Manchmal fühlen sich Menschen gefangen in ihrer Umgebung oder von ihrer Arbeit. Manche Menschen fühlen sich vielleicht gefangen durch ihre Verpflichtungen oder möglicherweise sogar von sich selbst. Nicht selten kommt es vor, dass Menschen sich aus eigener Kraft nicht von ihrer Gefangenschaft befreien können und sie sind auf Hilfe von anderen angewiesen. In ihren Augen bewegt sich die Welt nicht, sie hat keine Perspektive oder gar keine Zukunft. Die Welt scheint depressiv, kalt und freudlos.

Nicht selten sind aber auch andere Menschen – Aussenstehende – mit schuld an einem solchen Gefühl des Gefangen-Seins. Sie schränken andere Menschen durch Hürden oder mangelnde Unterstützung so sehr ein, dass die Betroffenen kaum vom Fleck zu kommen scheinen. Die Geschichte von Galileo Galilei ist eine solche Geschichte. Seine Ideen wurden für Absurd erklärt, nur weil seine Zeitgenossen sich nichts anderes unter einer bewegten Welt vorstellen konnten. Es führte so weit, dass er lebenslänglich ins Exil musste. Dennoch kann man die Wahrheit nicht unterdrücken, sie rächt sich sozusagen und kommt irgendwann aus. Sie holt die Menschen sozusagen ein. Nichts kann im Verborgenen bleiben.

So hat die katholische Kirche Jahrhunderte später erklärt, dass es sich bei dem Fall Galileo Galilei um ein Missverständnis gehandelt habe und die Theologen damals tatsächlich falsch geurteilt hätten. Ich selber glaube, dass es nicht ein „Missverständnis“ war, sondern, dass jene Personen, die Galilei bis zu einer Verurteilung gebracht haben, genau wussten, was sie wollten: sie wollten keine Welt, wie Galileo Galilei sie sah. Um jeden Preis musste der Mann weg, unmöglich gemacht und legal verurteilt werden. Also kein Missverständnis. Leider geschehen genau solche „Missverständnisse“ auch heute immer wieder, initiiert durch jene Menschen, die Angst vor einer bewegten Welt haben. Im Grunde sind jene Menschen es, die durch ihre eigene Angst in Ketten im Verliess ihrer Vorstellungen hängen.

In wenigen Wochen werde ich mein lieb gewordenes Philippinen und die Menschen, die mir während der vergangenen dreieinhalb Jahren ans Herz gewachsen sind, verlassen. In meinem Herzen trage ich viele lächelnde Gesichter und frohe Kinderaugen, denen ich während dieser Zeit begegnen durfte. Dass ich in dieser Zeit auch wie Don Quixote und Sancho Pansa gegen die Windmühlen von hausgemachten „Missverständnissen“ gekämpft habe, bleibt im Hintergrund. Umso verwunderlicher ist es, dass sich die Welt hier in den Philippinen in meinen Augen stark bewegt hat. Und für mich und meine Partnerin Cynthia bewegt sich die Welt von neuem, wenn wir 11‘000 Kilometer weiter weg wieder neu Fuss fassen werden. Ich bete stets darum, dass unsere Augen immer offen bleiben für die Menschen in Not und für eine Welt, die sich bewegt.

Martin Hungerbühler

It's Christmas!

Poinsettia

Wherever I go, the bright red and shiny leaves of the Poinsettia plant remind me of Christmas. I’m reminded of my Christmas celebrations in Switzerland, where this plant - native to South America - is part of the Christmas season.

I still have a hard time to get in the mood of Christmas, while the temperature in the Philippines commonly is around 23 to 30 degrees Celsius. The Poinsettia Plant adapted easily to this climate since it is was imported from Mexico.

The bright red and attractive leaves are often mistaken as flowers while the small flowers are inconspicuously grouped at the end of the branch.

These flaming red leaves are a symbol for something worth to be mentioned. Each time I pass a Poinsettia Shrub I think of something good or something, which makes me smile or laugh.

I smile while I think of the beauty of the nature and I feel happy while remembering people, who became friends through working together. I’m laughing at so many funny events with people.

