DILAAB THANKSGIVING AND COVENANTING

A very full two weeks indeed which culminated in the Dilaab Day of Thanksgiving and Covenanting (DTC) last 24 November 2007 at the Sacred Heart Center. The latter is actually part of a 40-day preparation which began with our Unity Retreat in Tagaytay last 13 and 14 October. Around 200 people from 35 different groups attended the DTC with more than twice that number expressing regrets for not being able to attend. Besides individuals representing various sectors, two groups came, one from a town, another from a barangay. They had come to hear and witness how spaces of hope are being ignited through matrices of support and templates for action shared by existing initiatives.

The DTC proved that Dilaab now has teams of tested volunteers sharing different gifts. Because the work was well distributed, those involved in the preparations were more relaxed. Program flow was smooth and even entertaining. The audio-visual presentation touched hearts. The Dilaab Newspaper, advocacy manuals, and other reading materials were available. There is palpable hunger for social transformation. Even those who sponsored the venue, meals, and other expenses represented a new breed of sponsors: who remained anonymous and not asking for any ex-deals.

FORUM 1: HOPE UNDER THREAT AND HOPE IGNITED
Mr. Raddy Diola : Heroic Christian citizenship in action: The Kalunasan kids story
Ms. Selene Yu : The call for Christ-Centered leadership

FORUM 2: ACCOUNTABLE STEWARDS IN NETWORK
Gen. Samson Tucay : ASIN in the PNP: Accountable partnerships in the transformation story

FORUM 3: THE CHALLENGE OF SUSTAINING CONFLAGRATION
Fr. Carmelo Diola : Submission to Christ's Kingship: Lesson from the Dilaab journey

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TRIBUTE TO GEN. SAM TUCAY @ RTS

Many surprises have come our way.

The Dilaab network in Cebu gathered for a celebration recognizing God’s gift to the movement in the person of PNP Gen Samson Tucay who received the highest award given to a government career employees, the Presidential Lingkod ng Bayan Award. Although the award had been given more than a month before, the evening brought joy and further bonding. A powerpoint presentation was made on “The Missing Link of Social Transformation”; a mass; a boodle fight (more like boodle peace), a way of eating within a group; and a program. The latter featured a Sinulog dance and a song number. We ended by singing: “Light Your Candle.

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VISIT TO GOV. "AMONG" ED PANLILIO

The unity retreat last 13 and 14 October is turning out to be a continuing drama. Subsequent events attest to this.

We received news of a small miracle from one of the staff members of Among Ed Panlilio of Pampanga. Governor Mendoza of Bulacan had corroborated Among Eds disclosure of the distribution of money in Malacañang. The former had earlier denied having received money.

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DILAAB UNITY RETREAT

To say that the preceding week was great” or tremendous seems an understatement.

