A healing place called Nazareth

Sunday Inquirer Magazine/Feature/By Ma. Ceres P. Doyo

“GOD is here.”

The narrow, tree-lined road leads to the gate of the wooded place on which this sign is tacked. Indeed, it’s a special place, a hidden garden for body and spirit. But more than the place, it’s people who are special here.

Here the wind whispers constantly through the leaves and into one’s soul. Mother Nature and human nature conspire to bring about newness and hope. The sun-drenched green terrain livens up with the footsteps of those who dwell here, human beings on a journey and who are slowly and purposefully finding new life again.

This is the Nazareth Formation House, a Bob Garon Therapeutic Community Center.

One arrives feeling privileged and trusted. It is not every day that a visitor is able to behold people who have extreme stories to tell about being broken and lost, and about their amazing journey within toward becoming whole.

As the trite saying goes, truth is stranger than fiction. And in Nazareth, “strange” could mean bizarre, extreme, miraculous—all understatements. For residents here who call themselves Nazarenes, the way from there to here could only have been paved for them by a divine hand. They have all come from the edge. They come from all walks of life and come hurting. Society dealt them cruel blows, just as some of them did on the weak and the vulnerable, including themselves.

Founded in 1999 by couple Bob and Emmy Ilagan Garon, Nazareth employs the therapeutic community (TC) approach to rehabilitating drug dependents, as well as those suffering from other addictions—alcohol, tobacco, sex, gambling. It is not unusual for them to have multiple addictions, Bob explains. So-called “lifestylers” (non-drug dependents who simply want to experience living in a TC) are also welcome.

Bob, 72, was an American La Salette priest when he founded the Dare Foundation, the first therapeutic community in Asia. In 1977, he left the priesthood and Dare and went into business and management consultancy while continuing to counsel parents and drug dependents. The couple also established the thriving Golden Values schools for the young.

Observing the rapid spread of addiction, the Garons decided to go back to their first love—drug rehab—in 1999. They had achieved financial independence and had the skills, the desire, the resources and the place—a sprawling five-hectare ranch in Batangas, some two hours’ drive from Makati.

Nazareth Formation House, named after the place where Jesus Christ grew up, aims to help those with addictions turn their lives around and make them law-abiding, God-loving productive individuals when they return to society. Behavioral modification is key.

Assisting the Garons, who have been married for 32 years, is a staff of seven, with Bob as the president and Emmy as executive director. Their daughters Vanessa, 29, executive director of Golden Values School, and Alexandra are also part of the Garon family ministry. Alexandra, 24, the assistant director of Nazareth, is doing her masters in clinical psychology. The Garon daughters were the only female volunteer divers among the scuba divers who plumbed the Romblon disaster site where the m/v Princess of the Stars sank in stormy weather last year.

There are more than 40 residents at Nazareth now, both male and female of all ages, “from 14 to 75,” Bob reveals.

TC stands on three legs, he says of the healing approach used at Nazareth. “These are psychotherapy, education and behavior modification. At the center is spirituality.” And so standing at the center of the lush setting is the hexagonal Chapel of the Nazarene. It is without walls and embellishments, a sturdy open structure with a great view of the verdant outdoors.

Everyday Mass here is truly a feast, a communion of spirits, a sharing of hearts. Garon is quick to point out that several altar items—the red chalice (his mother’s gift), the Mass crucifix, and the big bare narra cross—are from his priesthood days.

As they say, priesthood is forever. Bob and Emmy have a special place in their hearts for the wounded shepherds who have lost their way in the dark, the wounded healers in need of special care. Fresh and green indeed are the pastures of Nazareth.

“As wounded persons,” Bob says of the residents, “they have wandered far from God and have rejected His precepts in favor of self-destructive lifestyles. But behind that godless face, there is sadness and emptiness, darkness and a loss of meaning.”

God is put right back at the center of each one’s recovery and behavior modification. It is not just the residents who need healing; their families, too, must be part of the process.

In a quiet corner of Nazareth is the Garden of Angels, a place of remembrance graced by small stone angels in impish poses. Among the flowers are the names of aborted babies carved on tiles. “The residents wanted this,” says Bob. Beside the garden is a small chapel for adoration. On the altar is a beautiful scrapbook that contains the residents’ letters to their babies.

