uma

Mark Michael Ferrer & Martin Rey Guerrero

Editors-in-Chief

Section Editors:

Kathleen Veronica Chua

The Practicum-Immersion Experience

Portia Mae Merecido & Leo Angeli Martinez

Family Profiles

Vaneza Mae Aumento

Theological Reflections

Ma. Anne Therese Musong & Zyra Bravo

The Practice of the Church’s Social Doctrine

Cherry Mae Marquezo

The Practice of Cardinal Virtues

Kevin Barrosa & Jason Jon Carreos

The Practice of Class Values

1

Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................... 4

THE PRACTICUM-IMMERSION EXPERIENCE ........................................................................ 6

FIRST VISIT ........................................................................................................................... 7

FINAL VISIT ..........................................................................................................................10

FAMILY PROFILES ..................................................................................................................12

AMBI FAMILY ........................................................................................................................13

ANGALAN FAMILY ...............................................................................................................15

BAGUIO FAMILY ..................................................................................................................16

BARATAS FAMILY ................................................................................................................18

BASINGA FAMILY.................................................................................................................21

CAGAS FAMILY ....................................................................................................................23

CASINILLO FAMILY ..............................................................................................................25

CORDERO FAMILY ..............................................................................................................27

COREDERO FAMILY ............................................................................................................29

DALAPAN FAMILY (I) ...........................................................................................................31

DALAPAN FAMILY (II) ..........................................................................................................33

DELO SANTOS FAMILY .......................................................................................................35

DELOS SANTOS FAMILY .....................................................................................................37

EGAD FAMILY ......................................................................................................................39

ELOG FAMILY ......................................................................................................................41

GUBAT FAMILY ....................................................................................................................43

GUMAPAC FAMILY ..............................................................................................................45

GUTIERREZ FAMILY ............................................................................................................47

IÑIGO FAMILY ......................................................................................................................49

LANGAG FAMILY .................................................................................................................51

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LOPEZ FAMILY .....................................................................................................................53

NARCILLA FAMILY ...............................................................................................................55

PACTORAYAN FAMILY ........................................................................................................57

PATENTES FAMILY ..............................................................................................................59

PATINTES FAMILY ...............................................................................................................61

SALCEDO FAMILY ...............................................................................................................63

TIOSTUMBAN FAMILY .........................................................................................................65

VILLAGRACIA FAMILY .........................................................................................................67

THEOLOGICAL REFLECTIONS ...............................................................................................69

GOD‘S PRESENCE AND MESSAGE IN THE IMMERSION AREA .......................................70

GOD‘S PRESENCE AND MESSAGE AMONG THE FOSTER FAMILIES .............................71

GOD‘S PRESENCE AND MESSAGE THROUGH THE PRACTICUM-IMMERSION

PROCESS .............................................................................................................................71

THE PRACTICE OF THE CHURCH‘S SOCIAL DOCTRINE PRINCIPLES ...............................73

HUMAN DIGNITY AND EQUALITY .......................................................................................74

RESPECT FOR LIFE ............................................................................................................74

PROMOTION OF HUMAN RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES ............................................75

COMMON GOOD ..................................................................................................................76

ASSOCIATION AND PARTICIPATION .................................................................................77

SUBSIDIARITY .....................................................................................................................78

DIGNITY OF HUMAN WORK OR LABOR .............................................................................79

UNIVERSAL DESTINATION OF GOODS (STEWARDSHIP OF CREATION) .......................81

PREFERENTIAL OPTION FOR THE POOR .........................................................................82

SOLIDARITY .........................................................................................................................83

PROMOTION OF PEACE .....................................................................................................84

THE PRACTICE OF CARDINAL VIRTUES ...............................................................................85

JUSTICE ...............................................................................................................................86

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TEMPERANCE .....................................................................................................................86

PRUDENCE ..........................................................................................................................87

FORTITUDE ..........................................................................................................................88

THE PRACTICE OF CLASS VALUES ......................................................................................89

MAGIS ...................................................................................................................................90

RESPECT .............................................................................................................................90

RESPONSIBILITY .................................................................................................................90

LOYALTY ..............................................................................................................................91

PERSEVERANCE .................................................................................................................92

CAMARADERIE ....................................................................................................................93

PATIENCE ............................................................................................................................94

OPTIMISM ............................................................................................................................95

TEAMWORK .........................................................................................................................96

GENEROSITY .......................................................................................................................97

Closing Remarks .......................................................................................................................98

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ....................................................................................................... 100

ANNEXES ............................................................................................................................... 101

4

INTRODUCTION By Mark Michael Ferrer

The Ateneo de Davao University has

consistently strived to provide excellence in

all areas of academic endeavor that extend

beyond the realm of the four-sided

classroom sort. As a Jesuit institution, the

university aims to inculcate an inherent

theme and class of education. Moreover,

the Ateneo de Davao University, as vividly

penned by the University president, aims to

mold leaders of students—a specific type of

leader who demonstrate an incessant

―passion for truth‖ that translates to a

discriminating taste in learning and living.

This definite brand of leaders, or Sui

Generis, is neither proud nor vain but

partakes in a humbling enterprise of

servitude. In particular, a vital facet of being

such a leader is generosity toward

community service. The Theology Division,

through Theology 141, champions this

worthy mission of giving back to the

community by engaging students in a

worthwhile immersion experience.

Theology 141, formally known as

Christian Commitment and Solidarity, is the

culmination of all previous Theology

courses. In this subject, students are

expected to use all their knowledge of the

course and put everything into practice. As

uniquely Ateneo de Davao, the course

reminds the student not take the university‘s

vision and mission for granted but instead to

wholeheartedly push themselves into

committing to the values of a Jesuit-

educated student.

The course underlines the

significance of service of faith through the

promotion of justice via the three-pronged

thrusts: inter-religious dialogue, social

justice, and environmental protection. While

there is an emphasis in learning the

fundamentals of such mission, it is only

through exertion that these important

channels can truly be fulfilled. The vital

reason for a Practicum Immersion is hence

highlighted.

The goal of the immersion

experience, in sum, is to engage the

students into the realities of the Lumad

community. It can be seen as a thoughtful

reminder for the students to be mindful of

their surroundings just as they are, in the

utmost sense, familiar of their immediate

milieu. The experience encourages the

students to break free of their comfort zones

and reach out to the community. This of

course entails a transition from self-

importance to altruism. While the Practicum

Immersion indeed is carried out by the

students, it is not for them. Concern for

others and a true understanding of social

5

justice are crucial for the success of an

authentic immersion. A focus is placed on

the whole instead of the self in order to help

the students understand what solidarity and

equality truly means, and especially what

follows on their absence.

It is central to highlight value

formation as part of the Practicum

Immersion because the experience is a

means of practicing a certain adopted value.

As such, the Practicum Immersion can also

be seen as a step toward the right direction.

By providing students with an avenue, the

experience actually serves as an element

that the students can use to become a

catalyst for change.

The Practicum Immersion is done in

cooperation with the Josefa Segovia

Foundation. The community assignment is

the Tawan-tawan barangay located at

Baguio District. This written output serves

as an in-depth documentation of the two-

day experience.

6

THE PRACTICUM-IMMERSION EXPERIENCE

Edited by Kathleen Veronica Chua

For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for

the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the

statement, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

Galatians 5:13-14

7

FIRST VISIT By Hans Jan Villejo and Ben Antonio Santos

Theology 141 granted us the opportunity to visit remote or isolated places to give help

and immerse ourselves in such environments. We were assigned at Tawan-tawan, Baguio

District. We have never heard of the place but we did have an idea of what it was going to be

like.

We had our assembly by the

Ateneo de Davao University, Roxas Gate,

and finally, set forth for Almacen

(Alternative Marketing Center), where we

had our orientation for the immersion.

There in Almacen, we were called, one by

one, to line up alongside our respective

partners for the immersion activity. We

were given a brief introduction on how the

immersion process should be carried out,

including reminders on how we are to

conduct ourselves in the area. After the discussion, we were dismissed and travelled to the

area. Since we were to conduct the visit by pair, we were told to travel with our partner to avoid

any problem.

Alternative Marketing Center

Student assembly in front of Roxas Gate

Transportation bound for the assigned area

8

The trip from Almacen to Tawan-tawan

took about an hour and a half. The road was

dusty, bumpy, rocky, and narrow. It cannot be

denied that the trip provided certain

discomforts. Yet even though the travel was

uncomfortable, we can only imagine how much

more difficult it is for the residents of the village

to descend to town and to buy necessities.

When we arrived at

the area, our initial musings

on how urban it would be

disappeared; it was quite the

opposite: Although some of

them had cement houses,

televisions, sari-sari stores

(other families even had

pets), it was different from the

common sights of the city with

which we were familiar. It was

clear to us that some of them

had enough wealth to live

until they can. But as we

came closer inside the village,

we witnessed the reality of

the place. Our expectations

and preconceived notions

started to disappear before

our eyes. Some houses didn‘t

have the luxury of electricity

while others still were poorly

built. The place didn‘t have

constant water flow as well. It

Our instructor, Mam Dayrit, giving out final instructions

Arrival at the area

Mam Judy Anne of the Josefa Segovia Foundation, assigning us to our foster families

9

was really a different environment to what we were used to. We didn‘t appreciate the little things

we had until we were immersed in such a place. At the end of the session, it was clear to us that

they really needed help (especially those who are really poor).

In a way, we were shocked by the

reality of poverty in the area. Some of the

families there are barely making ends meet.

Some houses shelter two to three families

consisting of at least three to five members

each. Their dinner is constraint but pushed to

try to feed eight mouths living under one roof.

Some of the houses are even structurally

unsafe, relying on a withering chunk of wood

for support and if it corrodes and gives in, the

whole place would fall apart. This may all sound worse than it actually is, but from the

perspective of someone who has lived in some sort of comfort and luxury, it is definitely an eye

opener to the reality of this world.

We‘ve been so accustomed to easy living that when a bit of difficulty comes along our

way, we grumble and complain like there‘s no tomorrow. We‘ve taken for granted what we have

and developed a destructive mentality of entitlement, thinking that we deserve and have a right

to the things we enjoy now. After seeing the state and condition of life there, it‘s like we‘ve been

given this sense of responsibility to treat every blessing we enjoy as a privilege and not a right.

To be good stewards of blessings and to be more grateful for what we have. People say you

never know what you have until they‘re gone. Well, the truth is, you‘ve always known what you

had. You just didn‘t think you‘d lose them in your lifetime.

We are not entitled to anything, so don‘t take for granted what you currently have.

The newly built tram line that would soon ferry people and crops to the neighboring farm

10

FINAL VISIT By Jolu Ezra Zamudio

The tenth of August of 2013

marks the day of our final visit for our

Theology 141 Immersion. Everyone in

the class prepared their tokens of

appreciation for the foster families who

accepted them in their homes, who

bonded with them during their stay,

who looked after them, and who openly

shared their lives with them. These

tokens varied from grocery items, which

would provide assistance of food and

basic home necessities, to hygienic

items for families who can sustain

themselves with food. Everyone

involved shared in order to fulfil this

commitment. Students even came to

help pack the tokens the day before,

even though it was a holiday; this action showed how devoted these students are and how

much they care about for their foster families.

Saturday came

fast, it was a cool morning;

the weather was not so hot

and not so cold, it was just

right. The students got up

early and prepared

everything that they were

going to bring. Gathering

at Ateneo Roxas gate, the

chatter of the students

were brimming with

Packing the family tokens

A resident drying coffee beans 1

11

anticipation of their activity to come. The students finally began to board their transport, and

went their way to Tawan-tawan.

During the trip on the way, no matter how tiring, uncomfortable, and dull, everyone held

their heads high and their hearts strong for it will be the last that they would be spending time

with their foster families. Arriving at Tawan-tawan, the students went to their families directly,

not needing any instruction. Each house was filled with smiles coming from both student and

family, a bonus was the added sound of children laughing in enjoyment upon seeing their ates

and kuyas return. Another bonus treat was that the students were taken to explore the

surroundings. Most of the students went down the mountain, through the hanging bridge, and

down to the river or spring. After exploring, the students brought out the celebratory food for

their lunch. It provided a ―farewell party‖ feel. Saying their goodbyes, the students gave their

tokens of appreciation to the families; in return, smiles of the families were seen. It was more

than enough for the students to know that they gave something to the families, in such a way

that it made them smile. However, it wasn‘t only the

families that were given tokens; even the students were

given fruits as gifts from their families as a sign of thanks

for spending time with them, even if it was only for a short

while.

The immersion was a very memorable experience.

I‘m sure it will be burned in the memories and hearts of the

students and everyone involved in order to make it an

eventful one and a success. Like what Tony Robbins said,

―Only those who have learned the power of sincere and

selfless contribution experience life's deepest joy: true

fulfilment‖.

Immersion participants preparing to leave

12

FAMILY PROFILES

Edited by Portia Mae Merecido & Leo Angeli Martinez

Rich and poor have this in common: The LORD is the Maker of them all.

Proverbs 22:2

13

AMBI FAMILY By Stephen Galagala & Shannice Gaile Sedeño

Father: Marlon Ambi (30 yrs. old)

Mother: Josephine ―Pin‖ Ambi (21 yrs. old)

Children:

Kathleen Faith Ambi (5 months)

Address: Brgy Durian, Tawan-Tawan, Baguio

Dist.

History and Economic Information

Marlon who originated from Kidapawan came along with his Uncle to Tawan-tawan

when he was 9 hoping for a better life. On the other hand, Pin, one of 12 siblings, came from

Tambubong, Calinan. The two met when Marlon went to Josephine‘s place. There, their love

story blossomed. On March 3 2013, Josephine gave birth to their first baby, Kathleen, after a

year of living together. The couple, both of Bagobo descent, opted to settle in Tawan-tawan

since Marlon owned a one-hectare land in a neighboring place. Currently, the couple together

with Marlon‘s parents has been living simply in their rented house for one and a half years.

The said land is composed of Banana and Cacao trees and Robusta coffee. However

the cacao and robusta are not bearing anything. Hence the family relies on banana fruit as their

main source of income. For every 15 days they can collect 50kg and sell it at P7/kilo. Other than

that, the household members, except for Josephine, also cut weeds when contracted to do

them. The household also annually produces soft brooms using materials from their land.

Community Involvement and Assistance from the Josefa Segovia Foundation

All the members of the family are adherents of the Iglesia ni Cristo faith, and have been

regularly attending to masses. Pin being mostly left at home alone; she takes part of bible studies

conducted by the Iglesia ni Cristo devotees on house to house arrangement.

