Day 9: Run-Walk Across d Philippines

April 9, 2011

The rest day yesterday really did wonders on my body. I woke up at 3 am feeling refreshed & ready to go. The blisters had healed quickly and I couldn't feel any pain as I set out at 4:15 towards Santiago, Agusan which is 47 km from Butuan.

As I walked in the dark towards Santiago I remembered fondly the last day of my pilgrim journey to Santiago de Compostela in Spain. What was missing was stars along the milky way in the Camino de Santiago. I only saw one star early this morning.

When I stopped in Ampayon for a cup of coffee, I saw a group of army soldiers in battle gear. I had a chat with them about my run/walk advocacy for peace & life. I then asked them to pose for a souvenir photo with me. Maybe next time I can also pose for a souvenir photo with some NPA units.

I am doing this run/walk for soldiers like them and also for the NPA & MILF guerrillas, and for the civilians caught in the cross-fire, for all of us who are fed up with the war & violence which been going on for too long. I long for the day when a peace agreement will finally be signed - and a just & lasting peace will reign in our land. Then armed men in full battle gear won't be a common sight and young people don't have to waste their time & life fighting it out in the countryside.

The first 30 km up to Cabadbaran seemed to be easy. I did more walking than running. But it got very hot and I had to use my umbrella again. I could feel new sets of blisters forming. I did more running the last 7 km. I reached Santiago by 5 pm and was welcomed by the parish priest - Fr. Dario Tudlasan.

Day 8: Solo Run-Walk Across d Philippines

At 3:00 in the morning I woke up and remembered that today is a day of rest and went back to sleep. My alarm woke me up at 6:30.
It is such a relief to just relax the whole and allow my body to recover. I have blisters in the soles of my feet and a black (dead) toenail. Without rest I won't be able to recover and I could easily breakdown, and I won't be able to continue and finish my journey. This is the law of the Sabbath and it applies also to everyone's life journey.
I also incorporate rests on those days that I am on the road. That is is why I take frequent breaks every hour and get a good night's sleep. 10-12 hrs on the road is enough.

I spent part of the morning washing my clothes.

At 5:15 pm, I concelebrated with Fr. Joesil and I preached about the Gospel of Life and peace and my specific pro-life advocacies: support the peace process, defend the environment, reject the RH bill.

Day 7: Solo Run-Walk Across d Philippines

I was awake at 3:00 am before my alarm sounded which I set at 3:30 am. By 4:15 am, I was on the road with my headlamp showing me the way. I walked very slowly listening to soft religious music as I prayed & meditated on my feet and witnessed the sun gradually rise on the horizon. This is rhythm I am following most morning during this journey.

I had decided that today I would do less running and more easy & slow walking. I disabled the GPS function of my Timex watch so that I don't have to monitor my pace and distance.

I strictly followed a 5 minutes break every hour to give my feet a rest & to cool off. But in spite of this my feet became more painful due to the blisters in both feet. Walking and running became very agonizing. I focused my mind in praying the rosary and meditating on the joyful, light, sorrowful & glorious mysteries.

The pain would dissapear and I would run the downhill portions but it would later come back forcing me to walk very slowly again.

Once again I experienced the kindness of a stranger when a car suddenly stopped beside me and the owner came out and gave me a bottle of cold water and some money. Twice I was invited by some group of friends who were having a drinking spree to have 'one for the road' but I just smiled & continued walking. Another car stopped and I thought the occupants would give me something but they just wanted to have their picture taken with me!

As I reached the PNP checkpoint near Butuan, the policemen asked me what I was doing and after explaining my advocacy, we had picture taking.

I reached Butuan at 4:15 pm after covering 43 km. I proceeded to the cathedral rectory and was given a room. During dinner I was welcomed by the rector - Msgr. Rowell.

So after 7 days I have covered 295 km. Tomorrow is rest day. I hope I can recover quickly so that I can continue my journey towards Surigao this Saturday.

Day 6: Solo Run/Walk Across the Philippines

As usual I was up by 3:30 am feeling refreshed. I was on the road by 4:45 am. After an hour, I was overtaken by a chubby young man who was running fast. He turned to me and said: "Good luck, Lolo." I was taken aback to hear me being addressed as Lolo (grandpa). Either I look too old, or I run/walk like an old man. And to think that I am not yet a senior citizen. Anyway, I consoled my self by the awareness that although many can run faster than me, they cannot run/walk as far as I can (over 2000+), solo, unsupported, carrying an 8 kilo backpack. There was a time when my average training pace was 5 km/hour which I can do for 30-40 km without taking a walking break. But that was 30 years ago. But I don't think that at that age, I can do what I am doing now. Because I am now slower, I take frequent breaks, I have a lot of patience and endurance, I can go on a long, long journey by foot across this country.

At 8 am, while passing Prosperidad, I drop by a roadside restaurant for coffee. I had a chat with Rosalina, the owner. When it was time to pay for the coffee, she told me that it was free. A few hours later, a van stopped and the owner came out and shook my hand. He introduced himself (Mr. Pajelo) his wife, daughter and son and had picture taken. He then gave me a thousand pesos for my expenses and then drove away. At one in the afternoon, an SUV stopped and a couple came out and introduced themselves (Henry & Cora) and they gave me empanada, siopao and mineral water. I have once gain experienced the kindness and generosity of people I met on the way and this started since day one. Most of them told me that they saw me on TV. They probably wanted to show their support.

I feel ambivalent about the media coverage which started a week before I even began my journey and which is continuing. I wanted to make this low-key and very private and yet because this is a run/walk for a cause, I have to accept it since this is the only way my message can reach a wide audience. I am just a small voice which the media can multiply a thousand times.

