Edmund Rice Philippine Mission Diary - 3
27th September 2007
Basic Rules: (No more than two pages in any diary entry and no more than one entry per week)
Well hear we are again. Fun Fun Fun. We now know at least 50 verbs but of course verbs (Like us humans) can’t stand alone as any good speaking Cebuano person would tell you so we add what is called affixes. Things like (mo, mag, an, han, on, hon, I, etc) so as I said a few days ago, inum is eat; usually rice of course. So to eat is Moinum. In the case of shopping you would use (ma) for a male shopper and (mag) for a female shopper. The difference is the time taken to do the deed. “Manindahan si Pedro sa sandals” and “Magnindahan si Jean sa mga gullay” (No offence intended to Jean; our wonderful cook) I hope I am not boring you and the brief lesson is totally free. I also was called up to do my first conducting effort this morning. As you would imagine in a country like the Philippines, we sing the Philippino Anthem in Cebuano or Tagalog every morning at the beginning of the school day. I acquitted myself adorably so I am told. My timing was right on though the flurries were a bit over the top Frank tells me. Oh well you can’t be perfect at every thing as I am still unable to get my mouth in the right place to pronounce a lot of the words correctly. They say it only a matter of time. Ha!
We had some female visitors from the near by suburb and we were talking a little Cebuano as is our wont; anyway one the ladies let me know I had beautiful eyes; well that was nice wasn’t it so I thought. Fr Ely told me latter that it is the Philippino way to find something to complement about their visitors or hosts and complementing one on their eyes is way down the scale of attributes. Needless to say I was a little deflated but of course I’m one for the quick bounce back so I let him know I keep my attributes hidden due to my natural shyness.
Surprisingly, there are very few real beggars on the streets but don’t worry, apparently it is well known that the local Mayor is a bit of a authority figure and doesn’t tolerate open activity in this area so the poor people and especially the kids have devised many way of disguising their activities. Drivers whether private of public are forever having to hand out a few pesos for real or imaginary favours. There are kids waiting for you to park your car then rush over to do a poor display of guiding you in the last couple of centimetres. Or there are the older ones who go up and encourage you to get in jeepney one instead of jeepney two then if there successful put their hand out to its driver for a few pesos for the privilege. Or the old clean the car windscreen trick (with a dirty rag of course) and put their hand out again. Apparently as long as you appear to provide a service you can beg all you like. The invalid does seem to have the Ok as they are about all right. Apparently you can report any misdemeanour to the Mayor and he sorts things out rather quickly. Taxi drivers a dead scared to over charging people as for fear of being reported to the Man at the top. One or two who have been reported don’t seem to be around for a few days. In Davao the President seems to have less clout than the Mayor. His daughter is deputy Mayor which is a cosy arrangement. Marie, a lady who worked at the Edmund Rice Centre and is back here living with her Mother and two children, paid a few pesos for the privilege of having her car minded while in the shops. Ha! No minder when we came out.
The main shop in Davao is called Gaytarnos and would fit in well anywhere in Perth. When it first opened the shoppers forgot to do their shopping as they were too busy enjoying themselves on these moving stairs. (A first for Davao) You can buy just about any thing there. The hundred or so assistance are only too happy to practice their English which is no help to my Cebuano hungry brain. I have cultivated a friendship with the local technician. We are now on first name terms and he is quietly impressed with what I have been trying to do here for the JMs. He also likes our money of course.
We visited the Japanese tunnels Sunday and found them interesting indeed. Some 5 KM in length with its exit right in the middle of a cemetery. The tunnel was used to avoid the American bombing so they say. Quiet impressive. They where small people though because we had to watch our head while walking the maze. On the way home we saw the hovels of the squatters and their humpies, for that’s all I could call them. They were very poor and the kids were poorly dressed though, like India and Africa really, they seemed happy enough. The Mayor is trying to do something about this, so I am told.
On another matter, the problems down south of here are of a sufficient distance away to not be a problem for us. However, one of the MJs who visit us here occasionally, Fr Ralf, works down there running a school for Christians and Muslims alike. Some of the stories he brings back make my hair stand on edge. One of his students got killed there last year. The Christian only make up 5% in that area. Apparently some years ago in Marcos time they tried to solve the violence by separating the two groups. So the Muslims moved south and the Christian moved north. Sounds familiar you say. Yes India had the same solution or was it the British. Neither movement of population worked overly well as a small group from each persuasion decided not to move. Can’t blame them as the land has been owned by the families for centuries. I certainly admire Fr Ralf and his fellow worker, for being so brave. He was offered another post away from the trouble but said he wanted to stay and help these people live in harmony. What a man. They are giving genuine witness that both groups can live together if they work at it. All Europeans were pulled out of the area recently so only Philippino priests are working down there now. Helicopters are forever flying down south from the military base not so far from us here. So we are well aware of the situation.
Our first month at the language school is just about gone and thanks be to God we are progressing steadily. My first talk in Cebuano is not far away. See you at next weeks instalment.
You’re in Edmund
Peter T
I’m sure you have heard about the Negros nine and the Kabankalan four now we have “The Leyte three”
(Peter Carl and Frank)
