MY STAY IN THE PHILIPPINES: WELCOME, AVAILABILITY, FRATERNITY,
AFFECTION AND TRUST
[Experience of José Antonio Rodríguez, former director of our school in Spain]

          I had the opportunity to live with the Hijas de Jesús in the Philippines for three months. Before everything else, I would like to express my gratitude to all those who have made possible this dream that I had been keeping for a long time to become a reality: the Provincial government, the FASFI, my companions in Mater Purissima School, my family, and above all, the Hijas de Jesus of the Philippines who, from the very first moment made me feel as if I was in my own home.

          After discharging the work of school director for twelve years, being with the Directing Team for 18, and as a teacher for 28 years, I have finally come to fulfill this dream which before I could not due to time constraints. It seemed to me the right moment to make a stop in my path for different motives: Allow some space for transition from the old Directing Team to the new one, experience how the Congregation does its apostolic works in other countries, enjoy a period of reflection and prayer which our daily routines do not normally facilitate… I have to say with great satisfaction that I have received much more than what I hoped for, which was already enough.

          I could have chosen another country in the world where the Hijas de Jesus are present. Many volunteers go to South America and Mozambique, but very few choose the Philippines for the distance and for the language. I decided to go there precisely for these reasons.

          It was a pleasant surprise to know that I was not the only one; Juan Carlos, the school director of Coruña, also had the same desire. His experience as a volunteer during the month of August helped me to “situate myself” in the assignment that I would receive.

          In fact, the two of us had lived with the same community in the town of Maasin, province of Iloilo, in the island of Panay which is located at the center of the Philippines. His objective comments helped me much and I thank him for this, and as he said, he would not mention the sentiments and sensations he experienced because they are personal and pertains to every individual. Little by little I could verify how right he was.

          The arrival in Manila on September 17 was very warm in many senses: the suffocating and humid heat, but the most important was the welcome of the Hijas de Jesús. The next day I left for my new assignment, Maasin. This town has 15,000 inhabitants, although it gives the impression of being less populated due to the expanse of the municipality and the dispersed population. The religious community is composed of six sisters who basically discharge the mission in two areas: the school (Saint James Catholic High School) and the training residence for the promotion and insertion (in the larger society) of girls who belong to needy families.

          There I was, during two months, giving classes on European culture in all levels. The school is small, with twelve sections (from first to fourth year) with a total of 430 students. This made it easy for me to know the students and the teachers and school personnel, more or less twenty five of them. Saint James, one of the ten centers of the Hijas de Jesús in the Philippines, is characterized by the lack of economic resources; in fact 90% of the students are on scholarship by the Congregation and/or with a small help that the government gives. I have to underscore that in the Philippines, all schools that do not belong to the State are considered private and total, subsidized financing does not exist, so that economic support comes completely from the families and donors. You can imagine the great difficulty in terms of economic resources, but it is also a great help for the majority of the families whose outlook coincides fully with the religious values of the school. In Maasin there are seven public secondary schools; Saint James is the only Catholic school; choosing it presupposes an indirect option.

          Little by little I could discover that much of my first impressions were in consonance with the reality: the charism of Mother Candida is very much present, the principles of fraternity and universality, the mission of the Congregation, its values… from the portrait of the foundress in the façade of the school announcing and celebrating the process of her canonization, to the inside of the school.

          School hours in the Philippines are extensive: from 7:00 A.M. to 4:45 P.M. Practically all students spend their day in school: breakfast at 6:00 A.M., lunch at 11:30, supper at 6:oo P.M., with morning recess and merienda in the afternoon. This extended schedule gives the students 40 hours a week so that there are no problems about preparing and organizing different activities. Immediately I understood that they had time for everything: learn, study and prepare festivities. The Filipino people are characterized by their great capacity for music and dance, there is no celebration without any of the two.

          On the other hand, during all this time the teachers remain in school and their dedication is full in all senses despite their meager salaries and the economic differences of some centers from the others. How much this reality made me think! From a western mind’s point of view, this can be a great social injustice (which it really is) and a strong motive for dissatisfaction. Yet, perceiving their joy of living, their religious commitment, their personal dedication and happiness… the values which we, in the rich world have lost and which they have preserved until now, question me.

          Religious practice is inherently present, and here we are speaking of the inter-weaving key points. There they would not understand these terms, but their concepts are realized in an absolutely natural way. They begin and end the day in prayer. The religious are few in number, like in Spain, but the Catholic identity of the faculty is so strong that one can breathe it in the atmosphere. The advantage is that in the Philippines, 98% of the people are practicing Catholics, and the children from birth breathe and live the faith as something ordinary.

          Another characteristic which called my attention was their great facility for languages. Every island, every region has its own dialect; in Panay, they speak Ilonggo. When we bear in mind that the official languages of the country are Tagalog and English, the students, after finishing high school, would have learned three. The majority of the religious, for the reason of changes in their assignments, speak four or five languages.

          Aside from the great hospitality that I mentioned before, the smile is always constant, which, together with the respect and amiability of character, brings about a strange sensation of well being and makes one respond in the same manner without being aware of it.