I've been having problem with the soles of my feet which become sore and painful after six hours on the road. I have made it a point to rest every hour - for 5-10 minutes to give my aching foot a break and to cool off. But this afternoon, it has becomes more agonizing. The continuous slow running provides relief, but I am also careful that I don't get a repititive stress injury that can result in shin splint or stress fracture.

I finally reached Bayugan City at 4 pm after covering 40 km. I was welcomed by Fr. Guy - the parish priest, and Fr. Danny - his assistant. I concelebrated at the 5:30 pm mass and talked for 12 minutes about my advocacy and the message of life and peace. As usual, I ate over-ate during dinner. This is my only meal of the day which should be enough to sustain my fast while I run/walk during the day.

So after six days, I have covered 252 km. That's an average of 42 km per day (a marathon for six successive days).

Day 4 & 5: Solo Run-Walk Across the Philippines

(I didn't have internet access yesterday so I will just fuse day 4 & 5 here. I left my netbook computer behind so that I can travel light. So I rely on my cellphone or a local internet shop. But there are times when there is no strong cell signal or no open internet shop)

Yesterday, before the sun was out I was already on the road with a headlamp making the road visible. I walked very slowly, aware of God's presence as the sun slowly appeared on the horizon. This is what is called praying and meditating on my feet and with my feet. This may sound unorthodox but I can feel God's presence while walking or running on the road than kneeling in a church or chapel. When it was already bright, I stopped for coffee on a roadside store. After 10 minutes I was back on the road. The road was mostly winding, with lots of ascents and descents. I walked the ascents and ran the descents. Going downhill I remember the prayer that Fr. Brendan used when he blessed me before I set out on my journey: "May the road rise us to meet you..."

While walking briskly, two young girls walked beside me and we chatted for a while.They were on their way to school. They asked me where I was going and why I was walking. I had to explain to them in simple terms. At least they knew that Aparri was very, very far away.

As the day wore on it became hotter and hotter. I applied sunblock lotion on my skin but it wasn't enough. So I took out my umbrella and have instant movable shade. I rested for 5-10 minutes every hour to give my aching feet some rest and to escape the heat of the sun. I took a longer break during noon-time and took a nap under a waiting shed. After an hour, I was back on the road again, with my my umbrella protecting me from the unbearable heat. Late in the afternoon, as my feet ached from walking most of the time, I decided to shift to slow continuous running for the last 12 km which I found more comfortable than walking briskly. I reached Bunawan by 6 pm after covering 48 km and was welcomed by Fr. Pi - a guest priest. The parish priest was in Cebu for an operation. I had a heavy dinner and was in bed by 9 pm.

I woke up at 3:30 in the morning and was on the road by 4:40 am. The first few hours was spent in a slow, meditative & prayerful walking. The day was pretty much like yesterday. Very hot and humid which again forced me to use my umbrella. I rested for an hour during noontime. I felt lazy to walk under the unbearable heat but I continued. Suddenly, it rained heavily - the umbrella came in handy. But it was brief and the torrid sun came back quickly. The umbrella stayed in my hand. It rained again when I reached San Francisco, Agusan at 3:34 pm after covering 43 km. I was met by Fr. Jonathan. He was surprised that I was alone, with not support crew or vehicle.

After 5 days, I have covered 211 km. 53 more days to go.

Day 3: Run-Walk Across d Philippines

The parish church in Mawab was already full of people when I celebrated the Sunday mass at 5:30 am. I preached about the gospel of life and peace and also talked about the concerns and issues that are the focus of my running/walking pilgrimage. After the mass I had a cup of coffee & fruit juice and I was ready to go. After picture taking with Fr. Chris, Karla & other members of the parish staff I was on the road by 7:30. I was expecting to have another short & easy day since according to the internet distance calculator Monkayo was only 35 km from Mawab. But Fr. Cris told me it would be longer.
I wore my sandals for the first 4 hours but changed to running shoes when I felt the hot spots in the soles of my feet. I stopped by in Nabunturan for hamburger and soft drinks. I was back on the road by 11:15. I was doing more walking than running. When I passed a barrio in Montevista a guy approached me and shook my hand. He told me that several years ago, he walked with some members of the SDA from Bukidnon to Manila in 48 days. I found out that he is Pastor Emata - one of the first Filipino to Climb Mt. Everest.
Late in the afternoon, I felt my feet becoming more painful I had to take frequent rest. As it became cooler later in the afternoon I did more running than walking which relieved the pain. I reached Monkayo at past seven after covering 49 km. I miscalculated the distance. I also didn't know about roundabout detour to the Poblacion. I was welcomed by Fr. Cabrera, the parochial vicar and was immediately served dinner.

Day 2: Run-Walk Across d Philippines

At six in the morning I was on the road. No breakfast as usual. I was thinking of buying a cup of coffee on the way. I was surprised that most of the people I passed on the road waved at me and greeted me: Good morning, Father! Some approached me and shook my hand. Others asked me to bless them. Many told me that they saw me on TV. But what surprised me more was the expression of hospitality and support. After an hour, a man called out from the veranda of his hut and hot coffee. I immediately stopped and accepted his invitation. I had a chat with Ramon and his wife Lina while drinking coffee. While continuing my journey several men on motorbikes approached me and gave me some cold bottled water. A motorist stopped his car and gave me orange juice. Another asked me to stopped by a her store and gave me soft drink and bread. I was just overwhelmed by all these.

I reached Tagum at around ten am and rested at a sari-sari store and bought siopao and cobra energy drink. I spent time in an internet shop. I was back on the road at noon. My feet felt sore and I was worried I could get blisters. I stopped many times to give my feet a chance to cool down. By 2 pm, as I was ascending the hills of Mawab it was cooler. I was running down the hills on the last 7 km to Mawab. After running and walking 37 km, I reached the parish rectory in Mawab by 5 pm. Fr. Chris was out in the barrio and welcomed me later in the evening.

