Christmas among guerrilla fighters and kidnappings
Jolo (AsiaNews) The city of Jolo in the province of Mindanao lies amid treacherous terrain, but for the parish priest of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Cathedral, Fr. Ramil Janguin, the risks are well worth it. "Here you really see and feel the spirit of Christmas."
This week Fr. Janguin celebrated mass at a military camp in the village of Talipao, once headquarters of the notorious "Abu Sayyaf" ("Sword Bearers") terrorist group. The Talipao battalion consists of 800 soldiers, half of which are Muslim. "The officers here invited the whole community to attend and gave gifts to all the children. It was a moving experience," he told AsiaNews.Every day at 5 a.m., faithful gather at Jolo's cathedral to attend the traditional "Misas de Gallo" ("Rooster Masses"), the nine early dawn masses celebrated prior to Christmas. At these services, in place of the sermon, members of the Basic Ecclesiastic Communities relate personal experiences of joys and difficulties to the day's gospel.At the Notre Dame School, despite the inclement weather, 80 pupils gather in the courtyard for recollection in celebration of National Youth Day. Many of them were born here, but some hail from migrant worker families who have recently arrived from the Visayas islands in the central Philippines, says Eng-Eng Sangkula, a young Youth Ministry volunteer and one of seven children of a Christian-Muslim couple.The city of Jolo (pop. 400,000, less than 3% Catholic) is a land defined by bloody conflict over the past few decades. The city is home and lair to Abu Sayyaf, just one of the many outlaw organizations which have often taken Christians hostage. For nearly a month now, one group has held the Basic Ecclesiastic Community coordinator for 2 million pesos ransom (36,000 US dollars). The only evidence that he's still alive comes from the calls he receives from his wife on his cell phone.
Churchgoers, religious, military officials, ordinary citizens are likewise victims of lawlessness.Near the entrance to the bishop's residence is a military camp and watchtower. Whenever Oblate Bishop Angelito Lampon leaves the premises, he is escorted by armed military guards, as are all visiting religious, priests and seminarians. Thus, movement is very limited, principally within the vicariate's compound, which includes the bishop's residence, the Notre Dame school, the Carmelite monastery and the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul convent. Meanwhile, two soldiers were killed a block away from the compound. Several innocent civilians were also shot, suspected of being covert soldiers.There are cases of martyrdom in the province of Mindanao. One who sacrificed his life for his faith is Benjamin de Jesus, the first Filipino bishop of Jolo, while assassinated in front of the city's cathedral on Feb. 4 1997 in broad daylight.
Installed in 1992, Benjamin de Jesus led the vicariate during the rise of Islamic fundamentalism and the return of Mudjahideen (freedom fighters) militants to Mindanao, who had trained in Afghanistan.Although many witnessed the bishop's brutal slaying, no one has openly testified against his assassins. His case remains one of many unsolved crimes in the country.Despite all the uncertainties and fear in the vicariate's war zone, "our faith is strengthened," said one Daughter of Charity nun.Yet life goes on for the bishop ,clergy, religious and ecclesiastical workers, while working to attain peace within the vicariate, if not for all of Mindanao.
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