Trip north to Tuguegarao

3-29-10

We traveled north to survey the drought caused by El Nino. It didn't look like a long journey on the map, but traveling in the Philippines is very different. The larger highways stop not too far outside of Manila, and it is narrow roads and small cities. What we thought we could accomplish in a day took two. Communities with irrigation were okay, but dry farmers were in bad shape. I am including a story of a typical farming family that we met. This is part of my report that I submit when requesting funds.

During our trip we met Brother Hector Calayan and his family and we took a few pictures. His story is typical of so many of the white corn farmers there. He gave us permission to share these pictures and his family's story. He is a strong member of the church, he serves on the high council, and his wife is a returned missionary. They have three children, Helaman who is 6, Elijah who is 4 and the baby Ruth is 3 months old. They live in a humble hut Brother Calayan built himself. Brother Calayan is a subsistence farmer, who provides for his family on about two and a half hectares of land that belonged to his father. One picture shows him indicating the height of the flood water that washed away his first crop this past fall. Shortly after the flood his father passed away and he took care of the funeral expenses, his wife then had complications with the birth of their baby and with that their financial resources were depleted. He had to borrow money to replant his corn crop. The drought has now decimated that crop, and the family has been left with no resources. (Picture of Brother Calayan standing by what is left of his corn crop) Brother Calayan is considering leaving his family and looking for work outside of the Philippines.

On the way home we visited the rice terraces of Banaue. This is called the 8th Wonder of the World. Here rice is grown on terraced mountain sides. Water from the high springs is used in a complicated method of aqua ducts to flood or withhold water from each terrace as needed down the mountain side. Some terraces are said to be 2,000 years old. It was beautiful and so peaceful. I enjoyed the one night we spent there.

The week in Manila

3-20-10

This week we stayed in Manila we have some emergency relief funds left from the Typhoons last fall and we wanted to see if there were any schools that needed repairs. We have visited several schools. The kids are always friendly, polite and very curious about these huge white people. They love to try their English on us, and it is always very formal, “Good morning Sir, how are you?” I always try my Tagalog on them which causes much laughter. We are definitely a disruption to the educational process. Yesterday we visited a school in Manila, one third grade teacher (who had been teaching at that school 30 years) had 68 students. That was not an unusual number. The school was neat as a pin. There were vegetable gardens in the front of the school, the school was painted cement blocks, and clean. (Its the custom even in the urban schools to plant vegetable gardens for the children to tend and use, also the children do the basic cleaning of the school) The school had received clean up funds from a large chain of fast food restaurants. The parents in the community got together and did the repairs, and they were major. We visited another school in the same area and it was so terrible tears filled my eyes just seeing the conditions those poor students had to endure. The school was flooded and after the water reseeded it looks like very little has been done. The ceilings were sagging or non existent, the walls were buckled, the outside walls made of cinder blocks were so badly cracked that you could stick your hand in the crack. If there was an earth quake, or even another typhoon the building would crumble. Needless to say we got a contractor out there the next day. But really the school should be torn down. What a blessing to live in the USA, we have so much and we don’t even realize how fortunate we are.

There are so many good people here in the Philippines, for example there are two that we (LDS Charities)partner with. First is, "Tahangny Walang Hagdanan" translated "house without stairs" here a catholic nun came from Belgium about 50 years ago and started a huge campus for people with handicaps. There are workshops, school, medical clinic, physical therapy. In addition to rehabilitation facilitates and dormitories, there are small factories where workers who make all kinds of stuff like, silk screened canvas bags, fishing flies, wood tables and chairs, packaging medical samples, educational toys, dental apparatus like dentures,crowns and wheelchairs. We will be ordering 1,000 wheelchairs from them. Here in the Philippines there not the rules against discrimination so these folks could not work on the outside. An example of the discrimination this was a help wanted sign we saw, "Wanted Waitress, must be attractive"

Another partner for our vision projects is Mabuhay Deseret. Dr. Jackson, a Utah Mormon Ex-Philippine mission president and eye doctor purchased the house as a place people and their caregiver from the poor rural areas could stay while preparing for and recovering from free eye surgery he performed at local hospitals. (Like a Ronald McDonald house) That was 30 years ago and now they also do cleft palates, club feet and burn constrictors. Doctors volunteer for up to a year at a time and there are 2 other houses and rural clinics in the Philippines and other similar facilities elsewhere in other developing countries.