So here I am in a place that has been considered a hot bed of insurgency. There has frequent armed clashes between the NPA and government troops in the hinterlands and neighboring barrios in Compostela Valley.

Run-walk across d Philippines: Day 1

April 1, 2011 I celebrated the Mass for Life & Peace at 6 am in our parish chuerch. Immediately after the Mass, I changed into my running gear. With my backpack on I stood infront of the church door and Fr. Brendan (my superior) gave the pilgrims blessing. By 7:00!Then I started walking and running along the highway to Carmen followed by some seminarians, Jason and 6 other youthful runners in the parish. Dominic, a little boy also ran a few a meters and jumped back to his grandmother's vehicle. After 10 km I was finally alone. The other runners went home A lot of people waved at me, some greeted me as Father, a guy on a motorbike came near and asked for my blessing. A chubby girl gave me some biscuits. Many motorists honked their horns and waved at me. Near Panabo a coconut milk vendor gave me free drinks. The afternoon was cooler and windy. I reached Carmen at 4 pm after covering 36 km and was welcomed by Fr. Roel - the assistant parish priest. I concelebrated in the 5 am mass where I talked about my advocacies. Later after the the mass I gave a talk to parish youth leaders.

Run/Walk for Life & Peace Across the Philippines: Itinerary

I only have 5 days before I start my solo, unsupported Run/Walk Pilgrimage for Life and Peace across the Philippines. I will start immediately after the 6 am send-off Mass for Life and Peace this Friday, April 1, 2011. It will take 57 days to cover 2000+ km. I am posting the purpose of this activity and my itinerary.

This pilgrimage has the following purpose:

1. To express my support for the peace process between the Government of the Philippines and the National Democratic Front, and between the Government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. I pray that a peace agreement would finally be reached. I would also like to appeal for a ceasefire between the government armed forces and the New Peoples’ Army during the period of peace negotiations. I will also make an appeal to our people to support the peace process.

2. To express my opposition to the ongoing destruction of the environment caused by logging, mining and coal-fired power plants. I appeal for a total ban on mining and coal-fired power plants and the implementation of the total log ban.

3. To denounce the continuing extra-judicial killings perpetrated by death squads in Davao and other cities in the Philippines. I appeal to the Commission of Human Rights to continue the investigation and come up with a final report and hold accountable local government officials sponsoring these killings.

4. To express my opposition to the Reproductive Health Bill (HB 4244) which is based on a false assumption that there is a crisis of overpopulation in our country that is one of the causes of the continuing poverty of our people and a hindrance to sustainable development. To address this crisis it aggressively promotes population control - contraceptives (some of which may be abortifacient) and mandatory sex education - as the solution to poverty and underdevelopment.

During this pilgrimage, I would like to preach about the Gospel of Life and Peace. To be pro-life means to oppose the above-mentioned manifestations of the culture of death.

I will be delivering a letter to Malacanang for President Noynoy Aquino on May 10, 2011 as I continue my journey from Manila to Aparri. I don't expect to to meet him, I will just leave the letter at the guard house and go on my way.

This is the itinerary:

1. 4/1 Fri: Bajada, Davao City to Carmen (36 k)


2. 4/2 Sat: Carmen to Mawab (34 k)


3. 4/3 Sun: Mawab to Monkayo (35 k)


4. 4/4 Mon: Monkayo to Bunawan (49 k)


5. 4/5 Tue: Bunawan to San Francisco (51k)


6. 4/6 Wed: San Francisco to Bayugan (39 k)


7. 4/7 Thu: Bayugan to Butuan (40 k)


8. 4/8 Fri: rest


9. 4/9 Sat: Butuan to Santiago (44 k)


10. 4/10 Sun: Santiago to Tubod (41 k)


11. 4/11 Mon: Tubod to Lipata, Surigao (40 k), ferry crossing to Liloan, Leyte


12. 4/12 Tue: Liloan to Sogod (37)


13. 4/13 Wed: Sogod to Abuyog (58 k)


14. 4/14 Thu: Abuyog to Tolosa (45 k)


15. 4/15 Fri: Tolosa to Tacloban (25 k)


16. 4/16 Sat: rest


17. 4/17 Sun: Tacloban to Calbiga (59 k)


18. 4/18 Mon: Calbiga to Catbalogan (44k)


19. 4/19 Tue: Catbalogan to Gandara (44 k)


20. 4/20 Wed: Gandara to San Joaquin (46k)


21. 4/21 Thu: San Joaquin to San Isidro (40k) Cross to Matnog


22. 4/22 Good Fri:Matnog to Juban (44 k)


23. 4/23 Sat: Juban to Cumadcad, Castilla (42 k)


24. 4/24 Easter Sun: Cumadcad to Legazpi (35 k)


25. 4/25 Mon: rest


26. 4/26 Tue: Legazpi to Libon (49 )


27. 4/27 Wed: Libon to Naga (50)


28. 4/28 Thu: Naga to Lupi (43 k)


29. 4/29 Fri: Lupi to del Gallego (46 k)


30. 4/30 Sat: Del Gallego to Daet-Tagkawayan Junction (46k)


31. 5/1 Sun: Daet-Tagkawayan Junction to Lopez (32 k)


32. 5/2 Mon: Lopez to Gumaca (20 k)


33. 5/3 Tue: Gumaca to Atimonan (28 k)


34. 5/4 Wed: Atimonan to Lucena (43 k)


