Our Visit to the Blens

That Saturday afternoon of our arrival in Tagaytay, we visited the Blens. They live in a government housing beside a Catholic monastery.

Brother Neph Sico was our guide.

Dioly standing in front of Joshua Blen's house.

Brother Joshua Blen is suffering from some complications. He has undergone a surgery a month or so ago. Our visit was a nostalgia of sorts. Joshua, whose wife was an Ilongga, had been worshipping for a long time at YMCA church in Bacolod City when I was the preacher there.

Dioly conversing with Ban Cedenio, Joshua's brother-in-law. Ban is now retired and is living with his in-laws in Tagaytay.

Perla conversing with Beverly, a daughter of Joshua Blen. Bev is now a teacher. Her two other siblings, Amy and Dianne, have also found employment. Their brother Caleb works in a ship that plies the oceans of the world and comes home only once a year.

Before we left, we had a prayer for Joshua and his family, with brother Neph leading.

One Sunday Afternoon at Silang Church

Getting ready to go to worship in Silang, Cavite. Where is Austin?

The church in Silang meets temporarily in hut behind this mansion owned by a family who built their fortune from coffee farming.

Those are coffee beans being dried for days under the sun.

They were waiting for us: Brother Neph Sico, minister of Silang church. Beside him is sister Dolores, whose husband is a son of the family that owns this coffee farm. Sister Dolores is a sibling of brother Tony Devenecia, a member of Catbalogan City Church.

This is Aqui, sister Dolores' husband whose family owns the coffee farm and the land on which the temporary meeting place of the church is built.

The church assembling in their three-by-six meeting hall. This congregation was begun by brother Neph Sico and his wife Bing. Members consist of people from Aklan, Batangas, Cavite, Samar, and Cotabato. One of the new converts, in fact, is a lady whose father is a Muslim.

Another photo of those who attended that Sunday afternoon at Silang church of Christ.

Brother Neph Sico led the singing after Ed did the preaching.

Sister Bing Sico taught the Sunday school kids.

It was getting dark when we were about to finish. We did more singing in praise of our Lord before we called it a day.

After worship we all had snack of muffins and brewed coffee. Thanks!

Austin and his Awa Dioly doing some bonding after worship.

The two cousins, both grandsons of Ed, competing for the attention of their aunt Abby.

This cactus in front of the coffee farm owner's hut must be about fifty years old. The farm used to be a pineapple plantation.

One Sunday Morning at Tagaytay Church

Touch Point, near Foggy Heights, where I was to meet brother Emz Layco.

Emz Layco, minister of Tagaytay City church, came with his son Kevin.

This house in a subdivision near Picnic Grove is the temporary meeting place of Tagaytay City church. It is owned by sister Jeanette Maravilla, whose family hails from Tampakan, South Cotabato. Sister Jeanette is in the U.S. and is married to an American who is also a member of the Lord's church.

Those who came early for worship at Tagaytay church.

Emz led a few songs while we waited for the other Christians to come.

This young man, a former student of Sunrise Christian College in Butuan City, is a good song leader.

Members of Tagaytay church consists of the Maravillas of Tampakan, South Cotabato; a lady from Asingan, Pangasinan; the Laycos, the Blens, and a few others from Tagaytay.

Some faces you would find at church in Tagaytay.

Other faces you would find in Tagaytay church. Some members have gone abroad to find jobs, others migrated to Mindanao, and others transferred to Manila. Work is hard to find in Tagaytay City. Its main industry is tourism.

That's Ed Maquiling preaching. He came to Tagaytay for a vacation with his family.

The meeting place of the church as seen at a distance.

Two vacation homes nearby. Many of these vacation homes are owned by the well-to-do, built on lands only the rich can afford.

Family Reunion in Tagaytay City

Erika, her son Austin and nephew Jacob getting ready to leave for Tagaytay.

Ed at Cubao, getting ready to leave for Tagaytay.

Dioly at Dampa-Cubao, now ready to leave for Tagaytay.

Dioly at the gate of Foggy Heights Subdivision, Tagaytay City. Just arrived after a four-hour trip.

A home in Foggy Heights.

Dioly beside the car of her nephew Kish Sico.

The two sisters: Dioly Pamposa-Maquiling and Bing Pamposa-Sico. Both looked tired after the trips.

Dioly, her two daughters and two grandsons.

Erika Jane and her son Austin.

Karla and her cousin Kaye Sico.

Karla, Abby and their mom Dioly.

Jane and the early Sunday morning fog.

Foggy Sunday at Foggy Heights Subdivision.

Jane and her son Austin.

Jacob going for a run around Foggy Heights that early Sunday.

Maquiling family going out to see the sights of Tagaytay.

The Maquilings and their aunt Perla Pamposa.

Picture of both the Pamposa-Sicos and the Pamposa-Maquilings.

The Sico and Maquiling cousins: Kaye, Kish, Abby, Erika, Karla and Kim.

The three Pamposa sisters: Dioly, Perla and Bing.

