the philippines

...a beautiful country, beautiful people, beautiful culture...destroyed by ugly politics....being ruined by self-serving politicians motivated by greed and selfishness. 




the financial district of Makati

 




a beautiful beach in Puerto Galera, Mindoro...


the country is abundant not only in natural resources but beautiful sceneries ...beaches, caves, forests, and natural wonders  are plentiful in the country.   some of the scuba diving sites are considered the best anywhere in the world.... 



follow me in my explorations of some of the beautiful places of the philippines....

The Philippine archipelago is composed of 7,107 islands, some of which are uninhabited and some are considered as the best getaway vacation destinations where white sand beaches and clear blue waters abound.  The "wandering builder" is privileged to have visited, snorkeled and scuba dived some of the pristine waters of preserved marine sanctuaries around the Visayan group of islands...a particular favorite is the Balicasag group of islands near Bohol.  Through this blog we will be exploring not only the beautiful places but we will immerse our sights and thoughts with the other side of our society...the not so beautiful side of it.....we will see luxury...glamour and be forewarned because we will also see lots of poverty....we will mingle with the poorest of the poor.  We will see sights that may not be suitable for the faint-hearted.

the other side of beauty....

... the flipside of beautiful vacation destinations with plentiful food and picture perfect sceneries  is a heartbreaking reality of poverty....shadowed by the sprawling high rise luxurious hotels and vacation destinations are families in poor living conditions in shanty towns,  families struggling to bring food in the table for their malnourished children and the absence of the very basic medical services are the facts of life behind the glamorous and luxurious lifestyle that vacationers enjoy and savor.

a farmer's house in a village in Mindoro


many farmers live in houses made of native materials such as the one shown above...made of sawali sidings (crushed bamboo) and nipa roof-an indigenous grass abundant in the forest region. 

 Many children in remote villages are malnourished primarily due to parent's lack of education, lack of resources and sometimes simple ignorance .  The absence of health centers and basic medical services also contribute to the nutrition problem. Many mothers never received early pre-natal care that is important for the child's development after birth. Infant mortality rate is very high in the villages.

The Mangyans are indigenous people who live in the upland mountain villages of the island of Mindoro and other neighboring islands. They are uneducated and often unexposed to the modern ways of civilization.  The lack of government intervention put these tribes close to extinction.  Mortality rate is very high due to the absence of basic medical facilities.  The lack of sanitary facilities like toilets, water supply contribute to the spread of diseases. 

a malnourished child from Lantuyan,Mindoro 

faces of poverty... the Mangyan tribes



a Mangyan  village in Lantuyan, Mindoro..

Monastery of the Transfiguration.....a quiet time for the wanderer...

Malaybalay, Bukidnon- June 2011

June is typhoon season in the Philippines.  In my recent wanderings around the country,  typhoons "Egay" and "Falcon" hit the country back to back that caused changes to my travel plans.  Many towns and cities were flooded. The entire Cotabato City and portion of Davao City both in Mindanao, went underwater due to floodings caused by monsoon rains that battered the provinces for days.  Even some Metro Manila streets were at standstill traffic jams due to floods.  Many air flights were cancelled... ferries were not allowed to sail for safety reason. A phone call to the Cebu Pacific airline revealed some open airports in the northern Mindanao corridors...I decided that the weather disturbance was a good excuse to take a break....a quiet time with the Benedictine Monks in the Monastery of the Transfiguration in Malaybalay Bukidnon, a mountainous region in northern Mindanao.  (Bukidnon means mountainous)

How to get to the Transfiguration Monastery in Bukidnon...

From Gen. Santos City (where I was stranded), took the next available plane to Cebu (Visayas region) to catch another short 45-minute connecting flight to Cagayan de Oro (in the province of Misamis Oriental in northern Mindanao). (Another alternative was by land but will be a longer route). The flight was very interesting....during check-in the lady in the airline counter said something like...."body weigh sir" which took me a while to figure out what she meant.  Finally she motioned me to step into the baggage weighing scale.  It turned out that the plane that will take us to Cagayan de Oro City was a small propeller-powered turboprop, so each passenger was weighed and  strategically seated (according to weight) so that the plane was well balanced. As we reached our cruising altitude, I overheard a lady passenger asked the stewardess if she can transfer to a vacant window seat.  The attendant politely said no and explained that the plane must be balanced.  The short flight was enjoyable though...the slow moving plane allowed for an enjoyable view of small islands down below which I could have missed if I were in a fast moving jet plane.  A map would have been handy though, so I can identify each island we passed by and track the route.

From the Cagayan airport ,  took a taxicab to the Agora market and boarded a Rural Tours bus  to Bukidnon.