One letter says: “I’m sorry for what happened. I never saw you, I never held you.” Another says: “Thank you for giving me peace.”

Nazareth is not strictly Catholic/Christian or for Filipinos only. There have been residents from other religions and other countries. The length of stay varies—from a year to five years or even longer. The men live separately from the women but they get to interact with each other during meals, Mass and reflection sessions.

There is time for fun and exercise. There is a swimming pool, a basketball court and lots of ground to work on. And there are animals—horses, dogs, cats—to romp with. No wonder they all look physically fit.

Says Tash, whose life story is utterly unbelievable except that it’s true: “It was difficult at first, but later I felt at home.” Says Jobi: “Here at Nazareth, God finds us (and we find God) in different ways—in nature, the people, daily Mass, confession and the support of the community.” Prayer is part of the Nazareth lifestyle, and so is work. There is no time to be idle.

This is not to say that professional psychotherapy takes a back seat. A very important part of therapy is the “journey” which a resident takes by way of recalling, writing, confronting, and later, accepting the what, who, when, where, why and how of his or her life. What went wrong, what was right. This aids in healing and in finding direction.

Easier said than done. Says Norman, a former resident: “Nazareth is a place of change and reflection. It’s my second family and friend. This place became a big part of my life because it formed my new identity. It gave new color and direction to my life. It taught me how to deal with problems and situations and moved me closer to God.”

“Tito (Uncle)” Bob shows reams of paper which contain “journeys,” all handwritten. Some are inches thick and could very well be novels, except that these are not fiction. The pages are dripping with pathos and pain, screaming for help and redemption.

Re-entry is the tricky part, says Emmy, who has seen it all. Going home is a gradual process. Some residents have enrolled in distance education or in schools outside the rehab place. “I still can’t go home and not feel terrible,” says Jon. “Whenever I see my room…” he adds, his voice trailing off.

For visitors to the center, interacting with the residents can be a painful encounter. What does one say to a beautiful teenager who turned to drugs after sexual abuse, three forced abortions and betrayal? How does one understand a grown man whose response to being sexually abused by his own mother when he was growing up is alcohol? How does one help a young fellow who has tried it all? Can he ever forgive someone he trusted, who sold him off to predators?

You listen to them speak so eloquently, you watch them dance and sing to their hearts’ content, you see them work and do their duties. You feel their warm hugs, their eagerness to share. You catch a glimpse of their hidden purity and their determination to become the best they could be. They are miracles in the making.

God is here in Nazareth. 

For inquiries, contact Nazareth at its Metro Manila office: 24 Canberra St., BF Homes III, Parañaque City, Philippines 1718. Telephone: (632) 820-6107; 825-1771 Mobile No: (0917) 832-3452. E-mail : gvcbuenca@vasia.com or log on to www.nazarethformationhouse.com

We are not diminished

By Ma. Ceres P. Doyo
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 22:16:00 04/01/2009

Those who are planning to declare, or have already declared a fatwa on Chip Tsao, the Chinese columnist of HK Magazine who called the Philippines “a nation of servants” and several other very demeaning things, please rethink your move. His splattered blood and brains are not worth your effort. Thou shalt not kill.

The guy just happens to have no class, no breeding. He could be a survivor of amniocentecis, melamine milk poisoning, or a horrible childhood. Have mercy. We are a nation of compassionate carers, remember?

Tsao’s words about Filipinos translated as “patay-gutom,” the ultimate insult the “mata-pobre” haves could inflict on the have-nots. Oh, but we have not been diminished. Tsao and his HK Magazine have. I bet our humorists will have a field day making us laugh at Tsao and the Filipinos’ Hong Kong “masters.” As we say, if you can’t beat them, laugh at them. Filipinos are great at getting back by laughing their detractors to Kingdom Come.



Think of the many possible gag scripts around the theme, “What did the ‘mata-pobre’ say to the ‘patay-gutom’ and what did the’ patay-gutom’ say to the ‘mata-pobre’?” Paging “Bubble Gang.”

The HK Magazine publisher has apologized, but the magazine will have a hard time living down the racist, class-ist slur that has been inflicted on Filipinos. They have poured a bucket of their own spit on themselves. Mwahaha.