When going around Tagaytay, look for this sign so you will know where to go.

Tagaytay rotonda. You either go straight toward Batangas, go right toward Amadeo, or go left toward People's Park and the view of Taal Lake and Taal Volcano.

Pine trees dotting the road to Batangas.

A view of Taal Lake and Taal Volcano.

Preaching at De Castro Church, in Rosario, Pasig City

The De Castro Church meets in the home of brother and sister Lobusta, in Liamzon Subdivision, De Castro Street, Rosario, Pasig City. Brother Lobusta is a retired colonel of the Philippine Constabulary. They are the parents of sister Remy Kingsley. They were baptized during a visit in the US by brother Felipe Cariaga, director of Manila School of Evangelism. Pictured here are those who came early for worship.

Brother Aldous Echegoyen is now the minister of the De Castro church. He and his wife Faith are engaged in a great ministry of growing and supporting the work of the Lord in this area of Pasig City. He is shown here conducting a Bible class for adults.

The De Castro church counts as its strong members brother and sister Ola, brother Aldous and his wife Faith, and brother and sister Lobusta, in whose home the church meets. Shown here is brother Ceasar Ola leading the closing prayer.

The fountains of Eastwood Mall, Pasig City, where we dropped by after worship..

Jacob standing before the fountains.

Dioly resting for a while at Eastwood Mall.

Window-shopping at Eastwood Mall will not cost you a cent.

Lost Lives Under a Footbridge on Commonwealth Avenue

It rained cats and dogs just a while ago. And like the rest of commuters waiting for buses in front of Ever Gotesco Mall on Commonwealth Avenue, I too was caught in the heavy rain. I was never lost. But other lives were.

Lost lives. Like this young Badjao mother and her three kids, aged 6, 5 and 4. How did I know they were Badjaos? The two young Maguindanaoans who saw me taking pictures of these kids told me so. Both these Maguindanaoans and this family, like other families, have fled the war brought by the ethnic conflicts in Mindanao and the hunger that resulted from those conflicts. The young Maguindanaoan I talked to said life is better here. Better? The husband of the woman (actually her live-in partner) had found a job as a watch-your-car boy, but in this rain he was nowhere to be found. It was now 2 pm and the kids never had their breakfast, so I was told.  

Another lost life. This young man. A Badjao too. He is of high school age. This week some private schools in Metro Manila were having parties to celebrate the holiday season; this young man however had his own way of celebrating: He had just poured some rugby solvent into a plastic envelope, and was enjoying sniffing it while the rain was pouring hard. Under the influence of the solvent, he must be dreaming of becoming a police officer someday. Or an MMDA traffic enforcer perhaps? One would not know. All that you know is that a sniff of rugby cuts an hour of his young life.

The two Badjao kids left their mother's side and raced toward Commonwealth Avenue, unaware of the dangers of the incoming vehicles. All they wanted to have was the pleasure kids like you and me probably enjoyed doing when were young: Play in the rain. The downpour that came brought a rush of water filthy and foul-smelling. But these kids did not mind! The mother did not mind either!

There was one other young Badjao I saw prior to this. He was under the footbridge, silently sniffing his own share of the rugby solvent in a yellow plastic bag, courtesy of the Badjao who must have dreamed of becoming a traffic enforcer.

My last glimpse of the footbridge. Like other commuters rushing to go home, I too walked away. I wish I had done something. As the rest of the world goes toward destruction that is sure and horrible, we had opportunities laid before us. My hands are tied. What about yours?

Preaching in Tarlac City

Brother Felix Bravo and his wife Yoling.

Brother Felix working on his blog.

The meeting place of the church in Tarlac City. Brother Felix and his wife began this work in the year 2003.

Some of those who came early to worship at Tarlac church.

The church of Christ in Tarlac City consists of young and old Christians alike.

The majority of the members in Tarlac City church are new converts. The oldest however is a lady who was baptized by Laureano Belo in 1955 in San Felipe, Tantangan, South Cotabato. Her name is sister Faustino. She now lives with her husband in Tarlac City.

Felix, Ed and Yoling having lunch at SM City-Tarlac.

Preaching in Taguig

Little Jacob leads the way to the Taguig church meeting place.

Ed came with his family.

Brother Achilles Sinco leads the congregation in singing and praising the Lord.

The minister of the congregation in Taguig is brother Onofre Corpuz. Brother Onofre's grandfather is a Juralbal who used to preach in Telafas, near Buluan, Cotabato. His grandmother is an Abubo, one of those baptized by Laureano Belo in Malingon, Cotabato.

The congregation in Taguig consists of people from across the country. Sitting in front here are the Ilongga sisters from Himamaylan, Negros Occidental. I met also a group of sisters from Lingayen, Pangasinan, and the Sinco family who are the original members of the church in Taguig and a lady who is a daughter-in-law of a Guleng from Midsayap, Cotabato.

Later, after worship, I was introduced to this lady in red shirt who said she's the sister of my good friend Primo Rivera of Polomolok, South Cotabato.

Some of those who came early for worship.