Edmund Rice Brothers, Philippines Mission Diary - 12
January 2008
Christian Brothers Philippines Mission
REGISTERED NAME: Edmund Rice Brothers, The Philippines, Inc. CN200825020
Before I start the diary, the news about Peter Hardiman’s brother, Fr Russell, is not good as he is in a Perth hospital having tests for suspected Guillain-Barre Syndrome so your prayers are earnestly requested for him and the family. Things are not looking good at this stage so I am appealing for us all to start a novena to our Founder that a cure can be found and that Russell will be returned to full health. We recite the Edmund Rice prayer for him every night; why not join us
Full Postal address: The postal system is reasonably reliable but some mail may have been delayed and other pieces have found their way to us via different countries, so the two addresses above have been updated and our advice is to use them when posting items. 99% will make it through but the time needed varies considerably from one week to three and one possible reason may have been that the previous address was incomplete. Parcels can take longer. (We are all on email which of course is the quick option. These can be found in the Oceania address book) Note: Addresses have been omitted from this web version - and can be obtained by email.
Incorporated: The latest news is that the hard work of Br John Moodie has paid off and we are now incorporated here in the Philippines and many tasks will now be more routine. It will help us with our banking problems and our requests for various services. More importantly we are now a recognised Religious Body in this country which has obvious advantages. Our registered name and number is shown above. The title “Christian Brothers” was not accepted by the Philippine authorities but we still are known as CBs among our friends. Bishop Cantillas of Maasin likes the idea of us calling ourselves Blessed Edmund Rice Brothers which sounds great to me.
Noisy Asia: OK lots have happened since I wrote last so this newsletter is a little longer than usual and my apologies for that. First lets start by saying we had a great trip to Negros-Kabankalan, to spend Christmas with Peter Hardiman and John Moodie who where in good form. Then a week on Leyte in the Maasin area living in the Convent made available to us so graciously by the Companions of Jesus Sisters. They gave us the use of their car which came in handy. The over riding impression is still my surprise at the noisiness of day to day life here. Fireworks, animals, traffic and karaoke not to mention the singing minstrels that roam up and down the streets demanding our attention with their Christmas carols, (more on this later) all combined insuring I saw the New Year in OK, though Frank and Carl seem to have found a way of being dead to the world. Sad to say I celebrated the start of the New Year on my own. As a coincidence the Asian Readers Digest had an article in the December issue which claims Asia to be one of the nosiest places on earth which is hard to believe as I have been to Africa and India and I know what they are like. 112 decibels would be a fair average says the article and I can accept that OK, which is a worry as this is above the harmful range for humans. I have touched on this in earlier issues and I am told I will get use to it; I doubt it. Right now I hear a call that can be heard all over the district much like a Mullahs call to prayer and it starts early in the morning. “Taso Taso” which I found out means someone is just trying to sell a concoction of soya beans and sugar. This call even rises above my dear friends next door. (Crowing Cocks and barking dogs) The fish monger has a bell for drawing his potential customers to the catch of the day and as we are so close to the docks you can even hear the ships blowing off; I guess you get the picture. Despite all this the Philippines is an amazing Country and has so much to offer and its potential is huge. If only the administrators could get their act together and find a way to share the wealth more equitably things would be so much better. The Philippino is generally a happy and warm hearted person who is only too willing to welcome the stranger in and I would go further and say their joy and friendliness must be one of their most endearing characteristics.
