RIDGE-TO-REEF. Mt Kalatungan, revered for its natural beauty and bounty, faces environmental degradation brought about by illegal logging, hunting of endangered species, socio-economic pressures, and other excessive human activities. Photo by Anthony Jacob C Karagdag.
The following are the best three reflection papers by XU Development Communication freshmen (taking DC1 - Introduction to DevCom) on their immersion from January 29 to 31 this year in Miarayon in Talakag, Bukidnon, a vibrant lumad community nestled at the foot of Mt Kalatungan. These first-person narratives are in pursuit of shedding some light on the plight of the indigenous peoples in the highlands of Northern Mindanao as well as their hopes and dreams.
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Giving Voice to the Voiceless
By Eunjae Yoo
The night before the immersion, I wasn't able to calm myself to fall asleep. First of all, I was excited – excited about the weather there, imagining myself wearing thick long sleeves in the Philippines. While on the other side, I got worried, thinking, “What if I'm just a burden to everyone I’ll be staying with for three days and two nights, in a place where people don't speak English?” I couldn't imagine anything else except my friends barely translating every word, every sentence with the tease “nosebleed” at the end of every sentence. I couldn't decide if I should go or not, until the very last moment.
But immersion is known as the most popular activity among Development Communication (DevCom) students. The purpose is to understand and experience the life of under-communicated people, to know the services or supplies in which they are lacking, and to know the role of the DevCom community in the entire picture. So instead of keeping myself aloof, I grabbed it as an opportunity to learn something new. I’d rather see people in the mountains with my bare eyes than to see them in pictures. Whether it’ll be good or bad, experience will always be experience.
Miarayon was breezing with fresh cool air from nature. The nature seemed asleep and the view was breathtaking. Was it because I didn't expect a lot? Well, I didn’t, but it was way better than I expected!
Our group went to a house in Lapok where there were two women and three children. They didn't expect us coming but still they showed us their warm hospitality and care. We started to ask a lot of questions since we had to observe and record everything about them, yet the woman didn't hesitate to tell us about her stories. Of course I couldn’t understand them completely but at least I tried to see their circumstances from different angles and to understand them from their perspectives. My heart broke when I heard that they felt the need for medical support and for emergency. My heart broke not just because I felt pity for them but also because I could do nothing about it but only pray for them.
I remember a girl among three kids, she came out of the room with lot of white powder on her face and real red lipstick on, and giggling with her sister right before we were about to leave. Maybe she was imitating me, and I couldn't forget how she made me laugh. Her hair was messy, her clothes were dirty, but she was lovely with that smile on her face. What struck me is that the people living in destitute condition, they are actually happier than me. It doesn’t matter to them that they do not have much food to eat, malls to shop, cars to transport, and signal to text. Despite everything, they seem peaceful and loving, and they maintain their serenity of mind in the midst of such poverty and suffering. I found beautiful people living in the beauty of nature. As a routineer, I honestly wanted to stay and enjoy some more.
Immersion was also a chance to bond with all first year DevCom students. It was one of the most interesting things to know them more; I was able to open up in our conversations. I was agreeably surprised to find myself charmed with my course! I see the reason behind it; it isn’t just about me being a DevCom student to have a nice job and for that bright future but to be the voice for the voiceless. What inspired me most is that we could actually help our people, society, and in developing this country. Choosing this course is one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.
Miarayon and the Story of Rosie
By Maia Marbella
On November 17, 2013, Angelina Jolie received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award at the Governor’s Ball for her work with refugees around the world. In her acceptance speech she said: “I have never understood why some people are lucky enough to be born with the chance that I had, to have this path in life and why across the world, there is a woman just like me, with the same abilities and the same desires and the same work ethic and love for her family … only she sits in a refugee camp, and she has no voice. She worries about what her children will eat, how to keep them safe, and if they will ever be allowed to return home. I don’t know why this is my life and that’s hers. I don’t understand that, but I will do as my mother asked, and I will do the best I can with this life, to be of use.” It was at this moment that I realized three things. First, Angelina Jolie is one of the most beautiful human beings in the world today. Second, Angelina Jolie finally put into words what I have always felt inside. Lastly, I wanted my life to have meaning. To live not just for myself, but for service to others.
The days before Miarayon, I had an overwhelming feeling of excitement. The last time I visited local tribes was almost 4 years ago in Cotabato. That experience changed my whole perspective on life. I was so excited to embark on the same experience I had four years ago. I found the meaning of life by finding it in the most remote place possible. The beauty of being in remote areas, such as Miarayon, is that it is barely touched by civilization. It is as natural as it gets. God’s creation isn’t touched by the ugliness brought in by man; of corruption, of pollution, and of selfishness. It is neither superficial nor fake. It simply is what God intends it to be. I am not only referring to the sceneries, but the people as well. I find that the most beautiful people I have met are the ones who are simple and humble. There is no hidden agenda within them because they are not exposed to the cruelties of the world.