From left to right: Josephine, Baby Kathleen, In-law Julia, Shanice

14

Dreams and Aspirations

If opportunity will be given, Pin would

like to continue her studies, where she left off

after her 3rd year in high school. She would

also want to have a small business so she can

help her husband with their daily expenses,

also have their own residence and save for

Kathleen‘s education. Pin also affirmed that

Marlon wants the same all for Kathleen‘s

future.

From left to right: Stephen, Kathleen, Josephine, Shanice

15

ANGALAN FAMILY By Andrea Bernardino and Paolo Austria

Father: Enrico Angalan (41 yrs old)

Mother: Alessandra Angalan (34 yrs old)

Children:

Judilyn Angalan (17 yrs old)

Judirick Angalan (14 yrs old)

Dyname Angalan (13 yrs old)

Rachel Angalan (10 yrs old)

Ivy JoyIvy Angalan (5 yrs old)

Reisa Mae Angalan (2 yrs old)

Joicylyn Angalan (2 weeks old)

Address:


It has been a year since the Angalan family stayed in Tawan-tawan after moving out

from their previous place due to a landslide. Mr. Angalan works at a farm to crop and produce

cocoa and banana. His salary during every season is 10,000 pesos. Mrs. Angalan is a

housewife but she also sometimes goes with her husband at the farm to help. The family‘s

religion is Church of Christ.


The Angalan Family has no community involvement yet since they are new to the place.

It has only been a year since they transferred to the village and opportunities for community

involvement are still unfamiliar.

After the natural disaster from their previous area, the family received the aid of the

Josefa Segovia Foundation. The foundation helped them move out from their former home and

transfer to Tawan-tawan.

From left to right: Paolo Arayan, Andrea Bernardino, Alessandra Angalan, Joicylyn Angalan, Ivy JoyIvy Angalan, Dyname Angalan, Resia Mae Angalan, Rachel Angalan, and Judilyn Angalan

16


The dream of Mr. Angalan is to provide

for the family and schooling the children.

From left to right: Ivy Joy Angalan, a friend, Dyname Angalan, Rachel Angalan, and a friend

17

BAGUIO FAMILY By Eduardo Esternon Jr. & Theressa Quiao

Father: Rene Baguio (47 yrs. old)

Mother: Merlyn Baguio (44 yrs. old)

Children:

Roni Baguio (26 yrs. old)

Roman Baguio (22 yrs. old)

Evangeline Baguio (20 yrs. old)

Rachel Baguio (17 yrs. old)

Address: Madaum, Durian Bacuring-San

Isidro Road, Brgy Tawan-tawan, Baguio

District Davao City


Merlyn Baguio originated in Marilog. She moved in with Rene Baguio when they got

married on 1986. The reason why the married couple decided to live in Tawan-Tawan is because

generations of Rene‘s Family has been staying in Tawan-Tawan for a long time.

Currently they are still living in Tawan-Tawan and blossom four offspring, two male and

two female. Rene and Roni are both working for the family outside Tawan-Tawan while Merlyn

goes to a one-hour travel field and get their crops. Their crops are durian, cacao, banana,

lansones. They sell cacao 75 pesos per kilo and sold 20 kilos per week.


The Baguio family is a member of the Iglesia Ni Cristo (Church of Christ). They set aside

time to attend church service in Iglesia ni Cristo and are also an active member of a religious

organization. Also, they are one of the benefactors of Josefa Segovia foundation which means

that the said foundation took care of the expenses of the development plans in their community

including livelihood opportunities. With the support of JSF staffs, these experiences taught the

residents of Barangay Tawan-tawan claim their rights to human security and development.

From left to right: Theressa, Merlyn, Evangeline, Eduardo

18


The dream of the family is not really a

fancy dream but rather simple and sort of

sweet. They just want to live happily and

healthy together. ―Maayong pang-lawas‖ as

Merlyn said in our interview.

From left to right: Theressa, Merlyn

19

BARATAS FAMILY By Perry Louise Saavedra & Chin Ai Millan

Father: Ernie P. Baratas

Mother: Elsie C. Baratas

Children:

Errol Mark C. Baratas

Ercel John C. Baratas

Ern Matheo C. Baratas

Address: Purok Bagong Lipunan, Panigan

Tawan tawan, Baguio, Davao City


The couple‘s each family has been there for 31 years already. Mr. Ernie is a farmer

while Mrs. Baratas is a plain housewife. They like their environment and culture because

according to them, it is very different from people who live in more civilized place. The Baratas

family is making a living from the small plantation surrounds their house given to them by their

family. These small plantations are as it follows. The Baratas family sells Cacao per kilo at

Tabliya manufacturer located at Calinan. The Baratas family makes a living to lubi by making

―Tuba‖. The Baratas family has small banana plantation which they sell at the Calinan market.

Their gross income sums up to 5,000 pesos.


Assistance from Josefa Segovia foundation are seminar and livelihood, education about

livelihood like sewing, making bags, about right farming, donation of fertilizers for community‘s

plantation and donation of feeds for community‘s farm animals such as pigs and chickens.

From left to right: Children, Mrs. Baratas, Perry Saavedra, Milan

20


Grinning with beautiful smile, Mrs.

Baratas said to our interview, ―If you will ask

me, what are our dreams and aspirations in

our lives‖, ―Well, all we wanted is simply that

our children will be able to finish their studies

up to college and all of us are always

healthy‖.

From left to right: Mr. Baratas, Perry Sandoval

21

BASINGA FAMILY By Christian Joie Harder & Legarta

Father: n/a

Mother: Radito Basinga (25 yrs. Old)

Children:

Tobey (9 yrs. old)

Andrew (7 yrs. old)

Address: Sitio Panigan, Barangay Tawan-

tawan Calinan Davao City


Radito, along with his 2 brothers and 4 sisters, were originally born and raised in Tawan-

tawan after their parents decided to settle there during the 70‘s. Unfortunately as young as 7,

Radito with his siblings, were already exposed in the harsh reality of life since they were left

behind by their mother with literally nothing but their ―bahay kubo‖. Fortunate enough, his father

manage to grow some crops and her sister works in an early age for them to survive.

Right now, Radito is in charge of the house and his studies in the secondary level. He is

also taking care of his 3 nephews given that 2 of his sister are working abroad. He‘s father is

living on another house in the same town with them but they still support each other and currenty

producing cacaos.


With the help of Josefa Segovia Foundation, Radito was able to join a gay pageant that

was held in Abreeza last June and this coming Tawan-tawan fiesta

From left to right: Basinga Family, Legarta

22


Radito shared to us an incident that

happened a long time ago, their mother left

since he‘s youngest brother was still less than

a year old and even he‘s two brothers don‘t

even know her face. Even though their mother

is the one who abandoned them, Radito and

along with he‘s two sisters still longing for her,

still want to find her and see how she is doing.

―Masking unsa and nahitabo, Mama man ghapun nimu sya‖ Radito said.

From left to right: Basinga family, Cj Harder

23

CAGAS FAMILY By Martin Rey Guerrero & April Ledesma

Father: John Cagas (42 yrs. old)

Mother: Maria Jelene Cagas (36 yrs. old)

Children:

Jezreel Cagas (12 yrs. old)

John Ismael Cagas (9 yrs. old)

Leslie Jane Cagas (6 yrs. old)

Address: Sitio Panigan, Tawan-tawan, Baguio

District, Davao City


History started when Mr. Cagas (a Lumad) married a woman named Maria Jelene, who

hailed from Cagayan de Oro. Currently, they are having their 15th year of being married. They

settled in the Cagayan for several years. The Cagas family were not natives of the place except

for Mr. Cagas. They had no place to go, no money and no work when Mrs. Cagas was pregnant

with her first son. They had a difficult time adjusting at first but they were able to survive the long

road of change. Now, they have 3 healthy children, attending both high school and grade

school.

Source of income was very difficult to find at first. However, there came a time where

Josefa Segovia Foundation offered them a place to stay, work for both husband and wife and

plantations for extra income. Plants included mostly of cocoa trees (which sells around Php30

per kilo), durian trees, coconut trees and some vegetables like sayote and the like. Other means

of income included jobs like panday (for Mr. Cagas) and teacher (for Mrs. Cagas). With this,

they were able to work hard until they have earned some necessities like TV, radio, kitchen

utensils and more.

From left to right: Jezreel, John Ismael, Maria Jelene, April (partner), Leslie

24


The Josefa Segovia Foundation offers a diversity of agricultural and livelihood orientations

to the community. The Cagas family was able to get the hold of taking care and harvesting cocoa

plantation just within their vicinity for living. Livelihood orientations such as proper waste

management and home cleanliness are also part of the many gifts Josefa Segovia Foundation is

giving away as free.


In summary, the Cagas family wanted

a life where their basic necessities (ex.

comfort room, proper bedroom and etc.) are

fulfilled. The children wanted to be teachers

and policeman. The mother wanted a simple

and livable future for her children so that they

would be ready for the future to come. They

have simple dreams with genuine hearts.

From left to right: Jezreel, John Ismael, Maria Jelene, Me, Leslie

25

CASINILLO FAMILY By Bryan Joseph Reas & Juvy Liza

Father: Jaime K. Casinillo (45 yrs. old)

Mother: Elma S. Casinillo (40 yrs. old)

Children:

Eljay S. Casinilio (21 yrs. old)

Mara Joy C. Gariando (19 yrs. old)

Princess Joy S. Casinillo (17 yrs.

old)

Jayde Joy S. Casinillo (11 yrs. old)

Jaime S. Casinillo Jr (5 yrs. old)

Mike Jay Casinillo (2 yrs. old)

Address: Purok Kaunlaran Panigan Tawan-

Tawan


The family‘s main source of income is the salary of Mr. Casinillo. He will be paying for

330 pesos per day and will receive 8,580 pesos per month. Mrs. Casinillo who manages their

business (sari-sari store, billiard/billiard hall and videoke) can earn 300 to 400 pesos per day.

Also, the family has their own farm land where they planted different fruits, such as cocoa,

durian, and lanzones.

Mrs. Casinillo was active in their purok/sitio since she attended some conferences or

meetings every time their purok leader will gather them. When asked about the assistance that

they got from the Josefa Segovia Foundation, they said that they were not familiar with it.


Mrs. Casinilio stated that they were not familiar the Josefa Segovia Foundation. She can‘t

also remember of any assistance given by such foundation. The only Community Involvement

they recognize is whenever there are some events being held in the purok.

From left to right: Bryan Reas, Juvy Liza, Mike Jay Casinillo, Mrs. Elma Casinillo

26


Mrs. Casinilio‘s only dream to her

family is first that her children would finish

their study. Second is to have a good

health. Lastly, despite of lack of financial

income they can still be a family. Happy

living together and always will.

From left to right: Bryan Reas, Juvy Liza, Mike Jay Casinillo, Mrs. Elma Casinillo

27

CORDERO FAMILY By Georgi Sacramento II & Letiedane Pama

Father: Allen Roy Cordero (30 yrs. old)

Mother: Cheryl Cordero (25 yrs. old)

Children:

Allena Chescka (2 yrs. old)

Address:Tawan-Tawan, Baguio District,

Davao


Both Mr. and Mrs. Cordero were what we use to call childhood sweethearts where they

had met each other in the within community itself, when they were still teenagers. Allen Roy, a

Computer Science Graduate used to study at Cebu, while Cheryl used to work part time in the

City. Both came together and got married and on separate occasion gave life to their 2 years old

daughter, Allena. Both, Mr. and Mrs. Cordero also live nearby their relatives on the same

community.

Currently, Mr. Codero, is the Barangay Treasurer, he is also taking care of the family‘s

cacao farm both lands beside their house and the one nearby the river. Mrs. Cordero is

currently a housewife, taking care of Allena. In some occasions, Mrs. Cordero also helps in the

farming duties when not busy doing housework. Income wise, while not stated specifically, the

family is able to sustain their daily expenses. There also comes a time, especially during

harvests, they earn from it. If not, it is basically Mr. Cordero‘s income and travel allowance

which is the main source of income. They also own assorted types of appliances, and a

motorcycle, which serves as their main transportation.

From left to right: Allena Chescka, Cheryl, Letie, Allen Roy

28


As a member of the Josefa Segovia Foundation the family of Mr. Cordero received a help

from an organization commonly called MTBKA which is also under in the foundation. Being a

member of the JSF also means that they will receive any kind of help such as financial. Aside

from the financial help, they also received medical assistance that includes check-up and

medicines. Mrs. Cordero pointed out that being a member of JSF helped them a lot.


Mrs. Cordero‘s dream is just very

simple and that is to have a complete and

happy family together. For her, living a simple

life is just fine as long as the three of them are

together. Her dream for her daughter is like a

dream of all mothers for their child. And that is

to finish and have a good quality of education.

Mrs. Cordero believed that education is the key

to a better life. That is why she and her husband worked hard for that dream.

From left to right: Allena Chescka, Cheryl, Georgi, Allen Roy

29

COREDERO FAMILY By Mark Allen Saclot & Mary Grace Odan

Father: Mr. Joeffrey Coredero (54 yrs. Old)

Mother: Mrs. Evelyn Cordero (51 yrs. Old)

Children:

Allen Roy Corder

Lyn Joy Ordista

Darwin Cordero

Address: Purok Bagong Lipunan Tawan-

Tawan


The pictures represent ,Lyn Joy Ordista, the daughter of our foster parent currently living

with his husband and sister under the roof of her parents.. They have been living for 32 years in

their current home. Their race is mixed with Ilonggo and Cebuano. The parents were born in

Tawan-Tawan and decided to put up their own family on the same place where they grew up.

Allen Roy Cordero already has his own family and put up his family to another house near to his

parents‘ house at the same street.

The mother, Mrs. Evelyn Cordero, of Lyn Joy Ordista always goes to their farm land to

check their crops and other fruits almost every day depending on the weather. She only walks

from thei home up to the farm land for about 30 minutes. The father, Mr. Joeffrey Cordero, is a

company driver who delivers rice grain, feeds, and fruits to Cagayan. When it is his rest day, he

will accompany his wife to their farm land.

The parents plant crops and other fruits as the main source of income of the family. They

also have a small sari-sari store that was owned by one of the children.

From left to right: Odan, Mrs. Evelyn Cordero, Saclot

30


The eldest son which is Mr. Allen Roy Cordero is the Barangay Treasurer of their place.

The family sometimes joins ―Kasaulogan‖ if it is held in their purok due to money scarcity.


A simple dream hoped-for is to

continue living and surpass all difficulties

and to make her family better and be a good

model for god and the community followed

by a successful life.

