IMMERSION FOR
CONVERSION FOR BENEDICTINE LIFE
by: Ronel L.
Alijado
What is it
like to be in immersion? This was the big question that was in my mind when I
was told that new teachers and staff of St. Scholastica’s Academy in Tabunok,
Talisay City, Cebu should participate in immersion. This has been the tradition
of this school which is run by Benedictine sisters, to give this experience to
its new faculty and staff. It is part of the process of discovering and of
appreciating the mission and the vision statements of this Catholic academic
institution.
In the
orientation, the organizers explained what the activity was and its aims.
However, I formed a “wider” meaning of immersion after all the life-changing
events that went with it. Perhaps, many or all of my new colleagues and I made
a deeper interpretation after our participation.
The immersion
began with planning and preparation. Number one rule is: “Leave your life, and
live the life of the people you will be staying with for two days and for a
night.” This may sound so easy, but I am telling you, for some, it might be a
challenge, a problem, and or a blessing.
On May 23,
2015, the travel from the school, the assembly place, to Aloguinsan, the area
of the immersion, located in the Southwestern part of Cebu, took few hours. I
was quiet most of the time on the way except when I was asked a question or two
by the organizer. As the truck was moving, I could hear the co-participants
exchanging names of universities of their alma mater to the addresses of their
residences. While my heart, my mind and my soul were in silence during the trip,
I observed the white clouds, the blue skies, the morning rays, the high hills,
the green sceneries, the concrete and wooden small and big houses, and the
human and animal activities. These wonderful pictures dramatically and
profoundly moved me that I offered thanksgiving and said my praise to God
(love) for the day. With sympathy and empathy, I thought of people who live in
pain and in fear, and said a brief yet heartfelt prayer for all of them. And I uttered my mantra: “In this world, there
is love enough for all. I am love. You are love. We are love. I am a blessing.
You are a blessing. We are a blessing. Love. Love. Love.”
Time slipped
away as I enjoyed all visual, auditory, affective, and spiritual blessings of
the journey without realizing we already arrived in our destination.
We were
welcomed by a woman who might be in her 50’s and led us to a shelter. We placed
all our bags on a huge table and found ourselves sitting on wooden benches. A huge
tarpaulin inside caught my attention because of their graphic images displaying
physical struggles between men in uniform and civilians. Wounded and bruised people
were shown too. I found myself asking questions about what I saw.
The organizer
began his storytelling of the tense-filled and dramatic day of August 29, 2011,
that explained the tarp. I learned that those pictures I saw were a
confrontation between the police authorities and the farmers of Aloguinsan who
fought for their right of the land claimed by a rich and powerful party. The
former were there to oust them. But the latter resisted. As a consequence, many
farmers were imprisoned after charges were filed against them, but most of the
cases except one were later absolved.
Have the
acquitted farmers received justice for the violence they experienced? Have the
farmers who are victims of extra-judicial killings and their loved ones in the
Philippines got justice?
Almost four
years have gone by since that dangerous incident, but the farmers have not been
evicted from the lands where they have lived and have tilled for a living. This
has been possible through the concerted efforts and of the association of the
farmers. They have raised their voices and have taken steps to stop the
demolition and to prove the false claim of ownership by another person.
The farmers
were given the opportunity to speak before the group. Women were part of the
small group communication. I felt so happy and proud that they expressed their
opinions with confidence, for I am a feminist. I could feel the men and women’s passion,
anger, bravery, courage, pain, fear, and hope in their words and in their vocal
tone in the discussion of the land controversy. They stressed that their
ancestors had lived and had farmed in these lands. They are their current
generation. This has been the form of living of these people since 1910.
But I tell you
that I understand their very serious plight. It will take away food from the
tables of these farmers and of their families and will wipe out their homes.
Homes are havens of dreams, of peace, of joys, and of love. It is unimaginable!
However, I
never take a side without listening to both parties involved in a case or in a
conflict. I live by the principle of impartiality.
But I strongly
believe that a government must protect and assist the poor from abuse of persons
on high stratum of a society. And I support the idea that Filipino farmers who
have labored in a land for many years possess a right to own a part of it. Soil
is their family’s life. Poor Filipinos deserve a livelihood, a decent home, and
respect. It is ugly and sad that this is not the Philippine status quo because
of inequality, unfairness, injustice and insensitivity. Only less than half of
lands targeted for agrarian reforms have been distributed.
There were
even farmers murdered because they fought for their rights over lands. The
perpetrators have not been sentenced. Others lose their land because of power
and money. With these, the poor live in
unthinkable misery.
Given time and
chance, I want to listen to the opposing side of this controversial land
property issue.
I just hope
that truth comes out, and compassion and mercy dwell in the hearts of both
sides. Truth sometimes is not beneficial
to many but only to a single person or to a few. I wish that this controversy
will be settled in a legal, peaceful, and helpful way to all persons concerned.
