Reminiscing my community work

A year after finishing my college degree i landed a job in a non-government organization. My first employment dealt practically on research and decomentation of human rights abuses in the province of Agsuan del Sur where i was assigned. I also Help organized the families of the political prisoners and did documentation of what we call then as "development aggression." The job made me visit almost all the barangays in the province and meeting people from all walks of life. It was somewhat risky, especially when you're visiting places where tension between the armed forces and the rebels is high. But i love the job, it was very rewarding.

After a year and a half, i transferred to another NGO that deals with the Indegionous People in Caraga Region. It was then that i was emerged to the life and culture of the Banwaons, Manobos and the Mamanwas. Gradually i understood thier plight. Especially thier struggle to defent thier ancestral lands. I was given a tshirt before (and i still have it to this day) with the slogan that says: "If ever we take up arms, it is not to oppress other people but to defent our ancestral land." The job taught me many lessons about life's struggle.

My last job as a development or community worker was in the Agrarian Reform Support Project. A special project of the Department of Agrarian Reform co-funded by the European Union and the Republic of the Philippines. I was a Community Organizer from the start and was promoted to Community Organizer Supervisor ten months after. Dealing with farmers was a very moving experience. You share your knowledge to them, and they share their life to you. By just understanding, sympathize and be counted as one them, and they will show their genuine love and care for you. It was really a heartwarming experience.

That was my work before. Now, for almost 8 years, i am enclosed in the the four walls of the office where i work. Every day, same people, same faces....

Oh! how i miss community work.