World Philippines Cagayan Aparri

Tim's around the world trip

Journeys in Luzon Dec 15, 2005

The last week of my time in the Philippines saw a reunion with Robert. With Cuyo Letos, a good hearted Philippino with a dismissive laugh and a love for old cars as our host and tour guide, we visited several spiritist communities around Northern Luzon. We also payed a visit to the Banaue rice terraces, which are claimed to be the "eigth wonder of the world along with just about everything that didn't come close to making the original 7 In fact I can come up with about 15 eigth wonders of the world just off the top of my head. Anyhow, the Banaue rice terraces are truly impressive. Stretching down the deep green walls of a funnel like canyon, it is hard to imagine how such symmetrical, prodigous designs were bore into the earth by hand. When we visit the clouds are just beginning to tease the tops of the canyon walls, giving the landscape that other-worldly feel that fog so often imbues. One of the reasons Robert wanted to see this neck of the Philippines was to visit brother William and his operation-planned housing for poverty stricken families. The program enrolls homeless families from different parts of the Philippines and puts them to work building houses. After they build a few houses for other families they get to build there own house. Along with the house is a comprehensive program including education, employment assistance, substance abuse treatment and health care. The program really is working because of the sense of empowerment and efficacy it establishes in people who until very recently had no reason to hope for anything at all. Later on we meet up with Brother Buboy, a talkative gentle young man who channels christ in a re-enactment of the crucifiction every year. The re-enactment is intense, almost 5000 people witness Buboy literally crucified, nails driven through his flesh. He feels no pain during the event, because he is outside of his body when the crucifiction occurs. When I return to Manila I meet with a writer and professor at the most prestigious universitiy in the Philippines. Her name is Connie and she is like no woman I have ever met. Talking with the speed and pop of an assault rifle, Connie communicates with huge dancing eyes and is so excited at every moment that she can sit for no more than a couple of minutes at a time. Connie has written a book on the state of a certain spiritist society in the Philippines, and a bunch of other inter-related issues, as far as I can tell. She started her literary career after talking to god, and has since been an outspoken disciple, a messenger of important dispatches which she gives to important people. She has met with the Philippino president Gloria Arroyo-twice, she has been on the news after calming tempests and making bold proclomations about the future of the Philippino people, and she routinely jets all over the world giving talks and generally prophecizing. When she first sits in front of me she says "tell me what your doing, I want to help you. I talk about myself all the time but if I can help you to do your work for god then this meeting would be blessed by god, then we were meant to be here and I can help you..." Connie lets me get a few words in at a time before she sucks up all the air around us with the sound of water through a kinked hose and says things like "yes, yes, see I knew there was a reason for meeting you today, see now I know that it's worth it that god wants me to be doing what I;m doing. You just made me realize what I'm doing, I have been waiting for you, I think, you see, god sent you to remind me that what I'm doing is his will, you see." With an astonished look she puts her hands on my knees and laughs wildly. Later she tells me that she is teaching environmental sciences and has me write a short manifesto on the spot on the importance of nature to ones(specifically my) spiritual path. When I finish she rushes me inside to get a picture than rushes to her car-she is late for another meeting and still must type out six reports tonight. She is a whirlwind of a woman, quite unlike anybody I have ever met. More later, thats all I have time for now, enjoy the pictures, TIM

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