In 1981, the 13th Annual Convention of the Carmelites Order was held in Cebu City that paved the way for the creation of a new mission area in the Diocese of Ilagan. This was in line with the long-standing invitation of Bishop Miguel Purugganan who requested for three priests to start a mission in his diocese. At the same time, there was a similar invitation of Bishop Ataviado of Maasin Diocese. (Annual Convention Manual)
very much in line with the Order’s vision. Fr. Paul Medina was the first to arrive in Isabela and was assigned by the Bishop as Diocesan Coordinator of the Alay Kapwa Program. In March 1981, Fr. Cornelis Hendriks and Fr. Herman Wekking arrived in the province. On March 8, 1981, they were installed as priests-in-charge in San Mariano, Isabela.
to start a mission. The only utensil they had was a water jar with a hole in it. They borrowed the rest of basic utensils. They did a lot of refurbishing of the rectory, including repair of a leaking roof and change of the termites-infested walls. Fr Cor and Fr Paul did not lost time in meeting many people as they could. They conducted house visits and started meetings with the parish lay leaders.
“They charmed the people” Norma Dungca, a former Basic Christian Community (BCC) worker related to the Gentle Breeze.
“Before they arrived, we were not regular mass goers. When they came, we were impressed with the creative liturgy during the Sunday masses. Homilies were usually delivered by Fr. Cor with the use of visuals and illustrations. After the mass, Fr. Cor would engage us in conversations, most of the time asking about our families and our living conditions” Dungca said
The Carmelites practiced a cost-conscious lifestyle. “Every centavo was spent on basic necessities and we maintained one menu in every meal,” Nenita Mancao, the cook in the parish narrated
When the Diocesan thrusts were in the making, the Carmelites contributed a lot to the formulation of the WESTY Commission (Worship, Education, Service, Temporalities and Youth) and promoted its programs in the parish level. Lay leaders were organized to help implement the activities to the far-flung areas.
The two priests started building the catechism and BCC programs. A group of committed people was selected and provided with basic orientation and leadership skills. Then they were set out in the barangays to re-echo the orientation during prayer service.
The expansion
The Basic Christian Community (BCC) and Community Based Health program (CBHP) expanded in Benito Soliven, the next town after San Mariano when Fr. Herman Wekking took over the parish whose priest, Fr. Pedro Salgado was transferred to Magsaysay. When Fr. Herman left Isabela, Fr. Anton Korterik took over and involved himself in the Diocesan Pastoral Team.
Their efforts yielded with many sharing groups in the different villages. From there, barangay folks became aware of the problems of others. By listening and offering solutions, they unburdened each others’ worries and learned to speak out on many issues.
Mission and service for the poor peasants
The 80’s was a turbulent time in San Mariano, Isabela. It was most difficult for the peasant sector. According to Norma Dungca, the rural folks were agitated by the feeling of neglect by the government. Instead of delivering basic services, the military deployed troops in far-flung communities. “Farmers complained of being beaten or tortured on suspicion that they are NPA guerillas or rebel sympathizers. They were accused of being NPA members if they ask for an increase in the selling price of their farm produce.”
At times, when the farmers complained that the price of bananas was being bought at 25 centavos each, Fr. Cor called for a dialogue between the farmers and the local businessmen in San Mariano.
Mission and service among the sick
In one of the visits of the Carmelites in barangay San Pedro, Dipusu and San Pablo, they were struck by the worsening health situation there. According to Norma, the villagers were helpless during spread of diseases. Their only choice is to endure the pain that came upon them. “If they suffer stomach pain, diarrhea, fever or cough, they will just stay in a corner and wait until the grimacing pain will come to pass,” Norma said.
“Against this backdrop of worsening condition in the remotest communities in San Mariano, the Carmelites brought God in the midst of their sufferings” Luke Bautista, a former health worker said.
Fr. Cor saw the need of finding ways of providing first aid in areas not accessible to hospitals and health centers. He initiated the Community Based Health program and recruited a handful of health workers to run the program. He sponsored skills training aimed at harnessing the potentials of community members in addressing the health needs of the people. Luke, who now heads the Peasant desk of the Social Action Center of the Diocese of Ilagan, told gentle Breeze that the passion of the Carmelites in serving the poor had rubbed off on them. We saw from them that faith is not just about going to Sunday masses, but giving oneself in the service of the poor.
