DAY 3 Novena : GIVE US A LISTENING HEART I slept yesterday night thinking of the evacuees, especially the children and the elderly. The thoughts of the children all wet throughout the night are more disturbing than the sounds of the bullets. The rain did not stop until seven this morning. Today, the evacuation centers are not only flooded with water, it is also flooded with silent tears of the evacuees. Today, I saw the urgency of providing a permanent place to stay for thousands of evacuees – and it must be the top priority in Zamboanga’s rehabilitation efforts. But where will they live? Off hand, the national government’s quick fix solution is to resettle the evacuees of Brgy. Sta.Catalina, Rio Hondo and Mariki to another place somewhere away from the city. But it is not as easy as that, the proposed relocation sites are not acceptable to the evacuees for many reasons, and the possible host barangays are also not too keen to adopt a relocation village. Most of the evacuees, given a choice, would prefer to return to their respective barangays. And yet, the majority, feels that relocating them away from the city is the best solution. In the midst of this confusion, consultation and listening to both sides are necessary. The gospel today indirectly calls us, especially the learned, the government officials, the technocrats and other experts to genuinely listen first to all the stakeholders involved. We may have studied abroad and equipped ourselves with new paradigms and tested solutions, but it does not necessarily mean it is the only and best strategy in rebuilding Zamboanga. We cannot just come in and imposed what we know as the “best solution” without considering the voices of other stakeholders, especially the evacuees. We don’t know everything and there is wisdom in accepting it. There are things beyond our radar, assessment and understanding, and most of the time, the voices of the unlearned, the marginalized and the poor are the most neglected voice in any dialogue. We need to know their specific needs, their culture and even their history – which will play a vital role in arriving to a decision acceptable to all parties. Dialogue is a must in crafting solutions that will benefit everybody. We don’t want another arm conflict to resurrect again because we did not listen to the voice of everybody. I remember one joke with regard to skills on effective consultation: After a day of consultation, the CEO of the company said, “Thank you for being candid for giving me suggestions. I noted everything you have said. Now, let’s move on … THIS IS MY DECISION…” Let’s read and reflect the gospel reading today. Let’s remind ourselves that wisdom seats at the heart of all people, and not only on few: “I offer you grateful praise, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because what you have hidden and cleaver you have revealed to the merest children. … Blest are the eyes that see what you see. I tell you, many prophets and kings wished to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.” (Luke 10:17-24) Let’s listen to one another. Let’s talk. The evacuees are waiting. We cannot afford to expose them again to the next storm.
Posted on: Sat, 05 Oct 2013 02:00:59 +0000
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