Melanie and Thelma visit Philippines January/February, 2009

Trip to the Philippines Jan 2009  ( Photograph Album )

A Ray of Hope UNESCO Youth Ambassador for the Culture of Peace

Thank you to the friends and relatives of Melanie and Thelma and to the many individuals and companies that have supported this trip including British Airways, Heatons Ireland, Ulster Teachers' Union, Roch Valley, Pictorial Charts Educational Trust, Santa's wee Village and many others.

Going back to the Philippines has always been a dream for me. The people are by nature so warm and friendly. They smile, though their lives are difficult and even when things seem hopeless. It is to British Airways that I must say thank you as none of what was achieved below could have happened without their magnificent support.

We did not intend to visit the jails, but we were invited by our hosts, Mrs Crissy Hailes Perillo, of The Pilipino Out Reach Centre. She has been working the jails in St Fernanado, Philippines, for over 25 years. Now married to Dondie, they have 12 children, 7 of them adopted orphans. What a family!! and dedicated to working with orphans and prisoners. They have an orphanage for boys and girls and a private school, which is free to the village children as well. In 1989 they set up a halfway house for newly released prisoners, both men and women. P.O.C. really is a wonderful programme of caring.

When we went into the women’s prison, we were horrified to see the women and girls locked up in literally cages. Each cage was about 20ft by 33ft. There were 50 to a cage, and there were 3 cages. My heart melted when we spoke to them. One toilet to each cage. No one had any personal belongings, and only the very few had visitors. They were so happy to see us. I had been saving all my little soaps and shampoos from various places, and I didn’t know who they would be intended for, until now. I had exactly 150 pieces, enough to give a gift to every one of those beautiful ladies. No jury system here. You are guilty, until proven innocent, by two or more witnesses. Many of the ladies had been incarcerated for 15 years, without trial, or even seeing a judge. It takes money, if you want to visit the judge, so if you don’t have money, you rot away in these cages, being kept like animals, until you die, or are released, or reprieved, which is a rare occurrence.

We are going to canvas the MPs for a change in the system. But we can’t rattle their cages too much, as it could stop us from visiting again, and also endanger the lives of the women. We do have other plans to alleviate some of the terrible sufferings we experienced.

Moving on, involved Thelma and I taking a bus to Duguopan, and then being picked up by Boyet in Mings minibus. Ming is a good friend and a distant relative of Thelma. She had arranged for us to speak at a ladies meeting about the things we were doing, on this trip, and why we had come. These ladies responded so well, they invited us back, to their City of Bayumbang, on our return from Manila.

We then took the 5 hour bus journey to Manila. Here we were greeted by Jon Jon and his wife Tess, who have been looking after Alice, and the children who live on the Navotas Dump for over 4 years. I was so happy when I saw Alice,  ooohhhh she is so beautiful now. There is hardly any sign of scarring, after the operation on the hare lip, and cleft palette. To think she nearly died, of pneumonia, and tuberculosis, but she survived, to be an inspiration to all who see her. She is so bright, and is in grade 7 in school. Now she has a future to look forward to. We enjoyed sharing with the people who live on the dump, and asking about the fish business we had helped set up for them over a year ago. It is going fine, and still supporting the 17 girls, in their education and food. We are going to expand the micro business, by selling some gradable fish that will attract more customers. The dump gives off methane gases, and I wonder how any child could survive in this dirty, disease ridden environment, but they do. With lice, and scabies, and all kinds of diseases, these are still unbelievably some of the most hospitable people I have ever met. We left them with bags of rice, food, books, and educational supplies for their classes on the dump each Friday.

Our next visit was to the GRAVE people, or that’s what every one calls them. Some times tomb raiders, because that’s exactly what these people do. Families come from the rural areas to the city, looking for work, or a better life. The people live in the graves. When the bodies are over 3 years old, they open the grave and put the bones in a rice sack. They then sweep the grave, and put their children in the shady cool place of the tomb. Others build shanty shacks on top of the cement coffins, which are piled 8 and 9 high.

Just because they live in this place, does not make the people animals. Desperate times, call for desperate measures, when survival is needed. They received us with great dignity. We were welcomed into every tomb home, and shack. Some were just cardboard boxes, but this was their homes, and it was where the children lived. Jon Jon and Tes, and their helpers, are organising literacy classes at the cemetery every Tuesday. We bought large sacks of rice, and distributed it to all the poor mums, mainly one parent, or orphaned girls, and boys. Drug taking was rife and children sniffed old glue canisters, and what ever they could scavenge on the dump. There were many sick children, and people with disabilities. It was astounding. I’ve never seen anything quite like it. The stench, was overwhelming, but Thelma and I just kept on smiling, because if they live with it, why should we complain, as visitors to their humble homes?

Rice has tripled in price and in the Philippines there are many grades. The poor, like the grave people can only afford the poorest grade, and then it is mainly husk, more than rice seed. We bought a decent quality rice. It’s relief for a while, but we have plans to set up a rice micro business, so we can buy in bulk, and then we can give rice to the poorer people from this little business. People only eat rice. Some times little fishes from the sea, mixed with salt, its foul, but its food

The trip was more then I ever could have envisaged. We are already arranging for a small property to be rented or purchased, for the Community Centre, just outside the dump. Every one welcomes it, especially the youth, and the old people. We gave educational supplies, and books to help with the literacy programme.

We will be purchasing a small wooden unit, that has a little plot of land adjacent to it. This will serve many purposes, for the Community projects we have in mind.

There are HIV programmes, along with the Family Planning awareness programmes.

We have secured the workers for the projects at hand, and Jon Jon is a very good friend of The Mayor, so authority has been granted. The proposals for the new Elementary School have been authorised. All the children are excited about that. We have our teachers ready and waiting

We distributed supplies to the women, and children, where ever we went.

Friendships have been renewed, and new ones made. We have linked Patrik Tay, our host in Singapore with Jon Jon and Tess, and they will be meeting sometime in May. This is in a view to getting help with rice supplies from Singapore.

Hygiene issues were addressed, but although the living conditions are appalling, the photos show how clean the people are, relative to where they live.

Thank you to the many individuals and companies that have supported us as together we seem to be able to make a little difference. We are always wary of building up too much hope but in what we have achieved together and our future plans, there is much to be hopeful for.