NOTE: This is the original dispatch from the field.
We visited Binayuyo village in Philippines to watch distribution
Tuesday June, 6 2006 10:00p.m. (Manila time)
Antipolo, Philippines – We arrived in Manila last night about 10:30pm. Fely and her brother Al picked us up at the airport and got us to our hotel by midnight.
The hotel is new and very modern in Philippine standards. In the United States it would be similar to an economy motel. The conditions were very nice however and we were pleased to have an airconditioned room.
Al, Fely, and other family members picked us up at 6:45am. We headed out from Antipolo for Binayuyo village. the drive would take us through narrow streets and finally into a jungle type area.
On the way you pass jeepneys and tricycles. That is the main mode of transportation. There are no traffic lights or signs and everyone is constantly moving. Homes line the streets with children playing along side the streets.
After 30 minutes we left the urban hustle and bustle into a more rural if not jungle type surrounding. A concrete road wound us up and down mountains to our location.
We stopped below the village to load more supplies onto the water buffalo. When it rains they are the only means for getting supplies to the village.
After a brief walk up the side of a hill we reached the village. It was something I had only seen in magazines. Small bamboo houses dotted the hillside. Children were playing along the dirt road. Hungry dogs wandered about.
The villagers knew we were coming but from the stares you could tell seeing someone like us was very rare. Along with the stare though always came a smile.
Our first order of business was the worship service. Antipolo United Methodist Church (AUMC) held service under sheets held up with bamboo. The people from the village poured in for the service.
The service is generally held the third Saturday of each month. For this service John and I were special guest.
After the service the children and parents performed songs and dances for us.
Because of all that was going on you don;don’t really notice the heat bearing down on you. It must have been 95 degrees and extremely high humidity. After and hour I was covered in sweat. The people however were used to the heat and were not bothered.
After the service everyone ate. They cooked Lo Mein noodles and rice during the service and everyone received a plate. You could tell this meal was a real treat for everyone.
After eating they began the distribution. Fely organizes each child’s food and clothes in a bag with their name. She calls them out and they each come up to get their bags. John also hands candy out to each child. This would be their distribution for the month.
Fely told us that the people wanted us to visit their homes. Once the distribution was done we began walking to homes throughout the village. “The people are proud of their homes and want us to visit”, Fely told us.
We walked throughout the village which meant climbing hillsides and walking down narrow trails. People do not own property they just build wherever they can. Some had small one room homes with dirt floors on the side of a hill while others had small gardens and lived down by a small stream.
I met a man who was playing guitar. He said he learned from listening to radio. Given what he had he did an amazing job of learning and played a song for me. He also let me pluck a few notes as well. Though he could not speak English we could communicate through music.
We left the village mid afternoon. Fely took us to a mountaintop where we could see Manila in the distance. In front of Manila were thousands and thousands of homes crammed together. Millions of people packed into such a small space.
Next was the market where John was looking to buy some small statues that he purchased last year. We met the same lady who is going to order some for us before we leave.
We ate dinner at Max’s Restaurant, Where food is sarap (delicious). You can order Kare Kare (beef, probably Ox), or chicken. We both had barbecue chicken and tea. It was similar to a diner in the US and the food was sarap.
I will head out after putting my dispatch together to an Internet cafe and hope to upload what I can. If you are reading this then it was successful.
Tomorrow will be another early morning as we will go to the dumpsite and go through another worship service and distribution.
