The journey that transformed me
The journey that transformed me
MAELYNE ABRENICA
By Maelyne Abrenica
Last year I was part of a joint study between the United Church of Canada (UCC) and the Presbyterian Church of the Republic of Korea (PROK); it was an exposure visit concentrating on the empire, peace and economic justice.
While in Korea we visited striking labourers, visited a migrant workers’ centre, spoke at Hanshin University, visited the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea and spoke at a press conference.
It was when we landed in the Philippines that I really felt the purpose of the trip and the connection to my roots as a Filipino-Canadian.
In Davao City we met with 12 small scale miners who had travelled 12 hours from Zamboanga to meet with us. It was dangerous for them as all 12 of them were on the military’s hit list! They told us about all the negative effects of large-scale, open pit mining and it was saddening to hear that a lot of these mining companies are Canadian.
We also visited a local tribe in the Malalog region, in the middle of a banana plantation. They fed us corn, cassava and coffee and the ladies did a native dance for us. We distributed toys to the kids and hats and t-shirts to the group leaders. We exchanged words of thanks and appreciation and offered our support in their refusal to give up their land.
Unfortunately the arrival of the local barangay captain and his temper forced us to leave our new friends. Due to this incident we decided against visiting a local mining area for fear that we were being watched and to avoid causing any more disturbance.
Back in Manila we visited the Bilibid prison (medium security) where we met with a group of political prisoners. They each told us what they were arrested for and the trumped-up charges they were handed and they sang three songs for us. It was such a heartbreaking and powerful experience and every one of us in the group were overcome with emotion. In my heart I promised myself that I would do everything in my power to help and support these people and to fight for their release.
Speaking at Diwa ng Kasarinlan in Toronto was a great opportunity for me to let people know what I saw and heard and experienced. It was a great reminder to help us all stay connected with what is happening back home.
Kudos to all involved, to Bayan and Anakbayan who put the event together. I look forward to watching this event grow larger every year. I dream that we will make enough noise so that we can be heard all the way over in the Philippines!
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