My Philippine Visit: After 20 Years

Almost four weeks have passed since I came back from the Philippines and I am still digesting my experiences – what I saw, heard and encountered.

Touchdown: Manila

“You may leave your birthplace, but your birthplace will always be with you”. Personally, I find this to be true. When I left, I thought I burned all bridges behind. I’ll be honest, I resolved then that I would never go back for a number of reasons which I would neither divulge nor discuss here, but it is now obvious that I broke that determination of mine.

When Delta Airlines touched down on NAIA runway, there was no denying that I was on Philippine soil. The neon lights, the “Mabuhay” signs, the excited conversations in Philippine dialects, the air, and everything visible, all formed a convoluted “Welcome Back” directed at me. Emotional guy that I am, I ‘m sure I shed a tear or two.

Dealing with pandemonium and chaotic exit from the airport is a story in itself. I’ll leave that for later though, if ever I write about it at all. Suffice it to say that after four hours, my wife and I, and four other couples made it to where we stayed while in Manila.

Manila, Oh Manila, if only you could do something about your traffic problem. The situation has gotten worse! Is there any relief in sight? The traffic horizon looks as bleak as ever. I remember when I would only do a day trip to this city because of the suffocating smog I had had to deal with. Staying longer meant getting ill, for me anyway.

A “balikbayan” (a Pilipino word for “returnee”) would easily notice the mega-malls that have mushroomed. They’re all over and densely populated with people. Who would say the Philippines is in dire economic state?

Iloilo, my childhood hometown

The province of Iloilo on Panay Island is where my hometown is. That’s where I spent my childhood before I stowed away for the “good life” in Luzon (LOL). The last time I was there was in 1987, so you can just imagine how overwhelmed I was when I finally reunited with my relatives. Albeit brief, it was wonderful to see all my siblings and some of my cousins, nephews and nieces. The highlight of the visit was sharing the goodness of the Lord to them.

Our flights to and from the City of Iloilo were comfortable and on time. I am noting this with delight and pride because we had been previously warned that delays were the norm wherever you go in the Philippines even in this day and age . Kudos to the airport personnel and PAL employees.

Would Baguio City beg me to stay?

As our tourist bus negotiated the narrow and scary highway leading to this city, I had mixed emotions trying to answer my self-posed questions – Would I smell pine-scented air upon my arrival reminiscent of my first ascent to the city in 1972? Would Session Road still be a pleasant street to lazily stroll on? Would I still have an unobstructed view of Baguio Cathedral? Would I…..and the questions went on and on.

I had lived in Baguio City long enough to see how it had metamorphosed over the years into what it was 20 years ago, but I was not prepared for what I witnessed recently. The imposing structure of SM Baguio dominates the city’s skylines and dwarfs the once lofty Baguio Cathedral. Once, I overheard a friend quipped, “You have not seen Baguio unless you have seen the Cathedral.” Well, not anymore. From where I stood, the cardinal of edifice (or is it edifices?), that is Baguio Cathedral, could no longer be viewed in all its stately form and glory. It is now partially hidden by newer buildings which made it look like a timid lady embarrassed to be seen in full view.

“Is this Session Road?” I could not believe the sea of humanity I saw! I felt lost and disoriented as I tried to pan the area for familiar landmarks. Dusk was of no help. Ah, there it is! Tea House. CID Educational Supply. Puso Ng Baguio. They have aged but still recognizable. Where is Dainty Restaurant? All of a sudden I felt a real craving for chop suey.

People, People everywhere! Then I realized Second Semester is just starting. In my crude estimation, Baguio’s population seemed to have increased 10-fold! “Sam, please,” I reasoned with myself. “What could you expect after 20 years, C’mon.” Yea, but does it have the infrastructure to support the growth? Perhaps, I’d never know. I just wanted to win the argument with myself.

My musings were interrupted by my wife telling me it was time to catch a taxi for my brother-in-law’s residence. About an hour later (but that seemed interminable), we finally caught a taxi but only after we pleaded with the driver to take the six of us.

We wiggled ourselves inside the taxi as my sister-in-law gave directions to where we’re going. I recollected my thoughts from where my musings left off. Earlier, we walked through Burnham Park and that brought back a lot of memories.

The park seemed vibrant and alive but has also been affected by migration. Gone were the days when an early morning stroll or jog would be greeted by birds as they chirped in synched with every stride you made. Now, you have peddlers competing for your attention as they try to sell you their fancy wares.

A visit to the city is not complete unless you include PMA and John Hay in your itinerary. Our schedule did not allow us to visit the latter, which, perhaps was unfortunate but we had captured beautiful images of the Philippine’s premier military school that would find a place in our photo albums.

Next stop: Burgos, Isabela

A tiring 8-hour trip from Baguio City, Burgos is home to one of the couples travelling with us. It is where a thriving church being supported by our congregation is located. That’s where we’re headed for to do an evangelistic concert before returning back to Manila. I will devote one future installment of this chronicle for the ministry efforts that turned out to be the more significant part of our Philippine journey.

The winding road from mountainous Baguio City to lowland Aritao is long. Honestly, we thought it would never end as we got tired of zigzagging and the deafening wailing of the bus engine. Finally, four hours later, flat road was in sight and the ride was smoother and faster. Needless to say, I heard a few sighs of relief.