Let’s put that behind us, okay? To declare Tsao persona non grata is just giving him importance. As the Ilonggos would sweetly say, “Waay gani nakalibot sa dapog.” I bet you don’t know that that means. But you would know an answer to the question, “Why did the overseas Filipino worker (OFW) cross the street?”

We are a smart, hardy people. We, the wretched of the earth, will inherit the earth, and this includes the Spratlys.

As we move toward Holy Week, it behooves us to remember the millions of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) burdened by the cross of separation from their families and working in hostile environments and uncertainty in their jobs. Daily they are on a via crucis, on a via dolorosa.

Those of us who have never been OFWs should do the Stations of the Cross with the OFW theme. There are so many stories about the OFWs — their travails, their triumphs. Many have been brutally treated, betrayed, killed in foreign lands. Still millions continue to go out there to earn money for their families, to give back. They contribute much to the countries that hired them and have learned to love.

They do not deserve insults from ill-bred people like Tsao. And we must not fail them by speaking up on their behalf, by making them feel that they are not alone out there.

You see them in hotels and restaurants, in shops and ships and streets, in the most unlikely places in foreign lands. You meet them in airports and airplanes. You know they’ve come from somewhere you’ve not been to. You are amazed at their courage and their strength to carry the cross for family and country.

* * *

Natural farming seminar. Many readers sent e-mail after they read the column piece on organic/natural farming/sustainable agriculture and asked how and where they could learn the natural methods. Here’s something for those interested:

Susi Foundation Inc. will hold a seminar/workshop on April 14 to 16 on the essence and practice of sustainable agriculture. The short course is called Balanced EcoSystem Technologies (BEST). It covers the basic agricultural practices of different sustainable technologies that use materials and methods that are natural and in harmony with natural laws. The venue is Bahay Tuklasan, Barangay Behia, Tiaong, Quezon, which is a two-hour drive from Makati.

Topics to be discussed are: human development and eco-friendly agriculture (socio-cultural, economic, political, ecological and ethical aspects), organic farming (a balanced ecological system, value and effects of raising crops and livestock the natural way), the soil food web (the micro-allies of the botanical world), soil management (structure, environment and organization of soil), fertility and crop and livestock protection management (ecological standards of soil amendments and pest and disease control methods) and planning and organizing an ecologically balanced farm.

There will be workshop activities on composting, soil restructuring, nursery and grow-out phase, EM and concoction production, natural livestock feed production, and farm planning and budgeting.

The BEST seminar/workshop is a hands-on training on the essence and practice of farming that is in harmony with nature and in unity with the biotic community to which we all, as humans, belong. For those of you who do not farm but do gardening as a hobby or would like to take part in protecting and conserving the natural resources of our only home, Planet Earth, what you will learn might help you live a purposeful, long and healthy life.

I know a group of farmers who attended the seminar and until now they are still raving and talking about it like it was one of the best things that happened to their lives as farmers. Many of the things they learned are not taught in agriculture school.

For directions and reservation contact Sr. Isyang at The Susi Foundation Inc., +6342 5456359, +63928 2612952, +63915 286722. Or you could write to my email address and I will forward the info.

Find your peace in this Field of Faith

Philippine Daily Inquirer-Lifestyle/ 
Feature/by Ma. Ceres P. Doyo

"AS OFTEN as you can, take a trip out to the fields and pray. All the grasses will enter your prayers and give you strength to sing praises to God.”

These words from an 18th-century rabbi ring true once your feet touch the grass and the stillness embraces you like a shawl of soft rain.

Truly, this is one of the beautiful spots on Earth which the eye of the soul can behold, and can be seen by the physical eyes and felt by one’s entire being.

Field of Faith calls out gently to everyone who enters. Rest. Listen. Feel. Remember. Awaken. Heal. It might as well remind: Do not hurry, you are at home. This is a sanctuary, a repository of beauty, a haven for sojourners and seekers.

Something here is alive and nurturing. Spirit of place, it is called. A guiding hand created this place. It is meant to be shared.

Field of Faith is at the foot of a mountain in Calauan, Laguna, an hour and 40-minute drive from Manila. The four-hectare sanctuary came to be in 2004 as a family’s thanksgiving for divine healing.