2 hours scenic ride on a Rural Tours bus from Cagayan to Bukidnon



motorella - a version of  tricycle

After the two hours bus ride to Malaybalay, I asked the locals in the bus terminal for directions  to the Monastery which I was advised  that it is not within the public transportation route and I have to rent (pakyaw)  one of the motorella cab or a multicab.  I opted for the bigger transportation and rented a multicab...it cost me 250 pesos (approximately $6)  where I was dropped off  to the monastery after a 30 minutes trip through a rough unpaved road outside of Malaybalay.  


multicab

The Monastery is situated in a 100 hectares rolling hills and mountains in San Jose, Malaybalay, Bukidnon.  The Benedictine monks living here are self sufficient because the vast fertile land around the Monastery is planted with various crops.  Their primary product is the Arabica Robusta coffee.......it is marketed under the brand name Monk's Premium Blend Coffee,  probably the most coveted local coffee brand  in the Philippines.




Transfiguration Monastery Church




the Transfiguration Monastery Church- designed by national artist Leandro Locsin

The pyramid shaped church in the Monastery was the last design work by Leandro Locsin before he passed away, a very famous architect and national artists in the 1990's.  Some of his well known works included The Cultural Center of the Philippines, The Philippine International Convention Center, Ayala Museum, the Istana Nurul Iman which is the official residence of the Sultan of Brunei.



view from the Church's grounds



  It is in this church that I joined the Monks in their daily prayers.  The Benedictine Monk's have seven prayer sessions everyday....the first one starts at 3:30 in the morning.  All prayers were in English sang in Gregorian Chants. Monastery guests were given copies of the prayers and able to follow in the chants.




sleeping quarter in the Monastery guest house

The day started at 3:00 a.m. .... the pleasing sound of the church bells rang by one of the Monks in a nice rhythmic tone served as daily wake-up call...and the aroma of the brewing Monk's Coffee in the nearby dining room signalled the beginning of the day.  After enjoying a cup of coffee, I walked the dark gravel road to the church to join the Monks for the first prayer session of the day.




the hallway in the Monastery guest house...the  rooms on the foreground are the sleeping quarters, the far end with crucifix is the dining room





wandering the coffee plantation ...background is Monastery Church

the Monks' coffee beans



... daybreak in my early morning walk at the ricefield....in the far background is the Monastery Church

Part of the day's routine after the early morning prayer with the Monks  was to take a long walk and wandered around the farm....the coffee plantation...and explored the endless dirt  roads that seemed to lead to nowhere..... Back to the guesthouse for shower and breakfast just after the sun is up...there's plenty of time left for reading...contemplation and soul searching throughout the day....and yes a time for nap too.
The first two days in the Monastery were really quiet as I was the only guest .  Imagine the scenario... at 3:30 a.m. walk the dark gravel road to the church.....12 monks and a lone stranger trying to follow the chants.  Breakfast alone....lunch alone...dinner alone.  I didn't even see who prepared my meals...I go to the dining room and find my meal already prepared. I slept alone in the guesthouse...it's so quiet that all I heard at night were the croaking toads that seemed to enjoy the evening rain...and the wind blowing outside and cold breeze entering my open window.  The Monks' quarters were in separate isolated building.

The third day brought some life over the dinner table .....a nun and a doctor from Bicol arrived for a few days retreat. The chatty pair quickly became my friends...it was a pleasant change to have some conversations over meals.....plus I didn't have to walk alone  the dark gravel road for the early morning prayer.  






some of our meals in the Monastery ....

The food is almost as abundant as the Monks' prayers....meals were 5 times a day!  breakfast....morning snack around 10 a.m......lunch....then another snack around 3p.m. ... then dinner...and the aromatic coffee is brewing 24 hours a day.  The quantity and quality of food is super good!

the Monastery museum displays the Filipino Liturgical Vestments collection designed by Monk Dom Martin Gomez, OSB 



conversation with Monk Dom Martin Gomez, OSB....known as Gang Gomez in the fashion design community

I had many interesting conversations with Monk Dom Martin Gomez, OSB.....also known as Gang Gomez in the fashion design circle.  At the peak of his career he decided to leave behind fame and a lucrative career to become a monk.
Dom- is a title used by Benedictine Monks similar to "Father" for priests.

a sign in the Monastery entrance...

After a few days in the Monastery,   it's time to say goodbye....the storms have calmed down...flood waters subsided.  I love to stay longer...I was getting used and comfortable with the quiet life in this beautiful peaceful place, but I must get going....and continue my wanderings...

 ... as my plane from Cagayan de Oro to Manila took off and cruised over the mountains of Bukidnon, I thought of the sign by the Monastery entrance "BE STILL AND KNOW I AM GOD".... in solitude  I learned that in this noisy world we live in, we sometimes need a quiet time for prayers and discernment...it is in silence that we hear the voice of God ...