It was early evening when we finally reached our destination. I could not remember if I had dinner but after meeting with the folks there and exchanged pleasantries, we headed for the only hotel in town.

Days before our arrival, Burgos was heavily hit by a devastating typhoon. Its aftermath was still evident all around, and in the hotel? That meant no power and no hot water for a few hours.

Boracay and its beaconing beauty

Even before I left the Philippines I had heard about this tourist haven. I had not been fortunate enough to visit the place or perhaps I was not just motivated to make it there as a domestic tourist, but boy oh boy, to say that I had missed a lot is an understatement. If beaches make you tick (Boracay beaches are world class), this destination is definitely not to be missed whether you’re a local or an international traveler. You just have to spend a few days there and you’d have some of the best times of your life, believe me.

Food selection is great with buffets abounding to your heart’s delight. Of course, the usual precaution when you are in unfamiliar places still applies. Drinking bottled water only is a must. It may be prudent for some to stay away from raw sea foods such as oysters.

For shopaholics, Boracay has a lot to offer – “Da Mall” is the place to go and be lost in the midst of souvenir stores and collectible merchandise – a little pricey but to be expected. Tourists have the money, haven’t they?

Accommodations of varying rates are aplenty, so whether you are on budget or have fat wallets, you’ll find what suits you. We found ours almost at the outskirt of town but it was luxurious and comfortable.

Would I go back to Boracay? I found it irresistible, so, yes! Would I recommend it to anyone? Again, a resounding yes.

THE TWIST

I should now note that my wife and I, and five other couples were part of this trip I have been narrating about. We had planned this homeland visit for close to 2 years. Our original intention was merely to have a vacation, visit relatives, and do some sight-seeing. In the course of planning though, a bright idea popped up. Why not include ministry in the trip? Kinda shooting two birds with one stone? What a wonderful concept. Thus, VWAM (vacation with a mission) was born.

This idea of mission-oriented trip introduced a significant twist in our planning. We knew that this trip would be expensive so we devised a way to minimize the impact of the financial load. We regularly contributed to a Philippine Trip fund. In addition, we set aside money for “balikbayan boxes” of items to be distributed to the needy in two places we planned to visit namely Burgos, Isabela and Boracay. These boxes were shipped ahead of time to make sure they got delivered before our arrival.

Many of you know that we collectively call ourselves The Living Sounds. We are not a professional singing group (we have regular 8-hour day jobs, thank God ) but for many years now we have been engaged in singing ministry on a regular basis whether in our church events or other Christian activities such as couples’ getaways, mission conventions, church anniversaries and special celebrations, seniors and retirement homes, concerts, etc. We are grateful to the Lord for opening these doors of opportunity for us. The Philippine visit was just another ministry door swung open for us to declare His Lordship and proclaim Him as the only Saviour.

THE CONCERTS

Before we departed, we had lined up four concerts for our VWAM to be conducted in Manila, Baguio, Isabela, and Boracay. It was Pastor Alex Pacis who coordinated the one held in Manila at KBCF church in Quezon City; Pastor Benny Nillo in Burgos, Isabela; Virgie Chumalan in Baguio City; and, Pastor Angelo Panganiban in Boracay.

We thanked the Lord for the many who responded to the challenge of commitment to Christ. At KBCF, a dozen or two raised their hands in response to Bishop Tendero’s invitation to give their life to Jesus. Pastor Morales reported to us that 77 souls surrendered their life to the Saviour in Burgos, Isabela. Several joined me in prayer of commitment in Bagiuo City, while a number of attendees in Boracay raised their hands when presented with a challenge to receive the Son of God who died for them.

Of course, only heaven knows the exact number of genuine responses but even if there was only one, all the efforts put into this trip would have been worth it for the kingdom of God. One thing we know for sure, the banner of God’s love and salvation had been flown and waved high for the spectators to see whether through songs, personal testimonies, or messages from the Word.

FINALLY….

From the bottom of our hearts we are grateful to:

Lord Jesus Christ, who provided the impetus and sustaining grace, without which this VWAM would not have been possible. Indeed, as the theme of the concert unequivocally declared, “All Glory Belongs to Jesus”;

Pastor Alex Pacis, who together with the World Team mission house staff, made us feel at home during our stay in Manila;

Virgie Chumalan, who had been instrumental in gathering our friends from years back for a brief reunion. Virgie, thank you also for coordinating the concert at YWAM;

Jun and Doris Javier, my Baguio relatives in whose home we did a mini-concert as a warm up for the ministry at YWAM. Oh yes, thank you very much for your hospitality. The “pinapa-itan” was yummy;

Silva Tsuchiya, for offering her home as venue for our get-together after the concert;

Pastor Benny Nillo, for preparing our meals while we were in Burgos, Isabela. Thank you also for making all the necessary preparation for the concert;

Pastor Angelo Panganiban, for coordinating one of the two concerts in Boracay;

Jubi Camba, for introducing me to Pastor Panganiban;

Joven and Anita Antolin, for showing us the “other face” of Boracay. That was life-changing. Thank you too for inviting us to do a concert there.

Rick and Louis, for inspiring us to labour in His vineyard no matter the age; and,


a special appreciation to my college buddy and “kumpadre” Ding Farnacio

for the palatable native delicacies you prepared for us. It was great to see you and your wife.