JESUIT NOVITIATE: MISSION TRIALS 1999
by Frank Savadera, SJ
February 11, 1999 (Thursday) – MISSION TRIALS
Suroy – suroy
Ganito pala ang tumambay; makilala ang mga nanay
Inimbita ni Inday, para sa PTA meeting magnilay.
Halatang kakaiba ang kilos mo’t pag-amba
Tunay na kakaiba ka sa kanilang mga mata.
‘Di ko pinangarap na mag-astang Bida
Ngunit sa pag-aalagad … Diyos and nagtakdang tuwina
Buhay mo’y sa Kanya. Ialay sa Iba.
Sa pakikisalamuha … Siya ang Ibida.
Cabuluhan is a small town. The almost dilapidated announcement board near the basketball court tells of the small town’s population: 394 families in all. Hmmm … I wonder how many kids in one family … perhaps at least, four or five or more? I felt like a tourist moving around with my Yashica camera. The kids were flocking to me, perhaps wondering what this strange fellow is doing around here. I chanced upon some nanays near the school. Inday recognized me as the brother whom Father Mat earlier introduced the other day in town. I was invited to the PTA meeting. There I met Principal Sese who facilitated discussions about the regular concerns of the students, teachers and parents. The principal asked me to talk a little about the environment, how the issue is becoming a serious one in big cities like in Manila
Gaspar also walked up to me and reported about what has transpired in his class earlier. Yesterday, I helped him answer some grammar questions in his book. His teacher apparently had a different thing going. “What?,” I said. These are simple “is,” “are,” “was,” “ were” statements!!! Teachers should know better … or should they? In this small town, anything goes. I learned to pray more for teachers that they impart the truest knowledge to their students.
“God alone. God alone. In thy courts O my Lord is my home.” Ang gingharian sa Diyos ay dinhi sab sa yuta. Today, as well, Ate Delia et al welcomed me to BEC Selda 2-3.
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February 12, 1999 (Friday) – MISSION TRIALS
I’ve been wanting to climb the nearest hill and today, I did. I walked across the ‘uma,’ onto the ‘pilapils.’ On top of the hill, I had an expansive view of the whole barrio. All 394 families reside in this beautiful valley. The sight is truly an experience to behold. God, to my mind created this rich and resource-filled land for His people.
Ang Pilapil
Tuyo man o maputik … malapad man o makitid
Tanging tinutubuan ng damo, tanging daan tungo sa lugar na pakay ko.
Palay at mais, itinanim sa nitong paligid
Pilapil na kung saan, akin ring natatanaw
Ang bundok na aking mithing patutunguhan.
Later in the afternoon, I walked with Kuya Teryo to meet with Kuya Pano at Crossing-Cabuluhan. BEC Selda 4 and 6 will have their meeting in a short time. There I met members of the selda … Ate Minda, Celso, Tonet, Emma Tamon and the Ruiz family. All seem naturally friendly and sincere. What can I expect? These are church people … God’s people.
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February 13, 1999 (Saturday) – MISSION TRIALS
Gikan sa Suba
Bakit pilit pinaghihiwalay ang tao sa kabaw?
Dahil ba na siya’y marumi at tayo’y malinis?
‘Di ba’t lahat tayo’y nilikha rin ng Diyos?
Kaya’t bakit nga ba … pilit pinaghihiwalay ang tao sa kabaw?
Again, I’m back to the Crossing-Cabuluhan chapel with Kuya Pano Arut, Andy, Ate Adela and Kuya Rod. They treated me to lunch. Earlier, on our way, we also met accidentally with Nelson of Selda 9. Instantly, we arranged for a Selda meeting at 2PM. What a busy day indeed. Also visited Mandaing, the nearest town to Crossing-Cabuluhan. This is where Karel resides for the week, I think. I didn’t get to meet him though. However, I got to meet the local folks Leo Gillaco and Nida Marfil. After lunch, I took the habal-habal back to Cabuluhan. Had time to chit-chat with the driver. He comes from the town after Cabuluhan. It is called ‘Paradise .’ I asked him what’s with the name. “Nothing special,” he said. People just got used to calling it as such. Paradise is a place across two hills from Cabuluhan. Perhaps, the name is such because of the people’s belief that some ‘paradise’ truly lies somewhere beyond the hills. Fascinating! I feel, that to think of paradise, a place beyond where one currently stands is a means for the people of Cabuluhan to be more hopeful about their lives. Truly, I feel that if they remain zealous in their faith and continue to stand for and by what is good … paradise for them, can surely be a reality … can surely be a reality for me, too.
