Friday in Ligao

Today was a very special day. It started with breakfast at Chateau Choi and Alma at 7.30 am for a wonderful breaky. After breaky we headed to Polangui Jail. 

Upon return to Choi & Alma's the kids helped prepare lunch by making some spring rolls. Lunch was awesome as usual. The hospitality is incredible. After lunch the older kids rode a trike into town with Alma and did a bit of shopping. 

This afternoon we all hiked to a magnificent lookout via the 14 Stations of the Cross. 

Pete & Liza took this opportunity to renew their vows 

All this was followed by a restaurant meal out and a night ride home in the Jeepney. 

The young professionals from church      joined us for tea at the restaurant 

There's plenty I could say about today. But I couldn't say it half as well as Pete Parker. Following our visit to the jail this morning, I suggested that he journal his thoughts. Following is the result. It's profound and inspiring. So I'll upload a few photos and leave the rest to him. Over to you Spidey!

Polangui District jail

Probably my most surreal and uplifting experience as a father, husband and individual today. We have been given the privilege of visiting a local regional jail, home to 61 "clients". Men (51) and women (10) awaiting their trial and fate, charged with mostly drug related affairs some combined with murder, rape and burglary. 

Much of life here is flipped on its head compared to that of a first world western country like Australia. Whatever makes sense and gives purpose back at home is so far off the radar it is impossible to convey. Thus I will try to paint a picture of the enormity of our experience.

Back home to take your 3 young children into a jail to communicate and hold hands with prisoners would seem the most abstract and alien of what would said to be good parenting. Like the rest of our trip we have felt nothing but safe in the Philippines. Under the guidance of the Simpsons and new friends Pastor Choi and Sister Alma we felt embraced and at ease with our path here.

We enter the jail to be met by the local pastor and his wife and the prison warden. It is a casual warm greeting as we leave our bags and mobile phones outside before we enter the prison proper. All seems very relaxed. Kids are nervous, why would my parents bring me here? Jolted back to some sense of reality when the donated tooth brushes we bring have to be chopped, shortened and blunted so as to not be utilised for other purposes.

We make the jump into the complete unknown and pass through to the corridors outside the cells. Sam has tactile contact with me, shadowing my every move, the older of our kids and the most cognisant of his surrounds. 2 cells side by side a sea of bright yellow shirts and eyes firmly fixed on our entrance.

What should one picture when being viewed by men and women who have acted for varying reasons making a terrible choice that lands them here. I am completely humbled by the atmosphere and sincerity of these people. The incarcerated men and women adorn us with gentleness, hope and smiles. I walk down an average Australian street and feel more hostility, negativity and lack of connection with my community.

Each man and woman is trying to capture my eye with a smile tempting my hopeful engagement to acknowledge our presence here for them. There is absolutely nothing menacing about these people. They are in fact simply beautiful. 

Pastor Choi leads our time with singing and prayer. It takes enormous fortitude not to weep at what we are witness to. Their voices are strong and resilient representative of a culture of singing and celebration. It is magnificent, yet again this all makes no sense.

They smile, sing, wave and pay great respect to this sacred space that pastor Choi has created. How can these men and women have ended up here? Survival in a country like this is harsh and dramatic. Repercussions for poor decisions and risky behaviours are swift. Some are set up, many are desperate. Now they await their trial, fearful and uncertain of where their life will proceed.

Our main man Phil delivers a sermon that is taken on board with the reverence it deserves. Tones of forgiveness and courage and hope ring loud, each person listening intently to his words. Phil's words are simply wonderful and every person takes their part on board to impart on their own life. At very short notice each party within our group is asked to say a few words. Our themes of encouragement are universal and their gentleness to us is very much appreciated. 

The children hand the toothbrushes and toothpastes through the bars to each client. Each one accepts their small gift with a kind smile and salamat (thank you). My children who I am over protective of and would give my life to save are handing gifts to prisoners who await their trial on charges that are serious.

We conclude our time shaking hands with each person and some of our female party hugging the female prisoners who have sat out with us in the same space as us the whole time. Who would have thought? 

I note their eyes. They express hope, strength and faith, even though their circumstances to an outsider seem so grim. They are inspiring me with every moment that passes when in fact we are trying to do that for them. It is a massive insight into an element of humanity of which I had no idea. It really does shake my soul like a rag doll and challenges everything we currently aspire to and live for.

These men and women are now considered outcasts. Even if released they should not go home as the punishment by their own is swift and brutal. Not only do they serve time if required, when the time hopefully comes to be free, it must be on new soil, a new place with no connection to their former and they must start again. Put yourself in their space in the same situation. To be ripped out of everything you have known never to return under the guilt and conviction of a mistake is brutal. This place has a brutality in its definition of justice both within the community and the courts. Yet how do they display gentler characteristics and positivity than anything we see back home?

I feel I would have to spend more time here to truly understand.

As parents Liza and I are constantly trying to provide opportunities to create better humans. Our legacy to the following generation is to enable the highest levels of compassion and understanding of others in our kids. A respectful adult who feels that acts of generosity, without any expectation of return,  is at their core. To observe here utter strength and contentedness when in context we as the rich westerners see hopelessness and sadness from afar. To come into their space and be shown sacred experiences like this by a holy family being the Simpsons cannot be comprehended. Even as I type this I feel I have done nothing to convey what has happened on this day or the days prior in the Philippines.

The people of these regions, like so many in third world countries, aspire to very little. To feed each other, drink clean water and live under shelter is their existence. To live that life surrounded by community and love without greed, fear and the need for more is something I and many others would do well to integrate into our lives.

You and I back home are insanely rich. We love our kids just as much but compromise our time and living standards to accommodate a cultural need that does not reflect what is most important. Every citizen I have come in contact with here has been the most wonderful of teachers for us. We get constantly thanked for coming, I simply say thank you for allowing us to witness the lessons you are providing to my family on the true essence of humanity.