From left to right: Odan, Mrs. Evelyn Cordero, Saclot

31

DALAPAN FAMILY (I) By Dayne Martin Dacudao & Catherine Gonzales

Father: Reynato Dalapan

Mother: Nelia Dalapan

Children:

Renelia Dalapan (10 yrs. old)

Reynato Dalapan Jr. (8 yrs. old)

Lara Belle Dalapan (6 yrs. old)

Leslie Joy Dalapan (3 yrs. old)

Rochelle Dalapan (1 year old)

Address: Purok MBL Tawan-Tawan Baguio

District, Davao City Philippines


The family arrived where they‘re situated now as a decision to settle for a place where

they simply could have obtained some form of livelihood or job- they‘ve been settled there for 15

years and Reynato‘s farm area or land was nearer there too. Both Nelia and Reynato have

already inhabited at Tawan-Tawan since they were children with Nelia‘s family being there since

her grandmother‘s time while Reynato since his parent‘s time.

Reynato had failed to specify the exact farm area but then again as he had said it

―gamay ra man pud kayo tung yuta namo‖. The family does not truly have a stable income from

the farm or land with which they are tilling- the highest they‘ve earned was 100 - 500 pesos.

Other forms of obtaining profit or income for them was as we understand from what they had

said ―pang hornel ug pag uma…‖


Nelia was a part of Women‘s Tribal Organization and was the very president of such

organization while Reynato was part of the association concerned with the welfare of the

farmers as well as the farmer‘s family- this was all the information we could obtain from the

From left to right: Nelia, Rochelle, Leslie, Lara, Renelia, Reynato

32

organization or group that Reynato was in. They knew ma‘am Juday but nothing of JSF. The

family was one of the beneficiaries of the uCare.


The family, or Nelia and Reynato to

be specific, had only dreamt of having their

children finish school so they may somehow

achieve a better life. Yet, both Nelia and

Reynato somehow aspired in giving their

children as well as themselves a better life

through working very hard but it‘d somehow

be very difficult for them as we will expound

on this later.

From left to right: Catherine, Dayne, Nelia, Rochelle, Leslie, Lara, Renelia, Reynato

33

DALAPAN FAMILY (II) by Edgar Erlo Furatero & Ma. Anne Therese Musong

Father: Jhony Dalapan (37 yrs. old)

Mother: Manilyn Dalapan (22 yrs. old)

Children:

n/a

Niece:

Edna Miasco (18 yrs. old)

Address: Durian Village, Tawan-Tawan,

Davao City


Jhony was born and raised in Carmen, Makatabok. He transferred to Tawan-Tawan in

2004 where he met his wife, Manilyn, and got married in 2009. Since they do not yet have their

own child, they raised their niece, Edna, a daughter of Jhony‘s sister, who is currently in

secondary level.

Jhony chose to live in Durian Village, Tawan-Tawan among other places because he

already has relatives who live there. The house they currently reside in was built by Jhony

himself using his own earnings. The lot was originally owned by his aunt which they only rented

then, until came such time they bought it.

As their main source of income, Jhony goes to Mt. Tipolog every weekday where he

works as a farmer. Aside from that, he also monitors the trees in a specific area in Mt. Tipolog

called Sitio Gading. As they are also part of the community‘s cooperative with 17 families,

wherein they put up a sari-sari store, they get to have yearly additional income.

From left to right: Edgar Erlo Furatero, Jhony Dalapan, Manilyn Dalapan, Ma. Anne Therese Musong

34


The Dalapan Family is involved with UCARE, an environmental organization that is mainly

concerned with protecting the nature. Aside from that, Jhony is also part of Bantay Bukid

movement, in which they monitor the mountains. Part of the movement is to plant seedlings

which they started in October 2012. Besides the environmental protection involvement, as

mentioned beforehand, the family is part of the village‘s cooperative in which the whole 17

families get a share of around 68,000 pesos in a year. Jhony is also involved with the church

(Iglesia ni Cristo) for 12 years already. Every Sunday, he goes to Carmen, Makatabok to teach

the children about the word of the Lord.


What they only aspire is to be able to

protect the nature since it plays an important

role in preventing landslides to happen. They

are not just concerned about the lives of the

people in Tawan-Tawan but also the people in

the city.

From left to right: Manilyn Dalapan, Jhony Dalapan, Ma. Anne Therese Musong

35

DELO SANTOS FAMILY by Jolu Ezra Zamudio & Karlene Rodriguez

Father: Hilario delo Santos (49 yrs. old)

Mother: Merlina delo Santos (38 yrs. old)

Children:

Monica delo Santos (16 yrs. old)

Hilario delo Santos II (13 yrs. old)

Haraseldelo Santos (12 yrs. old)

Address: Brgy. Tawan-Tawan, Baguio District,

Davao City


The family has lived in Tawan-Tawan for 39 years, beginning with the migration of

Mr.Hilariodelo Santos from Sorsogon, Camarines Sur, Bicol Region, in 1974. Mr.Hilario

purchased 10 hectares of farmland in the area and decided to settle for good. He met his wife,

Mrs.Merlinadel Santos, a Bagobo and a local. Together they have three children.

Nowadays, besides farming, Mr.Hilario is also a forest guard and Mrs.Merlina is the

purok leader and chairperson of Mount BantayKinaiyahan, an organization that monitors the

preservation of their surrounding forests.

The family‘s main source of income is farming. They own a 10 hectare land where

different fruits such as durian, avocado, pineapple, cocoa and banana are planted. Both Mr.

and Mrs. delo Santos earn incomes, Mr.delo Santos is the one who tends their farm and also

works as forest guard while Mrs.Delo Santos is a purok leader and the chairperson of Mount

BantayKinaiyahan, an organization that monitors the preservation of their surrounding forests.

From left to right: Merlina, Harasel, Hilario II and Hilario

36


When asked about the assistance that they got from the Josefa Segovia Foundation

they said that they did not get any assistance from them. They said that they only got assistance

from the IDIS or Interface Development Intervention.


Mr. and Mrs. delo Santos are satisfied

with their current living but they still aspire for

success. They dream that their children will

finish their studies so that they can find good

jobs and be successful.

From left to right: Rodriguez, Zamudio, delo Santos Family, other guests

37

DELOS SANTOS FAMILY by Clyde Cedric Cuerdo & Christine Esteban

Father: Honorio Delos Santos

Mother: Alma Delos Santos

Children:

Harold Delos Santos (12 yrs. old)

Raniel Delos Santos (8 yrs. old)

Rina Delos Santos (7 yrs. old)

Address: Brgy. Tawan-tawan specifically in

Purok LVM


Alma and his husband Honorio lives in Brgy Tawan-tawan for 20 years until present.

When they got married, they decided to stay in Honorio's (name of husband) area which was

Brgy. Tawan-tawan specifically in Purok LVM. They have 6 children, the eldest died because of a

disease, the second got married and living together with her, is his younger brother (the third

one), and the other 3 are still in elementary. The two children whom are not staying with them are

staying in Bukidnon while the other 3 is living with her. Honorio works in Dole's banana farm as a

farmer, he earns around 4 to 5 thousand pesos every month.

Another source of income of the family is their agricultural land. They harvest cacao, dries

them then sells them in the Calinan market. The family earns 10 to 15 thousand pesos per

harvest but it depends if the trees bear a lot of cacao.


One of the assistance that the community received from JSF was the construction of

Nursery for kids and the program on tree planting. In tree planting program, the community

members were encourage to plant trees. Each tree that they could plant under JSF they would

receive 5 pesos. The program intends to lessen the possibility of flooding in the area and other

From left to right: Clyde, Alma, Christine

38

parts. Another involvement of Alma and her Family is their membership in alliance; it is a religious

group of the Protestants.


Alma and his husband Honorio wants

their children to finish college, to have a good

future and to live a better life. But apparently,

there are some circumstances that make their

situation difficult, e.g. family problems and

financial problems arise most of the time not

only to them but also to other families.

From left to right: Harold, Reinan and Rina

39

EGAD FAMILY by Brian Dan Congson & Siena Joy Dicon

Father: Ruperto Egad Sr. (55 yrs old)

Mother: Byne Egad (53 yrs old)

Children:

Roly Egad

Ruperto Egad Jr.

Marwin Egad

Lynie Egad

Bernalyn Egad

Venie Egad

Address: Purok Durian,Tawan-tawan,

Baguio District


Mr. and Mrs. Ruperto Egad Sr. were married on 1978. The couple has given six beautiful

and handsome offsprings. Roly, Lynie and Bernalyn are all married and live separately with their

spouse. Marwin Egad, their third child, is a Pastor in Marilog. Ruperto works in the construction

site in Davao. While Roly, their eldest son, is working with them making banana chips. Their

youngest daughter, Venie, is still in grade 7. She‘s the only one left in their house with her mother

and father among her other siblings. They have a little land that is entitled to their family – planted

with durian and cacao trees. Their backyard was filled too with those together with other

vegetables. Ptr. And Mrs. Ruperto Egad Sr. worked together making the banana chips. They are

the ones who ―banggod‖ the banana, dry it and sell it. They can get an income of three thousand

per 15 sacks in one month but sometimes if Ptr. Ruperto can pack more than 15 sacks of banana

chips, they can get an additional income. ―Tama-tama ra man among income. Basta ok na

makakaon mi tulo sa isa ka adlaw‖, Mrs. Egad stated. The family lives their simple life at the little

purok of Durian.

A happy and simple family despite of poverty, that‘s the family of Ptr. And Mrs. Ruperto

Egad Sr. living by faith and the greatness of God.

From left to right: Venie, Siena, Byne, grandchildren, Brian

40


The Egad family planted their Cacao trees with the seedling that where given to them by

the JSF. Other seedling where also given by the JSF to the family. Even before JSF, the family

was already receiving assistance from other foundations in the area. In the community, the family

is one that is active in the church. They also influence other families to be engage in church.


Mrs. Egad states her dream and

aspirations for her family. She prays that her

sons and daughters will have a beautiful life.

Since her youngest daughter is the only one

left to have the opportunity to continue her

studies, her desire is to let her finish her

studies until college.

From left to right: Siena, Mrs. and Mr. Egad with their children and grandchildren, Brian

41

ELOG FAMILY by Aldrin Troy Violan & Lovely Prieto

Father:Romeo Elog (45 yrs. old)

Mother:Leticia Elog (42 yrs. old)

Children:

Arnold Elog (22 yrs. old)

Brendon Elog (20 yrs. old)

Roxanne Elog (16 yrs. old)

Jason Elog (25 yrs. old)

Address:Tawan-Tawan Baguio District, Davao

City


Their family is extra-ordinary unlike any other. The family Elog has experienced a

fairytale-like life. Romeo is from Marilog District while Leticia grew from Tawan-Tawan. They both

met in the village when Romeo was still 24. After a long time of courting, Leticia knew that

Romeo is something that she will treasure the rest of her life. At first, they lived in a simple life as

couple because they both are not capable of paying a wedding ceremony so Romeo lived with

Leticia in 1982. After a while, when the village have a very common Filipino tradition, Kasalang

Bayan, they joined and got married.

Their marriage went well and after they gave birth to their eldest son, Arnold noticed that

they have to work in order to gain reputation and in order for their family to survive. As their family

grows bigger, they have to find work. Romeo, as head of the family have to find work in order to

make their family live. Romeo fortunately got a job as freelance laborer. He have to work for a

few months in the city proper to earn for a living while Leticia have to harvest some banana fruit

to sell them in public market. In addition, Leticia, in her spare time makes some brooms to sell to

the neighborhood. No matter how hard their economic status is, they still managed to live a

simple life.

From left to right: Troy Violan, Leticia Elog, Jason Elog, Roxanne Elog, Lovely Prieto

42


Romeo, aside from working as a laborer in the city, he is also a volunteer in JSF in

collaboration with DENR to protect Mt. Dipolog and also the river from external forces brought by

people in the village. I really admire his sense of volunteerism because he doesn‘t mind anything

in return but he minds the environment in general.


The family Elog, like any typical

family, would aspire to lift their family away

from poverty. We really can see their effort

when it comes to work and aiming big

because no matter the children haven‘t

finished their education, they still managed

to strive hard to help their family.

From left to right: Leticia Elog and Lovely Prieto

43

GUBAT FAMILY by Kevin Barrosa & Zyra Bravo

Father: Nilo S. Gubat. (43 yrs. old)

Mother: Erenia D. Gubat (41 yrs. old)

Children:

Jay Ronie Gubat (20 yrs. old)

Jillian Gubat (8 yrs. old)

Address: Brgy. Tawantawan, Baguio District,

Davao City


The Gubat Family is a simple family living in a rural area of Davao. Their family culture is

quite different and their ways of living is much harder than what we normally experience in the

city.

The Gubat Family is composed of four members: the mother, Erenia Dalapan-Gubat, the

father, Nilo Gubat, and the children, Jay Ronie and Jillian Gubat. Nilo is a farmer while Erenia is a

simple housewife. Jillian is a grade-two student while Jay is a freelance church-preacher and a

water-shed employee. They live in a simple wooden house with four distinct rooms – two

bedrooms, living room and dining room. They have been living in the house since the birth of

Erenia, who inherited the place from her parents.

They are all Lumads by culture and Iglesia ni Cristo by faith. Though they speak Lumad,

they were thought by their elders Cebuano to help them understand and communicate to people

from urban places.

Their economic status is somewhat unstable. Though they own a farm of crops cacao,

banana, coffee, and lanzones, meters away across the river, it is only during the harvest period,

particularly on the months of October to December, when they gain the opportunity for an income

from their farm. Every August, they celebrate their fiesta, the ―Araw ng Tawan-tawan‖, in which

From left to right: Kevin Barrosa, Gubat Family

44

they, along with other villagers, gather at the court and bring food, have a small program and eat

together.


The Gubat Family is involved in some community activities such as church preaching and

teaching, in which Jay would lead the praise. Because of the assistance of the Josefa Segovia

Foundation, Jay was able to finish high school and was able to do his work.


In contrast with the simplicity of their

family are the heights of their dreams and

aspirations. Erenia and Nilo dream of having

the best for their children. They aspire to help

their children fulfill their dreams. In particular,

Jillian wants to become a teacher while Jay

wants to become an aircraft engineer.

