PREFACE

We love stories. All we know about people -their lives, struggles, their successes, failures, acheivements, works for change, are just words. Yes, only words woven in the looms of the minds And these stories we read and witten reaches out to the hearts and minds of some people in different places and times.

The book, MEMORIES: Early Life, Studies & the People’s Struggle for Freedom” shares his life, starting when he was 3 years old, during the middle of the Japanese-American war in his small village in Dayhagan, Pilar, Capiz, in the northernmost towns of Panay Island. He shared the influence and powers of “words”, the life of three young people in his village growing out to be pastors.

Ernesto Carvajal, later became top Baptist Convention Pastor & Evangelist in Iloilo, Panay and Negros. “Kayupay Goliggan also bacame Southern Baptist leader in Mindanao and Paterno Diaz, a Seventh Day Adventist, who became Pastor and President of the Seventh Day Adventist Church in the Philippines.These three church leaders influenced greatly the people’s faith in the country and the world.

Rudy Bernal’s story in this book, reach out from his earliest childhood, until 1974, two years after President Marcos declared matrial law and ruled the country as a dictator. His story shared the life he lived, in elementary grade from Grade 1 to Grade V1, which he finished in 7 years. The hard experieces he had as a student in high school, which most students finished in 4 years, but he made it after 7 years. He studied in high school in 5 schools. He studied his first year high in Salaman Institute in Libak.Cotabato, then transferred to Balasan High School,n Balasan, Iloilo.

He continued his 2nd year high in Good Shephered’s Fold Academy in Guimaras, Iloilo. He finally finished his 2nd and 3rd Year high school in Dumangas, Iloilo. This were years of many experiences, including 3 years as a fisherman in shallow waters for for 6 months.. And deep sea fishing for 2 years, riding in a boat called “Largarete” with 4 companions during the nignts. Then he went on fishing in a big boat called “basnig” with 25 people working together, catching small and big fishes, with 10,000 watts lights, big fishing nets and throwing dynamites when fishes, thousands of them, were around.

Rudy struggled to get college education. He tried studying at 3 big universities in the Philippines: Central Philippine University in Iloilo City June 1961 until after first semester of 1964. He went to Baguio City and studied summer classes at Saint Louis University in Baguio City. Then he went down to Manila and enrolled at Lyceum of the Philippines in Manila, where challenges pushed him hard to get higher education.

In all his efforts, Rudy succeeded in getting top jobs, including at Philippines Herald, one of 5 national newspapers in the country. He worked later as News Editor of Agence France Presse (French New Agency), one of the 4 International News Agencies, like the and Agence France Presse in France.

God guided him to work as labor organizer and full time Pastor, involving him in God’s works and ministry as Director of New Frontier Ministries, the development arms of the Convention of Philippine Baptist Churches (CPBC). He also served as Committee Member of the National Council of Churches in the Philippines, reaching out to some people of the world.

3Dofeliz Sorensen, Wilson D Guanzon and 1 other

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