Haaaaay … my third meeting with Selda 1 and 5 ended at 8:30PM. The group headed by Ate Nenita, Rodolfo and Tata Agrifina (catechist) talked about the many difficulties in life and how everyone needed to sacrifice and support each other in the process. I can already be a bit tired yet I remembered saying yes to another meeting with the youth. There’s no other chance to meet them but this late in the evening. Sige na lang. I walked toward the Cabuluhan Chapel were we were supposed to meet. It was very dark yet there were a lot of fireflies around to guide my path. Ang galing! Any Manila boy would be fascinated to see such spectacle of fireflies. Gaspar saw me moving toward the chapel and immediately sounded the ‘batingaw.’ The sound reverberated in the stillness of the night. This is not your usual church bell. This is an old shell from a World War II bomb. Hmmm … quite ingenious. I see these types of bells around. The kids … err … teenagers started coming in. There were around 20 of them. What else must I say? What else must I preach about? Since tomorrow’s Valentine’s Day, what else must I cover? I read from Corinthians 13. Gugma. Love. And their questions started pouring in.
Sumang Bahay
Gawa sa kamoteng kahoy o bigas
Na binalot sa dahon ng saging …
Ang sumang bahay
Na pinakulo sa tubig.
Ang dating lagas na sangkap ay binuo
At sa balat ng saging … doo’y binigkis
Mainit na suman … namnamin … namnamin …
Hala … at sa isang iglap … ang natira …
Tanging balat na lamang … na dulot ay saya
Kay Neneng … na siyang naghatag…
Kay Neneng … na siyang nag-abala …
Uri Ng Sardinas
Iba’t iba ang uri ng sardinas
‘Tinapa’ ang tawag sa maliit at bilog na lata …
‘Salmon’ naman sa mas malaki ang kaha …
Tanging ‘sardinas’ raw kung kudrado ang porma.
Pero kaibigan … tikman mo ng makita
Sardinas … pa rin … pare-parehas ang lasa.
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February 14, 1999 (Sunday) – MISSION TRIALS (Valentine's Day)
Today, I ended my parish exposure in Cabuluhan. We had KP mass at the chapel presided over by Kuya Tony Caluna. Before the mass ended, I was asked to speak. I thanked the townfolks for their hospitality and generosity … for welcoming me wholeheartedly to Cabuluhan. I’ll never forget the greenfields, the cool breeze, the magnificent mountains and hills that surrounded the place … and naturally, of course, the faces of the people I’ve met … the wholesome smiles of the kids which truly gave me a true experience of the good, the kind and the gracious … only here in Cabuluhan.
As I leave the place, I heard how Gaspar hurried back to the ‘uma.’ He’s been accommodating me the past few days … accompanying me to the chapel, around the neighborhood and to the ‘suba.’ This time, he needed to catch up with work in the ‘uma.’ Yes … how can I forget … boys here … fourteen years and older (or even younger) already work like men … as they are expected to … in the ‘uma.’ What about education for Gaspar? What about his simple ‘is,’ ‘are,’ ‘was,’ ‘were’ concerns? Do such things need to take the back seat? Then did I realized that people needed to care for the ‘uma’ for the ‘uma’ takes care of them, as well. In this place, people do not have much choice.
In the afternoon, I returned to Cabanglasan welcomed by the joyful Valentine greetings from the kids. Fr. Rich McCauliffe, SJ (Micronesia
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February 15, 1999 (Monday) – MISSION TRIALS
We’re off to Catablaran. We climbed the back of the truck and stayed there exposed to the morning sun and dusts from the roads … yes, for at least 30 minutes til we reached the Pulangi River
A small chapel, aptly named after St. Francis Xavier had been constructed by Father Mat’s group the past years. Even the datu and his family now come to hear mass whenever Father Mat is around. Calacapan nestles on a flat clearing on top of the mountains where one can have a panoramic view of the whole of Bukidnon. There is a unique-looking tree, shaped like a huge letter “T” that stands in the middle of the settlement, that serves as an appropriate landmark for the place that can easily be glimpsed from kilometers below. The houses are simple, resembling those box-shaped wooden houses we see in wild-west movies. There are stores which are now operational. The prices of goods, however, are sold at higher prices than in the low lands … naturally, since the proprietor needed to spend more in bringing them up the mountain. The young men now play basketball in an improvised court … a ball was provided for by Father Mat.
After some period of rest, we took off for Catablaran. No habal-habal ride this time. We needed to walk. It was an hour walk along a mere trail bordering a shallow cliff. There were no houses around, at least for the next hour … til we reached a quaint settlement. From afar, we can already hear the dogs barking. Children began approaching us. Hmmm … sorry, this is not yet Catablaran. There’s also a chapel in the place. Father Mat calls this the “magic carpet” chapel after the supposed carpet that they keep. The carpet, the people here believe, would save them from the cataclysmic end of the world. Wow! People in this isolated place can believe almost anything, I told myself.
We reached Catablaran at 5:30PM. The place still has no electricity. Forget your hopes for Nawasa water, Frank … I told myself. People here fetch their drinking water from the river. We’ll stay here for the night. Last year, I heard … Francis Alvarez and Raymund Belleza stayed here for a week. Whew! What a feat! Asber’s house was vacated for us. There were enough rooms to accommodate all seven of us, including our guides and Fr. Rich McCauliffe. Outside the house, we stood by the fire for it was getting a bit cold. Fireflies … more fireflies covered entire trees. What a sight! It was like Christmas! We were asked to take our rest early for tomorrow would be a long day.
