Sometimes, a perfect plan can go wrong especially when most of the participants in a trip fail to follow through and back out (sometimes, even at the last minute) of a set plan. But if a trip is blessed, those little annoyances turn out for the better.
Over this past weekend, our big group was supposed to troop down San Jose, Occidental Mindoro to conduct a Charity Mission for the Mangyans. The Mangyans are an indigenous community living in the hinterlands of the province.There are four tribes namely: Hanunuo, Iraya, Buhid and Tawbuid. The main objective was to provide them some basic necessities which they are beyond their financial capability or simply are not available within easy reach in their communities.
The donors were a loosely gathered group that was cut down to four people namely: Presy Vivar, Ofie Palma, Mabelle Tenorio and myself. However, some of those included in the chat who could not be with us physically sent their donations with our paltry group. Esquierdo Bhel Asinas who earlier declined joining the group to Mindoro due to a tight schedule but sent cartons of pre-loved clothing and toys. The rest of us brought sweets and cookies for the kids, products for personal hygiene, ready to eat meals, snacks etc., etc.
Our hosts in San Jose, Mindoro are an unassuming couple in the persons of Mary and Eduardo Dela Cruz. They were not born in Mindoro but relocated in the mid seventies to get married and settled down in the area. Over the decades, they lived a simple existence establishing business enterprises in San Jose that eventually grew in operations. They have been married since the seventies and nurtured a family of six children - and seventeen grand kids! All the more hands to help them when they eventually grow feeble.
Eddie was Presy's schoolmate so it was he that initiated the germ of conducting the charity work. Doting wife and mother,Mary, has this advocacy of taking care of and protecting the rights of the Mangyans through her dear friend Sister Thea (currently training the communiy to be self reliant). The plan underway, we set the machinery for providing a charity mission to their area.
We DIY'd the whole inland transfer. The meeting place was at P Tuazon in Quezon City at the bus station of Dimple Star. Reservations were made in advance so the round-trip fare Cubao-San Jose-Cubao cost P2,400.00 including the boat ride from Batangas to Mindoro... My butt hurt from the 5 hour ride to the Batangas pier; another 2-3 hours on the ferry to Abra de Ilog port and then another 5 hour bus ride from Abra de Ilog to San Jose, Mindoro. A long trip, right? Well, that long trip done in the day time will afford you numerous natural wonders and vistas that are picture perfect! Just look at my album on Facebook and you'll understand.
We left Cubao at 12:30 and arrived in Mindoro at 2:00 a.m. That was the horrible part. The next day was the Mangyan interaction.so we prepared our love offerings prior to bed. We had to leave our home-base around half past nine just so we can be back before it got dark. That was a good two-hour drive. Once there, we were treated to some songs by the community and we handed over the loot bags. Some of the community leaders we consulted for their other more pressing needs. This early we plan to start acquiring rice, school supplies and maybe roofing material for the school that was built specifically for the Mangyans to make them more competitive in the job market. We think this is a noble cause... let me know if you plan to make donations so we can connect you to the right people. Let me make it clear though, our group does not plan to collect monetary donations. WE will facilitate, but not handle your cash. CLEAR?
The Next day was a full itinerary. We got our feet wet at thee beach which was conveniently the backyard of our hosts sprawling property. After breakfast we went to their sprawling farm. Then we sped off to the sprawling fishpond and salt beds a few kilometers in the opposite direction. Sorry, no directions. I don't plan on giving away our new friends' privacy. After a sumptuous lunch of seafood, veggies and fish which they grow on their farm, we headed back to town. to meet a former governor, congressman, mayor and self-made landowner: The Honorable Jose Tapales Villaroza. Along the way, we went around the night spots and the famous Aroma beach.
I hate to say it, but despite a charitable angle to our trip... we were pampered like anything! We were hosted, fed and driven around by our gracious hosts who woke up at an ungodly hour of four a.m. just for a six a.m. departure on a Sunday. In the end, we came away with more knowledge and understanding of the plight of the Mangyans than the material stuff we donated to their community. And we gained real friends on the side too...
We left Cubao at 12:30 and arrived in Mindoro at 2:00 a.m. That was the horrible part. The next day was the Mangyan interaction.so we prepared our love offerings prior to bed. We had to leave our home-base around half past nine just so we can be back before it got dark. That was a good two-hour drive. Once there, we were treated to some songs by the community and we handed over the loot bags. Some of the community leaders we consulted for their other more pressing needs. This early we plan to start acquiring rice, school supplies and maybe roofing material for the school that was built specifically for the Mangyans to make them more competitive in the job market. We think this is a noble cause... let me know if you plan to make donations so we can connect you to the right people. Let me make it clear though, our group does not plan to collect monetary donations. WE will facilitate, but not handle your cash. CLEAR?
The Next day was a full itinerary. We got our feet wet at thee beach which was conveniently the backyard of our hosts sprawling property. After breakfast we went to their sprawling farm. Then we sped off to the sprawling fishpond and salt beds a few kilometers in the opposite direction. Sorry, no directions. I don't plan on giving away our new friends' privacy. After a sumptuous lunch of seafood, veggies and fish which they grow on their farm, we headed back to town. to meet a former governor, congressman, mayor and self-made landowner: The Honorable Jose Tapales Villaroza. Along the way, we went around the night spots and the famous Aroma beach.
I hate to say it, but despite a charitable angle to our trip... we were pampered like anything! We were hosted, fed and driven around by our gracious hosts who woke up at an ungodly hour of four a.m. just for a six a.m. departure on a Sunday. In the end, we came away with more knowledge and understanding of the plight of the Mangyans than the material stuff we donated to their community. And we gained real friends on the side too...
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