Owned and maintained by the family of former Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Gabriel Singson and his wife, writer Moonyeen (nee Retizos), the place was landscaped, designed and continually beautified by their daughter, Carissa Singson-Mabasa, with the help of divinely-inspired artists, gardeners and other kindred spirits.

A luminous cross surrounded by gurgling waters stands at the heart of the place. There is the chapel without walls embraced by trees. Here, one could sit alone or join others for a joyful celebration. Butterflies, birds, fish and other living things contribute their energy to the place.

Labyrinth, satsang halls

Surely something to experience is the wide open hall with the ancient labyrinth design on the floor, which one could trace, tile after tile, with one’s steps and with a meditation guide on audio.

The labyrinth walk is a Western form of prayer and meditation of the early Christians.

“Today,” Carissa explains, “walking the labyrinth has become a metaphor for the spiritual journey. It is a powerful tool for transformation. It can help inspire change and renewal, and serves as a guide to help us develop higher levels of awareness.”

“The journey of self-realization is at the heart of spiritual traditions of all religions. It is a journey to meet the self and the Divine,” she adds.

One needs time and quiet to get to the center and emerge from the labyrinth. Walk silently along this path until you feel and remember that deep inside you is something valuable and worth listening to.

The newly built satsang hall is for encounters and workshops to help people regain unity of mind, body and spirit. Lessons are taken from Eastern and Western traditions that stress the totality of one’s being and experiencing the divine. Satsang, a Sanskrit word, means “a gathering for truth.”

Wishing wall

The Shekinah Wishing Wall offers its crevices to be filled with petitions and wishes. Shekinah is a Hebrew word that means “the God who dwells within.” In Christianity and Judaism, Shekina refers to the Holy Spirit.

For those drawn to the outdoors, there’s the neo-ethnic and modern sacred art that complements the lush tropical landscape. Each spot, detail and structure has a message to impart and a charm all its own. The words of wisdom—ancient and new—embossed, engraved, painted, etched and hung on nooks and pathways, call out to be read and internalized.

Take the 800-m pathway dotted with the stations of the cross and the mysteries of the rosary rendered in either wood, resin or metal. Stop in meditation spots to rest and reflect. Various artists went to work to make this portion not just a prayer path but also an art walkway.

One need not worry about where to stay. There are comfortable rooms and modern amenities. The glass hall serves as a dining area where healthy meals are served. There is a swimming pool for those who wish to soak away.

Healing garden

When Moonyeen discovered she had stage four colon cancer in 2003, Field of Faith was not even an idea.

“From my sister, I learned about this healing garden owned by an Italian family in Toronto,” Moonyeen recalls. “People went there to pray and experienced miracles.”

She thought, why not do something similar in the Philippines?

After Moonyeen returned from therapy in Singapore, the family decided to work on a property in Laguna which had been handed down by Moonyeen’s grandfather, Isidro Retizos.

“It was a wilderness,” Carissa says. Little by little, the place became transformed into God’s field—for all faiths. The place opened in 2005.

On special times of the year like Holy Week, Field of Faith attracts people who wish to immerse in prayer, quiet and beauty. The place could be used throughout the year for retreats, seminars and other group activities.

Truly, this is God’s field. It continues to grow and is ever renewing.

For inquiries, contact 0917-8151585 or 7210081. E-mail field_of_faith@yahoo.com. Visit www.fieldoffaithsanctuary.com

One billion words for Earth

8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 28 is Earth Hour. People all over the world are urged to switch off all their lights for one hour. This is not only saving energy but also casting a Vote for Earth.

This year, Earth Hour (last Saturday of March) has been transformed into the world’s first global election, a choice between Earth and global warming. For the first time in history, people of all ages, nationalities, race and background could use their light switch as their vote. Switching off the lights is a vote for Earth. Leaving them on is, well…

Voting for Earth with the use of the light switch should be easier than the 2010 automated Philippine elections. And its impact is global. Staying in the dark for an hour should be an opportunity to create activities. Before you know it the 60 minutes are over and you’d probably want to stay in the dark a little longer.



