By Post. Floro T. del Pilar III, Filipino postulant

Allowing the sun to warm my body in the morning has always been the best way to start my day. But that was not the situation when I joined the group for immersion in Piat, Cagayan. Sagar, Ricky, Jomar and I arrived in Piat at about seven in the morning and we dropped by Our Lady of Piat High School (OLOPHS) to meet Sr. Ellen, our contact for the immersion. We walked to the house of Nay Lumen, the school principal, and as early as that the sun was already scorching. I wanted to get a tricycle but Ricky was in the mood to walk. I didn’t know that in the span of my stay there, I was to walk under the scorching sun. The place is faithful to what it is known for- the hottest region of the country.

We stayed in OLOPHS for two days and Nay Lumen prepared our food. I felt their warmest welcome through the food that they served. Ricky reminded Nay Lumen not to serve foods that are too good for we might get used to it, and look to them as our foster families.

“I will come and eat here Nay, if my foster family does not have good food to give me, ok?”, I asked. “Not allowed,” says Ricky. Nay Lumen continued to serve good food anyway.

Finally, on the third day, we were sent to our foster families. Sagar was very excited only to find out that he was to be housed with a family five steps away from the school we were. I was excited, too! Ricky and Nay Lumen accompanied me and we walked towards the family who, in every sense of the word, adopted me as their very own. We passed by old wooden houses and I was guessing which would be mine. But then we walked further until we reached cemented houses. I smiled and started dreaming about a well prepared room untouched by the heat of the place. But then again, we walked some more and passed by a narrow path that won’t even pass for a decent thoroughfare. I swear, if you do not have good balance, you would not pass through it. Lo and behold, at the end of the path, somewhat covered by the thick bamboo plants and one old mango tree was the house. I then began to realize what I was really in Piat for.

The house had dried bamboos for its wall and soil for its floor. I was told that I was lucky because an organization just donated materials for its roof. The house was just a room that is used for sleeping, eating, and welcoming visitors. There were dirty clothes and cartons everywhere and nothing seemed to be in its proper place except for the picture of a woman who could pass as the wife of the owner. I was introduced to Manong Ben whom I fondly called Tatang, native term for father.

“So Tatang, where is Nanang your wife?”, was my first question as a reaction to the picture of the woman.

Then, almost instantly, his eyes became teary and told me that she passed away a year ago. She was sick and they were asked to raise fifteen thousand pesos which was impossible because he only made 600 pesos a month as a barangay employee.

Urgh! I felt ashamed to holding my clutch bag that has a camera, ipod and cellphone amounting to 25,000 pesos. I was holding more than what could have been enough for her medication. So, there goes the first lesson of my immersion. How could I not realize that the house is messed up because there is no woman to clean and organize it! Then and there, I knew the immersion will be challenging.

All three daughters of Tatang are already married while his only son, Crispin, is still going to school as a scholar of Sr. Ellen. His daughters built houses near his so they didn’t need leave him. They normally gather in Tatang’s house and chat there about life. Or more often, they fish together in the river to catch fish as their food for the day. And that was my first experience with Tatang and his family. We went fishing under the burning sun at 12 noon. In times when there were not enough to catch, we picked snails for food. I told them that such food is called “escargot” (I said with a French accent for reinforcement). I told them that in French restaurants escargot are very expensive. I hope I convinced them that they are lucky to have such food for free!

Since we were too many for the house to accommodate, we normally ate outside, picnic style. There was laughing and stories and for the male members, some drinking. I loved the way we eat outside except for some instances where the wind came our direction passing over our toilet. Actually it is not actually a toilet. It is a small place covered with sacks and a little hole in the middle with no way to flush. There is however a need to get used to the smell. And this is what I had to endure during our meal time outside. I also had a hard time using it because I am big.

Basically, Tatang Ben’s house has no electricity, no water, no toilet, no floor, and no place to sleep. However, he looked for a carton that I used as a sleeping mat. In the morning, I had to find time to go to the school and have my ipod and camera re-charged or else I will suffer the buzzing of the mosquitoes right above my ear. At least with the ipod on, I can pretend there were no mosquitoes. Despite all that, Tatang Ben gave me learning experiences that I will treasure forever.

Except from fishing, I also accompanied Tatang to his work in the barangay. We cleaned the barangay hall and cut grasses. We ran errands for the barangay officials. We swept the streets assigned to him and planted seedlings in the nursery (for young trees). Boy, the old man is a carabao! He just did not get tired!

I also met the mayor who, upon learning that I stay with Tatang Ben, invited me to his house. I was tempted to heed the invitation but no, I didn’t want to miss the things Tatang Ben could teach me.

Tatang brought me to the most depressed areas of the town. I realized that his house is so common in Piat. In fact, there are other houses which are even worse. Some have only one wall or roves made of cartons or plastics. We walked around and met people and realized how right Mother Theresa was when she said that the most welcoming people are the poor.

I was also shown some places that used to be government programs for the poor, Bliss as they are called, which are now owned by the middle class people. Like many cases, these lands were once-upon-a-time given to the poor and then the poor needed money so they sold their lands at a cheap price to the abusive rich people. Now, they are informal settlers on the mountain side. And I always thought squatters are in the cities only!

One day, I asked Sagar to join me in what became one of our most memorable experience in Piat, a Bible sharing with the barangay officials. We used the Gospel reading for the next Sunday and I asked Sagar to prepare a sharing. The day came and he shared about peace and order in the world and what is happening in India now. He was so good with it, or so I thought. Then the barangay officials started sharing their very personal experiences, crying for joy because of the many undeserved blessings they received. Sagar was shocked that the sharing became very personal and touching. Almost all sharers cried and yes, even me! The Gospel reading touched us to our core! Truly, immersionists as we were, we had more to learn than to share or give. That was an experience to remember!

Another favorite experience was the prayer for the dead that Tatang Ben and I attended. We helped cooking delicacies a day before the prayer. The group was so much fun to cook with. And I have learned a lot about their culture through this experience. For example, they prepared homemade chocolate drinks and put them in espresso cups each representing the dead members of their clan.  They put some of the prepared food on their altar for the dead, otherwise the remaining food will cause stomachache for those who would partake.  It is also in times like this that they are allowed to gamble since gambling is prohibited in the town. One of their beautiful practices is that every visitor who comes to pray and partake should also bring some food to share. Well, in exchange, they can bring home food as well!

The immersion in Piat gave me treasured experiences to write about. I wish that I could share more about the signing of the land title by the donors and the people who benefited from the KALOOB program. But I leave that for Ricky to document. All thanks to the vocation team who planned this activity; Ricky who accompanied and guided us there, my brothers who were with me, and most importantly, everyone in Piat who inspired us to move on with our hearts’ desire to serve and make the Lord’s Kingdom come!  I look forward to the next experience as we move on to the next phase of our formation.