Giving a look or remembering these small hidden things is like the inconspicuous Poinsettia. The plant opens our mind to the beauty of our life, which only can be seen through the small things.  

It is Christmas; the Christmas Star shines inconspicuously in our hearts and makes our life worth to be mentioned. It’s the star which leads those to the right path, who like to find happiness.

Merry Christmas and a blessed new year 2010!

Poinsettia Pic by MH

Fresh Water

Did you ever think where your drinking water is coming from? Are you able to drink your water right away from the faucet connected to your house? Then you might not belong to those people who have to think every day where they will get their drinking water.

A person can survive around three weeks without food but only an estimated three days without water. Since every creature is dependent on water, it should be a right to all human beings to have access to a clean water source. This even might be more important for children, since they are more vulnerable and susceptible.

Since one of our project areas is on an Island called Silaki, which is only around 7 hectares in size, there is no natural water source except on the next bigger island. The people need to go there to fetch fresh water for cooking, drinking, personal hygiene and washing. All this cannot be done with sea water.

Because of the small expansion of the island there is neither electricity available nor a school or a doctor. In case of heavy wind, because of big waves traveling is not possible and the people have to manage their water. In the rainy season people are fetching water from the rain, which lasts only for a couple of days.

With my talk with the community on health matters, the people often mentioned that they would rather get support for their health in acquiring fresh water source than having electricity or a school. After months of checking several possibilities with the community, we decided to apply for a project to construct a huge water reservoir made of steel concrete with 130,000 liters volume. Since the island is quite far from the mainland behind another island the material transportation will be quite expensive for a construction.

This tank will be filled up by rain water in the rain season, when the monsoon rain is coming over the country and it will supply the community of around 700 people for many months, so they don’t have to pay for traveling to get drinking water. This counts especially when the oil price is high. The community can be self sustainable with a water reservoir. There is a positive side effect possible if the community can manage to ask for a small amount per gallon water from the tank. It can cover their expenses for maintenance; it also could be used for further small projects.

The inhabitants of the island – maybe called Silakenos – are very thankful to the parish in Switzerland, which donated the big amount for the construction, work and transportation. To the community it is probably one of the best Christmas gifts they can get, even if the work starts after New Year yet. You can imagine how happy I am for the people to have this project and also how lucky I am to be part of such a project. Thank you very much to all of our supporters and donors!

Pic by Cynthia: inspecting the location for the rain water tank on Silaki Island

Aftermath

In May 2009,  typhoon Emong devastated through the north of Pangasinan with extreme wind gusts destroying trees and houses. Every single tree was affected, cut off, heavily trimmed or fell by the sheer wind power. Most of the people lost their roofs, while others totally lost their houses. Many of the people do not have the funds to reconstruct their homes. Crop and vegetation, which were damaged will take at least a year to recover from that incident. link

What happened in May was just the start of a series of calamities that followed in 2009, hitting the entire north of the country and plunging the people deeper into a significant increase of poverty. Just as it destructed much their means of livelihood, it needs time for them to recover and rise again.

In the last week of September – how it was shown in the news all over – typhoon Ketsana (local name Ondoy) flooded the entire area from Pangasinan until down the south of Manila. Around  60% of Metro Manila was under water and our house in Pangasinan was without electricity for three days due to a damage on the electric wire caused by strong winds. Friends of mine reported high water levels up to 3 Meters with strong current in the center of Manila caused by the nearby overflowing rivers. Even weeks after this some areas in Pasig and Marikina – part of Metro Manila – as well as the shore area of Laguna de Bay still was flooded. The constant remaining water now causes epidemics like leptospirosis, pneumonia etc.

