Ata students—our newfound friends

A few months ago, Fr. Mon Mendez, OP, one of our missionaries in Davao City, asked me to meet Ms. Erna Caquilala, the campus minister of the University of Mindanao. She is also the adviser of the IP students of UM. Fr. Mon wants us to explore how we can collaborate with the Indigenous People’s Apostolate of the Archdiocese of Davao. Specifically, we wanted to find out how we can be of help to their efforts regarding the Ata scholars of UM. Fr. Mon got to know Ms. Erna, along with Sr. Cris Lagunsad, CB, when he attended the World Day of Harmony celebration held at the Ateneo de Davao.

And so one day, I arranged to meet Ms. Erna in Davao City. Before our meeting, I have received a letter from their group, the Indigenous People’s Apostolate of Davao, through its director, Fr. Florencio Acedo, Jr. They were asking for help for the Ata students’ shelter. I found out that although the Ata students are given college scholarship at the University of Mindanao, they do not have a place to stay and adequate means to support their daily needs in terms of food, transportation and school supplies. They long to have a place that they can call their home while pursuing their dream to be able to finish their education.

The IP Apostolate hoped to acquire a shelter for these students in a place called “Dapsa” (or daplin sa sapa), near the area of Bolton Bridge. But they do not have enough funds. They are also pressed for time to acquire the shelter for the Ata students since the new school year is about to open in a couple of months. Fr. Mon Mendez, OP and Fr. Norman Quilaquil, OP sent an amount of money out of their community funds, as their contribution to the project. After my meeting with Ms. Erna, I told her that I will try to see what I can do to help them.

On my way back to GenSan, I remembered a friend of mine who told me to contact her should I need help in any way regarding our mission in Mindanao. And so I tried to send her a text message, and told her about the situation of the Ata students and their need for a shelter. She replied to my text message and promised to send financial support.

On my second meeting with Ms. Erna, she was with Sr. Cris Lagunsad, CB and Nenenng Olivo. We met at the Caritas Office at San Pedro Cathedral, where Neneng works. From that meeting, I found out that this was the first attempt of their group to acquire a shelter for the Ata students. They have not yet developed a program for the project. We had a brainstorming session on how to help the Ata students pursue their dream to finish their education. But we all agreed that the need for a shelter is urgent. After that meeting, I got an overseas call from my former student who graduated from San Pedro College. She is now a nurse working in the United States. She happened to call and ask me what she and her friends can do to help in our mission. They have gathered a certain amount to help in any of our projects. What a coincidence, I told myself! Such perfect timing! And so I told her about the Ata students’ need for a shelter.

Before classes opened in June, there were enough funds for the acquisition and improvement of the shelter. We invited the members of PAGLAUM or Programs, Advocacies and Governance for Lumad Association of University of Mindanao, to come over to our house in Bajada. The members of the group APAKO or Ata Paquibato Kalayag Organization, are also part of PAGLAUM. They are the beneficiaries of the Ata Shelter in Dapsa. We had an informal sharing about their dreams and aspirations. We told stories and listened to each other. We told them that we would like to be their friends and that we would like to journey with them. And as their new found friends, we share their vision of one day being able to fulfill their dreams.