Some interesting write-ups about Dom Martin Gomez, OSB and the Transfiguration Monastery in Bukidnon. Please click the links.

http://articles.latimes.com/2000/may/02/news/cl-25507
http://en.wikipilipinas.org/index.php?title=Gang_Gomez

SAVE THE CHILDREN...the abandoned...the neglected...the abused...the orphaned...

UNICEF estimates 220,000 children are living in the streets in 65 major cities of the Philippines. Many of these children were run-aways trying to escape the unbearable abuses of violent parents,  some were neglected because of poverty,  some were abandoned and some orphaned.   They survive by begging and many times through criminal activities either by choice or by force....after a long day in the streets trying to eke out a living, they end up sleeping in the sidewalks or under the bridges with cardboard boxes as protection from the elements...they don't have a place to call home.  According to a study,  many end up being used by syndicates in their criminal activities...and many  are lured to prostitution and victims of pedophiles.

The Philippine Government's effort to provide the necessary services to protect the street children fall way short in solving the problem.  Many orphanages and halfway houses all over the country were established by church based religious organizations and NGOs particularly foreign based  to fill the wide void--but still not enough to make a dent to the chronic problem of child poverty.


Faces of children in the orphanages and halfway houses...

Cebu City

faces of the children at the Franciscan Sisters of the Sacred Heart shelter in Cebu City ...

In the last few years that I have been regularly visiting the Franciscan Sisters children shelter in Cebu City, I see it as one good example and proof that early intervention will make a big difference in the lives and development of troubled children.  In this shelter facility,  the children are given the chance to live a normal childhood under the care of a loving environment.  The donated residential house in Guadalupe, Cebu was converted into children's home that shelters over 20 children in crowded sleeping quarters. The children are provided shelter, food, education and a loving care under the auspices of the Franciscan Sisters of the Sacred Heart.  However,  funding that comes solely from donations, is always inadequate.  The shelter is not subsidized by the Archdiocese of Cebu.   They have two high-school scholars and one college scholar that help the 3 Franciscan Sisters in caring for the children.

The children in the Franciscan Sisters shelter, ranging between 3-12 years of age,  are well trained and disciplined.  The older children take care of the younger ones. They help each other in their house chores and in their school homeworks.  Everyone has assigned chores...they were trained to wash their own clothes on a scheduled day during the week.  Friday is general clean-up day for everyone. They lose their TV privilege on Saturday afternoons if they fail to do their laundry in the morning.  The children are raised in a loving and caring environment which they probably never experienced before.



the Franciscan Sisters'  orphanage needs a bigger building...




school-age child do school work while the young ones take their scheduled afternoon nap...


Crowded orphanages and halfway houses can only take a limited number of children.  Funding is always a major issue for these children's homes.  They are independently operated and rely solely on donations to support the children in their care. No government subsidy is provided for these shelters.



orphans taking their afternoon nap in benches...



tender loving care 




 These children are given time to explore their talents....music and artistic skill developments are encouraged. They are like one big happy family in this home. During my stay with them they  showcased their singing and dancing talents by doing an impromptu presentation for me.  Watch the video below and you'll see what I mean .....


Please click photo to watch video

Here's the lyrics of the song MAHIWAGA performed/interpreted by the children...and its approximate English translation for the benefit of the non-Tagalog speakers.

Mahiwaga                                         Mysterious (can also be translated as Miracle) 

Mahiwaga ang buhay ng tao                              Man's life is a mystery (or miracle)
Ang bukas ay di natin piho                                The future is not in our control(or we don't know the future)
At manalig lagi sana tayo                                   Let us always trust...
Ang Diyos siyang pag-asa ng mundo                 God is the hope of this world
Pag-ibig sa ating kapwa tao                              Love for our fellowmen...  
At laging magmahalan tayo                                ...and  love for each other
Iyan ang lunas at ligaya                                      That's the happiness...
At pag-asa ng bawa't kaluluwa                          ...and hope of every soul
Iyan ang hiwaga ng buhay ng tao                       That's the mystery of the human
                                                                                          life...


General Santos City, South Cotabato  

 the children of  St. Gemma's orphanage in Gen. Santos City, South Cotabato

Hundreds of the street children end up in the orphanages or halfway houses where they receive care, education and opportunity for a bright future.  However, there are still thousands roaming our streets today...if we can only take away one more child out of the street today,  it will be potentially one saved soul in the future.   Every child taken out of the street is one less potential problem for society....


