DAY 3, ZAMBOANGA CITY, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 28, 2007

FAREWELL JOLO,

HELLO ZAMBOANGA CITY

Before departing Jolo, we did a little shopping. Near where we stayed the night, this small shop of cottage industry goods, supports the livelihood of local craftpersons. It's part of Fr. Ante's socio-economic development programs.

Not for sale. Just posing. The gun is not a toy but belongs to the Philippine soldier with us in the shop.

Our parting shot as we were leaving Fr. Ante and the Bishop's compound.

JOLO AIRPORT. Goodbyes to the Marines and local escorts who watched over us.

And then......
BACK IN ZAMBOANGA CITY.

The day is filled with site visits, among them a women and child protection unit at Zamboanga Medical Center. No photos. Here victims of physical and sexual abuse are evaluated and examined by a doctor and others trained in sex abuse evaluation.

PLOUGHSHARES YOUTH ENTREPRENEURSHIP PROJECT

Here, selected out-of-school youth are trained and assisted in getting business loans. They are provided with technical assistance by local businesses during a period where the businesses they want to engage in are incubating (growing into something feasible).

Here Consuelo board members and staff hear the students' plans and give feedback.

CHILD ABUSE PREVENTION AND INTERVENTION NETWORK (CAPIN)

We were hosted for lunch at a conference of 20 government and private agencies systematically coordinating a project involved in issues affecting the lives of abused children. Consuelo has 22 CAPINs operating in the Philippines.

Here Consuelo staffer Jim holds up my malong. We were all given them as gifts by the CAPIN members.

These malong are large sarongs with their edges sewn together so that the material forms a tube that can be worn as a skirt or dress or a sarong. The designs are traditional Muslim geometric patterns.

SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT CENTER
Rescued from the streets or situations of abuse, or in trouble with the law, these children are living in a center whose goal is to ultimately return them to normal life.

The center is an arm of the city of Zamboanga and is fully funded by the local government.

Dances native to Zamboanga as well as the dance of the young today (done to a Britney Spears song) are presented to the Consuelo board.

Consuelo staffers brought in gallons of ice cream and scooped as fast as they could with the kids clamoring for their cones and creating a near riot in the kitchen. A joyful moment for all.

Some of us toured the facility and found it a safe, clean haven from the streets.

SOME THOUGHTS: After the dancing and the ice cream, as we began to take photos of the kids, they wanted to be photographed together with their friends. The bonds were obviously important; some of us created a few more bonds. Hugs were welcomed, and you could feel that the bigger the hug the better. Because I am of Filipino ancestry, I especially felt a kinship wih these kids. They look so much like my mother's kin in the Philippines. Poor and looking for a way to "get out". If my mother had not married an American Filipino from Hawaii after WWII, would I have been born poor too???? By the grace of God.......

This part of the day ended with a nap in my air conditioned room at the Lantaka Hotel where our Zamboanga journey had begun. That night, a fancy dinner included traditional dances from the Mindanao and Sulu regions, performed by a cultural group, Jambangan, from Western Mindanao State University. (Sorry, no photos, I was shooting video.) A report commissioned by Consuelo was presented -- a study of peace-building initiatives through youth-oriented programs in Mindanao, an effort to learn and promote peace-building in this island region.

A massage and a shower, and then it was ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ time, with a 5am wake up call.