Chapter 2
2nd Year Ministry at Cawayan Baptist w/ Evangelism , Revivals & Land Reforms
It’s now my 2nd Year ministry at Cawayan Baptist Church. It was in 1973. My first year was an exciting time. I tried to be creative. We expored ways for a wider opportunity of Christian service. We were trying to explore non-traditional ministry in a Baptist church. I remembered Dr. Johnny Gumban telling us, “never to limit our ministry within the four corners of the church. “
My Second Year ministry was hard. President Marcos had declared martial law September 1972. We were now experiencing a new situation in the country. There were lots of youth being arrested and killed in Iloilo and Antique. In Manila, I heard of growing men and women arrested. In Panay and Negros more young people have gone to the countrysides, joined the New People’s Army and started fighting the military and the government.
Rev. Salustiano Cabahug, was the President of the Baptist Convention from June 1972-1975. He was pastor of Bacolod Cosmopolitan Church, the 2nd biggest Baptist church in Negros Occidental. Rev. Cabahug was an evangelist and a very influential pastor in the entire Baptist Convention.
The General Secretary during this hard time in the political life of the country was Rev. Levi Lahaylahay. He was president from 1972-1974.
It was during these years, starting in 1967, that the revolutionary movements in Panay and Negros Occidental were started. The first Kabataang Makabayan (KM) chapter in Iloilo was organized, I think, it was in 1967, the t KM was first organized. It was at the home of Fluelyn Ortagas.
First elected officers were Alberto Espinas, President; Josyl Jaen, Vice President; Virgil Ortigas, Chairman for Education.
Members were Fluelyn Ortigas, Rolly Lorca, Francis Monfort, Eddie Carilimdiliman and Vic Beloira.
Soon, other members came, Norman Cabangal, Romie Deprado, Boy Estandarte, Pablito Araneta, Tomas Dominado, Alex Gonzales, FabieFernandez, Elmer Unsay, Gregorio Castigado, Ferdie Arceo and Jun Geduspaon.
Form these group of less than 20 person, Kabataang Makabayan members were trained and organized with the highest kind of motivations and strength, that in less than 3 years, its militant members have chapters in all colleges and univeristies in Panay and Negros Occidental
Soon, there were KM chapters in almost all high schools in every towns of Panay and Negros Occidental. KM has also organized chapters in city villages and slum areas.
KM chapters were also in the barangays. And softly, it reached out to the countryside villages, building its revolutionary structures in hinterland villages all over Panay and Negros. .
In 1972, when President Marcos declared Martial Law, KM and SDK (Samahaang Demokratikon Kabataan) has organized chapters in nearly 30% of the barangays in Panay and Negros Occidental.
My ministry was never concentrated on purely church and spiritual activities. It was not girded to evangelize and convert people to the Baptist faith only.
My early exposures in the College of Theology was for a wholistic ministry –not to save souls only. It was a ministry to save lives and soul together. It was directed to touched lives to be fruitful, clean and committed to service of people, specially the poor and the weak.
We were taught by Dr. Johnny Gumban, Dean of the college, never to confine our ministry inside the four corners of the church. This was a big deal. It was a great challenge by the Dean of the College of Theology, to us students. It calls us to learn the situations of the poor. Those oppressed by feudal lords. To learn the evils caused by US imperialisms in our social, economic and political lives. And helped fight these evils and bring change in the life of people and society.
I remembered the way of Jesus’ teachings and methods. There were no church in his time. There were no more synagogues for him. Jesus was ousted from the synagogue few weeks after he taught and preached there. We found him preaching and teaching around, wherever people were listening to him. His pulpit and lectern were in different places every day.
He preached on the waysides. He preached on the shores by the sea. He preached riding on a banca, while being tossed by the waves. He preached wherever people were to hear him. He preached to a dead Lazarus. And brought him to life.
I learned the wisdom of Jesus teachings, when some years later. Some years later, when I was pastor of Maao Central Evangelical Church, I preached, taught and led prayers of hundred sugar central workers on the picket lines in La Carlota City, Negro Occidental. I joined sugar cane workers in prayers, as they worked to strengthen the workers strikes led by the National Federation of Sugar Workers (NFSW) in Bacolod City.
One time, back on 3rd week of April 1973, a representatve of the Gospel Team came to us. They were requesting we hold a Vacation Church School and Evangelistic meeting in our church on May 15 to 22. That was the last schedule they have for the summer. It was a team from the Convention Baptist Bible School (CBBC), in Bakyas, Bacolod City.
There were 5 members of the team. The church decided we will accept them. It will helped in the education and development of the children and youth. We will also have a one week evangelistic meeting.
We called our May activity, a Revival Meeting. We will helped revived the church. We will also bring revival to the life of our community.
Our Revival Meeting was done with the 5 members, Gospel Team. Only two members I can remember now. Miss Nilda Jocson and Mr. Margarito Sancho. They were young, committed and hard working young people. They have special talents. Two were good guitarist. They were all good singers. They can sing solo. The can sing duet. They were also dramatists. And their Evangelist was the youngest of them, Margarito Sancho.
At 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM our Revival Meeting goes. And continued the next 7 nights. We have mobilized all our members to invite all to attend. Since, last year, we were able to assist farmers to immunized their chickens on “Avian Pests’ , their chickens were not attacked by the disease. They responded to our invitations heartily. Many attended.
We prayed for the success of our Revival Meeting. We asked the Gospel Team to join the deacons for prayers. The team prayed in the mornings. In the late afternoons, the Team with the Board of Deacons, joined. We go to a secluded place on the rice fields for an hour of meditations and prayer. We do this every afternoon at 5:00 PM.
