One thing that no amount of intimidation can break is the unbending spirit of brotherhood among some 500 aggrieved evacuees at the sanctuary of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines who have long suffered being displaced from their ancestral lands.
It’s people’s unity galvanized by a common aspiration for freedom, peace and justice that would really determine our destiny in this world.
Such was the hope of families and friends of the 58 massacred victims when they visited the crime scene three months after the carnage. It was one of the most excruciating moments for everyone, even among the curious who went along with over 300 individuals who trooped to see for themselves and feel the dread.
Gratitude was written all over the faces of the Missionaries of the Assumption (m.a.) Sisters who celebrated three decades of their existence and commitment to serve God’s poor in all their mission areas.
The road leading home on June 9, 2019, was the longest one and the most difficult of all to understand. I am still trying to tell myself that it was over, that the nightmare I experienced that fateful day was nothing but just that: a bad dream.