury cars while the country is still trying to recover and there are many who have no houses to live in, many are still sick, many are still lacking in employment and education. The government allowed them to demonstrate but not to enter into the parliament grounds. The young people tested the government policy by entering into the grounds and the police just came in and, from the account I heard, “just beat up the students and loaded them into vehicles and put them in jail! And if the young persons escape, they went to the homes and got whoever was there – father, brother, etc and will only free up these family members if the young person suspected of disobeying the law surrenders him/herself.” And I asked “But what about human rights?” I was told “No talks of human rights at this time, we have to establish first the rule of law.” I shook my head… I have talked with people around me and some say this is true, others say that the police will only get your family if you did a terrible crime. I have to confirm this with my police students up in Dare!
Last year, the relationship between the police and military were still testy (they killed each other in 2006). And this year, they seem to be doing well together. Some people think this is the better way – for people to forget what happened in the past and to go forward from here. Some people here think that a lot of work has to be done with people’s hearts and they do feel sad that things are being done only on the HEAD LEVEL. I tend to agree with the latter although I do agree that the country might not be able to take a long PAUSE and SUSPEND everything while working through people’s hearts (can we do this? Is there somewhere in this world that this was done so that HEALING can really take place before talking of … “Okay, where do we go from here?”). I wish JPL and MAN will read my blog and give me an answer hahaha.
I just came back from a two day travel to the frontier (border between Timor Leste and West Timor – the Indonesian half of the island) and helped in the evaluation process of a program that dealt with peacebuilding among the young people living along the border. As I looked out to the Indonesian part from the mountains of TL, I thought of the work already being done to bridge the relationship between neighbors. I read that the Indonesian government accepted full responsibility for the actions done by their soldiers during the 1999 burning and killings in TL. I was glad but felt uncomfortable. There was no apology that went with it. On the other hand, what good is “I am sorry” if there is no rectification and acceptance of responsibility for one’s action? I wonder what will happen next for this tiny country and its giant neighbors (to include Australia).
I have to go back to the mountains of Dare and so will have to sign off now.
Be well and blessings
From Deng in TL
August 21, 2008
The Prayer
“Lead us to a place where we’ll be safe…”
In 2006, when TL blew up because of the violent conflict, one sister played this song in a workshop saying “When things are just so bad in our compound full of IDPs (Internally Displace Peoples), I listen to this song over and over again.” She played the song and then I saw that when the words “Lead us to a place where we’ll be safe” was sung, this was the part she cried the most. My tears fell, too. And from then on, whenever I heard this song, I thought of her and her people and the many more IDPs in the world.
My heart is with the around 100,000 people in Mindanao who are also displaced by the war. So many years spent on building the trust and confidence and relationship between warring parties. So many resources (human and others) already used to push the peace talks forward. Hopes have been built, bridges have been constructed, professionally ethical relationships have been forged… and then WHAM!
My thoughts on this – along the way of years of talking peace, lessons have been learned and incorporated. However, one key lesson that I am not sure if the government has learned is that the peace talk is not the peace process. I am very disappointed because I am proud of the fact that my country is one that has an Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) and it is because of this that the government invited the different rebel groups to talk peace with the state as part of the over-all peace process. If only my government focuses as much on the peace process (which is involving the LGUs in working for an environment more conducive for sustainable development and peace which translates to food on the table, money for school, clinics and free health support, the option to allow or not allow mining in one’s ancestral land, sleep in one’s house without being threatened, to walk freely and safe around one’s town)… as on the peace talks….
I believe it is the moral responsibility of the government to ensure that the peace process and the peace talks go well. When I say government, I mean the duly elected leaders from the barangay to the national level because it is their peace plan. We, civil society, are working hard to cooperate with the peace plan because this is our country after all and the plan is the most noble one so far, from the government of this country. Sigh… there seems to be a HUGE disconnect between the national government, its agencies, the local government, local agencies and the over-all PEACE PLAN of the GRP. When can they put their act together? Meanwhile…
My heart bleeds for my people…, emergency aid workers, the parishes and dioceses, the ummah, the religious leaders, civil society workers who are trying to make some sense on what’s happening, the fighters, the national leadership but most of all… the displaced many of whom are being displaced… again! (for the nth time?)...
In my heart is also a sense of smoldering anger… the people who started all of these: Can they sleep comfortably in their homes? Can they eat and not choke knowing there are people out there who are lining up for their daily supply of food? Do they feel a sense of guilt or are they so consumed with their sense of triumph and self-righteousness that guilt has no place in their hearts? Who are the sectors that feed into the conflict? Can they hum happily to themselves on the way to the bank knowing they are gaining so much at the expense of people’s lives?
The most difficult part is that I am not with my people right now. I miss my team back in Davao. I know they are now sitting down with some of our partners, making sense out of the chaos, and I am looking forward to their sharing their analysis with me. I feel proud to belong to a team who unceasingly works with the people in the communities and listens and responds! Keep our hopes burning!!!
------- 0 0 0 -------
There are less IDPs now in Timor. Many have gone back home. Some say it is because the police have been stronger – before arriving here, I read of how the young people protested against the parliament buying so many luxury cars while the country is still trying to recover and there are many who have no houses to live in, many are still sick, many are still lacking in employment and education. The government allowed them to demonstrate but not to enter into the parliament grounds. The young people tested the government policy by entering into the grounds and the police just came in and, from the account I heard, “just beat up the students and loaded them into vehicles and put them in jail! And if the young persons escape, they went to the homes and got whoever was there – father, brother, etc and will only free up these family members if the young person suspected of disobeying the law surrenders him/herself.” And I asked “But what about human rights?” I was told “No talks of human rights at this time, we have to establish first the rule of law.” I shook my head… I have talked with people around me and some say this is true, others say that the police will only get your family if you did a terrible crime. I have to confirm this with my police students up in Dare!
