Day 2 -- BATO-BATO, MARCH 27, 2007

BATO-BATO, a collection of shacks on stilts and some concrete houses set between the sea and banana plantations, coconut palms and bamboo forests. A bastion of Islamic rebels. That's how a recent Reuter's article discribed this little coastal hamlet.

This area has experienced recurring armed conflict involving Muslim separatist groups and terrorists, like the Abu Sayaf who engage in battles with the Philippine military. Entire communities have been uprooted, some taking refuge in Bato-Bato, Indanan. Extensive damage to intrastructure and to the social life of this area resulted as these armed groups established camps in the jungles.

A few weeks before we arrived, a joint humanitarian effort by US forces and Philippine forces took place in Bato-Bato. Here is an edited account:

American troops rout terrorists in southern Philippines with love and stealth
The Associated Press, Published: March 4, 2007. Edited here for this blog.
INDANAN, Philippines:
Forbidden from local combat by the Philippine constitution, U.S. troops embarked on humanitarian work to wean villagers from terrorism and trained its high-tech surveillance equipment to track militants.
The combination has been lethal for the Abu Sayyaf, a small but brutal group that has launched deadly terror attacks across the country.
Philippine troops killed Abu Sayyaf chieftain Khadaffy Janjalani last September and his presumed successor Abu Sulaiman in January in Jolo partly helped by America's technical backup, according to the two security officials, who had knowledge of the operations. A closing ceremony for a two-week humanitarian mission by hundreds of U.S. and Filipino troops Saturday in Jolo's poor Bato-Bato coastal village in Indanan town showcased the extent of the Americans' rapport with villagers.
Villagers waved at and cheered on soldiers in a U.S. military convoy like they were movie stars. "Hey Joe, OK Joe," they yelled. Hundreds of grade school students waved small U.S. and Philippine flags as U.S. Ambassador Kristie Kenney and Filipino officials arrived.
Mortar rounds exploded and gunshots crackled in Indanan's hinterlands about two weeks ago in what appeared to be a clash between Abu Sayyaf gunmen and Filipino troops.
Indanan's jungle mountains have been a sanctuary to the Abu Sayyaf and other gunmen for years. They often ambush troops and others on a hillside road, dubbed the "highway of death," officials say. Nowadays, the gunmen rarely bother Indanan, a town of about 50,000 on Jolo island in Sulu province.
The fight against the Abu Sayyaf and the appalling poverty that breeds it is far from over, according to officials. A lack of water, lack of electricity, crushing poverty, widespread sentiments of being a minority and high illiteracy rate foster armed conflicts on Jolo. These debilitating conditions are the worst in the Philippines.

When we arrived, curious villagers gathered in what felt like the town's center, a dirt courtyard near to the building where we would be meeting the young people involved in the Make A Connection project funded in part by Consuelo. The purpose of the project is to nurture future leaders.

Idealistic and idle young Tausugs in this area are particularly vulnerable to the influence of the armed separatists and terrorists groups. Here they share with the Consuelo board their progress, frustrations and needs.

Some 38 Tausug youth are part of the Phil. Indigenous Youth Leadership Training Program.

Oversight is by Fr. Jose Ante, director of the Social Action Center in Jolo, who is known for promoting socio-economic development programs such as this one.

The project asserts that improved life skills would help the youth to better connect with their community and give them a better understanding and appreciation of their community and their Muslim culture.

They engage in livelihood projects of their own choosing, such as goat and chicken raising, and from this are able to earn at least the equivalent of the local minimum wage.

SOME THOUGHTS: This is the battle line, I thought. Getting and keeping these kids of Bato Bato and other Indanan hamlets out of the hands of the likes of Abu Sayef. Raising

goats and chickens might give them a taste of the better future they are longing for; but hope is like a receding tide when progress is slow and the promises of economic well-being are but a thin thread at times because of a backyard war. In the lives of kids like these, funding to help them succeed is a desperate need if the effort to keep them out of war is to be effective. Pray for the youth of Bato-Bato if you think of them. May the humanitarian efforts of fixing this broken town and its life continue to help.

REFUGEE CENTER

Before leaving Bato-Bato, the Board walks over to a nearby school where a small group of refugees are staying after fleeing an armed conflict near their farms.

This farmer returns to his farm by day, not sure when it is safe to bring his family back home.

Uprooted but smiling, refugees talk to board members about the care given to them here. Food, bedding and safety inside these walls are about all they have as they wait it out.

CHICKS AND CHICKENS
We stopped to look at the livelihood project involving growing and selling chickens by the Bato-Bato youth. The coops with hundreds of chicks growing under lights is behind this building.

TECH TRAINING

Then it was on to the nearby Provincial Training and Livelihood Center where we observed out-of-school youth learning trade/industry skills. The project, supported by Consuelo, offers courses in welding, electricity, electronics, small engine repair and other mechanical repairs. Fr. Ante and the Social Action Center of Jolo were responsible for getting it up and running.


DUSK

After a very long and packed-filled DAY 2 that started at 4am, a cold shower and a nap were a welcomed salve on my tired body. Lodging us was Fr. Ante at his Bishop's Notre Dame Compound near Jolo airport and the Notre Dame community college.

Dinner that night was under the stars and featured seafood delicacies such as Sulu crab. The night was kind. It was cool and the fan in my room added to the relief from the long day's heat. ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

WHAT'S THAT?????

Our wake up call was 6:30am. Sleeping soundly, my roomate Amy and I were awakened by a sound that at first I did not recognize. It's hard to describe something if you've never heard it live before. I'd heard it in movies and on TV, but I have never heard this sound live. I lay there for a few seconds, both waking up and trying to figure out what I was hearing. Then I remembered where we were -- Muslim country! "Amy, are you awake???" "Yes, what is that sound?" "Amy, it's the call to prayer, the 5 am call to prayer from a nearby mosque." "Oh", she said. The call to prayer, probably a recording that was being played over a loud LOUD speaker, continued as we lay there listening. Then a thought came to me. "Amy, let's get up. Let's get up and pray. Let's use this time to pray also." She agreed, and I moved to sit at the side of her bed, and we took this time to hear our stories of how God had reached into our lives, and we prayed for our day, for more safety and protection and for blessings as we traveled. The call of prayer had called us too!!