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 | A glimpse on the plight of the Internally Displaced Persons of North Cotabato and Maguindanao
Posted by mpc on 2009-11-15 20:45:31 (766 reads)
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Let me begin my sharing by giving you some background about my assignments.
I was ordained to the priesthood six years ago (August 22, 2003) in Bagong Barrio, Caloocan City. My first assignment was in the parish of North Upi, Maguindanao. I worked in this parish for almost five years; from September 2003 to May 2008.
In June of 2008 I was transferred to Pikit, North Cotabato to head the Inter-religious dialogue ministry of of the OMI Province . The months of August and September of 2008 were initiation moments for me. These were the heights of war in Pikit. But when the situation there calmed down, I was given an additional assignment by our provincial superior. He assigned me as the new parish priest of Datu Piang. It was an emergency assignment because the former parish priest there got sick and had to leave the place permanently.
Of the total population of 50,000 individuals in Datu Piang, there are only about 600 Catholic individuals or 117 Catholic families. Despite this little number of Catholic families in Datu Piang, the demands of our ministry were heavy because of the presence of thousands of “Bakwit” that needed to be attended to in this place. In August of 2008, the total number of IDPs reached up to 9,225 families which is equivalent to 28, 530 individuals.
When our provincial superior told me that he would give me an additional assignment, I did not hesitate to obey because personally I felt that my presence in Datu Piang was urgently needed.
Since October 2008 up to the present I have been in-charged of our three ministries in the Congregation namely, the Parish ministry in Datu Piang, Program Coordinator of our Inter-Religious Dialogue Ministry and Director of the OMI I-watch Media which is an audio-visual ministry of our Congregation.
To be in-charged of these three ministries is difficult; however, my awareness of the difficult situation and experiences of the “Bakwit” in the different IDP camps is enough to motivate me and endure the demands of my ministries and not to complain.
Today, my sharing will focus on the sorrows and pains of some of the bakwit in Pikit, North Cotabato and in Datu Piang, Maguindanao which I personally have witnessed. Some of these stories, however are based on the personal testimonies of the bakwit which I heard also from them.
Let me share to you now my experience in Pikit, North Cotabato.
It was in August 8, 2008 – Friday, when thousand of civilians from Barangay Langayen, in Pikit and Barangays Kolambog and Tapodoc in Aleosan started to leave their houses and sought for safer barangays in Pikit. The reason for evacuating was the news that circulated through text messages that the military would make an offensive to the MILF camps in Pikit. This news coincided with the arrival of military troops with heavy armaments in Pikit that day. Their presence and the news of their attack to the MILF camps...Read More |
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Posted by mpc on 2009-11-15 20:45:31 (766 reads)
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