From left to right: Zyra Bravo, Gubat family

45

GUMAPAC FAMILY by Mark Michael Ferrer & Leo Angeli Martinez

Father: Allan Gumapac (45 yrs. old)

Mother: Marlyn Gumapac (47 yrs. old)

Children:

Anna Marie Gumapac (18 yrs. old)

Judy Ann Gumapac (16 yrs. old)

Molen Love Gumapac (14 yrs. old)

Aljon Jay Gumapac (12 yrs. old)

Albert Gumapac (10 yrs. old)

Address: MBL Village, Purok Durian, Tawan-

tawan, Davao City


Our foster father, Allan Gumpac, has been living in Tawan-Tawan since he was young,

including a sizeable portion of the Gumapac Clan. Before they met, our foster mother, Marlyn

Gumapac, lived in a nearby barrio. They were married during the late 90‘s and have been for 14

years. They decided to move to Purok Durian for economic reasons: their main source of

livelihood is there and our foster family, along with his family, has been living there for many

years.

Aside from being a housewife, our foster mother partakes in the upkeep of their modest

plot of land on the other side of the village. On the other hand, our foster father works as a

pesticide sprayer for Dole, earning 316 pesos per day. Their main source of income is the

combination of our foster father‘s salary and their harvest. Their eldest daughter, Anna Marie,

works as a helper in the city while the other four are still in school. The money they earn is just

enough to satisfy their daily necessities as well as payments for utilities and schooling.

From left to right: Allan Gumapac, Mark Michael Ferrer, Judy Ann Gumapac, Marlyn Gumapac, Leo Angeli Martinez, Molen Love Gumapac

46


The family doesn‘t have any substantial involvement in the community. That is, none of

them holds any position. In addition, they were not that too familiar with the Josefa Segovia

Foundation. While that may be the case, they still assented that the foundation has a presence

within the community.


This modest and humble family, like

many others in the same situation, aspires

for a better life. Although they are content

with the earnings they gain from our foster

father‘s income and their harvest, they still

dream for a good future for their children.

They want the children to finish their studies

in the hope of one day helping the family.

From left to right: Judy Ann Gumapac, Molen Love Gumapac, Marlyn Gumapac, Mark Michael Ferrer, Leo Angeli Martinez

47

GUTIERREZ FAMILY by Jason Jon Carreos & Diana Ocampo

Father: Roy B. Gutierrez (37 yrs. old)

Mother: Ruby B. Gutierrez (35 yrs. old)

Children:

Valerie B. Gutierrez (14 yrs. old)

Desiree B. Gutierrez (12 yrs. old)

Roy B. Gutierrez Jr. (5 yrs. old)

Address: Purok Bagong Lipunan, Brgy.

Tawan-Tawan, Baguio District, Davao City.


Farming is one of the primary sources of income for the Gutierrez family. Cocoa, coconut,

and durian are some of the crops that they harvest. But because the harvest is seasonal, the

income that they get from them is not quite stable, and also seasonal.

Aside from farming, Mr. Gutierrez also does carpentry. He earns about 250 pesos per day

for every work he finishes. Mrs. Gutierrez, on the other hand, serves as a Barangay Volunteer

Worker in the field of Healthcare. As compensation for her services, she is given an honorarium

of 1,500 per quarter per quarter (every 3 mos.).


As shared by the Gutierrez family, they are involved with various groups in their

barangay. Mrs. Gutierrez is a secretary in the MTBKA, an organization that is concerned for the

protection and preservation of Mt. Tipolog. Both the husband and the wife are volunteers; the

husband is a barangay police while the wife serves as a volunteer in the barangay clinic. The

couple is also a member of GUARDIANS, a non-government organization, which promotes

brotherhood and welfare of the community. Mrs. Gutierrez is an active member of the Catholic

Church; she used to be a unit leader for their barangay chapel.

From left to right: RJ Gutierrez, Diana Ocampo, Ruby Gutierrez, Jason Carreos

48

The Josefa Segovia Foundation aided the family by giving them assistance and

donations when they experienced the misfortune last January 28, 2013. They are also active

participants to the various livelihood programs and actions concerning the protection and

preservation of the water shed as organized by the Josefa Segovia Foundation.


Just like any typical family, parents

only wish the best for their children. They

have a simple desire of having a business

to support the everyday needs of the family.

Now, they are working for a simple project

of piggery and poultry. With their best

efforts, they look forward to seeing their

children finish a degree in college and have

a work that would sustain their needs and

wants in the future.

From left to right: RJ Gutierrez

49

IÑIGO FAMILY by Kathleen Veronica Chua, Dharyl Daniel Castañeda & John Umblero

Father: Delfin Iñigo (54 yrs. old)

Mother: Criselda Iñigo (44 yrs. old)

Children:

Daisy Iñigo (26 yrs.old)

Erlinda Iñigo (23 yrs. old)

Delfin Iñigo Jr. (21 yrs. old)

Darwin Iñigo (19 yrs. old)

Daryl Iñigo (16 yrs. old)

Darlyn Iñigo (14 yrs. old)

Deson Iñigo (7 yrs. old)

Crisdel Iñigo (4 yrs. old)

Address: Durian Village, Tawan-Tawan,

Baguio District, Davao City


Delfin Iñigo is from Cebu City. His mother went to Tawan-tawan in search of ―sanggi,

humay and kape.‖ Realizing that it is a huge resource in Tawan-tawan, they migrated there. In

addition, there he met Criselda Cajes who is a native of the area. They got married in 1985 and

currently have eight children. Daisy, the eldest, is married and has two children. She is a

housewife in General Santos City. The second is Erlinda, she is also married and has two

children. She is in Lacson, taking care of her children. Delfin Jr. is a construction worker in

Davao and is still single. Darwin is working in Malalag as a Bangus Feeder although, as an

aside, he is not content with his work and will soon quit. The first four children are not living with

the parents. The fifth is Daryl who is a graduating high school student and wants to pursue a

college course in automotive. Unfortunately, the family couldn‘t afford it for him. Darlyn is in

seventh grade and, around last year, injured her legs and arm after falling off a rambutan tree.

The parents spent around 200,000 pesos for that incident. Deson is in the first grade and

Crisdel is still in nursery.

Delfin is also a construction worker but not full time. Criselda is a former house-help and

also studied Herbal Medicines. But she is just a housewife at the moment. Their monthly income

From left to right: Daryl, Delfin, Crisdel, Darlyn, Kathleen (student), John (student), Crisdel

50

is 1,400 pesos from selling sanggi, humay, kape, and selling broomsticks which goes for 30

pesos each and sells around two dozens a day. Darwin makes 150 pesos a day in working in

the bangusan as a feeder.


The couple is involved in the MTBK of the community. It is a ―bantay-kalikasan‖

movement to encourage the members of the barangay to be more environmentally aware. There

are seminars on how to keep their surroundings clean. Delfin is also a Police Guard. He helps in

maintaining the environment and fixing their roads and bridges.

When asked about the foundation, they have no idea about it. But after we have

explained the goals and objectives of the foundation, they understood it more. There is actually a

different foundation that helps and aids them in their community. So far, the Theology Immersion

is the first project they‘ve heard of from the Josefa Segovia Foundation.


Their primary aspiration in life is for

all their children to finish their schooling and

help them in fixing their house, as well as

living their own personal dreams. They also

want to have a dream of achieving success

financially to provide them with more food to

eat. From left to right: Crisdel and Criselda

51

LANGAG FAMILY by Vaneza Mae Aumento & Andrew Rey Arayan

Father: n/a

Mother: Feliza Langag

Children:

Janine Langag

Address: Tawan-Tawan, Baguio District,

Davao City


Aling Feliza‘s parents were farmers. She was from Marilog District. When she was in her

early 20s she lived with her aunt who lives in Tawan-tawan. She met her husband there and has

been living there ever since. They have five kids and some of them are already in Davao City.

Two of her children remain with her: her youngest and fourth child. They help them with the farm

work.

The Feliza family owns a small farm not far away from where they live. Fruits like durian,

banana, and cocoa grow there. They get their resources from their harvest and from what they

earn after selling their crops.


They help in protecting their forest from the illegal loggers. They also join in on the

activities of their cooperative. Furthermore, they also help in protecting the nearby river because

it is a watershed that supplies the city its water.

From left to right: Mrs. Langag, Vaneza, Janine

52


Her dream is for her children to

finish their education and become

successful in their lives. She only wants

what is best for them and she tries to give

them support as best as she and her

husband could. She only dreams for her

family to live well.

From left to right: Mrs. Langag, Vaneza, Janine

53

LOPEZ FAMILY by Hans Jan Villejo & Marily Mae Tan

Father: Manuel Lopez (57 yrs. old)

Mother: Solidad Lopez (60 yrs. old)

Children:

Giovanni Lopez (25 yrs. old)

Jizel Lopez (25 yrs. old)

Address: Tawan-tawan, Baguio District,

Davao City


Nanay Solidad was born in raised in the same village from where she lives now. She

tells us that her house was given to her by her parents. She married a man named Manuel

Lopez who unfortunately died because of heart problems. She has 2 children: Giovanni, who is

already married and Giselle, who is unfortunately born blind.

Nanay Solidad works in the daytime but not permanently. She tells us that she only

works when there are offers. Their standard of living is very low because she is the only one

working for her family. She works as a packer on an area she did not tell us. She also said that

her day‘s work is only enough for them to eat, granting her no luxury of buying extra food like

soft drinks and junk food for her grandchild.


They just volunteer labor if the community needs help. They are also active if there are

some activities but they didn't have any position in their barangay. They also didn't specify the

benefits they get from Josefa Segovia Foundation.

From left to right: Marily Mae Tan, Solidad Lopez

54


Nanay Solidad had a simple dream.

She didn‘t want to get rich or even live in the

city. All she asked for was for her grandchild

to finish her education and for them to have

food every day. She also wishes to for the

foundation to help them again.

From left to right: Solidad Lopez, Hans Villejo

55

NARCILLA FAMILY by Jessie Brian Revil & Ana Alexia Medina

Father: Cresencio Narcilla (54 yrs. old)

Mother: Marieta Narcilla (49 yrs. old)

Children:

Larry Narcilla (23 yrs. old)

Lea Mae Narcilla (15 yrs. old)

Address: Purok Bagong Lipunan Tawan-

Tawan Baguio District, Davao City


The family resides since Mr. Crecncio Narcilla was born. All members of the family are

Roman Catholic. Currently, Lea Mae is in her 3rd year high school at Ma. Christina P. Villar

Agriculture High School.

The family has several modes of income which are mostly agricultural related. They

have two farms having ½ hectare and 2 hectares in area. From these farms, they cultivate

mostly coconut and cacao. They also generate income from the furniture they manufacture.

Most of these furniture include windows and doors.

Aside from these, they also render small services such as battery charging and rice

milling which provide them small amount of income.


The family participates in some activities of the Josefa Segovia Foundation. These

activities include meetings and seminars. Also, they participate in the activities conducted by Mt.

From left to right: Jessie Revil, Ana Alexia Medina, Marieta Narcilla, Cresencio Narcilla, Lea Mae Narcilla, & Larry Narcilla

56

Tipolog Bantay Kinaiyahan Association (MTBKA) which includes tree planting and water

monitoring.


Specifically, Lea Mae aspires to be a

teacher teaching science someday. As a

family, all they want is to have a stable source

of income for them to have 3 meals a day and

to have good health.

From left to right: Ana Alexia Medina, Cresencio Narcilla, Marieta Narcilla, & Jessie Revil

57

PACTORAYAN FAMILY by Portia Merecido & Noel Flores

Father: Victoriano Pactorayan

Mother: Lisa Pactorayan (38 yrs. Old)

Children:

8 children (ages range from 4 to 15)

Address: Purok Durian, Tawan-Tawan,



The family of Mrs. Lisa was one of the first who lived in Tawan-tawan. She met her

husband Victoriano in Zamboanga while she was there to work. She went back to Tawan-tawan

with her husband to visit the wake of her father and ended up deciding to live and start make a

family. In the present, they have 8 children. Some of her children were sent to school while others

weren‘t – she decided to let them help in the farm. She doesn‘t worry too much to the expenses

she makes for her children‘s schooling since some of her children are scholars. Mr. Victoriano

has been working at a pineapple plantation at Davao while Mrs. Lisa works at the farm. His

income sums up to 3,000 pesos only per week. Most of their income is paid to their liabilities.

Lanzones, bananas, coconuts, jemelina and woods are their source of income in their farm.


According to the Pactorayan family, they haven‘t received any assistance from the

Josefa Segovia Foundation. Only the free medical and distribution of medicines from the

baranggay hall are the only assistance they receive. They are also members of the ―bantay

bukid‖ – specifically to take care of the nature and any external forces come.

When we asked them about the JSF, they had no knowledge about it. We were able to

give them some knowledge about the foundation and they were interested to it. So far, the

Theology Immersion is the first project they‘ve heard of from the Josefa Segovia Foundation.

From left to right: Aida Eneg, Lisa Pactorayan

58


Even though they are less fortunate

their dreams and aspirations are simple yet for

them, hard to achieve. Their only dreams and

aspiration in life are success, money and a

good way of living – success for their children

in the near future, money for ideal material and

financial needs and a good way of living for

peaceful means.

From left to right: Portia Merecido, Noel Flores, Mrs. Lisa Pactoryan and children, Mrs. Aida Eneg

59

PATENTES FAMILY by Paul Reuben Liboon & Patentes

Father: Dario Patentes (40 yrs. old)

Mother: Elvira Patentes (37 yrs. old)

Children:

Princess Eliza Patentes (5 yrs. old)

Darlene Patentes (15 yrs. old)

Address: Sitio Panigan, Barangay Tawan-

Tawan, Calinan, Davao City


The Patentes family formerly started living at Panabo City where Mrs. Elvira lived. Years

later, they transferred to Tawan-Tawan because of financial issues and since the place was

home to Mr. Dario Patentes, there were enough ways to gain income. The family, at its first

stages of living in the remote area, was renting a house for five years. After they have saved

enough, they bought a lot to build their house.

Mr. Mario Patentes has a small farm of which is everything for the family‘s income.

Without the farm they would probably starve. Luckily, living off a couple of years in Mr. Dario‘s

hometown paid off with the expansion of the farm. But this is only enough and sometimes not,

due to seasonal harvest of products. They have to wait for the end year to harvest abundant

produce. Currently, aside from their farm, they now own a videoke machine, a billiard pool table

and a number of chickens.


Mr. Dario is a forest guard. He was one of those assigned to watch the region for forest

illegal loggers. He is also licensed to arrest anyone who is caught in the act of cutting trees

without proper permits. Mrs. Elvira‘s job in the family is to help her husband whenever she can.

From left to right: Darlene, Elvira, and Princess Eliza

60

She takes care mostly of the two children. The Josefa Segovia Foundation is not recognized by

the family and thus said nothing about which the foundation has given them in a helpful way.


Simple dreams and aspirations are

what Mrs. Elvira has told us. She just wants

her children to finish their education, a

simple harmonious life, and a day with three

meals.

