Beyond Impressions
A tale of unseen fervor beyond
ordinary
Immersion Surprises
Immersion activity at the Rover
Moot defines it from any other activity in Philippine Scouting. It involves
challenges for anyone will not know what to expect until one IMMERSEs with
people. It needs a cleric heart to get motivated to work hard and finish the
task. The Rover Moot was set at the Province of Aklan. To bring help no matter
little and to ease burden no matter short-ending.
Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) badly
ravaged the Philippine Visayan Region.
Though not being mentioned in the Philippine news as hyped as
Tacloban-Leyte area, the province of Aklan was roughly torn by the typhoon. The
Aklanons remain silent, unaware or perhaps unfrenzied by all the annoyance and hypocritic
relief episodes being exposed in the news every day. Seeing the place at first glance would anyone
realize they too are screaming for help.
The Call
In such short notice, I was asked to be part
of the 5-man team to participate in the Immersion activity at the 10th
National Rover Moot in Aklan, Panay Islands, Philippines.
Given a round-trip air
ticket, all-expense paid details with
exclusive airport transfers, I decided to go and left my alone wife who will be
celebrating her birthday a day following my departure. It was indeed surprising
on her for I never did leave her on her special day all 20 years of our married
life. Though lonely and feeling abandoned but given the worthy cause of my departure,
she finally gave way.
The 5-man Laguna Council team was
dispatched to Brgy Polo, municipality of New Washington, province of Aklan. I will
lead the three other Laguna participants in the immersion while our Scout
Executive was part of the monitoring staff in the locality. Without much validation of my being
in the place I realize, my presence would dictate our goal: to deliver well and
genuinely in the immersion activity.
Call of duty
Riding a local tricycle chartered
in Kalibo, we wandered at the town finding our designated accommodation site.
We had checked three public schools before we found it. It was already dusk when we arrived at Polo
Elementary School in New Washington.
Anxious to settle-in, we still need to wait for the person in-charge to
get down and recognize us. Hungry and apprehensive
I told my team, the challenges have just started. The hunger has already forgotten when we had
our first dinner. But thanks anyway,
dinner, at last! Finally, I met Mr.
Principal whom he temporarily offered his office for our first night stay. As I understood, there was no other room
available so we need to improvise. The principal’s office is already being used
as mess area for the school’s teaching support staff for the activity. And so after dinner….we removed all plates, glasses
and spoons on the tables for those tables will serve as our bed for the
night. Challenging indeed for my team as
I watched them tossed and turned the entire night finding a way to lay their
weary bodies to rest. They were not
used to it I supposed.
While waiting at the principal’s office earlier, I had a chance to meet and talked to “Julito” a teacher who told me stories of their flight caused by the typhoon. He said, he will do something the following day to help us on our accommodation. I welcomed his idea and thank him in advance.
Early next day, a room was given
to us. Julito even introduced me to the teacher/adviser named “Analyn” whom she
said was requested by the principal to join the 3-day Immersion activity. This means that the children will not have
their classes for 3 –days to give way for our stay. Ms. Analyn, the adviser even handed to me the
classroom key. I felt extra lucky realizing
the trade-off but could not help feeling guilty of the sacrifices which the
people need to undertake only to provide for us. The entire New Washington
participants may not know but we were the luckiest persons in the area that
time having the best shelter the place can offer.
Having said we were the luckiest,
at the back of my mind we really need to perform well on our assigned tasks to
compensate for all the privileges given to us.
In our three-day immersion
activities we were brought to Ochiando Elementary School for a clearing tasks,
Dumaguit Elementary School to get to order the ragged covered court and school
stage, Fatima Shoreline Elementary School
to clear a big mango tree which put the entire 2-classroom school
building down, Cawayan Elementary School to cut into pieces branches and trunks
of Narra trees hoping to salvage or if not make charcoal out of them and lastly,
New Washington Central Elementary School for more clearing tasks. We did it. And we did it above par! I have to commend my
team for their complete submission to the immersion activity. They had cuts and bruises same as I but we
never did realize those as excuses and just went on with our assigned tasks.