Calapan, Oriental Mindoro

speaking of beautiful dive sites....we also have many unique underwater marine species...

ahhh....what a gorgeous underwater scenery......

meet the giant clam!.....we encountered this "monster" in one of our day dives somewhere in the underwater deep of Mindoro bay.   This creature was not scary or aggressive ...it was actually very tame....although we got as close as we can, we never attempted to touch it!  
Giant clams have a wildly undeserved reputation as man-eaters, with South Pacific legends describing clams that lie in wait to trap unsuspecting swimmers or swallow them whole. No account of a human death by giant clam has ever been substantiated, and scientists say its adductor muscles, used to close the shell, move far too slowly to take a swimmer by surprise. According to scientists even the largest specimen would simply retreat into its shell rather than attempt to swallow a diver.





an underwater encounter with a giant clam... 

...suiting up for the dive



the dive team....





 

where there is no doctor...

Several months of intense boot-camp style medical and dental training, sanctioned by the World Health Organization (WHO) did not  make us instant doctors and dentists. But for the villagers served during the medical missions in between trainings, it didn't matter whether there are MDs  or RNs and DMDs attached after our names...seeing stethoscopes around our necks and the many medications, vitamins, pain relievers,  vaccines, antibioticas and other medications we brought along were enough assurance for them that they will get relief from the ailments that they have.  We certainly filled the big void- ---in the villages where there is no doctor...where there is no dentist.   Respiratory ailments particularly pneumonia among children were some of the most common illnesses that we encountered. 

under the watchful guidance of licensed medical doctors, we assessed and provided medical care

wound dressing...

a pneumonia patient...

Participants and volunteer doctors, dentists and nurses from Australia and Canada and Philippines set a base camp in the rural outskirt of Calapan  Mindoro.  Participants were from the U.S., New Zealand, Canada and Australia.  The Mercy Link- a New Zealand based NGO conducted the medical training with emphasis on the World Health Organization's IMCI  strategy (Integrated Management of Childhood Illness). The purpose of the training was to develop primary health care providers in the villages of any developing country where doctors are not available. With missionary doctors, nurses and dentists teaching the course, we spent long hours in the classroom and hands-on training. With the watchful guidance of our instructors, the medical mission outreaches to the Mangyan villages gave us the opportunity to practice what we learned during the training. It was a life changing experience to be immersed in the reality of what some poor people in the villages don't have----the very basic medical services. 

some of the Mangyan villages are accessible only by 4-wheel drive vehicles or by foot

the village of Lantuyang is accessible only by foot through a hanging bridge..

There were times we encountered difficult cases where we were not equipped to handle.  They were referred  to the provincial hospital of Mindoro which is several hours by motor vehicle away from the villages.  Transportation is a major problem for the villagers.  The Mangyans are known to walk for days to get to the nearest town. This is one of the primary reasons (in addition to lack of resources to pay the medical fees) why they don't venture to seek medical attention.

when high fever comes with other symptoms...our 4-wheel drive vehicle becomes an ambulance to the more than 3-hours trip to the provincial hospital in Mindoro town

the team at work in a Mangyan village

The faces of some of the patients from the barangays and the Mangyan villages...

Mangyan patients waiting for their turns.. 

patients from the barangay...

more Mangyan patients...



where there is no dentist...



teaching the Mangyan children dental care..



where there is no optometrist ....in the barangays....



fitting the glasses...

optometry in the barangay community...

where there is no pharmacist...

Every week, we took turns manning the makeshift pharmacy while the rest of the team, under the supervision of doctors do the assessments and dispensing the appropriate medications that were in our inventory.  Dispensing medication in the villages was always a challenges as patients normally don't have historical knowledge of their potential allergic reactions to certain medications. Part of our training was also to develop our own herbal medications from local herbal plants. The Philippine government actively supports the use of herbal medicine, that they formed the Philippine Institute of Traditional and Alternative Medicine Act (TAMA) of 1997.  Out of the ten herbs listed by the DOH, we were only able to use 5--those that we found to grow in the forests of Mindoro.  We found Akapulko, when mixed with other ingredients to form into an ointment  very effective  for fungal infections and other skin diseases.

These are the ten common herbs which have been endorsed by the Philippine Department of Health.

1. Akapulko- English translation; ringworm bush it is used for fungal infections and ringworm
2. Ampalaya- English translation; Bitter gourd or bitter melon used for treating diabetes.
3. Bawang - Garlic used for reducing cholesterol therefore it helps to control blood pressure.
4. Bayabas - English translation; guava, it is used as an antiseptic and can be employed as a mouth wash.
5. Lagundi- English translation; chasteberry, it is used to treat such ailments as coughs and asthma
6. Niyog-niyogan- English translation; Chinese honey suckle it is used for intestinal infestation
7. Sambong- English translation: Blumea camphora it is used as a diuretic.
8. Tsaang Gubat- Know as forest tea, it is used for gastroenteritis, stomach pains, diarrhea as well as an antidote bleeding and poisonous snakebites
9. Ulasimang Bato known as pansit-pansitan it used for arthritis and gout.
10. Yerba Buena -English translation peppermint, it is used as an analgesic to relieve pains and aches around the body.