After few
talks with the organizer and the Aloguinsan residents, we were taken one by one
to a home where we were assigned to stay. This was the start of the
communication and of the interaction of all the participants with our spiritual
family members. The immersion officially began.
The family
assigned to me welcomed me to their home. I met my new spiritual father, and he
was such a man of ideals. He emphasized truth, justice, equality, and fairness
for the country during our conversations. Many fellow Filipinos would surely
get surprised when they would listen to him who is a Filipino farmer who talks
about big ideas. He discussed varied topics like history, politics, and law. My
three new brothers were always smiling at me at a corner of the house, sitting
side by side so close to one another, and they only spoke when they were called
or were asked. Maybe, they were shy. My
new sisters were not present in my new home because they were working in Cebu
City. My new mother was not in the house because she was selling vegetables in
a market. Father told me that she would come back late in the afternoon.
I wanted to
help father, but he was not doing anything because of the dry season. Good
amount of rain has not come since the summer began. This has worsened their
economic conditions. And what will become of them when they will lose the legal
land drama and battle?
Meanwhile, my
brothers already cooked food for our lunch. The meal was corn paired with dried
and salted fish. I could eat the plate because I was terribly starving because
it was passed 1:00 in the afternoon when we ate our lunch because Father was
telling a story and was giving a sort of a lecture that it seemed there was no
ending. But I did try to listen well despite the noise of my stomach while
touching it a few times to let him know I was going to die of hunger.
In the
country, at the end of 2014, the Social Weather Stations (SWS) reported that
55% or 12.1 million families described themselves as poor with 43% or 9.3 million
families claiming to be food-hungry.
We ate our
lunch with a colleague because a family assigned to her could not be found, and
we learned that they were facing a problem. Probably, they were searching for a
solution.
Father
permitted my colleague to be part of our family and to stay with us. The family
got bigger. This meant that there would be more expenses for basic needs
particularly food, and it was not allowed to use our money during the
immersion.
After a brief
rest, my new sister (my colleague) and I asked permission from our father to
allow us to go to sea. Three other colleagues joined us to see the sea. But
only four went for swimming. My new sister just sat on the sand and took few
pictures of the group and of me.
There, the
nature is unharmed and beautiful. Under the blue sky with few groups of white
clouds and with the sun’s rays scattering everywhere, the sea had no waves, and
green aquatic plants could be seen underneath the water. The ground beneath was
soft that the soles of my slippers got stuck, and I labored carefully to
release my feet from such trap and to avoid destroying my footwear. Fifteen
meters away in front of me, there were hills inhabited with local green bushes
and sturdy trees. On the ground before the sandy part, there stood tens of tall
coconut trees. On my left side, there were mangroves. I just imagined the fish
swimming there, and I never got so close to them because the idea of long
snakes, big crabs, sea urchins, and other bizarre aquatic creatures frightened
me. Not far from where I was swimming at my right, there were men and women
near tents, and looked to be in a camping activity. They were playing a game as I was
listening to their laughter. The air was purely fresh. The water was not cold,
but it got rid of the humidity I felt. I was completely refreshed. Nature was perfect on that day.
I learned from
my father that there could have been an oil exploration out in the sea if they
did not stop such plan. For him, the operation could have been an enormous
tragedy. It cannot be denied that the venture would provide employment that
would lead to good economic and social transformations. But is there real
progress when they would lose the aquatic ecosystems which provide sources of
income to these local fishermen? Only those who possess knowledge and skills
for jobs in the oil companies could benefit from the investment and the
activity. Farmers become pitiful characters of the story. And these negative
consequences worried my father.
News tells
people of industrial activities that resulted to environmental destruction. In
June 2013, an oil depot in Sta. Ana, Manila spewed 500 to 1,000 liters of oil
into the Pasig River. A crack in a pipeline owned by a giant oil company released 500, 0000
litters of oil into Manila Bay. This could happen to the sea of the Aloguinsan
people.
After more or
less an hour, we walked back to our respective homes. On our way to our family,
I saw an old man harrowing the land, and he was with the buffalo on the task. I
approached him and requested him to teach me how to do it. The first try was a
disaster. But the second one was 80% better. And the third and last one was
almost perfect. I could still hear my laughter and my colleagues’ as I took the
challenge. And the lesson I gained was that life is not easy in the farm. The
heat, the mud, the dust, the sweat, the job! It is so sad that the country’s
producers are the poorest.
Back home, I
took my bath to get rid of the smell of the seawater and put on my new clothes.
Then, I went out and saw a small “kubo,” beside the house of where I stayed, so
I checked it, and surprisingly I discovered a sick old woman inside it. I want
to be honest. I got shocked and scared of her at first because I never realized
that there would be a human life there. I thought it was a storage place, a
play house or an abode for chickens.