Last year, the relationship between the police and military were still testy (they killed each other in 2006). And this year, they seem to be doing well together. Some people think this is the better way – for people to forget what happened in the past and to go forward from here. Some people here think that a lot of work has to be done with people’s hearts and they do feel sad that things are being done only on the HEAD LEVEL. I tend to agree with the latter although I do agree that the country might not be able to take a long PAUSE and SUSPEND everything while working through people’s hearts (can we do this? Is there somewhere in this world that this was done so that HEALING can really take place before talking of … “Okay, where do we go from here?”). I wish JPL and MAN will read my blog and give me an answer hahaha.
I just came back from a two day travel to the frontier (border between Timor Leste and West Timor – the Indonesian half of the island) and helped in the evaluation process of a program that dealt with peacebuilding among the young people living along the border. As I looked out to the Indonesian part from the mountains of TL, I thought of the work already being done to bridge the relationship between neighbors. I read that the Indonesian government accepted full responsibility for the actions done by their soldiers during the 1999 burning and killings in TL. I was glad but felt uncomfortable. There was no apology that went with it. On the other hand, what good is “I am sorry” if there is no rectification and acceptance of responsibility for one’s action? I wonder what will happen next for this tiny country and its giant neighbors (to include Australia).
I have to go back to the mountains of Dare and so will have to sign off now.
Be well and blessings
From Deng in TL
Friday, July 11, 2008
Pictures of the Flood-Part 1
An overview of the flooded city of Cotabato
An overview of the bridge, the river and the "island of waterlilies" that is clogging the river
A picture of the house of my mother taken a week as of yesterday.
The street where my mother's house is. Since the picture was taken (week as of yesterday) the waters have risen some more and the streets are now mid-calf deep.
The Earth, indeed, is ROUND (Bilog and Mundo, P're!)
I am home, catching up on sleep and rest.
I came home last night from a meeting with a partner organization that had a change of leadership, the former head of the organization needing a break and a rest, the new one fresh with a "media" mindset.
It was very challenging and very enriching to be part of the group that had their year-end project evaluation (what was done, one thing I was proud of, what was left undone, analyzing why, and my dream for the next year) and then the planning for the next year.
The new leader of the organization was my student at Notre Dame University in my Peace Education class. We thought and talked about it a little but not much... we were caught up with the present day task.
Then, as we closed the day with a mass (yup, this guy is a priest), he ended with a short thanksgiving to me. He said
"I would like to thank our facilitator, she was my teacher at NDU for my Peace Ed class. It was in her class that I was asked to write a script for the drama we had to do on human rights. I never thought I could be a script writer or an actor. It was in her class that I discovered my gift. That gift I carried with me when I went to Midsayap and started my theater group. And that gift I carry with me now as I head the I-Watch, a small community based documentary group supported by my congregation that records community initiatives on issues that impact their lives."
My gosh... the world indeed is round! We do really reap what we sow... I am so proud of my student who is so good in his craft. I am so thankful to the Lord for making me an instrument in his self-discovery.
This lesson is teaching me to be more careful and more conscious of what I teach as it really does impact the lives of people. I am feeling so good and blessed (if I may say so!)
Be well everyone and blessings
Yes Kaloy, I do feel that I am always welcome and part of your BM Family, thank you very much for making me so.
Cy, my Mom's house is just barely above the flood, our old house has been flooded and my worry now is that food is getting scarce - money can buy canned goods but there are hardly any fresh goods as the two main markets downtown are really flooded. I think they have to go to Rosary Heights and Tamontaka to buy some fresh fish and vegies. Thanks for the prayers and kind thoughts. See you on August 12
Sunday, July 6, 2008
My First Try @ Blogging
Hello Friends :)As you can see, I needed to have my cup of coffee before having the nerve to start my blog!
Many friends have asked me to do a blog but I just did not feel I am able to do this. And now I am writing my first entree...
Why the name "EtoNaNaman"? Life is a cycle, a circle and a journey of ups and downs and dips and curves. And the road is made of smooth stones that can make me slip and fall, and boulders that have to be hurdled and blind curves that can make me bump into people and situations - which can result in having surprises or traumas. There are birds and flowers and trees along the way that can provide me with pleasant distraction and sometimes, a river bank that beckons me to rest awhile. And this is why I need friends along life's journey... to help me as I sail and move on and to enjoy the breaks (have a cuppa?). And this is why I am inviting you as my friend to be a part of my life's journey as I ponder "ano na naman ba yan?" Hahahahaha
Here I am at the office when I realized that I have left my Globe Phone behind. It is my working phone, the phone number that everyone knows, my link to family, friends and colleagues. I was going to call home for it when I realized "My, am I being enslaved by my phone? Will the world stop if I don't have my phone with me?" So I decided to let it go...
I just rang my home in Cotabato using the landline to check on my Mom, my siblings and their homes. My sister said the water has gone up and it is only the home of my elder brother and my Mom's house that is just a foot above the waters. The garage in my younger brother's house is already under water and they have to build a foot bridge across it go get to the road that is also submerged! My family have been trying to help by cooking and feeding the neighboring kids with binignit and some soup, and inviting them to Mom's house to play. Mom has been inviting the mothers and smaller kids to stay in our house but our neighbors refuse (they don't want to leave their belongings behind). Sigh... what a wet world they are having :(
Here in Davao, in my sister's home, there is a creek behind it and my room looks out to that creek. Whenever it rains, I check on the creek as it had a history of the waters rising and flooding the neighborhood. This time, the creek is keeping a comfortable level despite the rains, thanks be to God!
Be well and God bless and let's all have a safe week
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