A ROAD TO WILDERNESS

THE TRAVEL:

This is my first ever official travel with ate jo of BPI ARMM as per requested. I am excited to know that the travel would be in Lanao. As for the specific areas in Lanao at that moment I didn’t care. For all I knew was am going back to Marawi City.

The call time was 10:00 am so I came earlier. Time passes and reached 2:00 pm where I am already exhausted – waiting in vain. You must consider that before that call time I had my prior commitment.

Around 4:00 pm were already on the road. It’s raining when we reached Parang Maguindanao. Along the way there were times we experience sudden breaks because we are going to hit a motorcycle and this trailer…whew

My stomach was already in protest, its 7:00 pm when we reached Marawi City. I didn’t have food in my bag to eat along the way…(how sad)

THE JOURNEY:

I woke up early in the morning as media orientation. I should not be a cause of delay. My cell phone beeps at 5:30 in the morning. At 7:00 am were ready for jump off.

Inside the car I wonder, “do they knew the way going to places where we supposed to deliver these medical equipments and supplies?”. I haven’t seen any guides with us and so I got anxious. I’ve texted media friends in Cotabato City letting them knew that I’m here in Marawi going to the remotest area of Lanao that were not even sure which way where we going.  I wanted to go home but I choose to stay.

Along the way to the 5 different municipalities of Lanao, you can see interesting scenery but most were dishearten. Roads were not really road. There is muddy, road just intended for horse, a floody, and road going to the clouds (yes indeed, it’s like you’re going to heaven up above the mountain, whew)

There were instances that came into my mind “can we finished this all day long or we coming back again tomorrow?” “can I still see my family again?” What if these people who didn’t qualify to have these medical equipments and supplies got mad and would kill us, could the local authorities still find us? (head bangs loaded of questions)

Again that whole day my stomach protest, wanted to eat real food. We only got water and biscuits that day which my stomach are not used to. Thank God I have my breakfast that morning, if not I died in empty stomach. (God forbids, hehehe)

THE PLACES:

1.     Cubo, Bayang Lanao Sur

2.     Pagalongan, Maguing Lanao Sur

3.     Lumbac, Buadi Puso Buntong

4.     Bacayawan, Sultan Dumalundong

5.     Alog, Lumbatan

These are all in Lanao Sur and North, situated along Lake Lanao.

THE PURPOSE:

The objectives of these travel was to deliver medical equipment and supplies composes of weighing scale, digital blood pressure apparatus, digital thermometer, high end nebulizer, gloves, bondages, cotton, medical gown, syringes, and too many to mention. All in all the total amount of that supplies and equipments roughly P65,000.00

This program was under the directives of Acing Regional Governor Hon. Ansaruddin Alonto Adiong funded by the Act for Peace Programme.

The first phase of that program a certain barangays in Lanao was given fund to build Barangays Health Station according to its contract. If that barangays health station built accordingly the second phase is the turnover of medical equipments and supplies for that said barangays health station to be fully operationalized.

This is a huge help to the municipalities who were given the chance to have these program considering that they were so far from the civilization. So sad that 5 of the said municipalities only 3 qualifies to have that medical equipment and supplies. The 2 remaining I would say the budget was not being used according to contract. Instead of building a barangays health station it was being built as there house or even warehouse.

 

Indeed this is the most memorable experience ever had. Got new friends along the way and of course lessons learned.