Pre-Retreat Experiment: Filipino Life Experience in Navotas

28 September to 6 October 2009

"This first experiment may be seen as a form of present-day pilgrimage - this time into a new culture and lifestyle (for most in the group). Its purpose is to experience life among the simple folk who represent the vast majority of the people around us, and in this experience to let God speak to us through the lives of these simple people. The same God who calls us in various situations of our lives - in our prayer, in our discovery of our inner selves, in our companionship with one another - now challenges us to meet Him in the little ones of today's world. Hopefully, we will bring what we 'hear' to the Spiritual Exercises".

"This exposure is organized by the Pag-aalay ng Puso Foundation, a non-governmental organization of committed lay people. It was started by the members of the Dalumpines family 21 years ago as an effort to do something for the poor. The present head is Tere Dalumpines". (From "Filipino Life Experience 2009", p. 1)

http://filsjtertian2009.multiply.com/video/item/1/The_Children_of_Navotas
(full-screen view)

Navotas is a coastal city located at the northwest portion of Metro Manila, the National Capital Region of the Philippines. The city is virtually an island, sprawled on a narrow stretch of land along the eastern shores of Manila Bay measuring a total of 10.77 km2, and surrounded by water on almost all sides. Two-thirds of this land area lies beneath the sea level, making it prone to floods during high tides and the rainy season. It is bordered to the south by the city of Manila, the municipality of Obando in Bulacan province to the north, Manila Bay to the west, and to the east by Malabon City. The most common means for transportation available in the city are buses, jeepneys, taxis, and tricycles.

Navotas draws fish traders and vendors from all over Metro Manila and surrounding regions to its fish port. This concentration on the fishing industry is due to its proximity to the sea and the city’s bounty of waterways that run in its eastern border. The rivers of Binuangan, Daang Cawayan, Dampalit, Batasan, Navotas, and the channels of Bangculasi, Malabon, and Estero de Maypajo have all contributed to the city’s title and its people’s livelihood. About 70% of its inhabitants draw their livelihood from fishing or other related industries, such as fish trading, fish net mending, and fish paste (bagoong) and fish sauce (patis) making.

Navotas was not originally surrounded with water. It was believed that the delta where the city is now located used to stretch continuously, linked by a narrow strip of land to the then province of Tondo in Manila. Over time, the sea eroded this weak, narrow strip and created a passageway that was to develop into the Navotas River. This prompted the locals to refer to this place as “nabutas” or “pierced through”, eventually referring to the whole locality as Navotas. (From Navotas City Guide in www.expat forum.com)