May 2012 Highlights

Rogate: Following Jesus through Mary. May is the month of Mary, for in the religious perspective, she is the true May flower who decorates ‘the carpet’ that leads us to Jesus. Also, May is the month of the santacruzan in which we commemorate that blessed day when Elena, Constantine’s mother, discovered a piece of the true cross. St. Hannibal was very close to Mary. Certainly, this closeness, among others, led him closer to Jesus.  In a sense, through Mary’s guidance, St. Hannibal also discovered a piece of the true cross. By dedicating his life in service to the poor and the oppressed, he faced a lot of crucifixions. This is best appreciated if we take time to consider that when Jesus exhorted his disciples to carry the cross and follow him, the cross did not yet have a religious meaning—it referred rather to the sacrifices and trials a disciple has to face when he or she proclaims the Kingdom and its justice.

In the month of May, it is the insight ‘following Jesus through Mary’ that has guided the life of SHEC. Indeed, through her gracious hands, Mary, the Mother of the Poor, has led SHEC to continue Jesus’ Kingdom mission.

Meeting with PIAC. May 2, 2012 was a taste of the ‘joys and tears’ (victories and crosses) which characterize the daily struggles of the poor for humane living. In SHEC’s meeting with the Awards and Arbitration Committee of the Pasay Inter-Agency Committee (PIAC), 7 screened applications for housing were approved while 6 were deferred. Also, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has no response yet to the segregation of the 2000 sqmManila International Airport Authority(MIAA) property which, in turn, will determine the granting of a right of way at MIAA. Be that as it may, the fire of hope remains enkindled as the request letter for the issuance of authorization letter to HOA 3 back titles was received, and the clean initial master list of renters and sharers was signed. In addition, there was an assurance that the deferred applications and other appeals will be reconsidered. There was also a proposal to amend the memorandum of agreement in order to incorporate Pasay mayor Calixto’s promisewhich consists of an additional 3 million pesos for the housing project. The meeting was held at the National Housing Authority (NHA) Office, Baclaran, Paranaque City.

Planning for Better Mission. Kingdom work is not just a profession. It is, more importantly, a vocation and a mission. Understanding Kingdom work as such may sustain one to continue despite the crosses along the way. With Mary’s guidance and St. Hannibal’s intercessions, the work may indeed be more smooth-sailing. This spirit inspired the admin and staff of SHEC as they laid the framework of their 3 year plan of service to the poorest of the poor, as well as the more immediate annual plan for fiscal year 2012-2013. The planning was held last May 19-24, 2012 at the St. Hannibal Training Center, Pasay City.

MRB Validation Session.To be informed about the the feasibility of Medium Rise Building (MRB) projects for the urban poor, informal settlers in Metro Manila, BenchuZabalaand George Espin of SHEC attended the MRB validation session at the Ateneo de Manila University last May 29, 2012.

Loan Documentation Seminar. Assistance from lending institutions is necessary in the mission of SHEC. In view of this, BenchuZabala and George Espin of SHEC attended the loan documentation seminar which was held at the University of the Philippines, Quezon City last May 30-31, 2012. The seminar was sponsored by the Social Housing Finance Corporation (SHFC) and Luzon Community Mortgage Program (LCMP Network). It aimed to inform SHFC and LCMP members of the procedure of loan documentation, as well as the details about the right documents to submit, and to update members of the latest policies of SHFC with regard to the community mortgage program.

Gabi ngKabataan Celebration. All is well that ends well. SHEC, at least, has ended the month of May with a joyful celebration dubbed as Gabi ngKabataan or Youth Night (an anticipation indeed of the joyous character of the Kingdom towards which the poor of SHEC hope to go to).Said event was an avenue where the Rogate Youth Ministry SHaCC Chapter (RYMSC) and the Rogate Youth Ministry PABaNAL Chapter (RYMPC)could showcase their talents. Moreover, the youth were also updated about RYMSC and RYMPC activities. Also, non-members were invited in view of recruiting them to become official members. Lastly, the celebration was meant to strengthen the bond among those who participated. All in all, over 130 leaders and members of both chapters graced the evening.