“We thought that Fr. Cor, being a foreigner, could not blend well with the barrio folks. But he proved us wrong. He went out of his way to learn the language of the people. He did this by holding regular prayer visits in the barrios. He would usually accompany his staff in hiking up mountains. At times, a runner would hand carry a letter, requesting for the help of CBHP. Given the weather and the treacherous terrain up the mountains, we thought the Dutch priest could not withstand the arduous journey to the remotest barangays. But Fr. Cor braved the scorching sun, rode on a logging truck, walked up mountains and trailed through the swamps for hours. At that time, the prevalent diseases were malaria and tuberculosis. When we felt really tired, our fatigue was lost at the sight of the tireless dedication of Fr. Cor who himself led the collection of sputum samples,” Luke narrated.
Transformation of the Parish Workers
Mary Anne Go said that their social involvement strengthened the people in the community. “We found the courage to speak out on various issues concerning the community. It felt great when we serve others,” she added. Managing the problem of the community was a lost time for our family. But later on, they were able to understand and adjust to the demands of our work. Usually, we would go home late at night because we made many referrals in other towns or provinces, especially if the disease needs advanced treatment. We explained to our children and husbands that we are doing this to help the poor,” she said.
Militarization
While CBHP work is very challenging, it also poses a risk. One time, Marylou Laconsay, a BCC worker in Benito Soliven said that they panicked upon seeing a group of soldiers encircling the church while they were having a seminar. It turned out that the military has been monitoring their activities as health workers. “But Fr. Cor eased our fear by saying that we should not be afraid because what we are doing is in service of God and the poor,” Marylou said.
“Since then, we learned to ignore the harassing presence of the military. We got used to conducting medical missions with soldiers sprawling in the vicinity. While I do acupuncture session, soldiers are inside the hut. We would usually tease them to try acupuncture” she said. Common ailments like cough, fever, muscle pains, head and stomach aches and diarrhea have been cured through these acupuncture treatments.
the ills of a human being are interrelated with the ills of the society, thus, there is a need to struggle for social change,” Norma added.
In 1988, after a weeklong gunfight in the mountains of San Mariano, NPA members raided the old municipal building of San Mariano where the main police headquarters was located. “This attack was used by the military to spread talk that the raiders ate and stayed inside the church during the night, thus the military maliciously accused that the Carmelites and their staff were not helping the poor but only agitating them to get angry at the government” Marietta Santos, one of the parish workers, narrated.
International Solidarity
At that time, Fr. Paul Medina was assigned by the bishop to take charge of the Communio Program. The program forged friendship and solidarity between the Diocese of Groningen and the Diocese of Ilagan. It became a venue for exchanging faith experiences among Third World and First World people of faith. Solidarity between the Diocese of Ilagan and Groningen was developed through correspondence, exchanges of teaching materials, liturgical materials, reflections, political support, common liturgy and basic local data and products.
Termination
In January 1991, the Carmelites terminated the mission in Isabela and concentrated in Manila and to the South.
Before, their church stands as a storage of life, struggles and aspirations of the poor. How the church touched and changed the lives of poor farmers, linger in the hearts and minds of the populace. To this date, the old church of St Thomas Aquinas was transformed into corn dryer and storage area
Back in the 80s, the church was a refuge of the peasant sector. Its door was not only opened for farmers meetings, but was actually turned into a “house of the poor”. When nighttime looms and farmers could not return to far-flung areas, they would usually stay overnight at the church. At the crack of dawn, farmers who arrived from the mountains would usually drop by and drink coffee.
The nine years of the Carmelites in Isabela has shown us what “church of the poor’ is all about. Fr Jerry Sabado who was born and raised in Isabela is one of the products of San Mariano Parish Mission of Carmel. As we celebrate our Jubilee year, we are called to live out the Carmelite's tradition of unbending will to carry forward the agenda of defending life and dignity especially of the poor.
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