RMHM 2010 PAGE 4
DAY 9: 2-3 August - Visit to Zambales
From Aug. 2-3, 2010, a team including Fr. Castel, Dr. Kim, and several nurses and volunteers from Europe, Asia and the USA visited native Aetas tribes at Zambales, Philippines. They were on a missionary trip for ACIM (Association of Catholic Nurses and Doctors) that is supported by the Society of St. Pius X. They stayed there at a house of the foundation led by a Catholic sister, Sr. Eva.
On August 2, we rose by 4:30 AM and drove more than six hours, then hiked uphill for less than 30 min. to reach the village. The nurses had brought several boxes of medicine for immediate treatment. Through the afternoon, we held the medical mission in a similar way to our medical missions elsewhere. Our doctor, a paediatrician, saw and treated many tribal children. The Sister, herself a trained doctor, took care of the adults. The tribal members are very small. The tallest man who came to see the doctor during our mission there was 1.70 m. The sight of so small a people was new to many of us. They look like children to our eyes, even the adult men. Some of their young ones were very interested in the strange-looking foreign missionaries, so we quickly had a good relationship with them.
The girls often marry at the age of 15, a custom that the Foundation is trying to change. They educate young women and give them occupational training, so that they can only get married at a later age. The Foundation also runs a training program that helps women to be mothers, since the death rate of children is high, especially in those families where the mothers are very young.
On August 3, a Foundation member showed us the school they had established for the children as well as one of the tribal villages. The people live in very small houses that they make using bamboo and grass, which are actually no more than small huts. Fr. Castel celebrated the Traditional Mass for Sr. Eva and all the children of the school.
The Foundation there was established by Sister Eva, who wanted to help the native Philippine tribes that lived close to a volcano that had recently erupted. They needed to settle in another area, because the layer of ash prevented plants from growing. Her foundation assisted them in finding a new place, about 35 km from the lake into which the volcano had turned after its eruption. They gave them a democratic political structure, in which the tribe elects representatives to be their chieftains, who meet in a regular tribal council. This council represents the tribe to the local authorities. The Foundation also opened schools for the children.
At first the Foundation was helping only on an economical, political and intellectual level, but the spiritual mission followed soon. Before the missionaries came, the tribes had worshipped “Opo” (the Lord), which was in fact the volcano. When it erupted and destroyed itself, their world was shaken, as most of them realized that Opo could not be the true God. The tribal members came themselves to ask for catechism and baptism, and today more than 80 percent of them are baptized and have Christian marriages (they were polygamous before, i.e. their men had up to four women). Even though some of them had been evangelized earlier by Born-Again Protestants, they wanted to become Catholics. When the Sister once asked them why, they answered: “Because you are alive.”
The natives seemed to be thankful not only for the humanitarian and medical help, but also for the Catholic spiritual mission.
SUMMARY of MEDICAL MISSION
No. of Mission Areas: 7 (Rizal Province: 3; Zambales: 1; Leyte: 3)
Date: July 26-31, August 2-4, 2010
No. of Mission Days: 9
No. of Patients Served in Medical and Dental: 4,426
No. of Patients Served in Wound Dressing and Minor Surgical Treatment Area: 94
No. of Patients Served in Laboratory and Diagnostics Area: 1,258
Particulars:
TANAY:
1. Sampaloc, Tanay, Rizal Province
Venue: St. Philomena Chapel, Townsite Subdivision, Sampaloc, Tanay, Rizal Province
Date: July 26-31, August 2-4, 2010
No. of Mission Days: 9
No. of Patients Served: 3074
- Adult: 1051
- Pedia: 1308
- Dental: 527
- Opthal: 182
- Orthoptist: 6
No. of Laboratory and Diagnostic Tests performed: 1,258
No. of Patients Served at Wound Dressing Area: 94
2. Teresa, Rizal Province
Venue: St. Ann Chapel, Dalig, Pantay, Teresa, Rizal Province
Date: Juy 26, 2010
No. of Mission Days: 1
No. of Patients Served: 179
3. Poblacion, Tanay, Rizal Province:
Venue: Day Care Center, Sitio Upper Gabihan, Tanay, Rizal Province
Date: July 31, 2010
No. of Mission Days: 1
No. of Patients Served: 255
LEYTE:
1. Tacloban City, Leyte
Venue: Barangay 64 Gymnasium, Tacloban, Leyte
Date: July 26, 2010
No. of Mission Days: 1
No. of Patients Served: 119
2. Sogod, Southern Leyte
Venue: Sogod District Hospital, Sogod, Southern Leyte
Date: July 27-28, 2010
No. of Mission Days: 2
No. of Patients Served: 480
3. Maasin, Southern Leyte
Venue: Barangay Agbao Gymnasium, Maasin City, Southern Leyte
Date: July 29-30, 2010
No. of Mission Days: 2
No. of Patients Served: 170
ZAMBALES:
Venue: Multipurpose Hall, Aeta Resettlement Area, Alingway sa Kapihan, Sitio Gala, Subic, Zambales
Date: August 2-3, 2010
No. of Mission Days: 2
No. of Patients Served: 149
SUMMARY OF LIVELIHOOD TRAINING
No. of Mission Areas: 8
Specific Venues:
- Alabel, Sarangani Province (Ladol, Kawas, Poblacion)
- General Santos City (Lower Banualan, Purok Malakas, FVR Village)
- City Jail Male Ward, City Jail Female Ward
- Date: July 26-31, August 2-3, 2010
No. of Mission Days: 8
No. of Livelihood Training Participants: 288
Type of Training:
1. Production of Detergent Powder
2. Production of Antifungal Ointment
3. Production of Twine Rosaries