While in Iligan(Vol Learning)

This one is really for Jay but since I can't be bothered to write more updates, I figure this would also do as a recent post.

--- 

       Coming home to the Philippines became quite bitter sweet. To be honest, in our 2^nd month in London it felt like we’ve been in the UK for ages. I was so used to traveling that I know the routes and schedule of my buses and could confidently take the tube on my own. You know when you’re used to things already, you almost feel at home. And London has always been postcard like in its scenery and most of the time the weather was really cool, so it was such a nice place to live in.

            Soon enough we only had a week to go before flying back. I was most excited to head home. Not only to give my presents (pasalubongs) to my relatives, but also because it felt like I already did what I was supposed to do in Newham; it was really time to head home.

            It’s been a month since we got back and we’ve settled in Iligan well. It’s so small that I’ve also memorized what jeeps to take and where most shops are. Like most small cities in the country, the pace of life is slow – the days are longer and time moves slowly; it feels like I’ve been here for ages.

Two striking new thoughts are in my head the last couple of weeks: 1) Some people (Filipinos as well) are still so ignorant about Mindanao and the media doesn’t help curb that ignorance; not at all. It’s quite sad though because the people who work in the media know this, they just refuse to do something about it because “drama and exaggeration” sells; news then, most of the time, is no different from TV soap operas.  2) Our (Filipino) hospitality definitely sets us apart; it is kindness to the maximum level. But the same hospitality makes it easier for other people to take advantage of us. We should really know when to draw the line and be able to say NO. Perhaps along with teaching our children to practice hospitality to guests, we should also teach them a realistic and healthy sense of skepticism so they won’t be duped when they get old or won’t be taken advantage of.

In the light of working for Social Development, it’s even more clear to me how there are so many NGOs in the country right now and how similar their causes are. The battle for funding has become quite hard. In Iligan alone, there are a number of organizations who do similar things and I can imagine how in a few years time they will all have major difficulties in terms of sustainability. I understand even more why NGOs pay less to their staff – less than what the staff deserves in terms of their skills and bulk of tasks.

How easier things can be if we have the resources. I think a lot about that nowadays. I am not ignorant about the difficulty of running projects without resources as I was doing resource mobilization before GX, but I guess it’s more real again these days. Especially if I remember the fact that the £500 which my team mates can easily get (through asking donations or working part time)  will mean so much more to a farmer’s cooperative or to a school for Indigenous People.

In the last 3 GCDs, which included mine (with Dom and Elbert), I was reminded of how RICH Mindanao is. (I’ve always been proud to be a Mindanawon). Mindanao is rich in terms of natural resources and it is rich in its culture. The sense of resilience, respect and simplicity of life in the people of Mindanao is also very rich. I am most glad I was brought up here. Growing up in Davao taught me to find happiness in simple things and not be dependent on material possessions. Being based in Mindanao again, after about 5 years of being Manila based, is enriching my knowledge about its history and its people. I have to admit I never really gave history much importance in college.

Sadly though our GCDs have reopened my eyes in the harsh realities tha t Mindanao has faced in the past. My rich island had been bastardized so much – the insurgencies and war, the generalization of media, and the exploitation of its natural resources. Greed has been inflicted and there is also great threat in the rich culture that abound the island.

I am deeply worried but at the same time moved to do something about it.