“And we rise from the ashes”
IT was about 2am. The streets were silent and the world was still. Cebu was in a deep slumber and why shouldn’t they? It was dawn. The cold air chilled the tropical island. Amidst the silence of the streets, in Handuraw Cafe, an unlikely group of people were busy with something. Plastic wrappers fizzled as these people carried them from the second floor to the cars parked just below. It would be a surprise why anybody would be awake in this ungodly hour. But these people were determined to do something – and that is to give to the people who was struck by the devastating Typhoon Haiyan (Local: Yolanda) last November 8. The destination? The northern most tip of the island of Cebu – Daan Bantayan. Crammed inside different cars with the different relief goods, we slowly made our way towards the north. It was eerily quiet. We passed through different roads that took us to the north and it was more or less like a journey to silent hill. Two-hours into our journey and we passed through the areas where there had been no electricity yet. The road was dark. Pitch black. The only source of light was our headlights and some buses passed heading towards the places we’ve been setting to go to. In a way, a hint of paranoia was with me throughout the journey. We were told that desperate people were said to have chosen in resorting to violent means in order to get something to eat and drink. It was said that they would make blockades to block people who were channeling these goods to the far-flung places of the north. I took solace, perhaps, in the fact that I was with no ordinary people. After a few more hours, we arrived at Medellin. The sun was rising up – suddenly, the place was not that scary anymore. The sun rose and we saw the hand prints of Haiyan. The roads were cleared; however, the surrounding areas were not as lucky. Posts fell and trees as well. I was even struck when I saw the sturdy bamboo plants being snapped into two! Even the strongest wood bowed down to the winds. Debris littered the country side. Children stood by the roads bringing placards with the words “Help we need food and water”. Three words would summarize what I have seen there: Desperation, hunger and thirst. As we moved and finally arrived to our destination, we find ourselves amidst people who were not able to eat properly for days. The team was greeted with sighs of praise and voices of thanksgiving: “Thank you for not forgetting about us!” remarked one elderly woman. The volunteers quickly set-up ground rules for the distribution to ensure that everyone would be given a fair share of what was being given. The relief goods contained canned goods, two kilos of rice, some medicine, two one-liter bottles of purified water, candles, matches, and other essentials. To see faces filled with relief, filled with thankfulness and tears , these were the things that humbled us and shook us to the core. We gave about 105 goods for this area in Daan Bantayan and we also donated for those in Kinatarkan Island, who, according to our sources, were not even given anything yet. They received 600 packs from the ABS-CBN foundation, but they needed more for the 1000+ families there. So we gave 50 to them together with the other donations. As I end this mediation and short thought-sharing, let me share how I was struck with the entire experience personally. It was...
Read MoreAfter Haiyan
God is Nature, or so many learned humanists that I have had the privilege to have met say. If God were nature, then the recent typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) was his finger – a finger so devastating that it may have wiped out an entire town and people. I have seen the news and it is beyond frightening. I could not even do justice on how to describe it. Bodies litter the streets not only human remains, but including animals domestic and agricultural. It was said that storm surges a high as 10 meters swept across the city. It was a deluge that would be the envy of Noah. Leyte, Samar, Northern Cebu, Tacloban, Palawan – all of these places – ravaged, and not only these places but also the small islands which were ‘passed-over’ by nature’s wrath. People in these parts resorted to looting. Civility and the law of the land is fragile. When these disasters strike, anarchy comes. Human society is not as advanced as we think it is, the hint of savegry runs deep. I have lost a lot of people whom I hold dear. And yet, amidst this tragedy, the waterproof Filipino spirit will stand. Let us help ease the burden of our friends from Northern Cebu by helping with our mission to give aid to the Northern Cebu Typhoon Victims such as Daan Bantayan and Bogo. Pagan Federation International is needing volunteers and donations . Our contact from Daan Bantayan said that they badly need Food, Water and Medicine.Volunteers such as Medical Doctors, and extra hands for relief goods packing and distribution is greatly appreciated. For International Donations, please contact the National coordinator at the specified email in the poster for the wire details. Gather with us, help us stand up again. Not because we have to, but because we are...
Read MoreNo One Will Be Left Behind
“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.” – Mahatma Gandhi. Life is as dear to a mute creature as it is to man. Just as one wants happiness and fears pain, just as one wants to live and not die, so do other creatures. – His Holiness The Dalai Lama The question is not, “Can they reason?” nor, “Can they talk?” but rather, “Can they suffer?” – Jeremy Bentham “Animals are God’s creatures. He surrounds them with his providential care. By their mere existence they bless him and give him glory. Thus men owe them kindness. We should recall the gentleness with which saints like St. Francis of Assisi or St. Philip Neri treated animals. . . . It is contrary to human dignity to cause animals to suffer or die needlessly.” – Catechism of the Catholic Church The idea that some lives are less valuable than the others must be one of the worst beliefs that most people have. Every life, no matter how small it is, is revered and valued by every Pagan. But regardless of which religion or faith you have, we should know that people are given the responsibility by God or Goddess or Supreme Power, to take care of the animals, not to abuse and neglect them. Dogs, in particular, are the epitome of loyalty and unconditional love. It is heart-wrenching to see them being abused, neglected, murdered and tortured. Our journey to saving dogs from the Lapulapu City Pound started when I saw a post in the Facebook page of Island Rescue Organization about two dogs being trapped in the house by a heartless owner without food or water. One didn’t make it, while the other was saved. We immediately went to the pound to visit “Agua”, the name they had given her. We said hi to Agua and she wagged her tail with all her might. It didn’t escape from our eyes the six dogs crowded in one cage and another sickly one in a separate cage. I asked the person from the pound if those were also rescued dogs. He replied in a matter of factly manner that they were surrendered dogs by their owners to be terminated using gas chamber in the pound on Friday that week. We later learned that all dogs surrendered by the owners or stray dogs that were caught by the pound will be terminated every Friday. They were not fed, nor were they given water . We asked why they were doing it, and the people from the pound just answered, ” that is the regulation”. Are we really that uncivilized and heartless beings to have this kind of regulation? Saving Agua was not enough, no one should be left behind. From then on, we decided to save the rest of the dogs, to look for loving homes that can provide them warmth and love that they deserve and to treat the sickly ones. We frantically sent messages to all our friends who were interested to adopt or foster the dogs. Some didn’t bother to reply, while others offered help. Our journey has just started. We transport five to six dogs to their new homes every week, but 12 to 15 dogs are being sent to the pound. We cannot keep up with the number of dogs being impounded. The dogs are in the worst state of health, and not a lot of people want a sickly dog. Aside from this, the people from the pound said that they don’t have budget for the food for the...
Read MoreAbout PFI Philippines
Pagan Federation International Philippines is an extension of Pagan Federation International which handles Philippines based activities under its National Coordinator. The PFI Philippines is aimed at networking with pagans in Philippines to execute the mission and vision of Pagan Federation International focusing on advocacy works and to promote the indigenous ethnic religious heritage of the Philippines. Our mission statement is "To defend the rights of pagans". PFI is also active in Intra- and Interfaith work and works closely with other NGO's involved in defending human rights and the right to believe, or not believe. 