From left to right: Janine, Totoy Brown, Itum, Tabudong, Darlene, Pitikong

61

PATINTES FAMILY by Jericho Repito & Jeanne Claudine Manos

Father: Hurtiou Patintes Jr. (32 yrs. old)

Mother: Rachel Gutierrez Patintes (31 yrs.

old)

Children:

Wicky Jay Patintes (6 yrs. old)

Address: Purok Anlaran, Panigan, Tawan-

Tawan, Baguio District, Davao City


Mr. and Ms. Patintes have been residing in the place since they were born. Mr. Patintes

is a ―Mananggiti‖. He usually gets Php 450 per day which is the most of what he gets. They

have a land near their place. In their farm there are Cacao‘s which can be harvest twice a year

which usually is from November to December incoming Php 10,000. They also have saging,

harvested every 15 days incoming Php 1,000. They have ―Cape‖ that they harvest twice a year

incoming Php 3,000. And ―Lanzones‖ that they only harvest during December that gives Php

3,000 in their income. They also rent buko tress that cost Php 30 per tree. It is for their ―Tuba‖

business. Their monthly fees in water and electricity are Php 20 and Php 300. The three of them

live in a Nipa hut. They use wood for cooking their usual meals are vegetables and fish.


Their family is active in Purok meeting because they are a member of the Guardian

(PGASI) community service, Catholic in religion and a GKK member in Sta. Rosa Chapel. They

haven‘t heard of Josefa Segovia Foundation.

From left to right: Mrs. Patintes, Wicky, Hurtiou

62


The only ambition of the Patintes

Family is to live peacefully in Tawa-tawan

and for Wicky to finish his studies.

From left to right: Jericho Repito, Patintes family, Ms. Manos

63

SALCEDO FAMILY by Happy Kris Marie Abang & Regie Angelo Aba

Father: Sherwin Salcedo Sr. (32 yrs old)

Mother: Ernelia Salcedo (30 yrs old)

Children:

Sherwin Salcedo Jr. (8 yrs old)

Johny Salcedo (6 yrs old)

Johnver Salcedo (5 yrs old)

Lyrejennykine Salcedo (1 yr old)

Address: Tawan-tawan, Baguio District,

Davao City


Mr. and Mrs. Salcedo were born and raised in Tawan-tawan, but Mrs. Salcedo was raised

in Kidapawan after her mother remarried. They met and started a family and were living beside

the house of the parents of Mr. Salcedo. They have their own little farm somewhere in Tawan-

tawan; it was their only source of income. Mr. Sherwin Sr., a farmer, has been the sole

breadwinner of the family since Mrs. Ernelia had her leg amputated. Because of the amputation,

Mrs. Salcedo cannot do anything else but look after their children.

The income of Mr. Salcedo is just enough for their daily needs. He earns at least 3,000

pesos for every harvest of corn. They also plant bananas and earn a weekly harvest of 350

pesos on average. In addition, during moments when there are no farming activities, Mr. Salcedo

works on other farms to augment the income and to sustain their daily necessities.


They tend to volunteer whenever the community needs help. They are also active if there

are some activities but they don‘t hold any position in their barangay. They also didn't specify the

benefits they receive from Josefa Segovia Foundation.

From left to right: Abang, Mrs. Salcedo and children, Regie Aba

64


The father works really hard every day

to improve their lives. They aspire to get out of

that life and to live comfortably. They also

want their children to have a proper education

and to achieve their dreams in life so that they

wouldn‘t live a life full of miseries. Finally, they

don't want their children to experience what

they've been through.

From left to right: Abang, Mrs. Salcedo and children, Regie Aba

65

TIOSTUMBAN FAMILY by Ariel Jay Gallardo & Avegail Frances Vales

Father: Catalino Tiostumban (33 yrs. old)

Children:

Jessy

Jerry

Lenny

Letty

Charmalou

Jovanni

Macoy

Anthony

Ryan

Address: Brgy Tawan-tawan, Baguio District

Davao City


Tatay Catalino Tiostumban lived in Tawan-Tawan for 33 years. He stopped schooling

when he was in grade 3. This is where he grew up. Tatay‘s religion is Iglesia ni Cristo. He has 2

houses. One was at the ―bukid‖ and the other one is in Tawan-Tawan where we visited him. He

has two wives. The first one was already dead and the other one is with him at the ―bukid‖.

Tatay‘s income is per year since cacaos have harvest season. There income depends on the

cacaos they can sell. When he was younger, he worked at the construction site. When he got

older, he is just helping on their cacao field. Every year, they earn 18,000-20,000 but still he

can‘t fully grasp the money for their living. They have to pay for their expenses in transporting

their harvested cacaos. They also have to pay for their debts. They also have to pay 50php per

month for their rent in their house, 20php for water that can‘t be drunk and 200-250php for

electricity. Luckily if they have 1000php, it is only good for 1 month.


Tatay said to us that he is helping in the community whenever there is help needed or

whenever workers are needed in the community. Sometimes he help those who are about to

give birth to be brought to the center. Tatay also told us that there are free medicines in the

From left to right: Catalino, Ariel, Avegail

66

barangay. So whenever they are sick with fever, cough, runny nose and the lik, they‘ll just have

to go to the barangay hall. Tatay also said to us that they don‘t receive help from the foundation.


Tatay shared to us that he really

wanted to have a business. He wants to

have a business in slippers making. Since

he the capital is expensive for him, he can‘t

put up the business that he wants. He also

wants to go back to school if he can but

since he doesn‘t want anymore because

he‘s already old, he wasn‘t able to come

back to school. He also dreams to have

enough income to support their daily needs.

From left to right: Catalino, Ariel, Avegail

67

VILLAGRACIA FAMILY by Ralph Edward de Castro & Cherry Marquezo

Father: Romulo Villagracia (52 yrs. old)

Mother: Merlinda Villagracia (49 yrs. old)

Children:

Ronel Villagracia (28 yrs. old)

Gino Villagracia (26 yrs. old)

Romelyn Villagracia (22 yrs. old)

Roselyn Villagracia (20 yrs. old)

Klent Villagracia (8 yrs. old)

Address: Purok Durian, Tawan-Tawan,



The mother of the Villagracia Family, Merlinda Villagracia, was the one who become our

foster family and the one we interviewed. She came to Tawan-Tawan around 1970‘s from Negros

Oriental because she said that the life from Negros was not good. During that time, she said that

the houses in Tawan-Tawan were not crowded in that time. Also, Aunt Merlinda said that there

are two Purok there. Their house was assigned in Purok Durian. Most of the people that live in

Tawan-Tawan are those native people or the lumad people namely the Bagobo, Aeta, Bisaya

and many others. The lumads use their native language to speak to others but some speak

Bisaya so that they can understand each other. She have five (5) children, three (3) of them are

in downtown working.

They have durian farm, pineapple farm and also cacao farm in Tawan-Tawan. These are

their source of income mainly. They export their harvest to downtown. Also, the source of their

income came from her sons and daughters who work in malls in downtown.


Some people in Purok Durian, Tawan-Tawan, Baguio District along with the Villagracia

family help them save the trees like Narra, Talisay, Molave and many other trees that are prone

From left to right: Edward de Castro, Villagracia Family, Cherry Marquezo

68

to illegal logging. They do routine scheduling for who will guard the trees so that no one will cut it

and sell it. They do it for free charge.


While talking to Aunt Merlinda

Villagracia, she is happy with what she is

having now. Though they are not

economically stable, she is quite contented

with what they have in their farm. Also, she

has this easy-going character that makes

her approachable to everyone that is why,

she has a positive outlook of her life as of

now.

From left to right: Edward de Castro, Villagracia Family, Cherry Marquezo

69

THEOLOGICAL REFLECTIONS

Edited by Vaneza Mae Aumento

That they should seek God, in the hope that they might feel their way toward him and find him. Yet

He is actually not far from each one of us.

Acts 17:27

70

GOD’S PRESENCE AND MESSAGE IN THE IMMERSION AREA By Georgi Sacramento II

Truly God is omnipresent, in other

words God is truly present everywhere. It

might not be what it sounds like, but it really

means the realization of God‘s presence,

being conscious of His presence, a good

example is the people of Tawan-Tawan

itself and how they see God‘s presence.

Given majority of them are Catholics in the

area, it is very observable through the

nearby chapels in the community where it is

their place for living their Catholic faith.

Some of the families also think God‘s

presence is part of their lives as he provided

them with bountiful harvest, peace and

prosperity.

Speaking of nature, God is truly

present in it, though it is His creation, His

presence is very evident. For the people of

Tawan-Tawan, they are mainly dependent

on nature; it is their source of income for

their farmlands, animal grazing and homes.

For some, it has benefited only their

generation but throughout their entire

family‘s history. Based on my experience,

the place has a very evident presence of

God. For me, through nature we can see

him, as we are thankful for his creations,

especially on what I had witnessed on the

place.

"For the invisible things of him from

the creation of the world are clearly seen,

being understood by the things he has

made."

Romans 1:20

The scripture says a lot about God‘s

message through his creations. Much can

be said with Tawan-Tawan, which is

technically his creation. For me, as the

place has provide as much blessings for its

residents, as the residents themselves also

takes care of God‘s creation as much as

they have received something from it, this

kind of relationship is rarely seen in the city.

Based from that, God‘s message to us is

that we should take care of his creations

just as how much we love God and

ourselves. We must truly show that we are

thankful for these creations, it is such that

we rely too much in his creations that is

impossible for us to live without these

creations and blessings.

Overall, God‘s Presence and

message can be found in the immersion

place, Tawan-Tawan, Baguio District. It is

how they follow and live by as how my

perception serves me. It may not be seen or

felt by everyone or even the residents

71

themselves, but that is just we believe that

God is there.

GOD’S PRESENCE AND MESSAGE AMONG THE FOSTER FAMILIES By Mark Allen Saclot

Among the foster families, they are

blessed enough to have a house and eat

food everyday but there are some

differences. Some foster families have

houses built in cement, some are built in hut

and some foster families sometimes cannot

afford rice. Even though some of the foster

families are not so blessed, these foster

families have the capability or have the will

to do their best to work and to find money in

good ways for their only important goal is to

feed their families and themselves.

In times when problems come, the

foster family stick together as a whole to

help each other and choose which way is

better to be implemented for them to

surpass these difficulties they are

encountering. Some of the foster families

are blessed and others are not so blessed

but when it comes to family values, they

have been given a fruitful blessing from

God.

Therefore, I can see God's presence

in them. It is how they show their love to

each other despite of food scarcity and

difficulties. God doesn't even leave their

side because at this current time they are

still living as they strived to work for living,

with an attachment of many challenges in

their lives. God showed us that these foster

families are good models that we should

notice and realize the hidden message God

wants to convey, that in times of trouble or

difficulties in life, God will be supporting us

and will not leave our side. Just pray to Him

sincerely and do the part of your work which

will lead us to success and we will definitely

surpass all the problems.

GOD’S PRESENCE AND MESSAGE THROUGH THE PRACTICUM-IMMERSION PROCESS By Edgar Erlo Furatero

God‘s love can be felt throughout the

entire world and beyond, as demonstrated

by the Theo 141 immersion. The people

who were involved in the immersion were

mostly students who wanted to help make a

big change in the lives of people who aren‘t

as lucky as them but have no idea of how to

do so. It was through the calling of God that

these students were able to find the chance

they needed and to accomplish this goal

without a moment‘s hesitation. Once the

immersion started, it was easy to see that

the goal of helping those that are less

72

fortunate and spreading God‘s love wouldn‘t

take long before it was achieved. Indeed,

when the immersion started, it was more

surprising to see that the community had

already felt much of God‘s love even before

the immersion has started. It can be seen

by the way they welcomed the students and

the immersion.

It was apparent that most of the

people in the community are active

Catholics living and praising their faith. The

immersion process then came to a point

wherein the students and the people in the

community were just sharing how God‘s

influence had changed their lives before

students and the people shared. Later in the

day, everyone can see the fruits of labor

that the people in the community have

grown. The people then shared more of how

they would not be able to be as prosperous

as they were had they not believed in the

mercy and love of God. The immersion

gave everyone, the people in the community

and the students, a sense of reflection

because in each story, there seemed to be

a strong influence of God‘s presence.

After some time had passed, it was

time for the students to whip out the food

that they have prepared for the foster

families. For the students, it was common

for them to see these types of food but for

some foster families, they were very grateful

for the food, and it shows in their faces.

After the look on their faces, it shows that

every little bit of help coming from the

students is a big help to the foster families

and shows that God‘s love and influence

can be felt in the smallest of deeds.

The immersion has been helpful not just to

the people in the community but also to the

students.

73

THE PRACTICE OF THE CHURCH’S SOCIAL DOCTRINE PRINCIPLES

Edited by Ma. Anne Therese Musong & Zyra Bravo

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except

through me.”

John 14:6

74

HUMAN DIGNITY AND EQUALITY By Siena Joy Dicon

We are all given and blessed by God

with a great sense of dignity. We are all

seen by God with equality therefore we

should also respect others and be

respected as well. Valuing each other

means respecting the lives of everyone and

respecting the creation of God. Human

dignity sets no boundaries, whether it is

based on races, gender, nations and

culture. Realizing that we are all created as

sisters and brothers, we all belong to

common humanity. According to Archbishop

Desmond Tutu, a person is a person

through another person.

In the place of Tawan-tawan, the

hospitality of the people can be observed.

Despite the financial difficulties, they are all

contented with their simple living wherein

they can eat three times a day as long as

they are happy living with their family.

Based on my observation, in urban areas,

neighbours are neither close to each other

nor recognized by one another. On the

other hand, in rural areas, everyone seems

to know everybody even though they come

from different puroks which only means that

they care for each other. And also, it is

observed that everyone in Tawan-Tawan is

hospitable. They welcome their visitors

warmly and they treat them as if they were

old friends or part of their family. People

there are comrades despite the differences

of their religious beliefs. They respect each

other‘s faith and doctrine. Everyone in the

family also works hand-in-hand. No one has

his or her own luxury time but rather spends

it valuably by helping each other.

The aforementioned traits are

observable in the Tawan-Tawan community.

They are the people with human dignity who

respects life and looks at others with

equality. This is the true meaning of equal

dignity to all humankind, a dignity which

arises with solidarity as redeemed by God.

RESPECT FOR LIFE By Bryan Joseph Reas

Respecting life is an important

aspect of being a faithful servant of God.