The retreat at CBCP/NASSA (National Secretariat for Social Action) retreat house in Tagaytay was certainly the highlight of the week. There were about 45 participants, 24 of these coming from Cebu coming mostly from the corporate world, business, two rock musicians, and Dilaab staff. The retreat house at Brgy. Asisan afforded a very green alternative to the pollution of urban living. We were only the retreatants and the facility is quite affordable. Food was good. Bishop Tagle came around 10:30 am. He shared on the kingdom of God as synonymous with fullness of life. The good bishop's humility, sharp intellect, quick and comic wit, coupled with true to life stories, brought the house down and our spirits soaring, so to speak. Bishop Tagle ended his talk by connecting the Kingdom of God with human development; to accept the kingdom is to become more human. This was an affirmation of what Dilaab stands for. A good Christian must also strive to be a good citizen.Cesar Binag, his wife, Agnes, and their four boys performed a song for us " What a friend we have in Jesus" as we heard a testimony from him and Samson Tucay of how the spirit is changing lives among policemen. After supper, Nasud Ko" ("My Nation") was performed by Alaine Agadier who composed the music. To wrapped up the whole day since it connected love of God and country another dimension of the Kingdom of God. As we watched the sun rise, our spirits were likewise raised in prayer. An idea to pray a common prayer at 9 am daily (the time of Pentecost) came to fore. Had a prayer mountain experience Sunday at 5:30 am. The spiritual exercise would have been more meaningful had we walked some distance from the retreat house. After lunch, an impromptu poetry (tula) reading session was led by Heidi Mendoza. The remnant, mostly from Cebu, decided to go around Tagaytay on a jeep. Bad choice for a vehicle which turned out to be a smoke belcher. Visited Peoples Park in the sky. Fog envelope the place including the statue of the Mother of Fair Love, a rather apropos patroness in a rather romantic place. Words fall short of the spiritual reality we experienced, a veritable Pentecost. Some words to describe the event as shared by some participants include:"connecting, restoring, rejuvenating a heart to heart experience with our Lord through his fascinating children gathered around proclaiming His word now, i know why we were sent here, I have reawakening of my senses and to act upon its sense of responsibility to support good governance promote peace and bring hope what a journey it has been humbling, Spirit filled communing, inspiring, challenging, solidifying, uniting, a dawning, enlightening, illuminating, revealing, willing, learning, laughing, crying, and loving four day journey experience; Thanks and Praise to God. The experience gave us a glimpses of a nation being built through the promptings of the Holy Spirit. It is as if one was meeting long lost friends whom one meets for the very first time.

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There is hope.

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DILAAB TEAM AT VLS SUBIC

Things are falling into places. Thanks be to God.

The seminar was a dream come true. In our five batches of participants in the PNP Values and Leadership School in Cebu, enlisted personnel often urged us to include officers in the program. Now we were sharing before such group. We were quite struck by the positive disposition and a sprirituality that was exhibited by the officers considering thay were only on their 8th day into the 30-day training.

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VISIT TO BARUG! MAASIN

God continues to affirm our humble efforts in social transformation. He even grants us our hearts' desire.

The two archangels Gabriel, ("man of God" or "God is strong") and Raphael, ("the remedy or healing of God") whose feast we celebrated, provide a most consoling presence for us. Had a seminar/forum with potential volunteers in the graft and corruption effort in Maasin led by Fr. Garnet. They want to do something. Yet, we have to start with self awareness, before we can move on to ingenuity, love, and heroism (as the book, "Heroic Leadership," tell us).

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God bless us all!

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TRAINING ON FUND-DEVELOPMENT

Their smiles communicate joy and hope in the Lord. Some highlights:

Anbern, our fund-development staff (a first time for us and just recently organized), departed for Manila for a two-day training on fund-development with a group focused on teaching a non-profit organizations this vital element. God’s providential care provided Anbern with a place to stay (provided by a Dilaab supporter) around 7 buildings from the venue. With only 6 participants (more were expected), Bern had a chance to really interact and raise questions. She learned that such work is fundamentally about relationships. She also got in touch with someone who is providing us with a database software (SQL) and other high-tech help. Praise the Lord!

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GOV. "AMONG ED" PANLILIO VISIT TO CEBU

Much preparatory work went into talks before various groups and the visit of Gov. "Among Ed" Panlilio of Pampanga. An ocular visit also occurred in a place that holds future promise for the Dilaab Foundation. Brainstorming sessions continued regarding the bold new frontiers of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in the area of corruption-intolerant work. "Among" Ed Panlilio arrived. No VIP treatment. Very simple person.

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YOUNG HEROIC CHRISTIAN PROFESSIONAL AND ENTREPRENEUR GATHERING

22 September 2007 was full with two fora, one with the Young United Professionals (YUP) of Barug! Pilipino; the other with the representatives from government, business, and civil society/academe. YUP had representatives from various parts of the Visayas, and also from the Transparency and Accountability Network (TAN). At the morning forum, representatives from local schools came. They launched a Lifestyle Check Tipster project. The YUP stayed on until the following day with a joint statement regarding corruption intolerance. A tri-sectoral forum in the afternoon became a very exciting one, with many persons commenting and raising questions. An elderly man said he had attended with some doubts since he thought there was no new thing he could learn. He said he was mistaken. A Christian united front was emerging even as a participant said he was not the religious type.