My First Asian Christmas-New Year The highlight of the trip was the Christmas party put on by John for his young children who are being taught at his new little hedge school as I call it. They started out with two volunteers and John coordinating things. He has found some funds to help him pay these two 
volunteers something for their services which give the project a little more stability. (Details of this story in last issue) They start back on the 7th of January so 2008 should show some real growth in this small but wonderful venture. Of course we had the endless visits to our door of small groups of people coming throughout our stay singing carols then waiting for the donation which was always given. We were warned that if the donation is not generous enough the next song would be in Illongo and to the tune of “we wish you a merry Christmas” where they articulate in no uncertain manner the fact that you are mean old sods!!!! I was a little surprised at the number of groups that came around trying their luck. I suspect the word got around that we were particularly generous. This pattern continued in Maasin for the New Year so I presume it is an old custom like so many others things here that comes from the Spanish Tradition. I lost count of the number of little recitals we had to sit through and of course the amount of money that was handed out, but I feel it was a good thing and the whole spirit of Christmas was maintained throughout our stay. Some were made up of family groups others fully fledged choirs from local churches and chapels trying to 
genuinely raise money for their Parish. We even had a couple of very small street kids trying their luck. I am glad the visits have subsided as they tended to come to the door at all hours and my patience was starting to wear thin. The other two experiences I would have preferred to avoid were the fireworks which started before Christmas climaxing New Years night with a continuous barrage of noise. It seemed to me that every back yard was full of kids enjoying their own private show. A death and several serious injuries were reported in the papers and now I hear Davao city is trying to outlaw them but I don’t think they will win this one as it’s too ingrained in their consciousness. Karaoke is very popular all over the Philippines which go on every night well past midnight. Believe it our not we were unlucky enough to have one of these establishments across the road from us in both Kabankalan and Maasin. Needless to say our nights were not as peaceful as the season would demand. The quiet and peaceful suburb of Girrawheen back in Australia is just a distant happy memory I’m afraid. We did go to midnight mass and it started at 8pm with a concert followed by the Eucharist resided over by the Bishop. We did get home by midnight OK and Peter Hardiman played his Clarinet beautifully and the singing was magnificent. Our days were spent meeting new people and visiting very interesting sites so all in all it was a very pleasant Christmas thanks to John and Pete.
Misa de Gallo:
Another custom which took my fancy was the Nine day novena of Masses held before Christmas day at the interesting hour of 4am every morning. Very popular in this country and Churches were packed. Carl and Frank were a little more faithful to them than I. The old health was not 100% over the Christmas New Year period so I was only able to go to a couple. The local people believe that special favours are answered at this time of the year which may explain the crowds. I heard from a Salesian priest in Maasin that it has taken hold in Perth which does not surprise me as there is a large Philippines community there. The faith of the people here is extraordinary and their loyalty to the Church and their priests is obvious and of course commendable.
Philippines driver’s license: The next bit of news is that Carl, John and I acquired our temporary Filipino license while in Negros; the experience giving us once again a real taste of the Filipino culture. Their bureaucracy is unbelievable and certainly efficiency is not part of the deal I can assure you. Now we were informed that our Australian License allowed us to avoid a driving test and we would not be required to have a written test either so we thought this will be a piece of cake. Ha! It took us five hours to go through the process; even with a little preferential treatment (I am ashamed to admit) it was a night-mare. Lord only knows how the locals managed to get theirs. One man suggested it normally takes all day so we did well really. Patience is definitely the prince of virtues here in the Philippines. After doctor’s reports three photo sessions and reporting to six separate windows we finally had our licenses in our hands. We were informed that we must come back in May 2008 to collect the real product which certainly caused a little amusement, or maybe it was frustration. Anyway we were successful and that gave us a good feeling. Some people who were there before us were still waiting to be called to window five to have their first photo taken so I am not complaining just sharing our good fortune. Carl and I have been practicing our driving skills using the Brother’s car in Kabankalan and the Sister’s car in Maasin so we are quite good at driving down the right hand side now, as the cars are all left hand drive here. I guess we will need to think of buying a community car at some time in the future but there is no hurry as tricycles are plentiful enough and I guess we will have to visit Negros again in May. (More details of this saga on the Website if you want a laugh)
Outings: While in Kabankalan we had the chance to go out on a couple of outings together and one particular place was truly amazing with little waterfalls and picnic spots so we had our little swim and a light lunch; very pleasant 
indeed. It’s not for the real poor I suspect as it is quite a ways from town and transport is a problem. Some of the beaches and resorts on the west coast of Negros were also beautiful spots to get away from the hustle and bustle of the towns. The whole Island shaped like a boot and is covered in fields of Cane as you go through the countryside it’s every where and I’m told it is in the hands of just a few families called Sugar Barons. The Cane cutting season has started in earnest and there seemed to be hundreds of trucks on the road delivering the product to the sugar mills. It’s common enough to see more than 50 trucks lined up along the road waiting to dump their loads. Seeing the cutters hard at it is very thought provoking, no machines here, and as I watched them I thought how hard and dirty this work is; to think they work all day from dusk to dark, including Christmas Day, for just P100 per day. Where are the unions when you need them?
