it’s not over

Nov. 28, 2008 Newsletter by Tara C. Alverson

It’s Not Over: Pagpipinta Sa Pulo<br /> One week before I left the Philippines I traveled one last time to the Island of Siquijor. It’s about ten miles Southeast of Dumaguete<br /> City, Negros Oriental. It’s an island known for it’s mystical healers that live in its remote mountain villages. I never saw a Griffin,<br /> though I did see a few empty witching huts. It’s a quite island, very different from the smoggy, busy streets of Dumaguete City. While on<br /> the Island I visited the Christ Our Hope Fellowship, a small church pastured by Henry Garsula and his wife Lena in the town of Pangi,<br /> Siquijor, Siquijor. The Garsula’s built the church over ten years ago with their own hands. It’s also their home and has been a great asset<br /> to the community around them. The church plays a key role with the International Care Ministries outreach programs for Siquijor Island. I<br /> could tell that the Garsula’s had a definite passion for reaching out to the people around them. And yet, I couldn’t help but see that it hadn’t<br /> been easy on them; as they live a meager life, trying to serve the people around them, all the while struggling to pay off the cost of the land<br /> and the building of the church, and feeding their own family. I hope that some of the money raised from the artworks will go to help them<br /> out.<br /> The morning after I arrived in Siquijor, I ate breakfast with the Garsula’s; fried eggplant, rice and banana’s. I miss the bananas.<br /> Afterward we headed out to visit two very special recipients of the Garsula’s Hope Fellowships Church, Petachio and Fiola, whom lived<br /> up in the remote village near Tagmanocan. On the way we stopped at Salagdoong Beach, where we met a blind man named June. He and<br /> his nephew where gathering old coconut shells that had washed up on the shore side. Many separate the outer husks of the coconut shell<br /> to burn for cooking meals and also to sell to others as means of livelihood. A kilo sack of these husks can sell for 15 pesos, or about 30<br /> US cents. June’s 4 year old nephew would bring him the coconuts as he could not see. It was mind blowing to see this man work with a<br /> machete knife, whacking at the coconuts as if he had done it his entire life. June supports his nephew, mother, and 3 other siblings, doing<br /> manual labor like this. He goes around from village to village with his mother offering his services to anyone that will take it. We found<br /> June’s mother sitting nearby, as she explained to us that her son June had become very ill with measles when he was young and because<br /> of the severe fevers and lack of money for medicines he lost his ability to see. Unfortunately, I found out that it is pretty common. As we<br /> continued around the island we came across several witching huts high in the mountain area of Bandilaan, where basic witching rituals<br /> were performed, using chants, incense and oils. No witches were present in the quaint looking witching hut that I peered into, though two<br /> young boys playing on a nearby mango tree laughed as searched for the witches. It seemed a peaceful place despite the locals superstitions<br /> and fears.<br /> After a few hours of riding through the jungle we finally arrived in the middle of nowhere. It was a lush and green place caleld,<br /> Tagmanocan. This is where a man named Petachio is wife Fiola live. Petachio alike June collects and sells the coconut husks for his