Impressions of an eager roverette
It never crossed my mind to check
other participants for it was not my job anyway. Never did we know that there was another team
who arrived later than us: the Lanao del
Norte 5-man team composed of 2 Scout leaders, 2 roverettes and a rover.
They came in half-day late on the
first day of the immersion activity. I
just heard about it during our closing activity, night of our third day of stay
in Polo Elementary School. At the
program, some participants shared their impressions on the concluded activity
and there was this young lady from Mindanao who gave hers. Petite, burnt with
sun, with wavy long hair which I think has not given enough pampering due to
our busy activities. But despite that,
she never seized to smile whenever being stared by anyone. And there she went
ahead of her prepared speech: a
eloquently spoken Pilipino piece (tagalog ) whom I realized later that she was
the one from Mindanao!! Great
demonstration of effort.
Beyond Impressions
She is “Via” from Sultan Naga
Dimaporo (SND) of Lanao del Norte. She,
together with her team traveled 3 days and 3 nights from Lanao to Cagayan de
Oro City, crossing the sea by boat to Cebu then land traveled to Bacolod, from Bacolod
to Iloilo by boat, then finally a long and rugged land travel from Iloilo to
New Washington in order to render service to the victims of typhoon in any way
they can.
The impressive piece given by Via
is heart-warming but the astounding efforts and sacrifices by the team just to get to participate in a valuable
cause such as a Rover Moot has struck me the most. A
total submission of one’s self for a worthy cause.
We had a chance to mingle with The Lanao de Norte team during our trip back to Kalibo. They were our travel mates from New Washington and our roommates too in Kalibo Pilot Elementary School. Simple, silent and unassuming….I had a little chat with them when there was opportunity.
Upon our arrival at Kalibo, we went
at once at our assigned room and settled-in.
While we, the Luzon people were busy preparing for our respective places
to sleep on….the Lanao team busied themselves for their travel arrangements
going back home. I heard they will again
land travel from Kalibo to Iloilo; sleep-over at BSP Iloilo City Council and
air travel from Iloilo to Cagayan de Oro. From Cagayan de Oro, another humpy
and bumby ride episodes going home.
After dinner at around 7 pm when
it was already dark because of the general blackout in Aklan, we prepared
ourselves to retire. Not minding the
ravenous mosquitoes, we immediately fell asleep because perhaps of
exhaustion. Early morning when I got up,
I saw our roommates still in their deep sleep.
They are lying down on the room’s floor with their pretty malongs
on. Looking at them in an instance
reminded me of the beautiful Maranao people of Mindanao. Almost glittering in their traditional malong
costumes, showing how beautiful its people and their rich culture. Eye-catching
and attractive, my mind traveled to the land of the beautiful – Mindanao. Hands
down, I admire them not only for their beautiful malongs but their modesty a
true and honest display of scouts’ ideal character.
Moments later, they finally got
up. We greeted each other “good morning”
and once more I took the chance of talking to them. With their malongs still on, I invited them
for a short walk outside and some photo opts that they graciously accepted. Indeed, it was a fruitful-enlightening chat
with them. Dreaming to become, a
journalist, a certified public accountant and a civil engineer someday, with
their outlook in life-- I am truly hopeful that they can become what they want
to be in due time!
Lucid thoughts
Today, as I again watch these good pictures taken
of our encounter with the people from the land of the beautiful, Mindanao. As I again read the original manuscript given
to me by Via that she used to deliver her impression in the Rover Moot. Sincerely, It gave me another good reason to get
inspired and inspire people. They may
not be as big or as brawny as ours today.
They may not bring up a 6 years old tattered narra tree and put it back
to life once more; they may not climb a roof and reinstall galvanized sheets
for a school classroom should need to be prepared again; they cannot carry big
chunks of tree trunks that were ravaged by the storm and pile them up to be
recycled as charcoal. It’s just their
genuine hearts to offer a little help to the needy. A true sense of compassion to people who
needs support the time they need it most.
Even a touch of plain sympathy to those people in grief can be very astounding
if expressed timely. And it was what I have seen in the Lanao del Norte team. More than what we accomplished in
the performance of our tasks in New Washington,
more than our sweat, more than our pains….it’s plain Sincerity. We
salute you! Via, Doreen, King John, Sir Imperial and Ma’am Bado.
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