Typhoon Noru

Posted today in a Episcopal Peace Fellowship executive council blog the following:

No doubt, all of you are familiar with the names of Vietnam, Cambodia, or Laos. Names that relate to a war a couple generations ago. Let me add a name to that list: the Philippines.

Somehow the soldiers, marines, sailors, airmen, and the weapons of war got to Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos. Their departure point was likely places on Luzon, the main island of the Philippines, places with names such as Clark Air Force Base or Subic Naval Base. Hundreds of thousands of men would have passed through these bases. Untold tons of military weapons and supplies through the Philippines (and Guam).

When folks in PIN write about Palestine, I know that it is from the heart. Many have been on the ground there, seeing with their own eyes.

As a young man who served with the Seventh Fleet out of Japan with the Navy at the end of the Vietnam War, I witnessed with my own eyes the poverty in the Philippines. In 1975-1977, I suspect I visited the Philippines a half dozen or more times. May I just say, that young American servicemen are not the best ambassadors. The Philippines was a liberty port/base for men who had just spent time in combat in Vietnam. The business establishments in Olangapo City just outside Subic Naval base were primarily bars, strip clubs, assorted restaurants, and souvenir shops which primarily catered to American service men.

The side streets behind those bars were "houses" for Filipinos. Lacking adequate running water or sewer, one might say they were more shacks than houses. The Olongapo River which separated Subic Naval base from the city was a notorious open sewer. Young kids in dugouts would wait under the bridge outside the base gates for a**hole service men to throw pesos in the river and dive in after the coins.

Many of you may not know that Filipinos served in the U.S. Navy. At a time when the draft was not popular in the states, I guess allowing Filipinos to serve was one way to draft fewer men in the states. Anywhere from 5-10% of my ship's complement of 300+ men was Filipino in the two years I was on board. For Filipinos, the calling may have been because the average family in the Philippines made less than a $1,000 per year. As a young petty officer, I made about $6,000 and had my room and board and medical fully paid for by tax dollars. (We were rich in comparison to the average Filipino.)

The country also had a curfew at that time. One had to be off the streets from midnight to 5:00 a.m. The curfew apparently did not apply to the wealthy as a floating casino in Manila harbor had shuttle vessels going to and from all night serving wealthy gamblers.

The country is a fragile democracy today. The son of the former dictator, Ferdinand Marcos Sr. and his wife of many shoes Imelda, is currently president.

I am writing all this as the island of Luzon is currently being slammed by Typhoon Noru. Perhaps due to climate change, the frequency and intensity of storms hitting the island has increased. CNN and the Manila Times indicate that Noru hit landfall as a category 5.

Manila and the former Subic Naval base area including Olongapo

are certainly feeling its effects. And the poor in Luzon, who have little to begin with, are likely to feel it more than the wealthy.

"When everything's made to be broken
I just want you to know who I am."

• Goo Goo Dolls

Sure hope that some deacons in the Diocese of the Philippines kick some Anglican/Episcopal church higher up butts to bring attention to the suffering and damage.

A friend of mine who served at Clark Air Force base, married a Filipino. I visited her and her husband in 1975. He offered to drive me in to Manila for sight seeing. The main road between Clark and Manila was bordered by rice paddies with farmers and their water buffalo. Every so often, one could tell there was a roadside store of sorts (that was also a house). I do not read Tagalog/Filipino, but I could read the Coca Cola sign on the house.

I asked my friend's husband to stop at one of these establishments so that we could pick up a couple Cokes and quench our thirst in the hot Luzon sun. The store had no refrigeration. The two small, warm bottles of Coke cost about 20 cents combined. I handed the young lady sales clerk a 20 peso bill, about $1.25 U.S. She did not have any change. Instead of simply saying keep the change in my embarrassment I fumbled in my pocket for enough change to pay the 20 or 25 cents.

Not sure if Google translate is accurate. But this is meant to say:

Pray for the poor in Luzon, Philippines. Thank you.

"Ipagdasal ang mga mahihirap sa Luzon Philippines. Salamat."

I may have to see if I can find a local establishment selling San Miguel beer tonight.

"When everything's made to be broken
I just want you to know who I am"