Respect for life means cherishing and

taking care of the life God has given. It is

not just about the issue of abortion, war or

any means of taking one‘s life but if we think

about it, its intention is to keep the holiness

of life. It is the understanding of humanity as

stated in the sacred scripture. In the book of

Genesis 1:26, it is stated that man is

created in the image and likeness of God.

As stated clearly in the bible, man is the

only one that is created in God‘s image and

likeness, although He also made numerous

75

things and declared them good. It also

means that humanity has an inherent dignity

that is higher than the rest of God‘s

creation.

To uphold the importance of life is

what Theology aims for. Respect for life is

the central theme of Theology as it

promotes not only God‘s creation but also

humanity‘s role and importance. As a

human being, one should make decision

that would protect the value and essence of

life and see through every person the

potential of who they would be through the

grace of God. Taking care of the life and

body that He has given to humanity is

another way of showing appreciation and

being thankful. Cherishing it will show how a

human being values the gift of life.

The greatest and the most

controversial issue about respecting life is

abortion. People have already ended

countless lives because of the so called

unwanted pregnancy, and are sadly

continually doing so. Many believe that it is

just a matter of choice. However, this is

clearly not the case. We, as faithful servants

of God, are called to reflect onto this kind of

scenario and help the society recover the

sense of dignity belonging to humanity.

Besides abortion, there are a lot more

issues concerning humanity‘s respect for life

which people must be responsible of.

Theology calls us to transform

culture. When we see human dignity being

destroyed, we, human beings are called to

become the guide of hope. We must keep in

mind and be reminded as well that God

created us in His image and likeness. This

implies that we have the quality of being

worthy of respect that we are to maintain as

being the icons of God. Through simply

taking good care and responsibility not just

of our own lives but also of others‘, we are

living with dignity, a life which God wants us

to live.

PROMOTION OF HUMAN RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES By Paul Reuben Liboon

Life is something special given only

once to us by God. It is by far one of the

most complicated forms of mechanism and

system designs that sciences always try to

explain. Human civilization has prospered

too far to deny that life is all just about

surviving. It is now a matter of time to

realize that we speak of life as trying to live

it with a certain purpose, that each of us has

a very great part, a unique contribution to

the universe that life has enabled us to

discover. This nature of curiousness is what

drives us to do things and improve our way

of living.

76

Life as we know it is full of wonders.

But as what we had said it is also a calling

function. Everyone deserves to live their

own life the way they want it to be lived.

This may bring us to a question, ‗Do we

have the right to use our rights to oppress

other people‘s rights?‘ I think it is only

correct to say no. Human rights are/should

be part of our considerations in all our

actions. It is said that we should not do to

others what we don‘t want them to do to us

and to others, and also to do to others what

we want others to do to us and to others. No

one wants to feel bullied. No one wants to

be stupefied. No one wants to be the one

that life always picks upon. And most

importantly, we all wanted to feel loved. To

know that love exists is not only through the

words spoken but also through a tangible

one.

When we know what love is we do

not need to worry about human rights

because its foundation is love—loving

everyone, their decisions, their uniqueness,

their obligations, their duty and also their

being. We should make everyone happy

and not only ourselves. Let us see

happiness in everyone and we will be

happy. True love is what should compose

these rights and we all can live

harmoniously even with differences.

Knowing these rights give us an

opportunity to use it in a fair manner, fair for

everyone involved in all our actions. It is our

responsibility to be able to avoid conflicts by

being considerate and careful in what we

do. It is such a big obligation for everyone

who deserves every right to fairly do what is

right to others also. Furthermore, it is our

responsibility to act that we are part of a

community, to do our part in its progress

and help achieve our lifetime goals and use

it to help others. Given the free will of act

gives us a chance to show to others that we

can do something to improve and excel

hence we should inspire. Given all these

positive things, we all can say that our

decision as a whole affects the stability of

human civilization in the current state.

COMMON GOOD By Regie Angelo Aba

Our Theology 141 talks about

Christian Social Theology or the systematic

study of God and society in the light of

human reason and divine revelation. In my

own perspective it tells us that we can find

God through us human beings, which are

basically created in God‘s image and

likeness and are seen through the society.

In our theology subject we are

taught to become ―persons for others‖,

serve others and become instruments of

77

God for the common good which describes

a specific "good" that is shared and

beneficial for all or most members of a given

community. We have practiced this

virtue/trait through our immersion last

August 3 and 10, 2013 where we lived with

our foster family in the margins and served

them to somehow make their life easier

even for just for a short span of time. We

have shared our time, effort and resources

for the common good of those people who

are less fortunate and are deprived of the

basic needs of a human person.

We believe that spending time with

them and living just like how they live

everyday makes us students aware of what

we have and what we don‘t have, also

opening our eyes to the greater truth that

most people have bigger problems than

what we think are big enough for us. Seeing

and experiencing their situation sparked

something in our hearts and somehow

makes us committed to helping them and

others.

ASSOCIATION AND PARTICIPATION By Clyde Cedric Cuerdo

One of the things we are taught

about when we were kids was that we

should be involved. It was just mainly for

class purposes, but somehow it is not only

for that, it is for life, everyday life.

Participation is not just about being

physically present in a given situation. It is

about having a conscious decision to exert

an effort for the main goal which is the

common good. Association comes hand in

hand with participation because it is being

involved with a group to achieve a goal.

A main purpose of our immersion

was about association and participation.

And this was observed throughout, from

things like actually being there on the first

day to helping buy and pack things for the

last was proof of it.

From day one we were tasked to

prepare and bring food not only for

ourselves but also for our foster family. This

was done for all pairs and not one single

person had disobeyed this, because they

know that this was for the better of everyone

involved. That was our main goal, to help

others. Helping others does not just mean

bringing them food or talking to them about

their problems, but also the things we do

like getting to know them better or having

conversations with them about what they

want for the future. These things is what

helping others is all about and having

consciously being there for the experience

together with your partner was all about

association and participation.

78

Until even right before the second

day of the immersion it was all about

association and participation. This was

because since that was our last visit, we

had to give a token, and for these people or

the class officers were tasked to buy them.

Even after buying they proceeded to pack

them this was all about association and

participation.

Having these goals is all about being

good to others, we may not have done a lot

but the simplest of our effort is that what

counts.

SUBSIDIARITY By Christine Esteban

The life of every individual differs

from others through the experiences and

journeys they go through. An experience

contributes to the identity and totality of a

person. Every individual can have the same

problem and the same situation with others

but never their way of dealing with it. All this

idea describes the experiences we had in

Brgy. Tawan-tawan Baguio District, Davao

City.

Brgy. Tawan-tawan is surrounded by

plantations particularly Dole plantation and

Davco. Majority of the people owns small

land areas for farming in the upland area or

in the mountain near their community. This

part of the mountain is known as ―Sitio

Gauding‖ where people do farming. The

people in the community commonly plant

fruit bearing trees but what they mostly plant

is cacao. Aside from working at Sitio

Gauding, some people work in Dole and

Davco plantations.

On our first visit, we saw the

situation of the people within the

community. Living in rural areas has

positive and negative sides based on what

we had experienced in the area. The

positive side is that the environment is much

better than in urban areas since cities have

issues on pollutions. Another is that people

can live in a low cost life style but can still

eat three times a day. On the other hand,

negative side comes with health

problems/issues, less resources,

unsatisfactory technology, undeveloped

roads/highways (for some) and the like.

The main problem that we have

observed in the community is their road.

The travel experience is not that good not

just for the visitors but also for the

community since they transport their

products in the nearby ―barangay‖ and

travel time takes almost 30 minutes or even

more. If there existed a problem that was

addressed then, it was the education

system in the community for kids. Segovia

Foundations is a non-government

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organization who is currently helping the

community and is still assessing on how

they can help the people there. According to

the family that we have interviewed,

Segovia foundations built a nursery school

for the kids in the community. The nursery

school as the starting level for kids is a

great help for the people especially to their

children. Another project that the Segovia

foundations did is the ―tree planting

program‖. Through it they were able to help

the people not just in the community but

also in other areas. The objective of this

project is to lessen the flooding issues and

at the same time give the people another

source of income. Every seedling that one

plants and takes care of until it grows is

equivalent to five pesos. Therefore, Segovia

Foundations contributes a lot to the

community.

On our last visit, we gave tokens to

our foster families which we thought they

needed based on our observations. Since

almost all of us came up with the same idea

on what to give to our families, we ended up

giving the same items.

What we have experienced as we

immersed ourselves into the families in a

rural area did not just open our minds to the

difficulties that the people face in their

community every day, but it also made us

realize how blessed we are to complain with

our lives.

DIGNITY OF HUMAN WORK OR LABOR By Dayne Martin Dacudao

As Karl Marx had said, ―… the more

the worker produces, the fewer he

possesses and the more he falls under the

domination of the wealth he produces but

cannot enjoy- capital.‖ It is truly apparent

that a worker is alienated from his very own

work as much as he would be alien in

fulfilling himself. For, how can such a worker

enjoy what he achieves or obtains through

working when in fact most of the times he is

abused by the fact that it is mandatory that

he should be put to work so that he may

cope with what is called a ―daily

livelihood‖. To put it in a much more vivid

perspective, whatever does the farmer (our

worker) acquires after all the hard work he

puts in nurturing, tilling, and finally

harvesting the crops or products he planted

does not all the while belong to him nor

does it satisfy the many needs and even a

few aspirations he, as well as his family,

endeavors. It all the while makes him an

object that is seemingly mandated to work

because he needs to. Every effort he exerts

in work makes him poorer in fulfilling himself

as it makes him an object of his production.

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Yet, as it is presented, human

persons should never be used as a means,

or worse as mediums, to an end- which was

cited in the previous statement as an object

of production. It only distorts and all the

more corrupts the dignity of human work;

whereas the dignity of human work should

be viewed emanating from the worker as he

embodies it through work. As it was stated

in the CSDC, ―The subjective dimension of

work must take precedence over the

objective dimension…‖ True enough, it

should be viewed from a subjective

perspective for on the other hand the worker

himself can so easily be manipulated and

viewed as an object himself. In its subjective

sense, work represents its stable

dimensions as it exclusively takes on the

dignity of the worker as a human being. In

the end, it is ―…affirmed that work is for man

and not man for work‖ as it concludes that

―as a person, man is therefore the subject of

work.‖ In this perspective as was cited in the

CSDC, we could provide an ample

―understanding for what truly is the

foundation of the value and dignity of work

is.‖

Then again, what should truly

matters in the end? Would it still be decided

in what perspective we should‘ve viewed

the subject matter on the dignity of human

work or labor is? It does not quite seem so

because it is a subject matter which can so

easily and relatively be manipulated into

what we want it to be- the objective with

treating anything connected to the worker

as objects alien to himself including himself

and the subjective as a means for an

authoritative source to continuously have

his workers do his dull and brutal labor.

True enough, both the objective and

subjective sides of work are realities which

cannot be ignored because both of them are

essential- for our understanding and for the

worker‘s self-realization or fulfillment. In this

manner, we should have been considering

the worker‘s fulfillment first rather than our

understanding because it is his perspective

that‘s the subject- this is where it is clear for

us now that the worker‘s view on his own

work is what truly matters the most. The

worker‘s views, standpoints, beliefs, and

aspirations in connection with his work and

his self-fulfillment (as he fulfills himself in

every subjective way possible) is the most

crucial and significant viewpoint.

The worker‘s point of view, as it now

is our viewpoint, would prove to be the most

functional as well as the most foundational

perspective which we should understand.

Based on our immersion itself, the most

significant point which we‘ve learned is that

most of the work was done to achieve a

common goal- seeking a better (in terms of

prosperity and not particularly of wealth) life.

Yet, even if that was their common goal, it

81

only served them as an ulterior motive

because most of them ultimately aspired

and dreamt of their goals not for themselves

but for their offspring or children. For some

if not most of them, fulfillment means

fulfilling the dreams and aspirations of

someone- their offspring or children. Work

meant something beyond the objective or

subjective perspective of work for them.

UNIVERSAL DESTINATION OF GOODS (STEWARDSHIP OF CREATION) By Eduardo Esternon Jr.

According to the Vatican II document

Gaudium et Spes, the principle of the

universal destination of goods is about

humanity being able to benefit from the

resources of earth and have an equal share

of God‘s Creation. Furthermore, God‘s gifts

are not merely to be manipulated or utilized

but also to be respected and cared.

The practice of this social doctrine

principle can be seen in Tawan-Tawan

basing on the interviews and experiences

during the two Saturday immersion.

However not all the resources are properly

divided in the community yet the people are

not to be blame.

The people of Tawan-tawan greatly

respect nature especially the environment

that they‘re in. For instance, plastic

wrappers can hardly be seen just lying in

the streets. Moreover, they practice

cleanliness inside and out of their homes

and also protect and preserve the river

beneath the hills. For they know how

important it is as it could be a source of

clean water for the people of Davao City.

Respect for each other‘s properties

is also observed in the community of

Tawan-tawan and thievery rarely happens

according to one of the residents of the

area. Crops and livestock can be left behind

without worrying of anyone trying to steal

them. That is how they practice Church‘s

doctrines in the community.

People from the city have no idea

how hard the life can be in rural areas and

this lack of understanding may lead to the

lack of practice of the social doctrine which

is for instance the unreasonable market

pricing of resources for the people in rural

communities like of electricity. Due to the

low income of some residents they don‘t

avail electricity being connected to their

homes and doesn‘t have lights to turn on

during the night. Though some have, still, it

is only limited to one television and one light

bulb.

And lastly the major concern of the

community that needs to be resolve through

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the help of the government is the

construction or upgrade of paths or roads

for the residents of the community to benefit

from. It would be a great help in the

transportation of goods or harvests from

their farms.

If only the government and big

industries would have experienced or even

tried to immerse in such rural communities,

universal destinations of good would have

been practiced not only in Tawan-Tawan

but also in the rest of the Philippines.

PREFERENTIAL OPTION FOR THE POOR By Noel Flores

We usually see this during

calamities where people from other

countries and even in ours, render help to

those who are in need. Another example

would be the story of the Good Samaritan

where he didn‘t hesitate to help a wounded

person.

This shows commitment to the poor

wherein we become one with them in the

society; but evidently in all countries around

the world there are people who are poor

financially and spiritually which deprives the

poor to share and contribute to the common

good which will later on wound the whole

community due to the lack to solidarity

among people in the society.

