SULADS STORIES

SCATTERED—SHATTERED

By Aldrin Cabanlit

March, 2000

Lawatano Mission School

“Sir!  There seems to be danger around.”  Willie Aba one of the church elders of Lawatano Mission School came to me catching his breath. 

“Why?  What is the problem?”  I inquired. 

“We’ve seen soldiers coming.” 

“We’ll just wait and see but don’t you ever run away.  We’ll face them,”  I encouraged him.  We were still taking with Willie when the soldiers arrived.

“Are their NPAs (communist rebels) here? Their commanding officer inquired. 

 

“No, Sir,” I answered.

“Are you sure there are no NPAs here?”

 

“I am sure, Sir,” I answered.

“Haven’t you seen some NPAs pass by this village?”

“I’ve seen some NPAs pass here a month ago.”

“Where did they go?” he continued.

“They went to that direction in the thick forest and they disappeared,” I explained.  The forest is just about five hundred meters away.

“What are you doing here?  Where did you come from?  Why do you sacrifice your studies just to stay here with the Manobos?”  He asked me question after question and later it became obvious that he was suspecting me to be an NPA leader in the area.

“I hope your answers are correct.  I hope you were telling me the truth,” he warned. 

“Lord, please don’t leave me,” I silently prayed.  My partner, Sir Jury, was not around.  He was in San Fernando Town arranging for a vehicle for our children for the coming up SULADDS Jamboree, 2000. 

“Thank you, Sir,” the soldier said.  “We are proceeding to the forest to see for ourselves where these NPAs are.”  And off they went. 

I was cooking for lunch that noon when I heard gunfire.  Soon there was an exchange of gunfire.  The children ran to my cottage.  “Sir, what shall we do.”  The gun battle lasted about an hour.

Soon after the gun battle, the soldiers came back.  They gathered the villagers in the center of the village at gunpoint.  “Nobody should try to escape or we will blow your head off!”  Now angry and wild, the CO shouted, “You never told me that the forest there is an NPA camp.  Where is your Maestrro?”  He searched the crowd.

“Lord, please be with me,” I prayed. 

“You lied to me!” the CO scolded.  “you told me there were no NPAs here.  You ushered our lives right into the NPA camp there in that forest.  Now I believe you are an NPA leader here, aren’t you?

 

“No, Sir,” I protested.  He became even more furious.  He gave a signal to his men and they began harassing the crowd.

Turning to me again, he said, “What are you here for?  ANSWER!” he demanded.

“I’m a student missionary sent by Mountain View College in the SULADS non-formal education program to the Manobos.  They call me their Maestro.”

“Don’t you know of that NPA camp nearby?”

 “I don’t know, Sir.”

“Are you sure?”  His eyes were bulging now. 

“I am sure, Sir.”  I was strong in my stand.  He could not convince me.  One villager complained of being injured physically.

Now the CO announced, “You should be thankful that not one of us in our troop was hurt in our encounter with the NPAs.  Had there been one, then we would have killed you.”  The people panicked.  Not one said a word.  “Now listen to this very important instruction.  If you really are not NPA supporters here, then you will stay here peacefully.  But if we learn that you are and there is one or two of your children with that group of NPAs we just encountered, we will wipe you out right here when we come back.”

 
Half the group left, half stayed.  Some stayed in our cottage, and come stayed in the church.  I stayed with them in the cottage.  The following day, they all left.

The chief came to me saying that they will vacate the place.  “Why, Datu?  It will be more dangerous to scatter the people in the forest.  All the more they will suspect you as NPAs,” I explained. 

“No, Sir,” he said.  I’m sure they will discover that some of our children have joined the NPA.  They warned that whenever they learn that and they return, they will wipe us out.  We have decided to leave, Sir,” the chief declared.

“I will sacrifice my life to stay here with you if you promise not to leave.  But I need to go down to MVC.  I’ll talk with sir Daryl Famisaran for his advice on this matter.”  I left.  I was accompanied by Willie Aba, one of the church elders.

 
It so happened that at MVC I got sick.  The jamboree was three days closer and the children will be waiting for me and my partner to fetch them.  They came with my partner in time for the parade and opening ceremony.  All the while they were sad looking, thinking of their plight of their parents.

On Friday, Willie came with the report that the people had all decided to leave the village.  They destroyed their houses, including the school building, the teacher’s cottage, and the church so that the NPA could not use them.  The children broke into tears.  They did not know where to go.  They were scattered and shattered. 

My partner and I are now assigned in a new village in a more primitive head hunting area known as Matig Langillan.

 

Pray for us that we will be successful in this new area but most of all, pray that the people of Lawatano will find peace in Jesus and will be able to live with us in peace in that home made for us in heaven.