Love in Action

On February 17, 2006, torrential downpours that persisted for many days in the central Philippines caused a massive landslide in South Leyte, and within minutes, several villages were swallowed by mud as boulders barreled down onto them. In some places the mud was as deep as thirty feet. This massive catastrophe devastated the village of St. Bernard and neighboring communities, killing three thousand people. To date, less than sixty villagers have been rescued and the rest are still missing.

Upon hearing of the disaster Master became concerned and promptly instructed that a rescue operation be launched. So upon receiving Her message on February 20, fellow initiates from Formosa quickly organized and sent a relief team to the Philippines the next morning.

Immediately after arriving at the Manila Center, the initiates contacted two old acquaintances in the country: Mr. Manuel L. Morato, a former Senator, and Mr. Joe Lad Santos, a local reporter. Mr. Santos came to the center that evening to discuss the situation and it was obvious that he missed Master very much. That same evening, the relief team called on Mr. Morato, and upon learning why the rescue team had come he immediately telephoned the Tacloban Branch Office of the PCSO (Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office), and personally wrote an introductory letter (see appendix) to be presented to Mrs. Zenny Delantar, the Chief Executive of the Office. The letter revealed that Mr. Morato, who eagerly supported the relief effort, was currently PCSO Superintendent. Then that night the rescue team decided to launch the relief effort in two locales simultaneously. One group of fellow initiates would go to South Leyte Province in the central Philippines, while the other group would proceed to Zamboanga City in the south.

South Leyte

On February 22, Mrs. Delantar led the relief team to the affected areas. And accompanied by the city government secretary, the team members surveyed the scene and recorded the number of victims in each shelter and their needs. Since their homes had been totally destroyed in the mudslide, they needed all the daily necessities. So the following day, the PCSO volunteers worked with the initiates to purchase relief materials and touched the hearts of everyone with their ardent devotion. From making inquiries to price negotiations, they put in their greatest effort, taking care of every detail and making sure that each cent contributed by Master was used to the maximum effect. After making their purchases the initiates promptly packed and loaded the provisions onto two large trucks for delivery to various shelters early the next morning.

The supplies were distributed at the Christian High School in St. Bernard, the St. Bernard Central School, the United Christian Church and the Children’s Friendly School, where a temporary shelter had been set up for youngsters who lost their parents in the catastrophe. The San Juan mayor joined the distribution team and they met Ms. Rachel R. Cuevar, principal of San Juan National High School in St. Bernard, which had been buried by the mudslide. Deeply moved by the relief effort, she said with tear-filled eyes, “I am very grateful for the help that the Supreme Master Ching Hai has rendered to these children.” Then the relief team visited and distributed relief provisions to the sixteen injured victims in the hospital.

After the distribution work was completed, the relief team members returned to Manila the next day, February 25, and immediately went to Mr. Morato’s residence to express their deep gratitude. Mr. Morato in turn greatly admired Master’s charitable deeds, and said, “I miss Her very much and hope that Master will visit the Philippines again one day.”

Zamboanga

Zamboanga, which lies at the southern tip of the Philippines, was most severely hit by the landslide in its mountainous Bayog area, where the inhabitants lived in poverty and were mainly miners. The landslide triggered by heavy rain on February 19 toppled and destroyed many houses and the victims urgently needed outside help.

The relief team arrived in Zamboanga on February 22, and fortunately, with earnest help from Ms. Loraida, the news chief of ABS-CBN, the largest local TV channel, they contacted Mr. Martias, advisor to the Bayog Municipal Office. On the telephone, Mr. Martias said that the affected area was badly in need of tents and medical supplies and suggested that the team purchase fifteen kinds of medicine and four rolls of fifty-meter-long, highly stretchable plastic canvas for tents. Being a very considerate person, Ms. Loraida volunteered to contact tent manufacturers and pharmaceutical companies on behalf of the team, which was new to the country. Even more touching was the fact that the local businesspeople she knew offered discounts on learning that the initiates had come a long way just to help their brothers and sisters.

Early the next morning before the team set off for the affected area, they were informed that road conditions were so bad that their jeeps would not be able to make it there. So they had no choice but to load the materials on mountain motorbikes and make a perilous journey. In fact, at some places the path was so narrow that a person had to crawl on his side to move forward. Knowing that the relief provisions included medicine, the Philippine government sent medical workers with the team to render medical care. After overcoming many hardships and upon reaching their destination, the relief team’s medical workers quickly set up a temporary medical post and found that most victims suffered from gastrointestinal discomfort and flu. The local residents were both surprised and delighted to welcome delegates of The Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association to their area, where disasters occur frequently, they said, but the Association was the first overseas group to have come and shown them true loving kindness.

While conducting the 2006 Philippine relief work, the fellow initiates also distributed the “Alternative Living” leaflets to people with affinity at the airport and whom they met on the trip. The response was generally positive, and despite the unfamiliar environment and potential dangers in the affected areas, the team managed to accomplish its operation within five days. All this was due to Master’s love and blessing. And the initiates are well aware that while they are serving sentient beings, Master is also silently doing the same thing by their side.

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