About five months before my wife and I got married, my friend (and Badjao Bridge founder) Dan offered to shoot our engagement photos in Bohol as a gift, believing he wouldn’t be able to attend our big day. My wife and I jumped on the opportunity. You would too, if you knew that he’s a professional photographer who covers weddings as well as humanitarian projects for organizations like Compassion International. But the bigger reason was that he is a longtime friend. We got acquainted when he served as staff with the Navigators, the campus ministry group I was involved with in college, and he has been like a brother since then.
After the shoot, Dan invited us along with a number of friends to a brief tour of the Badjao community in Dauis, about 10 kilometers from Tagbilaran, where we were graciously hosted by the chieftain’s family. We learned about how hard it was for them to continue their traditional livelihood because of new laws, and about how even though they recognize that education can give their children a chance at a better life, from the start the odds are stacked against these kids--no birth certificates with which they can enroll, often coming to school on an empty stomach, not enough means for school supplies and other fees, occasional bullying, and even for those who do get to advance to high school or college, the pressure to stop in order to help provide for the family.
One of the daily realities that Badjaos deal with is discrimination. While several breakthroughs have shined a positive light on them, it’s still not uncommon to hear people sharing a joke or two about the Badjaos’ hair color and complexion, mendicancy, or general outsider status. Ask random folks on the street what they most associate them with, and you’d get answers like skillful coin divers or annoying beggars with infants in tow or with their loud makeshift drums. That was about everything I knew about them before. And I’m glad that getting involved with Badjao Bridge has helped me to see much more.
What many people don’t realize is that there are several Badjao settlements scattered around the country, and that they face struggles common to many Filipinos: a decent livelihood, food and shelter, peace and order, preserving the environment from which they get resources, raising children to have better opportunities.
The Badjao Bridge Foundation is working with three such communities, focusing on children’s scholarships, tutorials, feeding programs, school supplies, and other educational support. But while these are essential for the long term, the foundation has also come to see the necessity of mitigating short-term needs of their families. The availability of clean water, for example, minimizes the chances of getting sick, and a permanent structure can be a venue for alternative learning and tutorials. So aside from the Lighthouse Learning Center building in Dauis, a water and hygiene facility in General Santos City and a multipurpose building in Roxas, Palawan, are also underway. Like other charitable organizations, we are learning that sustainable solutions need a more holistic perspective.
On July 18–20, the foundation brought together community leaders from Bohol and Palawan to a three-day seminar called Discipling for Development, a whole-life ministry approach focused on a biblical understanding of poverty and development, empowering communities to develop a vision, and giving them skills to help them solve their problems. A team from partner organization Community Help Alternatives Inc. (CHAI) facilitated the training.
Drawing from the biblical story of the creation, fall, and redemption, trainors Kuya Wency, Ate Celia, Kuya Danny, and Kuya Celso helped the participants come to understand the physical, spiritual, social, and environmental aspects of poverty. Community leaders and pastors who minister to their people cannot just focus on Bible studies and then ignore facts like diarrhea among children, absence from Sunday service due to hunger, pollution that affects the neighborhood, or conflicts between individuals or tribes. These are factors that help make up people’s spiritual reality, and God’s redemptive process is wide enough to cover them.
Nine young leaders (four from Palawan, four from Bohol, and one from Sogod, Southern Leyte) completed the course, including a young couple who had to bring their baby with them.
“Two participants I got to talk with are June and Gesmar,” says Kuya Danny. “June is particularly excited about music. He is a self-taught musician and is very willing to be used by God in this area. He recognizes God's intervention in his life, such as when he miraculously recovered from pufferfish poisoning that killed one of his brothers. He was inspired to serve God when he prayed for a keyboard and was provided one, but he says he wants to serve God even when the keyboard is gone.”
Gesmar, originally from Agusan, married into the Badjao tribe and now lives in the Roxas community. He is thankful to have been given a chance to go to seminary and now using what he learned by ministering among the residents of nearby Johnson Island for two years now, through good and bad weather. He said he used to care only about billiards, and is glad to have been called to the greater pursuit of serving the Lord. After the seminar, he is more encouraged in the need to have strong partnerships with other leaders in ministry to address local problems. “Walay mahitabo kung walay mosugod (Nothing will happen if no one initiates),” he says, adding that the lack of leadership is itself one of the needs in the community.
At the close of the training, participants were asked to share what they learned. “Ang pinaka-makatabang sa komunidad mao ra sad ang mga taga-komunidad. (The persons who can help the community the most are the people who come from the community),” the Bohol group wrote. “Importante pud kaayo nga mailhan nimo ang imong komunidad ug imong kaugalingon (It is also very important to know oneself and one’s community). Ug kinahanglan dili magdali-dali sa paghimo og desisyon. (One should not be hasty in making decisions.) Ang Bibliya usa ka source sa kaalam. (The Bible is a source of knowledge.).” They also enjoyed the storytelling method.
The Palawan group also appreciated the new knowledge that they gained. “Importante kaayo ang paghatag og atensyon (Paying attention is very important). Di namo makalimtan ang mga istorya, parehas atong sa yuta nga dili makapatubo og tanom tungod kay gitunglo. Na-enjoy namo ang mga istorya, sama sa pagpakalma ni Hesus sa bagyo uban ang mga disipulo. Bisag unsay mahitabo, mosalig gyud ta sa Ginoo. (We won’t forget the stories, like the one about the piece of land that was infertile because it was cursed. We also enjoyed stories like Jesus’ calming of the storm when he was in the boat with the disciples. Whatever happens, we should trust the Lord.)”
They shared that in their place in Palawan, there is a river that is becoming increasingly polluted because of the carelessness of the residents. They want to address this problem and start a cleanup and preservation effort. “What we learned from this training will be useful.”
“I would say that the word ‘empowered’ is still an intriguing thing in their minds,” relates Kuya Celso. “They are not yet empowered, but a vision has been cast in their minds, and we hope that all things working together can help them envision a better, empowered, and transformed community. And we have to tell ourselves that this is a process.”
As they returned to their homes, it is our hope and prayer that they would develop and sustain a godly vision for their communities, and that their equipping would continue. It is definitely a tall order, but this training was a step forward.
As a “regular” Filipino, it is easy to keep a distant or even cynical view of the plight of the Badjaos, what with the many national, local, and personal concerns we face at any given day. But a Bible-based perspective reminds me that they are not just another indigenous people group; they’re one of the “nations, tribes, and tongues” that God said he will bless, though they happen to be among “the least of these.” And the Badjao kids are not just beneficiaries or a statistic; they’re every bit as precious as the children of whom Jesus said “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” Thanks to people like you who support us and pray and partner with us, hindrances are indeed being overcome.
Please continue to do so, and consider spreading the word.
(A guest blog by Kevin Desabelle)