35. 5/5 Thu: Lucena to San Pablo (46k)


36. 5/6 Fri: San Pablo to Cabuyao (50 k)


37. 5/7 Sat: Cabuyao– Baclaran, MetroManila (40 k)


38. 5/8 Sun: Rest


39. 5/9 Mon: Rest


40. 5/10 Tue: Baclaran-Balagtas, Bulacan (43 k)


41. 5/11 Wed: Balagtas – San Fernando, Pampanga (37 k)


42. 5/12 Thu: San Fernando – Capas, Tarlac (41 k)


43. 5/13 Fri: Capas- Paniqui, Tarlac (40 k)


44. 5/14 Sat: Paniqui– Binalonan (43 k)


45. 5/15 Sun: Binalonan- Twin Peaks (32 k)


46. 5/16 Mon: Twin Peaks –Baguio (31 k)


47. 5/17 Tue: rest


48. 5/18 Wed: Baguio to Sayangan (50 k)


49. 5/19 Thu: Sayangan to Abatan (35 k)


50. 5/20 Fri: Abatan to Sabangan (48 k)


51. 5/21 Sat: Sabangan to Sadanga (32 k)


52. 5/22 Sun: Sadanga to Lubuagan (32 )


53. 5/23 Mon: Lubuagan to Tabuk (36 )


54. 5/24 Tue: Rest


55. 5/25 Wed: Tabuk to Tuao (43 k)


56. 5/26 Thu: Tuao to Piat (10k)


57. 5/27 Fri: Piat- Gattaran (43 k)


58. 5/28 Sat: Gattaran- Aparri (40 k)

.I will celebrate the Mass for Life and Peace in Aparri on May 29, 2011 Sunday and after that take the bus for Manila. I will be staying in Baclaran, my new home for the next four years and report for work to the CBCP-BEC office on June 1.

Valuing the Gift and Sanctity of Life: Campaigning Against the Reproductive Health (RH) bill

Very early this morning, I joined the "Walk for Life"- a Pro-Life/Anti-RH bill march from our parish to San Pedro Cathedral here in Davao City. There were thousands from other parishes in the city who also marched to the cathedral. The mass started at 6 am, presided by Bishop George Rimando, with Archbishop Capalla and some 50 priests concelebrating. Archbishop Capalla gave the homily.

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In other parts of the country, a similar rally was being held - with the biggest in Manila tonight, led by Cardinal Gaudencio Rosales.

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There is a ongoing deliberation in Congress on House Bill 4244 - formerly called Reproductive Health bill and now renamed Responsible Parenthood Bill. The bill is supported by the present administration and many progressive and civil society groups. It is being opposed by the Catholic Church and other religious groups.

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After studying the bill thouroughly and read many of the arguments (for and against), I have made a personal stand against it. I am not in favor of this bill.

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It appears to me that the bill is based on a false assumption:

-that there is a crisis of population explosion in country,

- that the continuing poverty of our people can be traced to this overpopulation and that this is a hindrance to sustainable development.

- therefore it is necessary for the governmen to adopt an aggressive/draconian measures to impose population control such as providing reproductive health services (free contraceptives) and sex education starting at Grade Five.

- this will require a substantial budget taken from the taxes.

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The bill does not promote abortion, but requires hospitals to give preferential attention to women with post-abortion complication. There are contraceptives that induce abortion (abortifacient) such as the RUH pills. Thus, it may gives impression that while it explicitly denies promoting abortion, it condones and encourages it. The term "Reproductive Health" which is linked with "reproductive rights" in other parts of the world is often understood to include women's right to free choice (including termination of pregnancy or abortion). That is why the agenda of the IPPF all over the world is to promote legislation that will make abortion safe and legal. Thus, in many countries abortion is part of the means to control population growth. But the bill does not adopt that due to constitutional restraints - but it condones and even encourages it by adding the provision on post-abortion complications.

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This bill is based on a false assumption that there is a crisis of overpopulation. In fact, population growth in the Philippines has gone down to 2.02 (according to NSO figures) or 1.78 (according to CIA factbook). The total fertility rate has declined to 3.1 in 2008 (from average of 7 in 1960)and is projected to decline to 2.21 (near the ideal replacement level) by 2020. The population density of the Philippines (210/sq km) is much lower than highly developed countries like Hongkong, Singapore, Japan, Netherlands, Germany, etc.

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The crisis that the world (especially the West and highly industrialized society that have adopted aggressive population control programs) is facing is actually the coming "demographic winter" - an aging and shrinking population (more older people, less young people). This will mean a problem with human resources that will affect sustainable economic growth. Thus, there is a turn-around in these countries - they now promote reproduction and provide benefits to those who bear more children instead of penalizing them. Meanwhile, these societies are resorting to migrant labor to fill up their workforce requirements. The Philippines is one of the beneficiaries - that is why we have many Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW). But a time will come when the Philippines could also face the same problem - it may take longer (perhaps 50 years) or it could be hastened by an aggresive population control program.

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The RH bill is based on the false assumption that overpopulation is a contributing factor to the perpetuation of poverty and underdevelopment. To ensure sustainable economic development there is a need to control population growth by any means necessary (contraception, sex education, etc). Thus, what will the government provide to the majority of the people who are poor and hungry? Give them condoms, pills, tubal ligation, vasectomy and sex education and use our scarce funds from our taxes to fund this program. The main beneficiaries of this program will be the drug companies that provide the contraceptives.

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This is actually a rehash of the Mathusian theory that has long been debunked by economists. Poverty and underdevelopment continues due to graft and corruption, unequal distribution of wealth, unjust economic system that favors the local elite and foreign companies. What is needed is to stamped out graft and corruption, a comprehensive poverty alleviation program, improved education program, better health services, etc.