There was a time in my theology

class when all of us were asked what

comes to mind when we hear the phrase

―poor in spirit‖, the first thing that came to

my mind was that these are the people who

have nothing physically, but I was wrong,

what it really means is that we value too

much our possessions to the point that it

blinded us and makes us forget that there is

something more important than this worldly

possessions that we have and that is our

strong faith in God. Without this faith we

really can‘t please God, and us being

irresponsible in helping and sharing to the

people some of our wealth suppresses the

poor in becoming one with the society since

they have been left with nothing. Rerum

Novarum, was evoked by Paul VI which

states the fundamental importance of self-

sacrificial love. This teaches us to do

charitable works. In there, he wrote ―the

Gospel Instructs us in the preferential

respect due to the poor and the special

situation they have in society: the most

fortunate should renounce some of their

rights so as to place their goods generously

at the service of others.‖ Also in one of the

scriptures in Leviticus 19:9-10 which states

that ―A portion of the harvest is set aside for

the poor and the stranger‖, if all of us are

not poor in spirit then we can do common

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good to others by sharing what we have and

not thinking about losing material things

instead be lifted in spirit since what we have

done is what God would want us to do, God

would surely be glad when we follow his

steps and this would prove that our faith is a

living faith.

In our Country today or even around

the world, as what I have seen and heard

from television or even from my own

experiences is that there are people who do

violence like stealing or even worse, killing,

because of how poor they are both

physically and spiritually. If only all of us will

prioritize the poor to follow God‘s ways, I

wonder what a peaceful place would be our

world, as the scripture in Isaiah 25:4-5 ―true

worship is to work for justice and care for

the poor and oppressed.

SOLIDARITY By Stephen Galagala

―Solidarity with the poor‖, I used to

hear this phrase when I was in high school

especially during masses. Before, I thought

it simply meant being one with the less

fortunate, giving them assistance,

understanding and feeling their misfortune.

I can even recall when we had this feeding

program in a swamp area, back then I didn‘t

really understand what that said program

was all about. For me, it seemed to be just

an act of charity by the school.

And we were right on how I thought

about solidarity, although not entirely.

Solidarity is not merely those

abovementioned, for it encompasses other

church‘s social doctrine.

―… There exists an intimate bond

between solidarity and the common good,

between solidarity and the universal

destination of goods, between solidarity and

equality among men and peoples, between

solidarity and peace in the world.‖ CSDC #

192-194

In our own little ways, consciously or

not, we have observed this virtue through

our immersion. For one, we have secured

foods to bring for our foster families not

solely thinking for ourselves but primarily for

them because we want to lighten up their

burden of going out, buying and preparing

food. We also woke up early and allotted

time to visit and meet with them.

The token that we offered to them

were impartial, even though there were

families who are better off, what we

prepared for them were all the same. But it

was not all giving food or serving them, it

was entering into a relationship of solidarity.

It was mainly to be with them, to know about

them, to learn from them and have a grasp

84

of their current situation. From these we are

made aware of the things to do, maybe not

now but soon, when we‘re more capable

and responsible; for solidarity boils down to

equality and justice between individuals and

peoples.

PROMOTION OF PEACE By Brian Dan Congson

―Peace is the goal of life in society,

as is made extraordinarily clear in the

messianic vision of peace: when all peoples

will go up to the Lord's house, and he will

teach them his ways and they will walk

along the ways of peace (cf. Is 2:2-5)―. Like

in Davao City, the government officials are

making peace and order their number one

priority. A society that is peaceful will be

more advanced and protected. Also, the

neighboring cities would slowly learn to

appreciate the value of peace because of

the peace and order maintained in Davao

City.

Peace makes everything better not

only through people but also to the society

as a whole. What we understand about

peace is that it is a freedom from

disturbance and a state or period where

there is no war. On the other hand, the

Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the

Church (CSDC) challenges us to see peace

more than the absence of war and conflict.

―In biblical revelation, peace is much more

than the simple absence of war; it

represents the fullness of life. (cf. Mal 2:5)‖

To be at peace, humankind must live

harmoniously and live in a right relationship

with one another.

During our practicum immersion in

Theology 141, we promoted peace in our

own ways. We practiced this virtue through

having a fruitful dialogue with the residents.

We bonded with them, conversed

with them, and even shared experiences

with one another. We, as students of the

Ateneo de Davao, promoted peace with the

residents by way letting them feel that there

are no walls or barriers between us

Ateneans and them, our less fortunate

brothers and sisters. We let them feel how

thankful we are to have them in our society

because even though they are not that

financially stable, they have a big role in our

community.

To sum up everything, peace is

indeed indispensable. Society would be

better if every person would maintain peace

and order. Peace is for each and every one

and that is why we have to exercise our

right to promote it because this has been

the basic foundation in the community.

85

THE PRACTICE OF CARDINAL VIRTUES

Edited by Cherry Mae Marquezo

Or if one loves justice, the fruits of her works are virtues; For she teaches moderation and

prudence, justice and fortitude, and nothing in life is more useful for men than these.

Wisdom 8:7

86

JUSTICE By Cedric Granada

Justice is basically a moral term for

fairness and rightness based on ethics,

rationality, law, natural law, religion, and

equity. Justice is important. It is one of the

four cardinal virtues.

―WE BUILD PEACE THROUGH

JUSTICE AND LOVE.‖ This statement can

be read in our top shirt. Our main priority in

our Theology141 Practicum-Immersion is

that we give justice and love to everyone.

When we exert these virtue, we build peace

to our surroundings especially to the people

we have met in Tawan-tawan, Baguio

District, Davao City.

First thing to be noticed is that, we

have justice from the beginning of our

immersion. From the time of departure,

when the students are late from the said call

time, the jeepney will then depart to Petron

Ulas. This means that the students that are

late have been punished and therefore they

will go to Petron Ulas to catch up with the

jeepney. This serves as the equality of

those who go to school early. Unfortunately,

I experienced being late with my other

classmates that is why we were group in a

jeep filled with educational students, which

is not our section.

Then when we arrived in the home

of our foster parents, my parter and I had a

little thing going on. No, it's not what you

think it is, but rather it's what I called justice.

We divided the things we need to do and we

switch chores to help one another so that

we have the understanding of helping one

another.

TEMPERANCE By Christian Joie Harder

Temperance is the moderation of

our own desires is essential to acting rightly

(prudence), giving each man his due

(justice), and standing strong in the face of

adversity (fortitude) as St. Thomas Aquinas

would equate it. Not all have the same

temperance as the other have, not all have

the temperance as the other expected and

some may have no temperance at all. But

from the first day of the Theo 141

immersion, it is very apparent to every one

of us. Since our immersion is scheduled

during Saturdays starting from 6, most of

us, if not all, have sacrificed their Friday

night which if usually for night outs or

gimmicks. The students‘ self-control and

sacrifice has been proven in the following

morning when no student were left behind

even if their transport started to leave as

early as 6 30 in the morning.

87

As soon as we arrive on our

destination, our effort and sacrifice had paid

off as our foster families have also prepared

and warmly welcomed us more than we

expected. Not only us but everyone else

who contributed to make our immersion

successful even to our drivers who woke up

in the morning and drove us all the way to

our destination. Every bit of effort has very

much made its worth especially in achieving

our goal.

It is the little sacrifice and

temperance to set aside our accustomed

doings and stay out of our comfort zone to

increase our potential in helping out our

foster families or maybe make a difference.

PRUDENCE By Catherine Gonzales

Prudence is the ability to govern and

discipline oneself by the use of reason. It is

classically considered to be a virtue, and in

particular one of the four Cardinal virtues.

The virtue is the ability to judge

between virtuous and vicious actions, not

only in a general sense, but with regard to

appropriate actions at a given time and

place. In our Theology 141 immersion, we

had the opportunity to express prudence

during our immersion. Like what our teacher

always reminds us, that don‘t ask for

anything, just wait for them to offer you

something. An Atenean has the ability to

hold the desire in ourselves because as we,

an Atenean knows prudence.

The great temptation of being in

Tawan-Tawan is to experience the course

going to the river and see the river with our

own eyes. We held our desire to ask for

permission because we don‘t want to give

trouble to our foster parents. Also, our main

reason why we were there in the first place

was to know them first-hand then next is to

know their place. I and my partner just wait

for the opportunity of letting us experience

it. The opportunity is that of having the

permission of our foster parents to let us go

to the river. It wasn‘t easy to hold the desire.

In our mind, I have this desire of exploring

the beauty of nature, the desire of seeing

the wonder of nature and the desire to feel

the cold water in the river. Fortunately,

holding our desire paid off. Our foster

parents let us experience the adventure of

going to the river. Without bias, the place is

very wonderful. The feeling is so relaxing.

If we exercise the virtue in our hearts

and in our minds, everything will be paid off.

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FORTITUDE By Ariel Jay Gallardo

As we had our Theology141

Practicum-Immersion, we practice the third

cardinal virtue which is the fortitude. We,

Atenean, must know how to handle the

obstacles we might face and our desire to

try adventure in Tawan-Tawan, Baguio

District in our Practicum-Immersion. With

this, in every situation we are in, we must

not fear but we must solve them

courageously. We must not fear thus we

must have the strength.

In our Theology141 Practicum-

Immersion, we experienced new beginnings

and at the same time new hardships.

Theology141 is different from other theology

since we are facing the experience of being

with the family we are going to stay in for

two different days, which is on August 3,

and 10, 2013, Saturday. A family we don‘t

know. A family we are going to interview

and at the same time know them well. With

these happenings, I could say that there is a

mental and emotional strength to conquer.

Why? Dealing with other people requires

the strength to understand them. We must

understand the differences of their lifestyle

to ours because the different lifestyles are

well stereotypes by most of them. So, in

other words, we have to have the great

understanding of the gap between us. Also,

we must see the equality of their life to ours.

I don‘t mean to stereotype them but in our

society we can‘t ignore the fact that most of

them give a big deal to the differences of

people from others. So, the mentality that

we have to prepare has to have the

fortitude, as an Atenean. If we are mentally

prepaid in facing the challenges of meeting

new people and understand them well

enough, then we experienced the cardinal

value fortitude.

Lastly, the people of Tawan-Tawan

experienced fortitude by facing their daily

life. This can also be applied to us, the

students, by waking up, dealing with school

and living life according to what one‘s desire

and how one wants his/her life to be in the

present tense. But, the people in Tawan-

Tawan have to face the struggles of waking

up, dealing with their farm and also to

experience the hardships of dealing with the

long walk to the river. They must face with

courage the situation they are in. They must

also conquer the adversity of natural

calamities. The road that they are going to

walk is prone to landslides thus they must

have the courage and strength to face the

adversity in their place. Also, fortitude

allows them to cope up with poverty and

loss, because they cultivate the Christian

virtue that allows them to rise above the

basic requirements of Christianity.

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THE PRACTICE OF CLASS VALUES

Edited by Kevin Barrosa & Jason Jon Carreos

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure,

whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy

of praise, think about these things.

Philippians 4:8

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MAGIS By Aldrin Troy Violan

Ateneans are taught by the Jesuits

how to be socially active through moral

duties. During the immersion in Theology

141, we share something that we have to

the communities in Brgy. Tawan-tawan,

Baguio District, Davao City. We shared

food, love, care, experience and most likely,

we give more than what was asked from us.

―Magis‖ is the word - to do more and to give

more.

It is good to see that everyone

initiated Magis. Getting to know the family

and their way of living, is a single step

ahead on what was asked to do. We are

able to live like them by simply helping them

do some of the chores in the household

though some foster family insisted not to let

us do so. Aside from that, we give more by

not only bringing the suggested food for

lunch, which is chicken adobo or fried fish -

some of us added bihon, pansit, softdrinks,

and ice. By doing this, it is pretty obvious

that all of us want their foster family

experience a two-day extraordinary living

that can be remembered for the rest of our

lives.

Magis does not only mean doing

within the boundaries but going beyond.

Ateneans, or even us Filipinos, are defined

by that kind of values. That ―magis‖ value,

which is brought to us by the experience,

must grow and will never be forgotten. We

must not stop learning from it, but continue

doing it.

RESPECT By Andrew Rey Arayan

One of the class values that we

voted for is respect. It is because we

recognize the inherent worth of all human

beings. We also need to eliminate

derogatory words and phrases from our

vocabulary. Speak with people – not at

them, or about them. Always practice

empathy. Walk awhile in others‘ shoes.

And by that, we earn respect from

others by showing respect and worthy

behavior. Also, we need to consider others‘

feelings before speaking and acting. Lastly,

treat everyone with dignity and courtesy. In

other words, we recognize, eliminate,

speak, practice, consider and treat the

people during our immersion especially our

foster parents who helps us understand the

way of life in rural areas.

RESPONSIBILITY By Avegail Frances Vales

Being responsible is not something

that we inherit or built in within us.

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Responsibility is something that we can

earn and build through the years. Being

responsible is one of the essentials things in

our life. If we become irresponsible, we

don‘t only lose our personality and

characteristics but also we lose our life

because life is our greatest responsibility

that we have.

One of the challenges that each

person deals to become responsible is their

ways of dealing with pressure and conflicts.

If a person handled everything smoothly,

the person can accomplish a lot despite all

of the pressures in his/her life. One of the

people who have difficulty in taking

responsibilities are the students. During the

immersions, despite all of the pressures that

surrounds us, we, the CS4/IS4 class of

Ma‘am Dayrit managed to make the 2-day

immersion successful.

Before the actual immersion started,

the class decided to list down class values

that the class will practice and will have

learned during the immersion. One of those

class values is ―responsibility‖. During the

immersion, everyone was doing their

assigned tasks and did their best to make

our visit in Tawan-Tawan a meaningful one.

Everyone participated and cooperated from

the planning up until the culmination of the

immersion. Each of the teams and

individuals responsibly performed their

actions well. If some were late, they were

responsible enough to cope up with the

group. Each of us brought our assigned

foods and materials.

Each of us were responsible enough

not to cause trouble to the group, to our

partners and to the adopted families to

whom we are assigned to. Even without

Ma‘am Dayrit and Ate Judai‘s guidance and

presence during the immersion, we

performed our duties well, knew what to do

and what‘s not to do. After the immersion,

we have become more responsible and

become aware of our responsibilities in our

community, at home and in the school.

LOYALTY By Ralph Edward de Castro

What is Loyalty? Does loyalty mean

that we have to be loyal to the things we are

supposed to be loyal with? Is it a choice or

not? Is it important in our lives? Do we need

to follow this kind of moral value? These are

some questions that we should ask to

ourselves, and even to other people.

Loyalty is when you are committed

with one thing that you love. This does not

just refer to a person, but can also be to

your country, religion, and to the other

things that you may think are very important

to you. It is our choice if we want to be loyal

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to some things. No one could ever tell and

force us to be loyal on the things that we

don‘t want. This is our life and we have the

right to choose what we want because this

is important to us, especially in terms of

religion for we have our different beliefs.

