of Edges and Balance

· PCCI – Passionate Community for Christ Inc.

I continue to serve in the Board as one of its founding members. I also serve as program consultant to the PCCI group in Tuguegarao, Cagayan. The work there has expanded to include Quirino, Isabela, Ifugao and Sanchez Mira. The growing involvement of the professionals and students in that area is slowly transitioning the group to become autonomous from and yet interdependent with central Manila. Here in Manila, we continue to develop and offer initiatives to engage the professionals. Aside from the “Nurturing Passion as a Community” retreat which we have been offering since 2009, I developed another follow up retreat and christened it – Beyond Balance: Living by the Edge (BBLE). We ran three batches last 2010 in Silang, Cavite at Kuya Del Sta Ana’s Kubo Camp. Here is my major learning about the BBLE-

The Edge

An unknown place of risk/uncertainty where adventure is the norm. As such, the edge draws us to trust no one, yes not even ourselves, and thus focuses our attention only on God and His grace. By the edge, we face people in their world and value them as they are. Here we learn to incarnate and be one with them, even as we are one with God. The edge is where we are called to be - living out Christ!

Balance

A state / position / conviction a person assumes where his current environment and/or significant relationships will not be compromised.

To be balanced is to move (or not move) according to culturally / institutionally / socially set norms. In short, to be balanced is not to have a mind of our own. Interestingly, a person only achieves a state of equilibrium when he is dead. Hmmmmm….

We find our ability to STAND and MOVE in Christ. He is our model of a God-centered life. He modeled EDGE-LIVING while being in the center of God’s will – something the Pharisees criticized. He had more time with the marginalized –tax collectors, prostitutes and the poor – because that was where he was needed most. He was passionate about prioritizing his God-centered moments that he would wake up early morning to be with God or forego of his lunch just to spend time with the Samaritan woman. Edge-living is never a comfortable place to be with, but this is where we are called to be – and must be.

My involvement with ECCD in 2010

· ECCDC – Early Childhood Care and Development Council. Composed of the secretaries of the social welfare, education and health departments, and president of the Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines (Ulap), the ECCDC was created to provide support to children aged six years old and below by promoting their rights to survival, development and special protection with full recognition of the nature of childhood and its special needs, and support parents in their roles as primary caregivers as well as their children's first teachers.

Currently there are 42,000 plus (public) barangay day care centers nationwide tasked to meet the preschoolers’ needs. However, only less than 30% of the 0-6yrs old have access to this service. No wonder we have a very high drop-out rate in grade one! In October 2009, I served as one of the training consultants for its 6-month pilot training program for community implementers of Home-based Early Childhood Care and Development program of HB-ECCD. Home-based ECCD is an alternative parent-led initiative designed to meet the early childhood care needs of majority of the kids who have no access to the center-based day care. We piloted this program for the cities of Malabon, Navotas, Valenzuela and the municipality of Baler, Aurora Province. The participants of our training were the Barangay Health Workers and Barangay Nutrition Scholars – BHW & BNS. They were tasked to organize and mobilize parents for HB-ECCD.

I had a wonderful and fruitful time with the BHW and BNS. One batch of trainees gave me a mug as a gift. Ako lang ata ang nakatanggap sa tatlong trainors. Once in a while, I still receive text messages from some of the participants J eh paano ba naman, I managed the closing program in such a manner that they are able to symbolically commit themselves to their work and God. Quite emotional with the participants very engaged. You see, BHW and BNS are volunteers who usually receive an allowance of P500/ month despite being the major work force in the barangay level. I am greatly inspired by their sincerity and dedication to their call.

Sadly the change in leadership affected this program. ECCDC is directly under the office of the president and is subject to the president’s discretion. I am still in touch with the people in ECCDC and I’m just waiting for their notice anytime. We were suppose to roll-out the program in June of 2010 L

Other highlights:

o I stayed several days in a hotel during the training. Got bored with hotel food so I had my dinner packed and given to street-dwellers during my 5pm brisk walk time along Roxas Blvd. The sunset view by the bay captivated me each day.

o Baler has an allure of its own – with its fantastic sceneries. And the food! Simple, fresh, but tastefully prepared. I think I gained so much in less than a week! I especially enjoyed the “lato” or fern salad with shredded smoke fish. Hmmmmm….