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The issue that we face is not about whether contraception should be allowed or not (it is already legal), or which is the better family planning method (natural or artificial). Rather, the state pursue an an aggressive and mandatory population control policy based on false assumptions that will use our limited resources, that will have negative repercussion in the future, that will create unnecessary tension between the Church and the State?

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We have to value new life in the mother's womb as a gift and a source of hope rather a burden, another mouth to feed. Human resource is the most important resource of every society. We have to avoid an anti-life attitude and policies.

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I make this position knowing that many of my friends in Civil Society groups are supporting the RH Bill (and some have already chided me for being not politically correct). It is in line with the Consistent Ethic of Life. As I run/walk across the Philippines starting next week, I will preach about the Gospel of life and peace. The RH bill will be one of the concerns I will talk about, besides mining & logging, the extrajudicial killings, and the armed conflict.

Final Preparation for Ultra-Run/Walk Across the Philippines

My classes are over and I only have to give the final exams for my students this week and after that a period of my life as a professor which lasted for 16 years will be over. Time to move on to my new assignment in Manila as executive secretary of the Committee on BEC of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines. How do I get to Manila from Davao? Instead of flying, I will just run/walk to Manila and even farther - up to Aparri, the northern tip of the Philippines, then take the bus back to Manila (it will take 58 days to cover over 2000 km). This will symbolize my life as a continuing journey and pilgrimage.

I am making my final preparation for this journey of a lifetime. I have already finalized the itinerary. I have already sent the letter to the parish priests where I will stay overnight - requesting for hospitality and asking for a chance to preach about the Gospel of Life & Peace. I have all the necessary equipment that I will need - backpack, running shorts and quick-dry shirts, jacket, running shoes & sandals, headlight, hydration system, umbrella, etc.

My training continues. Yesterday, I went on a 50 km run/walk training along the Davao-Bukidnon highway which took 9 hours 17 minutes. I carried my back-pack and imagined that I was already on my pilgrimage. The night before, I had heavy dinner. Then before starting in the morning, I just took coffee and ate a banana. I didn't have any lunch. I just consumed 5 bananas and 2 pieces of cookies during the entire run. I drank water and energy drink (samurai, extra-joss) every hour. Part of the time I wore sandals, and part of the time I wore a pair of running shoes. I noticed that after 4 hours, I developed some hot spots on my feet while wearing sandals, so I decided to wear my running shoes up to the end of the run/walk. I think it is not a good idea to wear sandals on hot asphalt highway - it could cause blisters. I felt fine during the whole 9 hours - I didn't feel exhausted or hungry.

This morning when I woke up, I felt fine. No muscular pain or strain. I could do another 40-50 km if I wanted but I decided to give myself a break. The remaining days up to the start of my run/walk pilgrimage, I will just do shorter training - 2-3 hours.

Assisting in the Formation of Basic Ecclesial Communities: Working with the CBCP-BEC Committee

Archdiocesan BEC Assembly, Lipa

CBCP building/ BEC office on the 3rd floor

Last Friday I was in Manila for a meeting with Bishop George Rimando - the Chairman of the Committee on Basic Ecclesial Communities of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP-BEC Committee). He confirmed my appointment as the new executive secretary of the committee. I will be starting in June after my Run/Walk Pilgrimage Across the Philippines.

The following day, I went to Lipa to attend the archdiocesan BEC assembly. Over one thousand participants attended and the gathering started with a Mass presided by Archbishop Ramon Arguelles. I gave the keynote talk on the BECs as Expression of the PCP II Vision of A Renewed Church.

This morning I went to the office of the CBCP-BEC committee in Intramuros and met the outgoing executive secretary - Monsignor Elmer Abacahin. After four years of service he has been recalled by his archbishop and given a new assignment. So this was a sort of turn-over. So for the next four years, this office will be my base of operation. I will be residing at the Redemptorist Monastery in Baclaran.

When I report to my new assignment, I won't be taking the plane. I will run/walk all the way from Davao to Aparri covering over 2,000 km and then take the bus back to Manila. The first two days of my work in June will be a strategic planning with Bishop George and the BEC consultants.

Preparing for my Solo Run/Walk for Peace Across the Philippines

I arrived here in Iligan last Thursday evening for my uncle Melchor's funeral. Instead of asking our driver to bring me to the airport, I just ran/walked from our monastery to the Davao Airport (7.5 km) last Thursday afternoon carrying my backpack and wearing my sandals..
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Yesterday morning, I also ran/walked from our monastery in Iligan to the memorial park (which is 8 km away) for the funeral mass and burial. This morning I ran/walked for over 5 hours to Pugaan mountains and back, wearing my Merrel vibram sandals. As usual I used the Galloway method - with 3 minutes run/2 minutes walk intervals. It felt very comfortable, even on the ascent up the mountain trail. This will be the method I will be using for my run/walk for peace across the Philippines, using a pair of sandals most of the time instead of running shoes. I won't go barefoot this time since I need to cover an average distance of 42 km a day for 60 days on mostly hot asphalt/cement surface (except for the rough mountain roads in the Cordilleras).

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I am still finalizing my itinerary which will start in Davao and end in Aparri (via the Pan-Philippine Highway and the Cordilleras) - a distance of around 2,200 km. It will take around 60 days (with 8 rest days). My goal is the Marian shrine of our Lady of Piat (located before Aparri) which has been a pilgrimage destination for over 3 centuries. From there I will proceed to Aparri which is the tip of northern Philippines overlooking the South China Sea. This will be my Philippine version of the Camino de Santiago. I haven't finalized the date of departure - it could be the last week of March or the first week of April.