Our left over emergency money from the typhoon can be used to ease suffering from the drought, so most of next week will be spent up north talking to people and making plans as how to best use the resources. We also will be taking up cases upon cases of sadrines (yuck) left over from the typhoon relief. Also we need to look at two potential water projects.

Philippine Drought

3-11-10

There is a drought in the Philippines due to El Nino. As we traveled north from Manila this was apparent in the dry river beds, fallow fields, and starving live stock. Our trip was to inspect a water project that has hit some major snags. The village (barangay) needed a deeper well, the water pump system they have now has pretty much gone dry and they decided they wanted to upgrade to a level 3 system where water would be stored in a tank and then pipes laid to connect to the individual houses. Before we came the church put up 2/3 of the money, the mayor, congressman and barangay people promised the rest. The church dug the well, the people put up their part, but the congressman is not running for re-election and has declined, and the mayor is now having financial difficulties. The poor people are stuck, they have a nice well, but no storage tank, and a distance to get water. They were asking us to help them financially to finish the project. The church has a strict policy that encourages self reliance, and they just don't pass out money because it encourages dependency, and releasing others from paying their share would defeat the purpose. This was hard to tell the people who are so desperate. The day before that we had a man come into our office to tell us about the plight of the farmers in his area, he said all they needed was 20 liters of fuel each to pump enough water from the river to save enough of their crops to feed themselves. Earlier that day a branch president called to ask if there was money for the non-members of his barangay to buy food because they had not eaten for days and were hungry. We have a budget and can not just give out money. Our life here as missionaries is submerged in the desperate need and suffering. Then we drive home through the throngs of poor people who live in shacks that surround our gated and guarded community of comfortable condos. It is difficult to be so prosperous, fat and well fed, I feel guilty.

These three pictures are taken in the Galvan Barangay where the project was. The first is us meeting with the barangay council. The second is a woman washing her clothes where she had to carry water 600 yards back to her home, and the last is down a neighborhood street

Speaking of being well fed, Dennis and I decided that we would try to eat as the locals do, and stay away from the familiar. (Wow were we surprised. There is every fast food restaurant here that is in American.) There is a lady who comes to our office at lunch everyday and sells a small plastic bag of rice, and a small plastic bag of some type of curry or stew tied off at the top. It is cheap, about 80 cents, and keeping with our decision to eat local food. It has been an culinary adventure. My last meal was squash in a bright yellow sauce with shrimp heads. At first I didn't realize what I was eating. I said to my table mates, " look there is a shrimp head that is tied on a fishing line." Then as I looked more carefully the stew was full of what I thought was shrimp heads and string. My lunch mates tried to explain what it was that I pulling out of my food, but did not know the English word. After much pantomime I realized it was the shrimp antenna, or those two long whisker like things that stick out of their heads. You are just supposed to eat the heads, shells and all, it was hard for me to swallow, especially the antenna.

3-04-10 Trip to Eastern Samar

3-04-10

Enlarge pictures by clicking on them:

We just got back from a visit to Eastern Samar. We went to visit 4 Barangay that are just outside of the city of Borangan. We flew to Tacloban and then hired a driver and van to take us the 4 hours over a narrow bumpy road that went westward across the island and then north. It was a beautiful if somewhat scary ride (the driver had the peddle to the metal). It amazes me that nothing caused the driver to slow down and dogs, pigs and small children naturally jump to the edge of the road.