The World Wildlife Fund is urging the world to vote Earth and reach the target of 1 billion votes, which will be presented to world leaders at the Global Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen 2009. This meeting will influence national policies and governments to take action against global warming, which will replace the Kyoto Protocol. It is the chance for the people of the world to make their voices heard.

Earth Hour began as a small effort in Sydney in 2007, when more than 2 million homes and businesses switched off their lights for one hour. In 2008 this effort grew into a movement for global sustainability. Some 50 million people participated and switched off their lights. Familiar landmarks such as the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, Rome’s Colosseum, the Sydney Opera House and the Coca Cola billboard in Times Square all stood to be counted in the darkness. We should have our own Philippine landmarks darkened. What about all those billboards from hell?

This year, 2009, Earth Hour moves to the next level. The goal: 1 billion people switching off their lights as part of a global vote for planet Earth. Vote Earth is a global call to action for every individual, every group, and every community. It is a call to stand up and do something for planet Earth and its future. Over 74 countries and territories have pledged their support and millions are expected to cast their vote for Earth this Saturday. The number is growing every day.

You can watch the numbers grow in the Earth Hour and Vote Earth websites. Even social networking sites in cyberspace—Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, etc.—are participating. If you are able to navigate the Internet, or if someone could do it for you, visit www.voteearth2009.org. You could register, send your short message and even upload a photo or two of yourself and of a spot on planet Earth. My message: “Amazing Earth, Great Mother, we pledge to protect you.” I uploaded a photo I took of the bright blue waters and the limestone cliffs of Coron, Palawan.

That is part of the Vote Earth campaign for “one billion words for Earth.” This is using the power of words for a cause. The present state and the future of planet Earth is something people should continue to talk about and write about. Words and images are key. One could do articles, blogs, messages, posters, streamers, stickers, buttons, etc. You can download “We Vote Earth” sample designs from the Internet. Lots of how-tos, too.

By the way, March 22 was World Water Day. Planet Earth is a watery planet that’s why it is also called the Blue Planet. Viewed from outer space, Earth looks like a blue jewel. It’s the water of the oceans that makes it blue.

Now, Earth, with its diverse and awesome life forms (including more than 6 billion humans) that need water, is sending an SOS. There is a water crisis.

The salt and fresh water of the earth remains constant but is it available and safe for every one? We all need fresh water to drink. But the availability of clean water—for all—is a problem.

According to UNEP reports, the crisis is essentially one of poor water governance. But the real tragedy is its adverse effects on the everyday lives of people, most especially the poor. Many of them live in blighted areas and suffer from water-borne diseases as well as water disasters. The quality of water suffers from the loads of waste dumped on waterways and water sources.

Here are some alarming facts about the earth’s waters.

The amount of freshwater in the world remains constant, but its uneven distribution and increasing demand create growing scarcities. At present some 40 percent of the world’s population live in areas with moderate to high water stress.

Species have been declining faster in freshwater than in any other habitat on Earth. About half the world’s wetlands have been lost and more than a fifth of known freshwater species have already been driven to extinction. Over the last 30 years, the Freshwater Species Index fell by 50 percent. WWF points out that the relatively smaller decline in North America shown by the index is deceptive, much of the loss in industrialized countries occurred before 1970.

More than 1 billion people lack access to a steady supply of clean, safe water, while 2.4 billion lack adequate sanitation. More than 2 million people die each year from associated diseases, including 6,000 children every day. The situation has been improving but, at the present rate of investment, universal access to safe drinking water cannot reasonably be anticipated before 2025 in Asia, 2040 in Latin American and the Caribbean, and 2050 in Africa.

And yes, we need water to grow food.

Every act, every word, every vote for Earth counts. Vote Earth on March 28.

Pension Now! for poor older people

I am told that the Philippines is the only country in Asia that has no social pension for poor, older people. These are mostly the ones who had not been formally employed when they were younger and therefore did not have social security or insurance that they could draw from in their older years.

Countries like Bangladesh, Nepal, India and Vietnam have some kind of social pension for the elderly poor, says Ed Gerlock, advocacy officer of the Coalition of Services of the Elderly (COSE). COSE is a non-government organization (NGO) that focuses mainly on the elderly poor.

