Reflections from Palawan

I just spent a weekend on Culion Island, one of the islands that make up the Palawan island
chain in the Philippines. The time there highlighted the different human experiences and
challenges that face us on this spinning blue / green globe that we all share.
I stayed at the Hotel Maya while in Culion. It's a repurposed girls dormitory associated with
the Jesuits Loyola College of Culion and has now been turned into a teaching hotel. But
before I tell you about my stay, and there is a lot to tell there, a little history is in order. In
the early 20th century, leprosy was still not cured and the taboo and fear of the chronic
condition led public health officials to extreme measures in the interest of greater public
health. The island of Culion was set aside for this specific purpose, and a hospital and
research center was established for the long term care and treatment of the patients. The
patients, as you can imagine, saw things differently. Being taken from family and friends and
transported to a distant and unknown island to be quarantined with others for the rest of
one's natural life was not a chosen option. While on
the island, the patients' lifestyles were accommodated
as much as possible, but extreme measures to prevent
the leprosos from mixing with the 'sanos' on the
island were also in force. Infants were taken from the resident patients and raised on the
island separately. Parents could visit babies weekly and watch their children through glass
windows. This trauma and sadness changed as the cure to Leprosy was found in the
1970's. Patients disfigured could now return to a more normal lifestyle - and many did, but
many were not easily accepted back to their families. The World Health Organization
(WHO) declared Culion free of the disease in 2006 and now the community is returning to a
community like the others around it.
Culion is a beautiful island; the sunrise from my hotel room was amazing - like
nowhere I have seen before. A photo won't do it justice as the sunlight streams
and engulfs you as reflected from the panoramic bay. Food at the hotel was simple
and fresh and served with great attention to my reaction. Philippine style steamed
crab and white fish and fresh fruit are daily staples. Electricity on Culion is
sporadic, 2 days on and 1 day off, or 12 hours on and then 6 off. It was never clear
the exact pattern, and the locals couldn't explain it either. The staff at the hotel
were so accommodating this is a teaching hotel, so the staff are learning hotel
management and quick to share Philippines ways and wanting to learn about
yours too. Again, the sunrise on the bay at 6 am takes your breath away - it seems
the sun is half the distance from Culion as compared to everywhere else!
Typhoon Yolanda hit the Philippines a year ago on Nov 8 and was responsible for taking 6300 lives in the Philippines and affecting
more than 1,400,000 families. Exactly a year later, I went to a Saturday evening mass and
candle memorial and celebration, and watched as the full church sang together and watched
a photo presentation of the storm, but focused mostly on the time period and recovery and
people's lives after the storm. Many
communities are still recovering and family
pains could certainly not have yet all healed.
Then on Sunday morning, I happened upon a
wedding of a very young and quite poor
couple. The entire community embraced the
young man and woman whose optimism and
excitement for their future was very evident.
The wedding party left on motorcycles and the
newlyweds in a super-clean construction
company pickup truck.

The folks at Kawil Tours were terrific. We motored from Culion on a traditional
fisherman-style catamaran for 45 minutes to visit a Tagbanuas indigenous
community of 6 families and about 50 people living on the banks of the Culion
Sea. Children screamed and laughed as our boat came ashore. We walked among
the raised bamboo huts and I marveled at how these people lived happily within
their extended families in this small community with only the fresh fish, sunrises
and company of each other to occupy them. Later we traveled along the coastline
and the Kawil folks showed me the mangroves that they have helped to restore. As
you know, mangroves are instrumental in coastal degradation prevention, storm
buffering and are key to a balanced aquatic ecosystem where species spawn and
mature and support each other. We also snorkeled along the coral reef where the
bright blue coral was only matched by the irradiant waters of Lake Kayangan, also
nearby. Significant parts of the coastal areas are set aside as nature preserves, and navigating these waters that range from very
shallow to deep is difficult. The Kawil crew protected the coral reefs in all their moorings, and knew the names of every one of the
50 different fish I saw. Skip the trip to the aquarium, and snorkel or dive the Philippines instead.
The other really satisfying part of the trip included visiting the Rags2Riches kiosk in Manila. Peasant women search for usable
scraps of fabric in from waste materials. They then wash and dye the
materials and then weave the fabrics into beautiful purses and handbags.
Profits from this venture are oriented at these women and for the benefit
of their families. Its a great business model, and the handbags are
beautiful. Each of my girls will find one under the Christmas tree this
year.

Fr. Xavier Alpasa invited me to visit these communities and meet these wonderful people and see these budding social ventures
that allow local people to share the beauties of their land and rich culture. He's been instrumental in so many important ventures
- he has about a million friends and is always looking for more. He is a remarkable man who has been at the center of social
entrepreneurship, education, corporate social responsibility, business practice ethics, strategic planning, and government
relations in the Philippines. He'll either be Prime Minister or Bishop someday. Google him and catch his Ted talk.
You should want to visit the Philippines, and if you do, contact Kawil Tours for info. It will be a really meaningful journey.

Best Regards,
Roberto Piccioni
15 November 2014
Fr Xavier Alpasa
http://blog.ted.com/2011/02/18/fellows-friday-with-xavier-alpasa/
Kawil Tours & Hotel Maya, Culion, Philippines
http://kawiltours.com/kawil/
Rags to Riches
http://rags2riches.ph