During the first 3 days of our Revival Meeting, more than 300 youths, adults and older children attended the meetings. There were group singings, lead by the Team leaders with guitars. There were Special Music. There was a drama on some days. And Pastor Margareto Sancho preached. He has no training on Homilitics yet. But he was a bombastic speaker. He preached with power. I can felt it. I looked straight on his eyes. There was focus on his eyes. There was power on his voice.
But I cannot understand well his message. It lacked coherence. He has no outlines. He just preached. And his message just came out of his lips. When he extended his invitations on the 3rd night, under a Quartett’s song, “Pass Me Not O Gentle Saviour”, some 40 people—men, women and youth—came forward to our makeshift altar. Some were sobbing . Some were wiping tears from their eyes. They were touched by the Gospel message and songs.
On the 4th night, there was an increased in attendance to about 400. Pastor Margarito Sancho preached again.
That afternoon, together with the Gospel Team and Deacons, they went to the rice fields to pray. They asked God for more power to touch the hearts and minds of those who attend our revival meeting.
Pastor Sancho preached. At the close of his message, he invited his listeners to come and accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour. There were about 60 who came forward. Some were sobbing. One old man, my friend, about 70 years old, Mr. Federico Bullos with his wife, came forward. There were tears in his eyes. I have not seen an old man attend a religious meeting and wept. I believed it was God at work in our small village in Cawayan.
The Revival Meeting was concluded on the 7th day. It has brought some sort of spiritual awakening for many of our people in the village. On the last day of our revival meeting, after his message, Pastor Sancho, asked all those who came forward the last 4 days, to come forward to the altar. He will pray for all of them. Nearly 150 people came –women, men, youth and some children. Pastor Margarito Sancho prayed with them. He entrusted them to the Lord.
When, I started my ministry in Cawayan Baptist Church a year ago, I told myself “I will lessen my
involvement with labor education and organizing.” But a new development came that calls me to involved again. The tenants on the farms that a big businessman was leasing from landlord, were agonizing from the hard situations.
The tenants were pressured to give-up or surrender their farms so that it could be planted with sugar cane. Some farmers have surrendered their farms. Then, the husband of one of the tenants was killed by the security guards of the farm leasor. He seemed untouchable. He was not arrested. Martial law was just implemented. The situation in the village was hard.
I decided again, to make organizing part of our ministry. We organized a farmers association. One of our objectives was: “To educate and train farmers on good farming practices. To learn skills so that the would be able to fight and protect the farm they were working as tenants.”
We worked with the Department of Agrarian Reforms so that the land they were now farming could be given to them under the Land Reform Program. “We decided to fight for Land Reforms in our village. It was a risk we have to take. By this time, the martial law regimes, have organized the Samahang Nayon of President Marcos. It was his way to reach the farmers.”
The Department of Agrarian Reforms was organized with some lawyers assigned in the Northern Iloilo. We decided to work within the limited freedom of martial rule.
The tenants in Cawayan, Carles demands and worked for implementation of Land Reforms. They demanded that the land tenanted by them be put under land reform so they can be awarded the lands they were farming in the future.
The farmers headed by Jose Bullo, Vice President and other officers, Martin Bullo, Federico Bullos, and a woman Salvacion Geguera. They have 14 farmers together in the group. They pushed for Land Reforms.
When harvest came, in October 1973, the farmers sent a letter to the landlord, telling him: “ Sir, we will implement Land Reform in our farms. Please implement the fair sharing system now. After harvest, we will gave you your share of 25 per cent of the harvest. We will get the 75 per cent share as leaseholders. You come on said date, to get your share. If you fail, your share of 25 per cent, we will deposit of the Treasurer Office at Carles Municipal Hall. Thank You.”
When harvest came, the farmer got the 75% share. They deposited the 25 per cent share the landowner’s share in the Municipality of Carles.
That was how the tenant farmers in Cawayan, Carles implemented Land Reforms in the village.
During that time, I was leading the efforts for the implementation of Land Reforms in our village. Working with me was Mr. Romeo Bellosilo, a teacher at Cawayan Elementary School. My name circulated in several villages in the town, with the farmers getting 75% share of the harvests. It was a little success.
Some farmers in nearby villages came. They want to implement Land Reforms in their villages. At least, a leasehold system be made, enabling them to get 75% of the harvest.
One early morning, sometimes on the 3rd Quarter of 1973, at about 5:30 in the morning, I went down from our house, carrying a small lantern to our gardens, about a hundred meters from our house. I worked in the plots for nearly 30 minutes. Then, I saw a man, behind the coconut tree. He was 4 meters away. He was coming towards me.
I slowly stood up, still holding the lantern, that gaves a faint light. He greeted me. I answered him. He came near me. He talked as he came nearer to me. He stopped, when were a about a meter near each other. He asked me my name. He asked several questions. I answered him. While we were talking, I heard cracks of armalites bolts being released from around – behind the trees, bananas, growing bamboo, a vacant hut. And 11 fully armed soldiers came near and surrounded me and their officer.
By this time, a mild 6:00 AM sunlight was pepping softly on the eastern horizon.
Around me were Philippine Constabulary soldiers. They were standing around me with their officer, the barrels of their Armalites pointed up and some pointed down.
Then, their commanding officer asked me to go up our house. He said, he will request my father, the Barangay Captain Restituto Bernal Sr., for coffee.
Part of the series The Ministry Years (chapter 2 of 48)
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