livelihood. His wife Fiola does manicures, washes feet and<br /> gives massages to those with aching bones and illnesses. What<br /> makes them so special is that Fiola has no use of her legs, as<br /> she contracted Polio at a young age, leaving her paralyzed<br /> from the waste down. She crawls to her clients houses if<br /> her husband cannot carry her to them. Petachio her husband<br /> was born with clubbed hands, someday’s he carriers his<br /> wife on his back for miles through the jungle for her and his<br /> livelihoods. They have lived here their entire lives, without<br /> comfort of health care, welfare or any security of a stable job.<br /> They’re shier will to defy the odds still amazes me.<br /> Looking back on all the amazing people I met; Blazela<br /> the one year old who lived her first and last year fighting to<br /> live with a hole in her heart, Jonnavon the 17 year old women<br /> whose legs where lost in a motorcycle accident and despite<br /> the odds continues to walk, June, Petachio, Fiola, and all<br /> those brave little street kids of Manila, Cebu and Dumaguete,<br /> wandering a very dark and uncertain world alone. I haven’t<br /> any option but to be inspired on some level. Subject to a world<br /> of poverty, where life and death has too little middle ground,<br /> where corruption is the new black plague and real hope is<br /> seldom found if even believed in anymore. These brave soles<br /> show an amazing amount of resilience. The type of resilience<br /> an idolized, professional prima-dona, and or athlete will most<br /> likely never know of. Not even Luke Skywalker, Frodo Baggins,<br /> Harry Potter or any of those Narnia brats know what it<br /> takes. It now seems more fitting to put silk jersey’s on the<br /> backs of those like Petaciho, or little Blazela.<br /> So I was sulking the other day at my job, ... you ever<br /> do that? I did. Complaining in my head about a variety of<br /> things; bills, payments, bosses, or why things seem to work<br /> out the best for some people and not for me. It does seem trivial<br /> in comparison now. Though, I’m sure that Petachio, Fiola<br /> and even June complain now and again. I could only imagine<br /> the pain someday’s could bring them; not being able to walk,<br /> see or feel. But isn’t it curious, given that these people could<br /> so easily blame their crippling conditions and not care anymore,<br /> they don’t? They don’t blame or point a finger or sulk<br /> in a self absorbed state of pity. Instead they pick up their “mat’<br /> so to speak and choose to walk, stumble, crawl or whatever it<br /> takes to get through the day. Sometimes I wonder if they do it<br /> just because they can. Whatever the reason they do it for, the<br /> hope of it makes me smile every time I remember their faces.<br /> ----<br /> The International Care Ministries just recently had<br /> it’s annual fund-raiser held in Hong Kong. They were able<br /> to raise enough money to continue and sustain all the current<br /> outreach programs held throughout the Philippines. It will<br /> be a hard year for them as the recession of the economy has<br /> affected the funds donated to them. I’m hopeful the paintings<br /> I created might be able to help out in someway. If you would<br /> like to see some videos on the different outreach programs for<br /> this past year, visit their web site at www.caremin.com, and<br /> click on the ‘videos link.’ I would also recommend you look<br /> at the 2008 Annual Report for the ICM, which can be downloaded<br /> on the site.<br /> I’ve been back home for about two months now.<br /> I’m busy with getting the artworks framed for an art show I<br /> will be putting on the end of January through February at the<br /> Lyon’s Den Coffee Shoppe across form the down town Bothell<br /> Post Office, for those who are in the area. It will feature the<br /> 9 artworks to be donated to the ICM outreach programs, along<br /> as additional paintings, prints and photography.<br /> The staff that I lived with during my stay in Dumaguete,<br /> Negros Oriental have been keeping me updated through<br /> e-mail’s. Sol the young women in charge of the Precious<br /> Women’s Ministry, for women affected by prostitution is<br /> excited as the group of 25 plus women are headed into the<br /> livelihood training portion of the 1 year program. The rice<br /> you helped donate to the visitor women of the ministry will be<br /> able to extend through next year.<br /> Annie Tapuz, who is in charge of the 9 preschools in<br /> the province of Negros Oriental is excited to start off the new<br /> year with more teaching materials and supplies for both the<br /> teachers and students. She is busy as usual. Her parents, Nani<br /> Brenda and Tati Johnny Tapuz are staying busy with the 20<br /> plus kids at the Dumaguete Orphanage. Last I heard Lot Lot,<br /> the 13 year old girl with Cerebral Palsy was still attending an<br /> outreach school for children with special needs and physical<br /> conditions. She enjoys painting there.<br /> Jade Sumolag, the 27 year old pastor that I meant<br /> working at the Cebu Center, and whom we sent back to his<br /> home in Banga, a remote village in Mindanoa, is staying busy<br /> pasturing a church and teaching preschool to 25 students in<br /> the area.<br /> This Christmas I will be able to send off books to<br /> Jade’s preschool in Banga, as he had mentioned material and<br /> books as a major need. Some of the donated books will also<br /> be going to the ICM Dumaguete Orphanage and the Castillejos<br /> Orphanage for their school library. If you have preschool<br /> books and or teaching supplies that you would like to donate<br /> to Jade’s preschool in Banga, Mindanoa, please contact me.<br /> The 9 artworks that will be donated to the ICM are<br /> enclosed in this newsletter, please take a look at them. I did<br /> about a total of 40 or more artworks while in the Philippines,<br /> I hope to hang most in the art show coming later January. I<br /> will send out a postcard for the art show dates and hopefully<br /> follow up with a newsletter on how it went. Once again thanks<br /> for the support. Dahang Salamat! (Thank you much!)<br /> Pagpipinta sa Pulo : Painting on Islands<br /> T.C. Art Works<br /> 11 . 28 . 2008<br /> t.c.art@hotmail.com<br /> 425 . 892 . 4440

Map of Siquijor Island, The Garsula’s in front of their church.

June separating husk<br /> of coconut shell.

Below: Nephew gathering<br /> coconut shells.<br /> Right: Mother of June

Above: Native Nipa Hut, Siquijor<br /> Right: Butterfly from Islands Butterfly<br /> Sanctuary, Siquijor.

Petachio

Young fishermen off the coast of San Juan,<br /> Siqhijor. Most likely catching just enough<br /> for him and his family to eat dinner later.

Mother cleaning catch of squid<br /> in towns main water channel,<br /> also where people bathe,<br /> throw their waste and clean<br /> their fish.

Badjo Boat, Cebu 11 x 14” watercolor (I),<br /> Rooster and Hens 11x 14” watercolor (II)

Loboc boy with guitar 9 x 12” watercolor (III)

native nipa hut, Siquijor 10 x 8” watercolor (IV), bamboo 6 x 6” ink wash (V)

Loboc River House 9 x 11” ink wash (VI)

Bindoy Girl with ICM logo, 9 x 11” watercolor (VII)

Rooster I, 9 x 13” watercolor (VIII), Coconut Trees, 9 x 10” ink wash (IX)

Bohol Starfish,<br /> 12 x 9”, w.c., Saang<br /> Shell, Olango Island<br /> 12 x 14” w.c., Bohol Sunset, 8 x<br /> 12” w.c.

Artwork

locsin village, dumaguete,<br /> 11 x 9” w.c., Loboc boy II, 9 x 8” w.c.

Mountain Gate,<br /> Negros Or. 8.5 x 7” w.c., Saang Shell II,<br /> 10 x 8” w.c.


pagpipinta sa pulo Newsletter © 2008 Tara C. Alverson. Reprinted with permission.