This is not really a requirement for us

because there are some people who were

actually not loyal on the things that they

have.

For example, a couple who were

actually married for a long time, and yet the

husband is still dating another woman. This

shows that the man is not loyal and at the

same time, he is cheating to his wife. We

can say that a person is truly loyal with one

thing if and only if that person makes

himself available to that thing. It is like a

commitment, where we have to be

persistent; this shows that one is willing to

do anything in support of the commitment.

Being loyal to someone makes us also

know who is more important and worth

keeping in our life. If you are truly loyal to

someone or a thing you really want, you

don‘t easily give up even if you know things

are hard and it‘s hopeless because in the

first place why would you commit yourself if

the truth is you really don‘t want it at all.

The major point here is that if you

are loyal to someone or a thing, you have to

show it and make them feel that you are

because not all the time they may feel the

same feelings that they have before. Loyalty

is a big word, especially for those who are

committed with one another. It is not that

easy to trust easily if you doubt that your

partner is not that loyal to you because trust

is the foundation of love for every couple.

And for religions, we can‘t blame other

people why they have different beliefs than

us because they have their own beliefs and

it is their choice to be loyal to their religion.

PERSEVERANCE By Paolo Austria

As students, we experience a lot of

sacrifices along the way. Just like the

Immersion, we had encountered many

difficulties. Just going to the place where

our immersion took place was very

challenging. It was not just far, the road was

rough and slippery too. During the two days

that we were there, the weather was not

welcoming because it was cold and not

sunny.

We didn‘t know what awaits us; we

didn‘t have any clue on what we were

supposed to do there. We didn‘t know the

slightest idea of the situation out there. A lot

of apprehension and uneasiness happened

not just for us, who will be travelling a long

way to our destination, but also for our

parents as well especially since a lot of bad

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things had happened in Mindanao lately.

Our parents would be very worried of our

safety. So, it is twice the danger and twice

the apprehension because we went there

two times. But in spite of everything, we did

not give up and persevere all the way.

We have seen so much from the

situations of the families at Tawan-Tawan.

Most families never get to experience

having a convenient home such as

electricity for their homes, gadgets and

appliances because they live in a

monotonous life. Even though life is hard at

Tawan-Tawan, they still keep going on and

just like us, students of the Ateneo de

Davao University, we also persevered

because we had an undying will to help at

least to the families there especially to our

assigned foster family.

We persevered because we wanted

to accomplish the task at hand. The task

was tedious and difficult but we were very

determined to achieve our goal and we

were successful it all the way. The

Immersion was definitely a challenge for us,

yet it changes our initial insights on other

people, especially the marginalized sector,

since we were able to experience and

persevere the challenges that were trying to

block us in the way.

CAMARADERIE By Jericho Repito

Going through the entire Theology

subject in my college life, I felt the feeling of

mutual trust and friendship amongst the

people who I‘ve spent a lot of time with. To

know that you have classmates that are

always by our side. Classmates that are

willing to offer their fellowship,

companionship and friendship to you.

Everyone knows that the true sign of

friendship is the ability to sincerely share the

joy and accomplishment of others without a

trace of envy. This is the truest sign of

Christianity. To respond toward each other

in Christ in this way would make the

existence of a proper love for one another

evident, and would therefore be a sign of

proper discipleship to God.

Some people view life in a sense of

competition. With this type of attitude, it is

difficult to rejoice with others in their

success or whatever has drawn attention to

them. Some gets jealous when others get

what they want. It is an attitude that does

not mark spirituality, but rather the sign of a

focus that is still fleshly. It is the selfish

desire of the flesh that gives rise to envy

and jealousy towards one another. Since we

are in Christ, such a spirit is to be put to

death. How well are we doing?

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When we truly love one another, that

love should crowd out the tendency toward

envy because ―love does not envy‖, but

rather ―rejoice with the truth‖. One truth to

bear in mind is that we as Christians are to

be drawn together in harmony with Christ

and so with each other. There is the spirit

that allows us to sincerely rejoice with

others in what they have accomplished and

the attention that they received.

Unending pressure, tight schedule,

inevitable demands and few hours of sleep–

you name it. College life has it all. And

believe me, the list doesn‘t end there. The

blemishes of college life made this point of

our lives very challenging and enjoyable.

We all get tired at some point, we do get

discouraged, we do get hurt; everybody

does. The big difference comes when you

are asked of this question: To who are you

sharing all the misfortunes, complains,

pains and joys of this matchless stage of

your life? When you are surrounded by

warmhearted, caring, imperfect and

unpretentious people, what else could I ask

for? God perfectly reared me in a supportive

group of friends and family. As long as God

is the center of your life and of your

relationships, no matter how intricate and

messy it is, it will just be unnoticeably

perfect for me.

PATIENCE By Perry Louise Saavedra

Patience is a person's ability to wait

something out or endure something tedious,

without getting riled up. It takes a lot of

patience to build a house out of toothpicks

piece by piece.

Patience is the guardian of faith, the

preserver of peace, the cherisher of love,

the teacher of humility. Patience governs

the flesh, strengthens the spirit, sweetens

the temper, stifles anger, extinguishes envy,

and subdues pride. Patience bridles the

tongue, refrains the hand, tramples upon

temptations, endures persecutions, and

consummates martyrdom. Patience

produces unity in the church, loyalty in the

State, harmony in families and societies.

Patience comforts the poor and moderates

the rich.

Patience makes us humble in

prosperity, cheerful in adversity, unmoved

by calumny and reproach. Patience teaches

us to forgive those who have injured us, and

to be the first in asking forgiveness of those

whom we have injured. Patience delights

the faithful, and invites the unbelieving.

Patience adorns the woman, and approves

the man; is loved in a child, praised in a

young man, admired in an old man.

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Patience is beautiful in either sex or every

age.

Being patient is the ability to remain

calm, even when you've been waiting

forever or dealing with something slow, or

even trying to teach someone how to do

something and they just don't get it. It

involves acceptance and tolerance, and is

usually easier to have when there's

something in it for you at the end. That

could be a goal you've been slowly working

to achieve, or just lower blood pressure. In

my first and last visit in family Baratas at

Tawan-tawan I have realized that we need

to be patient. You have to be patient on

something or someone who will give you

something. Like in our family I must be

patient when it comes to when and what are

they going to give me something like food. I

must not ask something from them,

because there are things that they cannot

give or provide, therefore I must always be

patient. As an Atenean, one knows how to

be patient.

OPTIMISM By Happy Kris Marie Abang

Most of us are not used to waking up

early, travelling and even riding the

jeepneys but still, a lot of us enjoyed that

experience. Many of us tried the things we

don‘t usually do, like climbing a mountain,

hiking, playing in the river, doing household

chores and most especially, living in a poor

community. We are used to live in a very

comfortable life wherein we can get almost

all we want in just one snap so, living in that

community was really a challenge for us.

We don‘t usually value our money since we

didn‘t work hard for it. Also, we don‘t usually

appreciate the efforts of our parents since

we‘re too busy asking for all our wants. We

thought life was easy, not until we saw

what‘s really happening in real life.

Each of us students showed

optimism by still performing our duties in

spite of all those challenges. We forced to

wake-up early because we all know

something great will happen at the end of

the day. Even though some of us are tired

since there are many upcoming activities,

we still did our best to comply with all the

requirements. Also, even though we‘re not

used to all of those work in the community,

we still tried to do it since we believe that we

can treasure those experiences. Our

experiences may change the way we think

and decide about certain things in life. Every

after immersion, each of us feels so tired

due to the activities in the community, but

you can really see the fulfillment that it

brought us.

How the people in the community

see and accept things in their life also

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inspired us. They live a very simple life, they

can even barely provide for their needs yet

they are still thankful for their lives. Another

day means another chance to improve their

lives. They never lose hope, they still

continue to live their lives happily and

without regrets. Every day, it is a challenge

for them to provide for their needs but

instead of complaining, they just keep on

working and also, dreaming. Dreaming that

one day, they may also achieve what they

really want and that is to live harmoniously.

We learned a lot of lessons from that

immersion and many realizations hit us but

one thing‘s for sure, those memories with

them will always be treasured.

TEAMWORK By Andrea Bernardino

Teamwork is defined as a

cooperative effort on the part of a group of

persons acting together as a team or in the

interests of a common cause. Therefore it is

basically doing work as a team. As the

famous line goes ―No man is an island.‖, in

a group or in a class, having a team that

works for a common vision is the greatest

advantage. It means having members that

could provide better inputs and suggestions

and having more people that are willing to

come together to achieve that goal or vision.

As I have observed in the class, during the

discussions for the immersion, everyone

shares the same passion and focus to

achieve the desired target or goal.

Even though a few from us were

from a different course, everyone in the

class made each other aware that we are all

individually important for the success of the

team as a whole. All of us were asked to be

involved and to know the information about

the goals and deadlines, which made us

feel that we‘re responsible for the outcome.

Encouragement from our teacher as well

helped in establishing a sense of purpose in

everyone and it also helped in coming up of

suggestions to improvise the things that we

have not yet thought of. It made us

collaborate together and use our talent and

experiences to contribute to the success of

the immersion‘s objectives.

In class, the CS students were given

the task to create a website while us,

accounting technology students were also

asked about the budgeting of the expenses

that we might incur. Here, it would be seen

that we were encouraged to offer our skills

and knowledge, and in turn each member is

able to contribute to the group‘s success.

Even though there might be a gap between

us, our teacher didn‘t fail to encourage all of

us to express our opinions, varying views

and questions. In our immersion day with

our partners, it also entails teamwork. If only

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one works then the immersion might not

have a good outcome.

Conflicts may have arise during the

discussions or in the immersion itself but

everybody was able to resolve the problems

constructively. What I liked the most was

our partners may have different courses

from us or they might belong to other

classes but still, we were all able to

participate equally in the decision-making

though we understand too that our teacher

might really need to make the final decision

if we can‘t come to a consensus agreement

because having a team doesn‘t mean that

members must agree on everything but it

means that all individuals must be directing

their efforts towards the goal. If a member‘s

effort is going purely towards personal

goals, then the team will confront the

problems.

GENEROSITY By Shannice Gaile Sedeño

Generosity is the willingness to give

to others. This is to give something from the

bottom of our hearts, without expecting

anything in return. This is the readiness to

give, anytime there is someone in need.

During our immersion in Tawan-Tawan for

Theo141, we were all given the chance to

be generous.

We were all willing to pay for our

expenses without complaining, without

selfishly thinking about how much money

we would be spending for the two

Saturdays. It was not just all about the

material things that we have donated, but

also the time that we have spent with them.

Sitting there, talking to them, and listening

to them were enough acts of generosity. It

made us very happy giving our time and

effort to the families in Tawan-Tawan.

It was not just us who were

generous but also the families, who were

very hospitable and welcoming. They were

very generous enough to accept us as their

visitors for two Saturdays. They have given

us their time and effort also by listening to

us and by letting us familiarize the way they

live. The people there were very generous

enough to accompany us down to the river

and helped us throughout our memorable

adventure.

Their smiles, their laugh – All of

these were very priceless, and I think we all

felt generous that day. And of course we

could not forget the generosity of our

beloved teacher, Ma‘am Dayrit who was

there for us along our journey. She had

shared with us her time and effort the whole

two days of our theo141 immersion.

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Closing Remarks By Martin Rey Guerrero

We wrote this, not because it is a

requirement. But also, we wanted to feel

some of the experiences of past emotions

dwelling inside the encompassed shelter of

the fragile heart and compile each of our

experiences and stories as a unified

section, CS4/IS4. This ending is like no

other. It made a huge and profound impact

in all of us. It was crystal clear to us that the

Practicum Immersion was definitely one of

the highlights during our two Saturdays.

What actually happen in our two day

Practicum Immersion could not be

summarized by only page of reflection

paper, but more. As Ateneans, we were

taught not just how to identify the good and

the bad of all situations, but also to discover

and find God in all things.

Being students of Ateneo de Davao

University made us grasp and experience

first-hand 3 of the most important and

profound virtues of a student in Ateneo de

Davao University.

First, the magic of Magis. It was just

there all along, wandering on and about

inside our souls. Most of us were actually

not aware of how Magis was able to

captivate our inner instincts to service. Most

of us gave more than what we initially

planned as a class and it was heart-

warming.

Second, the fortification of Forte in

Fide. It made us stronger as children of

God. The experience we had with our foster

families deepened our spirituality and belief

in God. With the strong faith that we hold on

to, we were able to go through and end the

Practicum Immersion with no regrets.

Third, the spirit of Sui Generis. As

students of Ateneo de Davao University, we

are aware that the simplicity of being unique

and distinctive calls our attention and our

actions. Though some of us are not

classmates ever since, we are Ateneans in

our own different ways yet possesses the

same quality of a student of Ateneo de

Davao University has. Moreover, it was

evident during our Practicum Immersion that

we served the community as student

leaders.

The first and last days of the

Theology 141 Practicum Immersion came to

an end. However, the experience does not

stop on the last day. The whole experience

will be forever remembered until the day we

graduate, we get married and up to the very

end of time.

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Though we may be unable to

unravel the mysteries of the more intricate

experience of what an ideal immersion

would be like, we, as Ateneans, did what we

can and even surpassed our limits. The

experience is one of the best we have ever

had. It was one of the best because, we

were still able to touch hearts, teach minds

and transform lives in our own little ways,

uniquely and passionately.

Let the stories of integrity and justice

in this book be an instrument of change,

whether it may be in perspective or in

action. Unified together for a certain cause

which is the service for the poor, this

Practicum Immersion will be cherished

forever. It is because we are student

leaders of the Ateneo de Davao University.

Ad Majorem dei Gloriam!

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

We, CS/IS4, would like to express our deepest appreciation and gratitude to the support

given by the management of Josefa Segovia Foundation who gave us the opportunity to

experience the overwhelming day-to-day lives of our assigned foster families.

We are also thankful for the help Ma'am Judy Ann Enriquez who guide us all throughout

the Practicum Immersion, including the help she gave us during our search for our foster

families. Other than that, her happy-go-lucky mood gave us the hope to be brave and prudent at

all times. In addition, we would like to thank all the jeepney drivers who drove us to the

destination safely and also to our foster families who whole-heartedly accepted us to their

homes without hesitation.

Last but not the least, we would like to thank and congratulate our wonderful Theology

141 instructor, Ma'am Marlina T. Dayrit, for having us this opportunity to grasp and transform

our lives little by little throughout the Practicum Immersion.

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ANNEXES

uma

Documents

dalapan family

ambi family

angalan family

baguio family

baratas family

basinga family

cagas family

casinillo family