Thanksgiving in Bontoc

ON February 7, 2014, David Sicam, a volunteer of the Dominican Missions perished in a bus accident. The GV Florida bus that they were riding on fell off a ravine in Talubin, Bontoc, Mountain Province. They were on their way to Buscalan in Kalinga, Mountain Province. Six out of the fifteen members in their group perished when the bus lost its brakes and flew off the road. The bus landed on a patch of rice paddies, some 200 feet below. Three other volunteers of the Dominican Missions who were with that group miraculously survived that bus crash, with minor injuries.

More than a year after the tragedy, Dino Dimar who is one of the survivors, decided to go back to the site where the accident happened. Dino is a graduate of Fine Arts from the University of Santo Tomas, and is also a volunteer of the Dominican Missions. After recovering from a broken shoulder because of the accident, he embarked on a fund raising campaign that will enable him to give back to the people who have helped to rescue them after the accident. He initiated an outreach project to the school children of Talubin Elementary School in Bontoc, the nearest community from the site of the accident. When the accident happened, it was the residents of Talubin who first responded to help the survivors.

On June 12, 2015, Independence Day, we went to Talubin Elementary School and Barangay Caneo in Bontoc, Mountain Province and distributed school supplies to the elementary school children. Dino Dimar was with a group of other survivors and family members of those who perished in the accident. There were also volunteers of White Canvas, a volunteer organization which Dino organized. The sole purpose of White Canvas is to help children in far-flung islands, war-torn communities, and depressed areas by bringing them essential materials for education and recreation. Another group of volunteers from Black Pencil Project also joined the outreach project in Bontoc. They came from Cambulo and Banaue in Ifugao from another outreach project.

After the distribution of school supplies, the survivors of the GV Florida bus accident, together with friends and family members of those who perished, and the volunteers, went to the site of the bus crash. We had to trek the narrow footpaths from the main road to the rice fields below the mountainside by the stream. On the site where the bus landed from the road above, there were a couple of tires from the bus, pieces of broken glass and tattered cushioned bus seats.

While huddled in a circle, they requested me to lead them in a prayer for the departed. With each of us holding lighted candles, we sang the Lord’s Prayer in the silence of the surrounding mountains and pine trees. I also said a “birthday prayer”, giving thanks to God for the give of life for those who survived. It was their second lease on life. After a few moments of silence, we planted our lighted candles around the area where friends and loved ones met their tragic end. In the deafening silence of the mountains, I heard sobs and weeping around me and tears started rolling down my face, unable to hold it back. Some started crying and others hugged each other, trying to comfort one another. Emotions were intense, obviously sad and painful, because we shared something in common – the loss of either a friend or a loved one. As the day draws to a close, we silently walked back to our pool of vehicles up the road.

The following day, we offered an early morning thanksgiving mass at the Bontoc Cathedral. Before the final blessing, the survivors said “thank you” to the congregation in attendance. It was the people of Bontoc, collectively, who took care of them while they were in the hospital on their way to recovery.