Founded 20 years ago, COSE empowers poor older persons and helps them live productive lives even in their sunset years. Empowered, they become catalysts in their neighborhood. They serve and help one another so that they are not a burden to their families and their communities. They even go beyond their small confines to serve the community at large. And when some of them become too frail to be of service, the stronger elderly care for them.



COSE also helps the elderly who find themselves poor, uncared for and alone by linking them up with those in a similar situation. Strangers to one another in the beginning, these senior citizens begin to bond and enjoy living together like a family in group homes in a community setting. No institutionalization here.

I was in Barrio Bagong Silangan in Kalookan City recently to meet some older people, a.k.a. senior citizens, who are actively and vigorously serving their community. Bagong Silangan has five sitios and 37,500 households which are mostly from the low-income bracket. COSE has a strong presence here.

There is the Sitio Kumonoy Elderly Association (SKEA) which has 97 members. President Encarnacion Matreo, 63, says they meet regularly to address concerns related to health (medical, dental, optical), electricity, sanitation and the like. Their “Mission-Vission” (note spelling) is proudly posted on the wall for all to read.

I got to meet the women who run the Botica-Binhi, a community drugstore. I also met the elderly volunteer gerontologists. What a lively bunch they were. I was also introduced to a very, very poor elderly woman living in a tent. Illiterate, the only thing she knew how to do was scavenging which earned her P30 a day. But it was heartwarming to see how her neighbors looked after her and her daughter.

She is among those who should benefit from The Elderly Poor Pensions Act. Introduced by Rep. Eduardo Zialcita, this act “encourage(s) social and economic development through monthly pensions to the elderly poor, appropriating funds therefore.” It provides that all financially disadvantaged elderly may avail of the social pension as well as loans provided they are Filipino citizens, at least aged 60, unemployed and without adequate means for survival, and holders of a special ID issued by the appropriate government agency.

The provisions of this act shall be included in the General Appropriations Act of the year. The Department of Social Welfare and Development is mandated to promulgate the rules and regulations for its implementation. The organized elderly are still pushing for the implementation to happen soon.

COSE says that this is not welfare or dole-out but “economic development and justice for older people.”

Collaborating with COSE are about 60 older peoples organizations (OPO) in urban poor areas in Metro Manila that are engaged in community-based programs of the elderly (CBPE). The provinces of Bulacan, Cavite, Camarines Norte, Cebu, Agusan del Sur and Davao as well as the cities of Baguio, Bacolod and Iligan have CBPE.

The local governments of Hagonoy in Bulacan, Barangay Ma-a in Davao City and five towns in Camarines Norte are now implementing home care assistance programs. The DSWD developed and implemented the guideless for the Neighborhood Support Services for Older Persons.

But there’s a lot more that should be done. Although COSE started the home care services in some Metro Manila communities, there is need for these services to be replicated and institutionalized by local governments.

The poor elderly have a lot to contribute to their communities. In COSE areas, the strong work as home care assistants and community gerontologists. The latter monitor the health of the aging. Others act as peer counselors and offer a listening ear to those with problems.

There are the fund raisers, community and social activities organizers. The burial fund officers see to it that bereaved families are not overburdened by expenses. The Botica-Binhi managers make available low-priced medicines.

Others act as advocacy officers to help raise awareness about current issues. The group home managers help the elderly live together independently and harmoniously. Some do writing, others do business management. And there are the teachers who mentor both young and old and who also act as guide for outsiders and students who want to be exposed to community programs and the local culture.

Notice that the prepositions in COSE are of, not for. Coalition OF Services OF the Elderly. They also serve and do not merely stand and wait. COSE believes it is important for older people to remain in the community to share their experiences and wisdom—and to teach us all about our own process of growth and aging.

COSE’s office is on the mezzanine floor of Mariwasa Bldg, 717 Aurora Blvd., QC., 7220418, cose@cosephil.org. The place is no longer big enough for group activities of the elderly. COSE is looking for a bigger place, preferably a house with outdoor space for gatherings.

So sue us

“So sue me” was a popular 1990s in-your-face dare, an I-don’t-care. But I read somewhere that its origin could be the 1950s “Guys and Dolls” movie musical starring Frank Sinatra where he sings “Serve a paper and sue me, sue me.” There’s even a So Sue Me hot sauce.