Just a couple of day’s later typhoon Parma (Pepeng) entered North Luzon, hit first of all Cagayan Province, Aurora and Ilocos Norte in the North West with heavy winds and flash floods. The bad weather remained there for some days until that night when I woke up at two thirty in the morning due to a howling wind and heavy rain. At first it sounded like a tornado with its wind gusts

But the strong wind up to 110km/h. still remained and did not act like a tornado but like something bigger. It came into my mind that it must be a typhoon. But what typhoon should it be, since I didn’t see any other on the latest satellite picture - except Pepeng. And that one was in the north yet. At three thirty in the morning I turned on my computer to check the situation, which seemed so strange to me. Then it became clear what happened. It was the typhoon Pepeng, which made an unexpected u-turn down the west coast to Pangasinan and left afterwards into the South China Sea. It was eight days after the remarkable flood in Manila on September 26, 2009.

Typhoon Ondoy flooded Manila and the surrounded provinces while typhoon Pepeng flooded the entire north of the Philippines and left dozens of people dead and crops destroyed. Western Pangasinan this time was heavily flooded, while in the mountains dozens died due to landslides. Even 13 Barangays of Mangatarem where we’re maintaining health projects were flooded for several days.

Since our projects are community based, we coordinated with the parishes to reach the affected people. So we were able to give some assistance to the people with food supplies and other needs. Somehow this incidents turned to events where people were helping each other in many ways.

Pic by Martin

http://www.wetteronline.de - http://www.nrlmry.navy.mil/

ZEIT UND RAUM

Wer wuenscht sich nicht mehr Zeit fuer Erhohlung, Zeit, um zu arbeiten und Zeit fuer viele andere Dinge.

Wer in den Filipinen herum reist oder gar arbeitet, bemerkt, dass alles seine Zeit braucht. Daneben bemerke ich, wie sehr ich als Europaer doch schon mal ungeduldig werden kann. Ich moechte so viel wie moeglich in moeglichst kurzer Zeit erreichen.

Dabei geht schon einmal dies oder jenes unter oder wird in der "Hitze des Gefechts" vielleicht einfach uebergangen.

Die Welt in den Filipinen tickt anders. Hier muessen sich die Menschen einfach Zeit nehmen. Wenn die Hitze gross ist, kann man kaum mehr arbeiten und das Wetter zwingt einen zu einer Rast. Und wenn ein Taifun im Anzug ist, geht nichts mehr, weil man sich moeglicherweise fuer Tage in Schutz vor heftigen Niederschlaegen und starken Winden bringen muss.

So werden schon manchmal unsere Arbeiten hier vom Wetter bestimmt und damit auch von den Menschen, die dem Wetter ausgeliefert sind. Doch um diesem Umstand auch noch etwas Gutes ab zu gewinnen, habe ich bemerkt, dass genau dann, wenn ein Projekt noch nicht vorwaerts geht, Raum fuer Gespraeche entsteht. Dieser Raum ist auch ein heilsamer Raum, weil genau dann jenen Umstaenden Beachtung geschenkt werden kann, die sonst so schnell unter gehen. Es sind jene Umstaende, die ein Projekt zu einem Projekt der Menschen und nicht zu einem Papiertiger machen.

In dieser Zeit und mit diesem Raum, der mir zur Verfuegung steht, wird mir umso mehr bewusst, wie sehr ich als Mensch auf diese beiden Umstaende - Zeit und Raum - festgelegt bin. Ich habe nur meine eigene Lebensspanne, um meinen Aufgaben gerecht zu werden und: ich habe nur eine gewisse Zeit, um diesen Raum zu gestalten. Ich danke Gott fuer beides: Zeit und Raum!

Adieu Cory Aquino

On August 1 early morning, former President María Corazón 'Cory' Cojuangco-Aquino died. She makes the Filipinos cry.  Those who do not remember the time she was able to change, are now asking about her and the time, which was one of the most difficult times for Filipinos. A child called her 'Tita Cory' - Aunt Cory.

Pic from internet

It was her husband Benigno 'Ninoy' Aquino, who was touted to become the President of the Philippines when he returned from Exile to stop the Marcos Dictatorship. Once he said 'the Filipino is worth dying for'. As well he did when he arrived at the Manila Airport and was just shot down, when he made his first steps off the Airplane. Now it is named after him as Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

The people protested and have chosen the color Yellow to show that they will stand against terrorism, pressure and dictatorship. In this color they were successful. Ninoy Aquino's wife Cory led the people to the new won democracy at the place of her death husband.