After
regaining my senses after the great astonishment, I talked with her and asked
how she was.
She said,
“Ganahan na ko mamatay. Kuhaon na unta ko. (I want to die. May life be taken
from me.)”
I wept and
responded gently, “Pagbuot na sa Ginoo. (That will be God’s will.”)
To strengthen
and to give her peace and assurance of God’s perfect love, we prayed the Holy
Rosary and the novena to Saint Roch whom I am a devotee, and I am on my third
year of celebrating his festivity every 16th of August. I used the
rosary bead that I wear all the time and everywhere I go. After the prayers, I
gave her an image of St. John Newman because I did not have another thing for
her to keep. I wanted her to have it and to reminisce me that I would be there
for her in my prayer. Is it not comforting when one knows that somebody cares
even when he is far particularly in the hardest times? And I told her to ask St. Newman’s intercession
for her comfort while she would live and for a good death. And I bid goodbye.
Until now, I
still remember her, and her memory of suffering and of isolation crushes my
heart as I recall the difficulties of my own maternal grandmother because of an
illness brought by old-age before she finally took her last breath.
According to
the National Statistics Office, there are more than six million senior citizens
(60 years or older) in the Philippines in 2010. By 2030, 11.5% of the total
population will be senior citizens. The government must protect the rights of
the old and provide their needs specifically shelter, food, and healthcare.
Evening came,
and my new mother was with us already. My new sister (my colleague) and mother
prepared a supper. When it was ready, we shared the food. I love it! Vegetables
and corn make a perfect combination.
After the
meal, we watched Maalaala Mo Kaya, and its episode was about prostitution. It
was a true story of two women who were fooled that they would work in Japan as
waitresses but ended up in a province in Luzon to work as prostitutes who were
abused and harassed. What was the only relief of the story was that they were
able to escape from the immorally illegal business, to go home to see their
loved ones, and to begin a new life.
But what has
happened to the other hundreds of thousands of Filipina sex workers in the
country?
Then, it was
time to sleep. Before closing my eyes, I had seen and had heard human stories
of conflict, of injustice, of disease, of poverty, and of prostitution. But
there were tales of hope and of love. I had thanked and had praised God, and I
had asked for His blessing for my family, for my friends, and for myself amidst
the background of miseries. “God is God no matter what,” a priest told me back
home in Dumaguete City.
On the next
day, all the participants were gathered for a lecture on Philippine History and
contemporary issues namely poverty, corruption, unemployment, injustice, lack
of education and of opportunities and the like.
The Global
Hunger Index described that the hunger situation of Philippines is serious in
2014. Fifteen million children remain hungry or malnourished despite investor
confidence. The plunder case which involves billions of pesos and which is
charged against some legislators and a businesswoman still remains unresolved.
The unemployment rate as of April 2015 is 6.4%. According to Education Statistics,
only 44% of Filipino youth complete high school, and more than six million
young Filipinos do not attend school. These are big numbers that require big
decisions and actions from the government with the support of its people.
After more
than an hour, we went back to the shelter we all had entered upon arrival on
the first day and had our brunch with all our foster parents and with Sr.
Martha Lugtu, OSB.
Sharing the
experiences and choosing a symbol that represented our stay with the people and
interpreting it were the last two parts of the immersion.
Some of the
symbols and their attached meanings have been etched in my heart. One colleague
chose stone which for her symbolizes the strength and the bravery of the
farmers to fight for their land. Another selected corn which represents the
hardwork of the people on their farms for their daily survival and for the
needs of other people. And the rosary bead for me is a sign of faith that
goodness originates from God whose omnipotence will reveal the truth at the
perfect time, and will shower love on all of us, that will take all sufferings
at the end and exchanged it with everlasting peace and joy.
The sharing
ended in a powerful way that all of us not only the participants of the
immersion but also all the farmers and their families were brought to a new
atmosphere because of new realizations. And I hope that these new perceptions
or meanings and the learnings will not be in vain but will be shared and will
be lived. The lessons of the immersion might create good conversions in all who
took part of it that would lead to clearer connotations of our duties. These
changes will support the vision and the mission of St. Scholastica’s Academy,
Tabunok. The learning institute intends to build “an awareness of social,
political, economic, socio-cultural, and environmental issues” and to develop
and to practice values that will play a part to serve, to evangelize, and to
transform the people most especially the youth for “social transformation and
human liberation.” Pope Francis said that all the religious and the laity must
involve themselves in the struggle to loot out the structures that fuel poverty
and other causes of conflict.
As the truck
was on its way back to Tabunok, the experiences, the ideas, and the values were on their path to be shared
with many people that the participants would touch especially our students who
would do it to other lives at all times and in all places. And the Benedictine
presence is and will be felt wherever and whenever we go. That is the powerful
spirit of Benedictine education! We immerse; we convert; we live in a
Crist-centered life.