The hot sauce is on my mind as the right-of-reply bill, principally authored by Sen. Aquilino Pimentel Jr., threatens to find supporters in the House of Representatives.

Last week, a bunch of former church activists and social action workers with a couple of writers among them had lunch with Pimentel. In case you didn’t know, in the late 1970s Pimentel was legal counsel for the social action arm of the Catholic Church in the Philippines. He cut his legal teeth where most politicians, at that time, feared to tread.

After the filling Chinese lunch at his regular haunt, Pimentel stood up and merrily quipped that there is no such thing as a free lunch. For dessert, he gave us a PowerPoint presentation titled, “If journalists have the right to mortify, the public has the right to reply.” This was about his very controversial bill which journalists, I among them, are opposing vigorously. He anticipated that he would be grilled on it anyway.

Mortify? To mortify means to shame. It’s not the journalists’ God-given vocation to shame for sake of shaming. But sure, exposing shameful deeds is part of our duty.

A lot has been said and written against the bill. Many of them are so well argued they are classics that should be entered into journalism textbooks. Print and broadcast journalists have continuously articulated their opposition. But the bill has its advocates and supporters, politicians mostly, who claim media could be abusive and this bill could be the answer to media’s excesses.

Sure there are excesses and extremes, but these are not what the media exhibit every day. And the suggestion of the bill’s supporters that such excesses could be one of the reasons so many Filipino journalists are murdered every year is like saying these slain purveyors of the word had it coming. Short of saying they deserved it.

The right of reply will stop the bullets? I don’t think so. The right of reply could even give rise to excesses from those who demand it. We ain’t seen nothing yet. OMG! While Pimentel argues that the right to reply is only for those who are severely aggrieved and not just for anyone to demand, who is now to say to them, no, you are not aggrieved enough.

And how now do journalists begin to calibrate what they write or say so that their targets do not demand to make a reply every time and also in excess? And in what way, how much space, when, where, what time? As they say, the devil is in the details.

Just sue us.

Pimentel also says that with this bill, libel suits against journalists could be prevented. Like it’s going to do journalists a favor. Sure a libel suit can be a burden for journalists. I experienced this during the dark days of martial law. But in a libel case, the burden is on the accuser to prove malice. And malice is not easy to prove. The harassed journalist could end up winning the libel case and the accuser proven to be corrupt and a low-life after all. The latter would not like this. He/she would rather demand space and airing in the media in “saecula saeculorum” [forever and ever]. Easier than going to court. “Sikat ka pa.” [You even get publicity.]

Speaking of excessiveness, in 1983, a general sued me and my editor because I wrote a long magazine article that exposed the military’s human rights abuses in Bataan province. I faced a P10-million libel suit. I did not know the general from Adam and his name was not even mentioned in the article. But he claimed he had been maligned.

Who he? I later learned that at that time he was a military attaché somewhere, so how could he have been in charge of the abusive troops? It was clear that he was just used by the dictatorship to harass and sow fear. Still, after the preliminary hearing the Manila fiscal nicknamed Joe Flame had the temerity to file the case. I had to post bail.

(Among my lawyers were Joker Arroyo, Rene Saguisag, Fulgencio Factoran, Jejomar Binay, Augusto Sanchez—all of the Mabini Lawyers group headed by Lorenzo Tañada — and Saklolo Leano of the Siguion-Reyna Law Office. Happily, the case was overtaken by the 1986 People Power uprising that toppled the Marcos dictatorship, and was dropped.)

Just sue us.

Who’s afraid of libel suits? As I said, with a libel suit the journalist could be proven right and the crooks and their shameful deeds could be further exposed.

And there’s that so-called “sunset clause” in the bill that would cause the right of reply to self-destruct (my own words) after several years if the media have been proven to have adhered to the principles of fairness. It smacks of condescension. Pour on the So Sue Me hot sauce.

Responsible journalists need not be told that clashing sides deserve airing, that fairness is paramount. We have our code of ethics, and in the case of the Philippine Daily Inquirer, an in-house ombudsman, a Letters section and a Correction section. Sure, there are scalawags in media who fancy themselves to be journalists — and may their tribe decrease. These are not the ones who give the crooks sleepless nights as they are crooks themselves. It is the journalists who walk the straight and narrow, the ones who discover, know and write the truth — these are the endangered species that the powers-that-be fear most. And might want to stifle, if not eliminate.