          From the beginning I wanted to integrate myself fully in the community. I tried to adjust myself in the house as well as in the school, in their daily life, and it was really easy: daily Mass at 5:30 in the morning, school time, common prayer at 6:00 in the evening, participation in religious events (funerals, baptisms, weddings, communions, sacerdotal ordinations) and non-religious activities (birthdays, parades, marches akin to American majorettes), visits to the families of the boarders, official inaugurations of the mayor… After a short time, I came to feel like one more member of the municipality of Maasin. Thanks to Srs. Femie, Delia, Hene, Bella, Florence and Malou and for their full integration among the people despite the fact that some of them have been assigned there only a few months before, I felt so welcomed and respected like the rest; in fact, some people thought that I was a priest, and the children would ask for my hand and bring it to their forehead for a blessing as is their custom. The respect, admiration and appreciation which Filipinos show for the religious is praiseworthy.

          The suffocating heat slowly gave way to a warm spring, and perhaps because my body had adapted to the climate, I could withstand better the sensation of exhaustion. The persistent torrential rains of the typhoons refreshed the surroundings and I could understand better the force of nature. As they say, nothing is lacking: typhoons, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions… All this happen in a way that the scenery is so exuberant and beautiful. I have never seen such variety of green and so much richness of natural resources.

          Great variety of plants, fruits, animals… which makes you question why is it that in such a rich country there are people who have to live such a poor life. It pains to see that, like in other places, wealth is concentrated in a few and the majority of the population have to survive as much as they can day after day. Practically there is no middle class and the social differences can immediately be perceived. Neither is there a public health system for all, so that health depends on how much you have. There are so many contrasts that so many things question you. Yet, despite all these difficulties, what prevails is their simplicity, their faith, and probably their happiness.

          Those of us who are fortunate to have known the life of the countryside in the sixties when we were children, would perhaps find it easier to understand their daily life: the continuous disruptions of electricity, the difficulty of having potable water, the lack of adequate infrastructures, the rudimentary and attention-getting transport vehicles (tricycles, jeepneys)… these are inconveniences which paradoxically do not hinder the daily living. It is a strange combination between the first and third worlds, between the advantages and disadvantages of Spain since the forties and the advantages and disadvantages also of present-day Spain.

          From Maasin, I had the occasion to visit other communities in the island of Panay: the schools of Pototan (the first foundation in the Philippines), Iloilo and Estancia. In the nearby island of Guimaras is St. Joseph School. In all of these, the same sensations are repeated: the warm welcome of the sisters and the educative community, and the satisfaction that continued to make me feel at home. It did not matter traversing 150 kilometers in five hours because it allowed for recreation and contemplation of the beautiful scenery and the discovery of the great diversity of the country as well as the variety of apostolic works of the Congregation.

          I left Maasin after two months. It was difficult to leave because after so many days my emotions were being transformed into sentiments. The mutual affection towards the sisters and the boarders, aside from the persons who worked in the tiny bakery and training residence (Issoy y Annie) has created a bond that, I could say, they are my family in the Philippines. How much I thank them for all that I have lived!

          On November 25, having read before the life of Mother Candida and the history of the Hijas de Jesús in the Philippines since 1932 to 1957 in English, with the objective of knowing the history from within, I went to Davao in the island of Mindanao. Sadly, for the West, to mention Mindanao is synonymous with kidnapping, violence, extremism… besides, my visit coincided with the massacre of the 57 victims who were brutally killed by an Islamist faction days before. To be there, listening to the news is shocking. You see the extent of ambition for power of a few, the use of religion by party politics (which in reality is not really such), the political corruption and the manipulation of the means of communication, which can cause so much suffering among the people and can create a false idea for the rest of the world when generalizing the situation. It is true that kidnappings, assassinations, corruption happen, but in which part of the world does it not? Yes, there are especially “dangerous” areas but localized. Mindanao has an extensive area like Andalucia and the Moslem conflict is contained in the southeaster part of the island.

          Thanks to the itinerary that Sister Georgette, Provincial Superior of the Philippines, prepared for my last two weeks so that I could visit the communities of Davao, Stella Maris, Lasang, Camiguin, Cebú, Argao, Manila, Angono, Marikina and Quezon City, visit the sisters and the different and varied apostolic works. I can say that I have arrived at a greater knowledge of the Hijas de Jesús in the Philippines. In all the places I have been to, the constants are always repeated: welcome, availability, fraternity, affection and trust… (This part merits another chapter. I have not developed it for now; perhaps in another occasion.)

          I have lived such a rich experience that everyday I thank the Lord for having made possible this desire; for His care and protection, for the persons who have accompanied me from near and far, for the love received, for feeling his presence among the poor and the rich, for the discovery and enjoyment of the beautiful gift of nature of these places, for feeling myself a citizen of the world, for having experienced the well-known phrases of Mother Candida, for the 131 Filipina Hijas de Jesús, for the first Spanish sisters who went there,for the many things…

          And I pray at the same time for all those who have made this possible, for the strengthening of the bonds created, for the continuity and expansion of the charism of the Congregation, for the commitment of the lay, for us who search for times and spaces to be with Him.

And as the Filipinos often wish: May God bless us all!

 

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