Chapter
36
We Expanded “Hour of Discovery” Radio Broadcast &
Started Publishing Ministry
In 1991 –
1994, CPBC was under the leadership of Atty. Alex
Espino, President and Rev. Delbe Dianala, General Secretary.
Atty. Alex Espino
encouraged me to participate in the works for
social, political and advocacy works.
By that time, I was serving as Project Assistant for CPBC Development Ministries. We worked to
strengthen CPBC nationwide, with Rev.
Delbe Dianala heading the leadership trainings in some part of the country – Negros, Iloilo, Aklan, Romblon, Mindoro, and Western Mindnao.
During that time,
I also assist Rosal-Ortega Farmers Cooperatives that was
operating in Libacao, Aklan linking with
Convention Baptist Churches in Aklan. We
worked with communities on practical farmers’ training, livelihood
development, community organizing and advocacy
for political political change.
It was during this
time, that efforts were made to fight
erosion and landslide, that
destroyed people’s crop every
rainy season. The efforts to start planting of trees to fight erosion was
started by Rosal-Ortega Farmers Cooperative, linking with the Department of
Energy and Environment and the Bureau of Forestry.
In 1991, two strong typhoons hit the Philippines , Typhoon Yunya
(Deding) and Tropical storm
Caitlin (Ising)
with deadly forces. Typhoon Diding, that hit Luzon, was followed immediately by
the colossal eruptions of Mount Pinatubo that changed the situation in
the country –with Pinatubo ashes, hidden above the clouds, affected much
the country when rain came, with
polluted rain waters.
These was
followed by Tropical Thelma known in the Philippines as Typhoon
Uring. These was one of the deadliest typhoons in the Philippine history. It sunk the passenger ship. MV Don
Juan with passengers from Manila to
Iloilo City with many reported dead and missing.
In Occidental
Mindoro, the Development Ministries Director Feraz Legita with the General Secretary Delbe Dianala, CPBC
Secretary Deborah Dean, Pastor Fred Jacildo, Mrs. Evelyn Espinosa,
Treasurer, myself and two other staff,
came to assist church memhers with relief assistance and training. We
arrived in Mindoro that afternoon.
To reach the place, we have to pass a very big
tree that was blown down by the wind across the river. We have to walked on its trunk,
whose dimension was about 4
meters around. We reached our area after hiking more than 2 kilometer, as the
road was unpassable. We stayed during the nights in the houses of our church
members. Here pastors from neighboring churches came for fellowship, study and
release of relief assistance.
The following day,
we proceeding to another church in the other town. We met with pastors from the
neighboring churches, the Treasurer, Mrs. Evelyn Espinosa released to them the assistance for the families affected
by the typhoon.
The following day,
we proceeded to another village, doing
the same think, trying to strengthen our members, who were affected deeply with
the storms. We have to help them with
relief assistance and strengthen their
hearts and spirits with Biblical reflections, songs and prayers.
Five days after, we have to go to another village, where we can get a bus for
Calapan. We took a banca with gasoline engine around 4:00 AM. We were
on the boat for about 40 minutes. Then, the boat stopped. We’re still more than a kilometer away from
the shore. The water was shallow.
The banca cannot move anymore. We
have to walked to the shores. But
the walking was hard.
The mud was deep.
It was above our knees.
Sometimes, it reached our thighs.
It was very hard walking in a
deep mud, reaching up our thighs,
a distance of more than a kilometer to the shores.
But we moved on
–with our General, Rev. Delbe Dianala, nd
also our Secretary. We moved on, slowly walking on the mud, as the sun was peeping on the eastern sky, seemingly smiling and laughing with us. We reached the terminal. We took coffee. Then
we rode
the bus to Calapan, Mindoro. That’s an experience we met. But this were
ordinary experiences working with the Convention Baptists, whose members, some
were living in far-flung villages.
We met some
pastors Calapan. We have our meeting and sharing. We have our
our Bible Reflections and prayers together. The Treasurer gave the assistance
to the churches affected with typhoon. Then,
in the afternoon, we road a boat to Batangas. We road another bus to Manila. We reached Manila 9:00
PM. We went to a hotel. But there was no vacancy. We have to set on the side of the hotel,
while Pastor Fred Jacildo was going around, looking for a hotel room.
After a long
searched he found a hotel that will accommodate us. There was only 1 room
available. But the management allowed to
accommodate us, 9 of us in one room.
They provided mats and pillows. The four
girls were in two beds. The two
ladies, on the floor between the beds.
The three of us
gentlemen, were on the floor with
our Secretary General, Rev. Delbe
Dianala. We were served dinner about 11:00 PM. We were
tired. But radiant. These were some
little experiences in the services of
the Lord and our church people. And, it
was great!
In 1992, CPBC and Diakonia’s Regional Office in
Thailand, re-established relations. A Project, “Aklan-Capiz Baptist Integrated
Education and Development Projects” was started in 1992-1995. These was followed by another project, “Aklan, Capiz, Central and Southern Negros
Development :Program Phase 11”, for
1995-1997.
These was followed by Diakonia supported projects, Phase 111, Phase
1V, Phase 5 and Phase 6 continued from 2992
until 2006, that continued for 14
years.
A special project
for the tribal minorities, “Bukidnon Tribe
Development Program” in 1997-2003,
was started.
Through this
different projects, that were implemented for the church and communities, we
were able to strengthen the Convention ministry to the people in Negros Occidental and Panay
Island.