So sue us.

* * *

Fr. Ruben Villote, former columnist of the Sunday Inquirer Magazine and founder of the Center for Migrant Youth (CMY), will celebrate the golden anniversary of his priesthood on Sunday, March 15. Mass will be at 9 a.m. at CMY, 15 Goldman St., East Fairview, Quezon City. Telephone number is +632 4286529.

Pinay caregiver dies in Canada, inspires law

Philippine Daily Inquirer/News/

By Ma. Ceres P. Doyo

MANILA, Philippines—JUANA TEJADA, a Filipino whose plight as a caregiver inspired her supporters to name a proposed Canadian law after her, has died in Toronto. She was 40.

Tejada died of complications resulting from colon cancer. The disease, which struck her when she was on her third year in Canada, had provoked a move to have her deported.

She died on Sunday, March 8, International Women’s Day.

The pending legislation would benefit foreign caregivers in Canada who may find themselves in a similar situation.

Citing humanitarian reasons and Tejada’s dedication to her work, thousands of Filipinos and non-Filipinos in Canada, the Philippines and other countries supported her plea to remain in Canada through an online petition addressed to Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

Fil-Canadian couple Oswald and Mila Magno started the campaign online in 2008.

No ordinary caregiver

“Juana was not just a caregiver,” Tejada’s lawyer Rafael Fabregas told the Philippine Daily Inquirer shortly after she died. “She was also the champion of a worthy cause, the Juana Tejada Law.

“No other caregiver had gone as far as she had in lobbying the Canadian government to re-think the caregiver program. The Parliamentary Committee on Citizenship and Immigration is currently reviewing proposals to reform the program, which includes the Juana Tejada Law.”

If passed, Fabregas said, the measure would exempt live-in caregivers from having to pass a second medical examination before being granted permanent residence in Canada.

Tejada arrived in Canada on a cold wintry day in March 2003. She had a difficult start. She came from Hong Kong where she had worked as a nanny for several years and where there was a SARS outbreak at that time.

SARS—Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome—is a disease whose flu-like symptoms can develop into a lethal pneumonia.

Fabregas said that upon her arrival in Canada, Tejada underwent a month-long self-imposed quarantine before getting a job.

Tejada’s Stage 4 cancer of the colon was diagnosed during her immigration examination in 2006. If not for her illness, she would have been assured of permanent residency which, according to petitioners on her behalf, she deserved.

She had served well

Owing to her illness, she was to have been deported on Aug. 8 last year.

“During the three years when she was able, Tejada, in her small way, supported the healthcare system that she now desperately needs to care for her,” the petitioners said then.

“She is no burden to the healthcare system. She is being looked after by generous and compassionate doctors who are providing their services for free.”

Through caregivers like Tejada, they argued, Canadians were able to lead productive lives. Having served well, she had more reasons to seek humanitarian protection than refugees that Canada had been known to accept, they said.

Permanent residence

The Tejada case arose around the time the movie “Caregiver,” starring Sharon Cuneta, became a box-office hit.

In July last year, Tejada was granted permanent residency status by the Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC). The decision, Fabregas said then, could lead to the removal of the requirement for caregivers to have a second medical examination to obtain permanent residency status.

The requirement is considered “onerous” as this applies only to caregivers.

Canada’s caregiver program grants permanent resident status to foreign domestic workers after completing three years of work and getting medical and criminal record clearances. According to an article by Nicholas Keung in The Toronto Star, 6,156 live-in caregivers became permanent residents through the program.

Caregivers must undergo two medical examinations. The first is for a work visa, and the second is for applying for immigrant status. Last year, 6,156 live-in caregivers became permanent residents through the program, Keung reported.

Hero’s welcome

Tejada was rushed to the Toronto General Hospital on March 5. She died three days later. Her husband Noli Azada and sister Bernarda, as well as friends and supporters, were beside her.

“Tejada’s remains will be flown back to the Philippines,” Fabregas said. “She deserves a hero’s welcome as her case has paved the way for others to be treated with fairness, dignity and respect.”

As of Tuesday, there was still no word when Tejada would be coming home