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When I was a young priest, I made a list of the things I want to do during my lifetime. I have already accomplished some of these: running marathons, biking around the Philippines (5000 km), run/walk across Mindanao (400 km Davao-Iligan), run/walk the Camino de Santiago de Compostela (800 km). After doing all these, I believe that the time has come to realize another dream - run/walk across the Philippines. All that I have accomplished so far have been a preparation for this great journey. I believe this is the opportune time. I will finish a period of my life as full-time professor this March and will be begin my new assignment this June working full-time in promoting the growth of Basic Ecclesial Communities around the country. So I will spend the transition period as a pilgrim for peace.

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After finishing my pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago in Spain last year, I realized that my pilgrim journey had not ended. So what I intend to do soon is a continuation of the pilgrim journey, this time no longer on the French and Spanish soil but on Philippine soil.

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While making my pilgrimage on the Camino, one of my special intention was to pray for the resumption of the peace negotiations between the Government (GRP) and the National Democratic Front NDF). This month, the peace negotiation will finally resume after so many years of hiatus. When I make my pilgrimage across the Philippines to the shrine of Our Lady of Piat, my special intention will be for the successful completion of the peace process that will lead to a final peace agreement and cessation of hostilities. I also pray that the GRP and the MILF will likewise come up with a final peace agreement. I will pray for a widespread grassroots support for the peace process.

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I will be following the foosteps of 4 ultra-runners of the Philippines: Cesar Guarin who ran from Pagadian to Baguio in 1980, Fr. Robert Reyes who ran in Mindanao (1996), Visayas (1997), and Luzon (1998), Joy Roxas & Mat Macabe who ran from Davao to Pagudpud in 2005.

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This journey has some unique features. Unlike them, I will be doing this alone, without any companion, support vehicle or crew, carrying what in need in my backpack. I will also mix running and walking (Galloway method) which I believe will be more relaxing and sustainable for me. I will follow a different path, especially in the last leg when I will trek across the Cordillera mountain range. I will also be older at 56 years old (they were in their 30s and 40s when they did their epic run). This will be a pilgrim journey for peace to a Marian shrine.

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I only have less than 2 months to go. I will continue my preparation and training. I'm just excited about it.

Running the Cebu Marathon

Very early this morning I lined up at the starting point of the Cebu Marathon (42 k) at the IT park. There were some 1200 runners who started running at 4 am, along the streets of Cebu, the SRP highway up to Talisay through the 800 meters tunnel.

I ran a very slow pace since my right knee was still a bit painful due to the knee injury I had 4 weeks ago after doing a lot of speed intervals as part of my training. I was aiming for a sub-4:30 marathon originally but due to the injury, I was content to finish the marathon using the run-walk method (4 min run/1 min walk). I reached the midpoint in less than 3 hours but after 30 k my knee became more painful that I just decided to walk the remaining kilometers. I reached the finish line after covering the distance in 7:00:o8. This is my PW (personal worst), the slowest marathon I have ever ran, 3 1/2 hours slower than my personal best of 3:33:15 which I did in 1983. But I was still happy to reach the finish line and receive my finishers' medal. The last finishers medal I received was in 1995 when I ran the Rome Marathon. I didn't get a finishers medal when I ran the Pasig River Marathon in 2009 since I was way behind the cut-off time.

If this happened over 25 years ago, finishing a marathon in 7 hours would have been a source of shame. My first marathon was 4:30, my second was 3:36 and my third was 3:33. After that my goal was to break 3 hours (which I never did due to cramps) but I always finished under 4 hours. So slower than 4 hours was even a big disappointment. But now 25 years later, I would consider a 7 hour marathon a source of pride - a badge of courage. The finishers' medal I received this morning is a symbol of patient endurance in the face of adversity. Last week, I wasn't even sure if I could get to the STARTING line due to my knee injury. I was thinking of backing out - but I already paid P800 registration fee and I was already in Cebu. So even if I have not fully recovered I just ran very, very slowly and my aim was to reach the finish line no matter how long it would take.

At my age, it seems that running a sub 4 hr marathon is a distant possibility. There are things that I could do when I was 30 that I can't do now that I am 56 year old - like running a 3:33 marathon. But there are things that I can do now which I couldn't do when I was 30 years old -like run/walking 400 km across Mindanao in 9 days, and run/walking barefoot 800 km across the French Pyrenees and the North of Spain in 27 days. I am not as fast as I used to be, but I have more endurance. In the long journey to through life what matters most is not how fast I can run/walk but how far I can go and reach my destination. What is most important is not speed but patient endurance - because life is not a 100 meter sprint.

I dream of making the journey of a lifetime - a solo, unsupported run/walk across the Philippines from Davao to Aparri via the Cordilleras (around 2,200 km), averaging 42 km/day in two months, 7-8 hours a day with one rest day per week. When I was 30 years old such a dream would seem to be an impossible dream. But now that I am 56 years old, such a dream appears attainable. But first, I have to allow my knee injury to fully heal and recover. I hope I can do this within one year.

Running the marathon this morning is a fulfillment of a promise I made to myself when I was newly ordained priest 30 years ago - that I would run a marathon every year even when I reach 80 years old and beyond. I failed to keep this promise for 14 years (after I got injured in the Rome marathon and took up biking) but took it up again last year. This time I intend to keep my promise. Maybe when I am too old to run marathons (probably when I reach 90) I will enter the wheelchair division. So it is not how fast, but how long I can run - for a lifetime.

Still, I dream of breaking my 3:33 pr someday - before I turn 60 years old. When I turn 80, I might have a better chance of finishing first in my age division (80 and above). Dream on.