Transport: I thought Davao had a lot of tricycles but they are small time compared to these Provincial towns that don’t have Jeepney transport. One place in Leyte for instance was amazing, like wall to wall people and tricycles. Getting the mini bus, which we were in, through the streets, was like threading a needle. I don’t know how he missed hitting something or someone. The place is called Baybay and we passed through it on our way down to Maasin. That was a frightening experience which I will avoid at all cost next time I travel that way. The driver was a lunatic and the mini bus seats were squashed up to get more passengers in. I had a disagreement with the owner who was trying to put someone on my knee as I was sitting sideways due to lack of leg room, we did finally agree that it was not going to happen. I don’t know how we got in to Maasin in one piece. Frank tells me no problem that is the way it is here. I have a long way to go yet in the patience department. The big redeeming factor is the 
local people are so friendly and helpful and that includes our fellow passengers who suffered the three hour trip with us. I think they saw the fear in my eyes. We could have chosen to come down by a big bus but from past experience we thought the smaller bus would be the go. The tricycles are still my favourite means of transport. The plane flight, ferry ride and two hour car trip from Kabankalan to Bacolod was pleasant though so all in all it was not too bad a journey. Our total travel time was 12 hours; starting from Kabankalan at 6am and arriving in Maasin 6pm. Photo: Our visit to the Bishop's House for afternoon tea.
Hilongos our future home: We made several trips up to Hilongos, the town we hope to make our new home when we return in March 2008. It will be a big challenge for us but we have made the first move by getting our friend Fr Van to start looking for a home for us to rent. It is a poor area and does not have the facilities that the flag ship (St Josephs College) in Maasin certainly has. It also is reasonably close to other poor parishes which we hope to get involved in the future. It would have been much easier and far more secure to start in Maasin and maybe work our way out from there so we have probably chosen a more difficult mission but we do feel Edmund is smiling down on us. We met the other three priests who were excited about the prospect of our arrival and after a lovely afternoon tea and the obligatory tour we returned to Maasin. The 
School probably equates to junior secondary when comparing it with our system and Fr Van is the Director (400 + pupils) He feels we can help him and he and the school community have voiced their excitement at our arrival in March. Things are on the move and I suspect we just might make a difference. Certainly Bishop Cantillas, whom we met formally and informally several times, has impressed me on many fronts. He is genuinely going out of his way to make us feel welcome which is just great. He is an Order man so understands us and what we are trying to achieve. House hunting has started in earnest and Fr Van has already done some leg work on our behalf. We will rent for the first year and see how things go. Photo: Fr Van, giving us a tour of the his School in Hilongos.
Back in Davao City: We are now back in Davao City and have started our final run towards graduation day. Let’s hope we complete our course with flying colours and in mid March make the big move to Leyte full of the spirit and charism of Edmund. Happy New Year to you all and lets hope the new invigorated Province of Oceania and the Spirit that created it inspires more men to join us and more brothers to move to missions where the needs are so great. I myself have just got out of hospital after some minor surgery to do with my sinuses. I feel confident we may have sorted things out this time. Dr Christine Del Monte, an Ear, Nose and Throat specialist here in Davao did the job and I have every confidence in her work and judgement. I am already enjoying a new ability to breathe normally which is an amazing improvement. After a few days recuperation and I am now back at the studies. Frank and Carl have been magnificent support to me during this difficult time. The operation cost about P40, 000 but the doctor only charged P10, 000 and then promptly donated it to the Mother Teresa sisters.