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PRACTICES AND CHALLENGES: CATHOLIC SCHOOLS AND CSR

Again the conflagration of hope is truly palpable.

Fr. Melo gave a talk last 13 September 2007 before one of the break out groups during the National Convention of the Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines (CEAP) held at the Waterfront Hotel in Cebu City. It was entitled "Practices and Challenges: Catholic Schools and CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) Those who attended were in charge of the outreach programs of the CEAP. Some of our challenges included: promotion of CQ (conscience quotient), not just IQ, EQ, or SQ in Catholic schools; involvement in a nationwide synchronization of heroic Christian citizenship in terms of focusing on one little act of good citizenship monthly; etc. Our team also promoted the music album "Nasud ko" ('My Nation") to the delegates. It was very well received, even by non-Cebuanos. There is need to construct a website for sustaining e-contact with participants.

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BEACH PICNIC WITH DILAAB STAFF AND BISROCK VOLUNTEERS

Another very good week:

Had a beach picnic with Dilaab staff and bisrock volunteers. Very enjoyable. I continue to be amazed at the positive energies released by the CD album as well as the possibilities for the future. We will now be promoting the CD province-wide and region-wide. An English version and a Tagalog version are being planned.

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Praise be the Lord!

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TV INTERVIEW AT THE CEBU CATHOLIC TELEVISION NETWORK

Highlights for the week:

The week in review actually began with a TV interview at Cebu Catholic Television Network (CCTN). Several bisrock band members joined two Dilaab staff members. A good way to begin our promotion of the CD. Our working hours have been interspersed with communal prayers (one decade of the rosary or a spontaneous prayer) for very urgent prayer requests was answered very concretely. A Dilaab champion was in the "lions' den," so to speak and it was the lions that became ineffectual. We have started to sell our music album (Nasud Ko: 12 Little Things for Our Country"). P150.00 was the launching price of the music album. Now it is being increased to P190.00 which is break even price. It is quite affordable for something which has been described as "world-class music" by someone who has rubbed elbows with some international music greats.

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Thanks and God bless us!

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NASUD KO: 12 LITTLE THINGS FOR OUR COUNTRY )

Another very good week. The youth are not just the future but already the present. To say they are the future runs the risk of making them past by the time we reach the future. Finally the big day of the BISROCK (bisaya rock) Concert 25 August 2007 at the New Cebu Coliseum. About 500 young people came and they were entertained with sentiments of civic virtues put into creative original music. More would have attended had it not been for the heavy downpour of rain. The lyrics talked about love of God and love of country. It is really preaching without preaching. Another way is to look at the songs a seminar through time, with virtues embedded in the listeners without them knowing it. Already the composer of the of "following traffic rules" one of the 12 little things, confesses that he used to disregard traffic rules before, but not anymore.

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PRAISE BE THE LORD!

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DILAAB NEWS (13 TO 19 August 2007)

Praise the Lord.

Dilaab News has been launched as a full-sized tabloid. Last-minute sponsors show that God's providence is never too early nor too late. Roger Paller, our newspaper steward, will be setting up a system though that would make such source of grace less unpredictable. At P5.oo/copy this is also quite affordable and to think that the focus is on good news on the social transformation front.

Roger, our D News staff, did some market testing of our newspaper in the Mabolo parish. He left 29 copies for Sunday masses. Only 2 remained. There seems to be a market for them in parishes. The publication is self-sustaining through sponsorship and a very affordable price (P5.00) .

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GRADUATION OF THE FIFTH BATCH OF PNP-VLS ( 6 TO 12 AUGUST 2007)

Praise God!