Overcoming our Dark Side, Becoming the Best Version of our Self

I am attending the Redemptorist Provincial Chapter Assembly here in Cebu at the Holy Family Retreat House. It started last Monday (Jan. 3) and will end this coming Monday (Jan. 10). There are over 60 Redemptorists from Visayas and Mindanao in attendance. We have come together to set the direction of our life and mission for the next 4 years. We are also electing the leadership team of our religious province.

Yesterday morning, I was the designated presider and homilist of our daily Eucharist. This is the text of my homily:

Overcoming our Dark Side, Becoming the Best Version of our Self

There is a story of a native American chief of the Cherokee tribe talking to his grandchild: “there are 2 wolves fighting within my heart.
One is mean, greedy, lazy, proud, and avaricious.
The other is kind, compassionate, loving, courageous, and vibrant.”
When the child asks who will win, he answers:
“the one that I will feed.”

This story reminds us of the struggle within each one of us – a struggle that continues even to our old age.

If we go through our life we will notice acts and behavior
that we are not proud of,
that we find despicable and that we regret.
This could be those moments when we became, selfish, greedy, angry, avaricious, lustful, lazy, abusive, and prone to addiction
This is the dark side of ourselves, the worst version of ourselves,
the sinful self.

What happens when the dark side dominates our life?
We fail to carry out our prophetic mission,
we tend to spend our time in pursuit of sensual pleasure and comfort– feeding our addictions, we could break our vows,
we could engage in sexual misconduct or abuse,
or be involved in financial anomalies, we could create scandals,
we could lose our credibility

But who we are doesn’t have to be defined by our past sins & mistakes.
We don’t have to allow the worst version of ourselves dominate our life.

The Gospel relates to us Jesus' struggle against the diabolical temptation in the desert, before he started his prophetic ministry of proclaiming the Good News and urging people to conversion.
Paul in his letter to the Colossians calls for conversion – dying to the old self and putting on the new self.

Constitution 10 states that our special mission is the explicit proclamation of the Word of God to bring about fundamental conversion… We are called to be apostles of conversion.
We can only carry this out if we ourselves have experienced conversion and redemption.
Conversion requires transformation – from sinner to saint, from being the worst version of ourselves to being the best version of ourselves.

St. Alphonsus in his letter to the confreres in Aug 8, 1754, wrote:
“ God has called us into the congregation to become saints … Let us – in what remains of our lives, long or short – let, us, I say, become saints.” This does not mean being canonized or having a statue and feast celebrated in our honor.

A description of what it means for us to become saints can be found in Const 20: “Strong in faith, rejoicing in hope, burning with charity, on fire with zeal, in humility of heart and persevering in prayer …hearts full of joy, denying themselves, always ready to undertake what is demanding…"

For many of us, Const 20 is a distant unrealistic, ideal. But it is the image of what we can be – the best version of ourselves.

Unless we are able to overcome our dark side,
unless we go through a process of ongoing conversion,
unless we become the best that we can be –
all the restructuring will be in vain,
all our beautiful resolutions and proposals will remain on paper.

Welcoming the New Year 2011

I just arrived here in Cebu this afternoon after spending my post-Christmas vacation in Iligan with my sisters and their family.

Last night after the New Year's eve mass at the Redemptorist, I went over to my sister Nonie's house and joined her family and my other sisters (Mely & Cely) welcome the New Year. The night-sky was lit with colorful fireworks. I went home to the monastery at 1 pm and slept soundly. I woke up early to celebratethe 6 am mass this morning and later left for Cagayan to take the plane for Cebu.

As I welcome the New Year, I also say goodbye to 2010. It has been a good year. I achieved most of what I planned to do. I went on a pilgrim journey. I ran/walked 400 km across Mindanao during the Holy Week, and then ran/walked 800 km barefoot the Camino de Santiago in Spain in July-August. I have also lived as a hermit in the mountain of Busay. I have almost finished editing and revising 2 book projects and they should be ready for publication.

What does the new year 2011 have in store for me? I expect major changes in my life after the end of the second semester in March.

What are my goals this year?

Continue losing weight until I reach my ideal running weight of 135 lbs
Run the Cebu Marathon
Solo Run/Walk for Peace across the Philippines (Davao to Aparri via Cordilleras - 2200 km)
Publish my books
Spend more time in promoting the growth of Basic Ecclesial Communities all over the Philippines and conducting retreat for the clergy.

I am just so excited thinking about the prospects for this year.

Christmas in Davao

We only have one day more before Christmas. We had the last Misa de Gallo (early dawn mass) this morning and tonight we will celebrate the Christmas vigil mass. I did the first day of the Misa de Gallo in the parish church, I also did the 8th day yesterday. As usual the church was packed, and the people occupied even the parking lot since there was not enough room in the church. We put a screen with lcd projector so that those outside could still see the liturgy inside. There were so many young people who seemed to enjoy being together with their friends at the early hour of the morning.

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The Christmas parties in the parish started as early as three weeks ago and they will continue up to the end of the year. The other night I joined the party of the Davao Redemptorist Youth Mission Team (DRYM team). The members of the original mission team were present together with those who make up the present youth mission team. They consider me their "founder." I was delighted to see the members of the original team, most of whom are now professionals and others are already married. Some even brought their children. I encouraged the original members of the DRYM team to support and guide the next generation of youth engaged in evangelizing & organizing the young people in our parish.

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Several days ago we celeb rated the first death anniversary of Fr. Abdon Josol - a member of our community who died of cancer before Christmas last year. I presided the memorial mass with the Redemptorist community composed of the senior community and the Redemptorist students, the house staff and the centennial group. After the mass we had merienda-cena.