The 4 Barangay are situated along a valley that was so beautiful words can not do it justice. Rice fields of the most vibrant green bordered a shallow river, and sloping up from the rice fields were massive amounts of coconut palms. The villages had abundant gardens with root vegetables and other things I don't know the names of. The huts were for the most part neat with bright flowers growing around them. It was so beautiful it was like paradise to me. However there is a downside. We were there to work with the villages to install a water system. There are problems with water bore disease, and having to carry water great distances.

The people of Samar love their rosters, I guess a prize winning roster is a big deal. One can see these beautiful birds in special cages, or on roosts almost at every home. It makes me feel bad to think of their fate. I am told that a family will go without to buy special food and shampoo to groom their roster. This roster was just outside a CR (public restroom) sorry it is sideways. The restroom was a strange elevated bowl like thing that one squatted over and then to flush put a scoop of water in the bowl from a bucket next to it.

PHOTO GALLERY

Placing pictures in the blog is cumbersome. I would like to use Picasa as a place to share photos that go along with what we are writing about. I tested this link and it is a two step process. When you click on it you are taken to a oops screen but there it offers you to view denniss2765 hared photos. Click on that and when a photo appears click on it and the gallery will open. In time I might find a better way to do this.

http://picasaweb.google.com/denniss2765/SharedPhotos#

2-28-10

We just got home from church a while ago, what an ordeal ! Not the branch or the members they are so nice and welcoming, but getting there and home again. Unbelievable traffic, poor maps, non existing street signs, and getting lost made it a very frustrating experience. About seven years ago Elder Dallin Oaks came to the Philippines and attended a Manila ward that was full of couple missionaries, and members living abroad. He disbanded the ward and sent all the folks out to strengthen the branches in the Providences. (He probably had a driver, because if he had to drive it himself he might have reconsidered sending seniors citizens out in that traffic) As a result our branch is a good two hours travel. We were driven out the first time and Dennis took pictures of landmarks on our way back home. We might as well have sprinkled bread crumbs. We were hopelessly lost almost from the beginning, both going and coming back. At one point we stopped at a service station to ask where a particular road was and a nice young man lead us, he on a bicycle and we following for several blocks. It took us three hours to get there and three, blood pressure elevating to stroke level, hours to get home again. I clenched my teeth so hard and so consistently that it is a miracle none are broken.

Saturday we went shopping in a mall not too far from our house. It is called Market Market and it is huge. In addition to the traditional food stalls outside there is a super mall in side with four floors. It was so big and so crowded I was totally overwhelmed, and could hardly wait to get out of there. I needed a pair of shoes and after searching found a pair I liked and were big enough, (sorry lady we do not have shoes size 8)they were imported from Australia.

2-24-2010 Driving in the Philippines

Driving or for that matter riding in a car here in the Philippines is not for the faint-of-heart. There are no speed limits, no rules, in most places no signals, no traffic enforcement, and no right of ways. I have found that there are two types of drivers here. Those that drive between the lines of the highway and those that drive on the lines. With this method on a three lane road there can be five lines of traffic. Great way to efficiently use all available space on the road. So it doesn't matter how many lines there are, you simple go with the flow.

Picture a busy freeway as described above and then add a million motorcycles, people running across the freeway, cars stopping in the middle of the road to buy something from a vendor that is walking between the lanes of cars.

Off the freeway on the city streets a red light is a considered suggestion. If you stop at them the horns start to honk at you to get going. Right and left turns can be made from any lane of traffic. There is one rule that all obey. The car with the front bumper most forward has the right of way. This means that although there are cars speeding towards you, you can pull out and make a left turn right in front of them and they will be expected to stop. It takes guts sometimes.

There is however the rule of size. If my car is bigger than yours I should be first. The last thing you need to do to survive driving here is called No-See-Chicken. You simple pretend that you don't see the car you just cut off. By not acknowledging their presence you surely have the right of way.