Bikol

An update on the past week in Bikol....


Ate Joy, Kelvene, Andrew and me went there for a two day participatory training/workshop with pastors and others involved in the church or the community. The first day the focus was on the millenium development goals and Micah Challenge. While the focus of the second day was on anti-corruption.

I have to say that for me this was a very encouraging experience. First because it really gave me a sense of some of the work that I will be involved with. I had been writing a bit already, doing some research, helping with events, even doing the devotions and the breaking of the bread at an event called prayer for the nation...in the presence of multiple pastors. EHm yeah not too sure if they were all too impressed with my biblical accuracy..but i guess it was heartfelt right...

Yellow Spot - Manila Red
Thin Circle - Albay, Bikol Region (P.S. Same Island all the way South East of Manila)

But, i disgress Bikol, or rather in Ligao city in Albay province in the Bikol region was the first time that I trully really got the feel for what I will be doing. Both because I did my first presentation, but more because I just got a sense of the topics, the regions, the future work that we will be working on. So yeah that was great.

Secondly, it was great to also see the enthusiasm and encouragement of people here and how pastors and other members are commited to help meet the goals of universal primary education or to go against corruption.

I do have to say that the corruption remains a funny thing. It seems like it is the universally excepted thing. A thing that everyone recognizes, but feels semi powerless to do anything against. But it is this corruption that also plays a vital role in a country's developement. If you add the money taken from the people by corruption to the Billions of pesos of debt payments (from loans often taken out by corrupt officials) and the amount of money lost from the budget that should be going to social services and for the general benefit of the Filipino people becomes staggering. But, it is not just among the common folk that there is a sense of apathy of what they can do against corruption many pastors are also clueless on what to do. Corruption doesnt rank high on the list of things to address, they have to worry about what their congregation might think, there can be real dangers that are associated with addressing corruption, it mightalso take a long time before change (isn't that right Barack) is visible and so even the ones that start with the fight often get tired along the way. It was funny....we were talking about funding etc. and the more charitable causes get easy funding as does disaster response and rightfully so, but some of the more structural programs that might actually change some of the problems so we dont have to continously give handouts find harder support. In fact, we brought it down to the two things that are fighting for last place on the funding list from religious organizations ....were.........."excitement building"........."and even more"...."okay maybe not"......Corruption and HIV/AIDS...


well ill leave it there for now....but yeah it was very good to see the excitement of such a group of leaders who wanted to do something about both the issues of poverty and government.

For evidence i wanted to post a video of watch pastor Choi taking care of the Millenium Development Goals. But two hours later and it is still not uploaded...so you will have to do with some pictures.

We also got to see some more of God's beauty in the form of Mount Mayon Vulcano...and some more of God's grace in the joy and kindness of the participants and of our driver and Aisha who organized things on the ground.


Well from back in Quezon City...ill leave you with this thought....from GK Chesterton.

"The Bible tells us to love our neighbors, and also to love our enemies; probably because they are generally the same people."