My group was given the chance to meet Rosie Jane. A 22-year-old high school dropout, she conceived her daughter at the age of 17. She is now married to her childhood sweetheart Ebin John, who works as a farmer and a transporter of the harvested vegetables from their land. I saw a reflection of myself in Rosie. We are only three years apart. Like me, she is jolly and talkative. I couldn’t help but empathize with her when she stated that she might not be able to pursue her dream of becoming a teacher anymore because her duty now is to raise her daughter, Enrich Jane. She also said that not many people from their area make it to college due to all the obstacles they have to tackle. Their main priority is to stay alive, to survive, not to become educated. This is what I found the most upsetting of all.
Though I love the fact that Miarayon is simple and natural, its dependence upon land cannot sustain the needs of its people. It needs to have another source of income other than just the land. From the need to get better roads, to more accessible health care clinics, to better governance, the list is endless. But as of now it needs someone to give it a voice. This is our role as Development Communication students.
Growing up, I always felt like I was given a life that I didn’t deserve. I grew up surrounded by love everywhere. I was given the chance to live in a country that many people only dream of living. I constantly had to ask God why of all people I grew up with so much and others so little. I cannot even imagine myself in Rosie’s shoes. I would be constantly relying on something. Relying on the land to grow good crops, relying on my husband for income, relying on a government that doesn’t even seem to care.
Ever since Rosie was born it was set that she had no choice but to work her butt off in order to survive. Ever since I was born, I had the privilege to decide what I wanted for my life. Now I realize that my experiences and the love that I am given isn’t for me alone, but for me to share.
A Loud Question from Miarayon
By Camille Pelaez
The people in Miarayon are probably the kindest I will ever meet in my life. They are the people who will gladly share their stories to strangers, offer them coffee or a warm bath. The people in Miarayon have to go through bumpy roads to get to decent shops and a good hospital; the people in Miarayon spend their days taking care of their farms so they’d have something to eat; the people in Miarayon only know little about how vast the world is, and the dreams of their children are trapped inside the corners of what they only know. The people in Miarayon, in the three days I got to spend with them, showed me that I am where I am supposed to be and there is so much more that needs to be done.
The immersion experience opened my eyes to how necessary development is. Datu Rio, one of the leaders in Miarayon, emphasized in his talk that the people in their place are really in need of education. Yes, they have schools, but I don’t think that they have enough to accommodate the intellectual needs of the students there. He also said that if only their farmers were equipped to properly handle the marketing of their crops to different consumers or buyers, middlemen would not be able to deceive them into selling their crops for so much less than what they’re worth. When one of my groupmates asked if they needed people from the market business to orient them so they’ll have basic knowledge on sales, he just brushed it off, saying that most of the people there are illiterate, especially the ones that farm. This reminded me of the MDG about the importance of primary education. If only all of them were able to study in decent schools, they would probably be living a better life.
On our second day, we got to meet a group of high school students from St Therese who are all residents of Miarayon. We were tasked to help them prepare a presentation about how they would describe their lives. They chose to show their primary livelihood, which is farming, no surprise there. But what really impressed me was how they knew so much about their culture. They even presented a cultural dance. Yes, they may live in the mountains, but it’s so nice to see how proud they are of their tribe and history. If you ask me, I can’t even tell you the basic story of how my hometown came to be. Besides that, we got to hear the Talaandig dialect, and I can’t even stress enough how sweet and polite this group of kids were. They may be living hours away from the city, but they appear to be so much more human than majority of the people who live in developed, urban areas.
In a way, I feel guilty because I seem to have so much that I fail to appreciate what I have. When I look at the children carrying pieces of wood so that they can light a fire at night to keep them warm, and cook their food, I remember not finishing my meal. When I look at the piles of torn notebooks on the corner table of their classroom, I remember tearing my paper in class because I was bored and 10 pieces only cost Php5 at the Magis canteen of Xavier. We waste so many things … we don’t even realize that hours away from where we are currently sitting pretty, people are trying to live decently and trying to make most of what little they have. I’m not trying to say though that living comfortably is wrong when a lot of people are suffering, because at some point our ancestors also lived challenging lives. What I’m trying to say here is that, we can give them aid, but the choices that would change the courses of their lives are in their hands alone.
Development Communication, I see now, is not just about journalism or broadcast or expressing your art. It is a call to action for those who have a heart for service. It is four years of trying to make students see that there is something they can do. We were immersed through this experience and we have learned that the call is ours to answer. It was over all a make-or-break event, not because it was physically exhausting, but because the whole experience was like a loud question screaming if you’re ready to act towards development. I am.