Maybe she was not the best President of the Philippines. But if it counts, that she was not prepared for that and has five children and had to lead a country that was left devastated after the dictatorship, perhaps she was the best President ever.

To me it matters that she never intended to become President and always did her best to serve the people. In her difficult work Cory was supported by Jaime Cardinal Sin, the archbishop of Manila and united many Filipinos.

Now the people are truly rid of all corruption and political fights. They wear again the color yellow to show a warning to all those, who like to abuse the Filipino People or the Philippine Country.

I hope that the Pinoy (all Filipinos) will be one like it was sung in the famous song 'Magka-isa' (being united) or loving people like it was sung in the poem made by Ninoy Aquino himself for his wife Cory: 'I have fallen in Love with the same women three times'...

It is good to have heroes - It was good to have Ninoy, Cory - The Filipinos can be proud to have people like her. She was not perfect - but maybe the perfect Person to be President for that time.

Please check the links below to see the lyrics and more...

www.youtube.com/watch

www.youtube.com/watch

Home

While I am in Manila, the most busy City in the Philippines, I'm dreaming of being home. At the same time the question comes into my mind, where really is 'being home'. My friend Oliver just left me a day ago 'home - back home'.

'Home is, where my heart lies', sings Miriam Makeba in one of her songs. I'm pondering where my heart lies. At the same time this question might ask, where are the persons, the things or the duties, which are important to me and are making me feel home. 

Home, back home in Pangasinan I'm already happy not to have to stay too long in such busy Cities like Manila, eventhough I like the people very much. They are friendly like everywhere in the Philippines. But the question about 'home' is not solved yet. 

Home might be there, where I was born in my home country – in the place, where I grew up and have been educated. It's the place which formed my understanding of culture. It's my culture – with its own fiestas and  lifestyle. The scent of the soil in an early spring morning or the odour of the wind in autumn are part of my childhood in a different place. 

Home can be there, where I feel grown up. For sure it is the people around me, which make me feel home, as well as the environment and nature, which welcomes me every morning from new start. Maybe 'home' changed for me during growing up and the word widened its range of meaning. Home seems to be there, where I have senseful work and people around, which are walking in the same direction. 

Home is here for me and there it is as well. Home is, where I am and I feel home in so many places as well as I feel homeless too. Home might be there, where my soul lies…

Pic by Martin / like a bird in the sky

Fiesta

The feast day of Saint John the Baptist, on June 24, is celebrated in many parishes in the Philippines in a way, which might be unknown in other places in the world, but is celebrated also in a special way.

Together with our trainee Johannes (John) from Germany we went to experience one of the numerous fiestas that day.

We expected a quite different fiesta, but had to learn that we will be “baptized” again that day. Some people warned us neither to bring any cell phone nor any other gadgets. We were pondering why…

Many adults but of course many more children were there with an over seized water gun to treat everybody in a nice way who passes the way.

We were able to enjoy the parade without getting wet, first. Not long after the start we became the target of many and I guess nothing at all was left dry. Johannes told me afterwards, that he wrote in his diary: “after at least three days, the pants were dry again…”

I recommend this kind of fiesta to everyone, who needs an urgent bath or just like to have fun like only children usually can have. Enjoy this picture!

Pic: Cynthia

Disaster

On may 7 in the evening a typhoon hit us. What Typhoon „Emong“ left behind in our area was devastation. Nobody could recognize their house or land after this incident. The power of the wind of Typhoon Emong swept over our area with 185 km/h. Nobody could believe what happened. 40 people died in our area, while 12 others died in other provinces.

Nobody had time to moan over what happened. I never heard any complaints from people. Instead everybody is busy rebuilding the house with the family. Children somehow seem not yet to understand what happened. They are playing with their playmates.

We support the people with relief goods like rice, can goods, tents and clothes, with visits to their area to coordinate support and with our concern for their situation.

Complete destroyed house - children are still playing there

More pictures: sites.google.com/site/welcometothephilippines/Home