Maasin, Leyte

March 15-17, 2007

Eleonor Credo-Lindner donated a 2-classroom building to her Alma Mater, Bactul1 Primary School in Maasin, Southern Leyte; in memory of her late husband, Arthur Lindner, who saw the need for the classrooms when he visited Bactul 1, so many years ago. Eleonor grew up in Barangay Bactul 1 to a poor family who prefer to have Eleonor go to work or be a housewife, rather than study. She walked to school sometimes barefooted or in wooden clogs, using banana leaves as umbrella to shield her from the rain. Eleonor persevere, worked her way through college and found success in America. In looking back through those years, she went back to Bactul1 to inaugurate the classrooms. Feed the Hungry is very proud to team up with Eleonor in donating these classrooms to Bactul.

Last Thursday, March 15, 2007, our taxi to the Domestic airport was already waiting before the 3:15 AM pick up, for our 5:10 AM Cebu Pacific flight to Tacloban. Thea of CFO joined us later at the waiting room in the airport. We saw Eleonor only when they called for boarding. In Tacloban, we were met by the Barangay Captain, ELeonor’s mom, brothers and sisters. Eleonor introduced us to her son Adam and friend Bob who accompanied her from Maryland. We boarded 2 passenger vans for the 4-hour ride to Maasin, Leyte.

In Maasin, we checked in at the Maasin Country Lodge and Restaurant. When we left Tacloban, ELeonor’s brother gave us a menu to order our lunch in Maasin. When we got to the restaurant, all our orders are already waiting for us. This is advance planning, Maasin style!

After lunch, we met with the Governor to sign the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) for the water supply system of Brgy. Pamigsian, Bontoc. After signing of the MOA, we traveled to Brgy. Magatas, Saint Bernard to monitor the Backyard Virgin Coconut Oil Livelihood Project. Saint Bernard is the town where part of Mt. Kan-abag slide down burying the Barangay Guinsaugon last February 17, 2006. The entire village was covered in more than 30 meters of mud, burying more than 1000 residents, including 200 students trapped inside the primary school. Almost ALL of the residents in the barangay at that time suffered, except for a few, in spite of international efforts to locate them. The few survivors are now housed in New Guinsaugon, Saint Bernard. We stopped at the Memorial Cross that was built to commemorate the event. From where we stand by the river, we can see the brown area where the slide happened, very distinct from the lush green landscape besides it.

It was getting dark; we decided to head back to Maasin as it will take another 2 hours to reach Brgy Magatas. On the way back, we had to slow down due to muddy road as we passed by fresh new landslide at 2 locations. What if a new landslide happens as we drive by? Well, although it was raining most of the time, no new landslide happened and we reached our hotel safely, had dinner, call it a day and went to sleep.

March 16, 2007- I woke up early and went to see the river at the side of our lodge. It was low tide and the very clear, shallow water was running smoothly. The river has multiple use as I saw some ducks swimming around, a kid taking a bath, a lady washing some clothes, several small fish gathering around the drain pipe from our hotel, a bigger fish feasting on some solid object ( I thought it was a yellow banana but it turned out to be yuk!) from the neighbor’s place.

We had breakfast and by 9:00 AM, we were at the office of the DSWD arranging the pick up of the school supplies to be distributed to the students. With a DSWD escort riding in his motorbike, we went to the store where they secured the supplies. Tess paid the owner, we loaded 3 big boxes and off we went to Bactul 1, about 30 minutes away. Bactul 1 was not too far but it was narrow, dirt, hilly road to the interior side of Maasin. Two welcome banners were at the entrance to the school and another banner was near the stage.

We arrived at the school at the middle of a mass for the blessing of the new classrooms. The priest was talking but everybody was looking at the newly arrived visitors especially with Bob, a six-footer American friend of Eleonor and her son Adam who do not look like a Filipino. The priest initiated the cutting of the ribbon to the building, the cutting of the ribbons to each classrooms and then the unveiling of the commemorative marker in the middle of the building. The priest then went around and blessed the entrance and every corner of the classrooms.

After the blessing, a very elaborate, well prepared program followed and the VIPs were invited to the stage including Eleonor, Bob, Adam, Tess, Thea, Barangay Captain, representative of the Mayor, the Governor, DOLE, DepEd, Principal, etc., etc. The invocation prayer was done by a group of students dressed in whites with white gloves; a girl sang the national anthem acapella; another group of students performed a native dance in full costume, barefooted, in the ground in front of the stage.

The governor praised Eleonor for ‘looking back’ into her roots in Bactul with the donation of the classrooms. The CGMA/DOLE explained the process of classroom donation. A very nice, enlarge, symbolic key was given to Eleonor to give to the Principal to signify the turn over of the classrooms. The DepEd handed out certificates to Eleonor, DOLE and FtH.

It was Eleonor who was the star of the moment. She told her story how she struggled through school despite their being poor; how she worked in college to afford it; how she rose from the ranks; how she found success from one position to another; how she decided to donate the classrooms in honor of her late husband; how she teamed up with FtH to be able to do it. According to ELeonor’ s brother Rodrigo, the construction of the classrooms was completed in 15 days by a labor crew and materials hauled all the way from Tacloban, some 4 hours away! It shows that no matter how hard it is, good deeds can always be done. That same afternoon after lunch, I talked with a furniture manufacturer and contracted to have 100 student desks, 2 teachers table and chairs, to be delivered to the principal in 2 weeks, at approximate cost of $12 each.

After the program, Eleonor started the distribution of the school supplies to about 100 students. Each student gets a back pack, colors, pens, pencils, papers, etc.; a lunch box and juice. Then, the adults get a chance to have a very sumptuous lunch inside the new classroom prepared by the brothers and sisters of Eleonor. We had the inauguration of a classroom in Batia, Bocaue, Bulacan last January 27, 2007; we had the ground breaking of a 2-classroom building in San Mateo, Rizal last Feb 12, 2007; this is probably the best classroom inauguration that I have attended so far. We went back to the Lodge and Eleonor stayed to bond with her relatives. Next day, she told me that they have a good time ballroom dancing in the barangay hall.

After breakfast, we had a tour around Maasin before we leave for the 4 hour trip back to Tacloban to catch our plane to Manila. We stopped for lunch in Palo, Leyte at the McArthur Park; took a brief photo-op at the memorial to the landing of Gen. Douglas McArthur commemorating his “I shall return” to the Philippines. The plane was about an hour late and as soon as it was ready, we flew back to Manila, completing another successful Feed the Hungry Story.

Pablito
Thursday, March 22, 2007