The February issue will revert back to only two pages as this one is what you might call a special issue for Christmas New Year. PXT
Kabankalan Contribution: Rod is back from his travels and has already jumped straight back into work arranging the appointment of two new Principals and visiting Schools as they open their doors for the New Year. Neil is still enjoying his Jubilee trip to NZ and from latest reports his return will be delayed till late February as he is to have some minor surgery on his return to Australia. His little jobs around the house will be missed and I’m sure the students who have been benefitting from his tutoring will miss him too. John has made a start to the new school year and hopes that his little project will continue to grow. The two assistant teachers are back on board and the children seem genuinely pleased to be back. Peter has his own contribution which follows but we would like to congratulate him on being the fifth member of the group to get his Philippines license. He has claimed a new record for time taken and all we can say about that is “Well done that man”.
Christmas a la Kabankalan or in Ilonggo Ang Paskwa sa Kabankalan by Peter Hardiman
(As you read from the rest of Peter’s epistle, the loss of Neil and Rod was more than compensated for by the three from Maasin to our Kabankalan community.)
If I was not seen a great deal during the lead up to Christmas it was because of the nightly practices I was engaged in as part of the Cathedral Choir. This was made more constant by the aim of performing in concert just before the ‘Midnight Mass’ (10 pm). Such disciplining of voices and movements you would only see in a philharmonic choir, I’m sure, but we fifty members were not far behind them with our performance! I punctuated the first bracket of carols, all in four part harmony of course, with two Schubert pieces including his Ave Maria played on clarinet with excellent keyboard accompaniment. I wasn’t too dusty even if I say so myself! Certainly this was a bit of a novelty for a local audience and the TV presentation provided several close-ups of my finger work!
Further items followed including a number of modern four part arrangements including You Raise Me Up, and the interweaving melodies of I Believe and Ave Maria. My favourite, though, was the Filipino song Lupa—a really strong springy song, which I would find impossible to sing if it wasn’t for my vibrant fellow tenors. We tenors celebrate the fact that we had two international members. The other was Kano by name, which means American! The Brothers were disappointed that the hat was not immediately taken up to cash in on the listening experience but even so we raised P80,000 towards a badly needed church organ/keyboard.
On a less formal note we hosted our second Christmas party for our kubuligs (helpers) to thank them for the wonderful support they give us here and also to reinforce our family ties as we share so much of life together. Very ritualised this, as it includes the grace, singing of carols, party games and the meal with more games and the giving of presents. I’m sure it will be repeated in Maasin next year.
Our own Christmas luncheon, just mentioned in passing by the other Peter, was celebrated in very Australian style by a trip down south to Sipalay. I had the opportunity of spending a couple of days here last Christmas with friends and the owner of this private resort right on the beach. It looks very nice but really is testimony to Buting’s environmental know-how that he was able to transform a rocky landscape into smooth beach and basic bungalow accommodation. The others weren’t to know but the coral reef and tropical fish inhabiting the edge of the reef are quite spectacular. The sunset was pretty special too.
While John had his Christmas party for his little ‘hedge school’, as Peter T so aptly describes it, this Peter was invited to the party of his Theology Class at KCC. This is one of the most exciting teaching jobs I’ve had preparing this very idealistic first batch of College students with their first subject in the new program of Religious Education Major. It is a great time to be teaching Creation centred Spirituality around Christmas and now leading up to the Feast of Señor Santo Niño. The Theme for this year is: “Jesus, the Holy Child is the source of every blessing in life.” Last year it was absolutely magnificent with Mass at the centre of three days of paying tribute to the Filipino Indigenous people and how the Child Jesus is the epitome of the gift of fertility!
Quote of the Month that took my fancy
“Our time is now; the era into which we are born is the era for which we have responsibility, for which we are meant to be a blessing” (Joan Chittister)
Thought I would finish by sharing this card with you all. Email greeting cards are all a rage but every now then a gem appears in the front gate mail box. This is one of them, an oil painting of Jesus sharing His last supper with the street kids on Manila. The original is by a famous artist called Joey Velasco: Oil on canvas 48 in by 96 in. The card says “Happy Christmas” in Tagalog.
In Cebuano we would like to say: Malipayong bag-ong tuig sa inyong tanan – (Happy New Year to you all)
Until next time.