In one of her
visits, Mrs. Els-Marie Carlbacker of Diakonia,
invited Mrs. Feraz Legita and me to
attend a seminar in Chiang Mai Thailand. We joined the participants from different
Southeast Asian countries – from India, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Thailand.
Taiwan, Vietnam, Laos and Myanmar.
We worked together
planning for strengthening of the
development works among church members and the community with education,
skills training and advocacy works. It
was a 5 day seminar-workshop, designed
to strengthen the capacities of
participants who were leaders of their church developments works and NGO’s in their
countries.
We were all
partners of Diakonia in developments, cooperatives and advocacy works. It was a great learning
opportunity, setting with leaders of development and advocacy groups
in Southeast Asia.
Mrs. Carlbacker has another plan
for me in that meeting. On the 3rd day,
she asked me to join her and met
a group, an NGO that have a radio ministry in Chang Mai, Thailand. The have unique
ministry, designed to maximize their radio ministry.
She introduced me
to the group. They produced recorded educational materials – Cassette
Tapes, CD’s and VCD’s that were distributed to churches, NGO’s, associations
and communities in Thailand. I was their only guest that day, from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM. They shared
some of their technologies on Cassettes, CD’s and VCD recordings, production, packaging, marketing and
distribution processes in Thailand.
It was an
exposures that opened my mind
more on the power of mass
communications, reaching out to mass
audiences with follow-up materials, recorded on Cassette Tapes, CD’s, VCD’s.
They gave me additional
knowledge in broadcasting with printing and publishing skills
that I would need.
That night, after
our evening session, Mrs. Carbacker came to me. We talked. She said. “Rudy, I saw your interests in radio
productions and publishing. Diakonia will support efforts along that
directions. Include that need in a Project Proposal we will prepare for November,
for implementation on January.
These
will provide you the needed money
to buy needed equipment to
improved your broadcast and publishing ministry.”
I thanks, Mrs..Carlbacker and Diakonia, They gave us the opportunity for the expanded program program
for broadcasts and publishing through Altterative Resource Development Center, Inc.
w
When I came home
to Iloilo City, two weeks later, I sat
with Hesther to conceptualize the
project and the needed equipments that we will need to expand Hour of
Discovery broadcasts and start ARDC’s printing and publishing works.
Hour of Discovery
was one of the most listened religious radio program in the Western Visayas. It has a wide listening group –the members of
the Convention Baptist Churches, our
ecumenical groups related with the NCCP,
farmers association, labor unions, fishermens groups we have helped
organized and provided with livelihood assistance, militants
who were members of Kabataang Makabayan and even some of those in
the underground movements, were listening were listening to
our radio broadcast.
“Hour of
Discovery” through DYFM Bombo Radio reached a very wide area of coverage.
The churches, cooperative and farmers association members in Aklan
listens to Hour of Discovery. Our broadcasts in northe western area, were heard in most of Capiz, Romblon, Palawan
and part of Mindoro. In the eastern & southern areas, it reached Negros
Occdental and Occidental, Cebu and Leyte.
In a
conversations with Pastor Samuel
Antonio, an NPA officer, operating in South Negros, who later returned
to the folds of the law, after 11 years as revolutionary fighter,
said: “During the hard days in the
underground, while we were fighting with the army in the hinterlands of
Southern Negros, I often listened Sundays, to Hour of Discovery messages for
strength and spiritual sustainance. Many of my comrades in the revolutionary
movement, also listened to Hour of Discovery.”
But there were changes in DYFM-Bombo Radio management.
For years, we paid P5,000 monthly, for a 15-minute broadcast aired every Sunday at 5:30-5:45 PM. But, starting the following month, the
station demanded, we pay
P20,000 monthly, for the 15 minutes broadcast once a week.
We feel, we would not be in position to pay
the broadcast costs anymore. With prayers and thanksgiving, in the last
Sunday of August 2005, we closed “Hour of Discoery” Radio Ministry. With a
heavy heart, we bid good bye to our listeners all over the Western Visayas.
Baptist Center Church, with Rev. Prudencio
Banas, also stopped their DYFM
broadcast. “Hour of Discovery” became
history in September
2005.
I
thanked God for the opportunity to serve our
people by helping open their minds
and see the realities under an oppressive economic and political
situations, under the oligarchs and elitests government. Our people, little by little saw the the
truth and situations. They were joining hands to work for change.
Some
reflections we have on “Hour of Discovery” Radio Ministry, which were printed
in pamphlets and produced in produced in 1994 were:
1. The Apple
Tree and the Spade - a Reflection by
Rev. Birgit Karlson, General
Secretary, Baptist Union of Sweden.
2. Human
Rights: Dialogue Between the Farmers and
Military held at the Provincial Hall of Iloilo – By Pastor Rudy Bernal
3. Celebacy
and the Married Priests – By Pastor Rudy
Bernal
4. Selling
Women’s Flesh: Last Way Some Women do to Live -By Ms. Lucy Francisco, Officer
of Gabriela Women’s Party, Iloilo
5. Sisterhood
is Powerful! – By Rev. Liza Lamis, Coordinator, Women’s Program of
the National Council of Churches in the Philippines (NCCP).
6. The Love
Road –By Rev. Olof Lindstrom, Secretary for Information & International
Relations of the Baptist Union of Sweden.
7. The Baptist
Youth & the Politics of Change
- By Pastor Rudy Bernal
8. A God Who
Cries! – Rev. Gunnel Andreasson, Swedish Baptist Union, Secretary for Asia and
Eastern Europe.
9. Never Remain
In the Temple –Pastor Leo Claridad, Faculty Member, North Negros Baptist
Bible College.
.
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