Graduation of the fifth batch of PNP VLS. Moving testimonies of change of heart by some graduates. A salute to the one who made a tacit challenge to his superiors to include chiefs of police in the next training group. Truth to tell, this is a continuing challenge. Subic VLS trains officers who are then sent back to the different regions. Still the process needs to be accelerated.

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SIGNING OF MOA FOR THE FORMER TO ACT AS OBSERVERS TO BAC IN LOCALITY

THE SPIRIT CONTINUES TO BLOW WHERE IT WILLS AND ITS BREATH IS GETTING STRONGER:

Dilaab staff attended a signing of MOA between a chamber of commerce and the Ombudsman office for the former to act as observers to the Bids and Awards Committee in the locality. This is another sign of convergence in the country: a united front of people getting getting directly involved in corruption intolerance work. Barug! Pilipino, the advocacy outreach of dilaab promoting graft and corruption intolerance, is in forefront of the efforts to bring about this united front.

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PHILIPPINES 777

This past week can only be admired as a radiant showcase of how much God loves the Philippines and that God does hear the cry of the poor. Hence our fundamental orientation at Dilaab is eucharistic. We continue to have daily masses and exposition of the Blessed Sacrament. Our dilaab team in Manila met with some bishops at an eatery in the vicinity of Pius X center at UN ave. It was a Spirit-led sharing of experience and insights. Food was also good. Started out early for Pampanga to meet a public figure. We proceeded to Subic Bay where PNP Values and Leadership School began. It is a testimony to the courage and faith of the pioneer trainors. Supper with the founder of the potters Leadership Academy. The S (God- centered) leadership module is now in demand all over the country and even abroad.

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THANK YOU VERY MUCH. TO GOD BE THE GLORY.

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S-LEADERSHIP ACADEMY SEMINAR

For the fifth time, Ms. Selene Yu of the Potter’s Leadership Academy, a partner of Dilaab, gave an S Leadership seminar (i.e. a seminar on God-centered leadership) to around 35 individuals. These included a mayor, several policemen, businessmen, media practitioners, teachers, etc. This was a heterogenous group in terms of sectors but a homogenous one in terms of age. A very positive atmosphere was created and the seminar sparked a sense of great hope. A Saturday breakfast club (that begins with physical exercise at 5:30 am, then a mass, and breakfast) has been organized to sustain the fruits of the seminar. The seminar began and ended with the Eucharistic celebration which included the Feast of Corpus Cristi on the second day.

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TUGKARAN HINLOAN

Since then there have been four other efforts involving other groups in other parts of Cebu. Even 7 bishops who got a wind of what we did also expressed interest in doing something similar in their dioceses.

Our latest action removed poster which desecrated the EDSA of Cebu, Fuente Osmeña.


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PENTECOST CELEBRATION

It truly has been a blessed week! Some highlights:

The weeks most significant event was certainly our anticipated Pentecost mass last Saturday May 26 withCardinal Vidal of Cebu as our main celebrant. We had invited His Eminence to bless the Holy Family prayer room (the particular statue is still to be ordered pending a donor) of the Dilaab office and unexpectedly ended up celebrating Pentecost with him. The mood was expectant and festive with around 300 people attending from all walks of life, ages, and sectors. Although people spilled outside the office, communication continued through a very effective sound system, thanks to the generous Filipinos of Saginaw, Michigan.

Pentecost is especially meaningful for the Dilaab Movement since dilaab, Cebuano for “fire” orconflagration,can also be Tagalog for dila and alab or “tongues of fire.” The movement was conceived in November 27, 2005 with the concluding mass (again with Cardinal Vidal) of the first God-centered leadership seminar (S-Leadership) attended by Dilaab staff and volunteers. With Pentecost, the movement is born!

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An Introduction

Dilaab is a volunteer-driven, Church-based movement helping to give birth to a transformed Filipino nation through heroic Christian citizenship.


The advocacies are:

1. Friends of Pedro - an outreach to Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) and their families.
2. Kamatuoran – a group who aims for a narcopolitics free nation.
3. Barug! Pilipino - a corruption intolerant network.

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