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This afternoon at 5 pm, the whole Redemptorist community will gather for communal penitential celebration, followed by a renewal of vows and then the Gaudiamus - food and drinks - before the Christmas vigil. As usual the Redemptorist students will be singing the Christmas carol before the start of the vigil mass at 10 pm. One of the songs that they will be singing is the popular Italian Christmas song - Tu Scende (composed by our founder San Alfonso di Liguori). I taught them the song - using the youtube clip of Luciano Pavarotti and also Andrea Bocelli.

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We don't expect any noise from firecrackers and fireworks tonight due to the ban imposed by the local government. So it will indeed be a silent night.

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In spite of my cold and sore throat, I have continued my training for the Cebu marathon, although I have started to taper. Most of my runs are just short intense sprint intervals (Tabata protocol) and strength training. I did my last long run 3 weeks ago (36 km) and joined the half-marathon 2 weeks ago. This afternoon I will just do a 45 minutes easy run.

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This is the 16th year that I will be celebrating Christmas in Davao. This could be the last Christmas that I will be spending here. After the end of this semester in March, I will be moving on to a new ministry and will be based in another part of the country. I will savor every moment of my remaining months here.

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I look forward to the coming New Year 2011.

Back home: Starting the last semester of my full-time teaching

I arrived here in Davao over two weeks ago. I came in time for the conference of the DAKATEO - the Catholic Theological Society of the Philippines -where I presented a paper on "the Environmental Praxis of the Basic Ecclesial Communities: an Ecclesiological Perspective."

The second semester started yesterday. This morning I taught a course on "Ministry & Orders" to the 4th year theology students. Tomorrow, it will be Mariology and on Saturday, I will be teaching Sacraments.

I have been teaching full-time for almost 16 years. When I started, I was 40 years old, fresh from my doctoral studies in Rome and now I am 56 years old. During my Camino pilgrimage, I realized that after 16 years in the academia, I've had enough. Deep within me I heard the message that I won't spend the remaining years of my life as a professor. The time has come to engage in a different ministry - outside the classroom. I have already informed the director and the dean of the theological institute where I am teaching and I will soon write a formal letter to my superiors.

So this is the last semester of my full-time teaching. What is going to happen after the end of the semester in March 2011 remains to be seen. I have several options to choose from. I am already excited about the next phase of my life. The next five months is period of transition.

I am posting here the photo-video of my life-journey (the first 56 years), which I showed to my class in Ministry & Orders this morning. It documents how I have lived my life preparing for my ministry and exercising my priestly ministry over the years.

Going Home - the Continuing Journey

After spending my Sabbatical as a Pilgrim and a Hermit for almost 7 months I am finally going home to Davao tomorrow. I came down from my mountain retreat in Busay the other day after spending 2 months as a hermit after finishing my barefoot pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago. These last two months have been a period of reflecting on my journey from the Pyrenees across the North of Spain. It was also a time for reflecting on my life journey for the last 56 years. A very apt period since I celebrated my 56th birthday the other week, alone in my "hermitage."
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Part of my reflection on my Camino experience was to go over and edit the diary of my pilgrimage which forms the 24th chapter of my manuscript: The Beloved: Memoirs, Diaries and Letters of a Priest. Making the final revision and editing of my autobiographical manuscript has given me the opportunity to go over my life-journey. I've also gone over photographs and created a photo-video.
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As I go home, I bring with me the blessings that I have received during my pilgrimage and also my period of solitude as a hermit.

The first blessing is a deeper awareness of God's presence in my life-journey which has deepened my faith and trust in the Divine presence and my relationship with God.

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The second blessing is a deeper appreciation of my priestly vocation and celibate commitment.

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The third blessing is a clearer sense of how I want to live the remaining years of my life.
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As I go home, I expect that there will be significant changes that will take place in my life. For over 15 years, I have lived an easy and comfortable life as a full-time professor in Davao. This has been the longest period of my life as a priest. The first period was as a missionary in the remote villages and mountains of Mindanao (8 years). The second period was as a scholar in Berkeley and Rome earning my doctorate (6 years). What has made my life bearable and meaningful over the last 15 years was my other involvements outside the classroom - part time pastoral work, BEC promotion, life & peace advocacy, clergy retreats, Christian-Muslim dialogue. For the next period of my life, I want to have more time to do these things. I don't want to be a full-time professor anymore. I want to live a more simple life-style, closer to the people - especially the poor, actively involved in pastoral ministry and forming BECs, continuing my life/peace/environmental advocacy and write and publish my books & articles.

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I still have to work out the details. The second semester of teaching (November to March) will be a period of transition. The major changes will take place after that. What is definite is that I won't be spending the remaining years of my life in the classroom. It will be out in the field, journeying with the Lord's flock.

The next phase of my life will require going outside my comfort zone. It will mean truly making the journey from the mind to the heart. For almost 22 years, the life of the mind or intellect was dominant (six years of getting my doctoral degree, over 15 years of teaching). My extra-academic involvement & pastoral work was secondary. By nature, I am primarily a man of action and emotion - I am more at home working with my heart and hands. But by training, my head has been overdeveloped. I find dealing purely in ideas and abstraction very boring. I need to connect my head, heart and hands.

The challenge that I will face in the next period of my life is how to be more compassionate and caring, and translating theory into praxis. I will have to deal more with people and their day to day concerns and struggles, rather than dealing purely with ideas. It will mean being in fellowship - in communion - with people.

I will continue to be a theologian, but the locus theologicus - place of theologizing will no longer be the ivory tower of the academy - the library and the classroom. It will have to be among the grassroots community as I journey with the people. It won't be enough to just reflect on how God was made manifest in history as recorded in the Sacred Scriptures. It will mean reflecting on how God is made manifest in the life and history of the people today.