My Reflection

I was born in Manila and grew up in the slum of Quezon City. My father has another family living far from us. I had three brothers. My mother solely supported us in all our needs. She was a vendor in a talipapa (small community market) in our baranggay. She carried all the responsibilities my father supposed to shoulder.

I spent my childhood days in the slums of Quezon City. I was influenced by the lifestyles of the street kids. I have joined gangs and learn their ways. I even sell marijuana and some other stuff to get a hold of big cash in my pocket. I dreamt of becoming a leader of one big organized crime syndicate. I was idolizing Al Capone. But my mother was a big influence in my life. She kept on persuading me to study and prepare for my future.

Since we cannot afford a private school, I studied in public school in elementary.

Fortunately, I finished in top ten of my batch. During high school, I became a scholar of a catholic priest. It is called “Operation Pag-Ibig” of Father Ben Carreon. He paid for my tuition fee. After high school, I studied vocational course (Basic Secretarial Course) before going to college. Unfortunately, I dropped college and went to Seminary to take Pastoral Theology. By the grace of God, I graduated in top of my class, I was chosen as the Class Speaker, an honor equivalent to baron in military.

I became a short term missionary to the Mangyan Tribe of Victoria, Oriental Mindoro. For a while, I was helping them to organize their community in the mountain of Sablayan. I even raised funds to help them put up their own Training Center. After my itinerary there, I ventured to the business. I put up my own Trading business until the time God has called me to full time ministry in February 14, 1992. I was a young pastor of my own home church in Old Balara, Quezon City until 2005.

For the duration of my pastoral career in Old Balara Christian Community, the ministry has expanded to four churches and one fellowship. I realized later on that all these churches were all located in Slum areas. Thus it became clear to me that the Lord has called me to minister to the slum families. Early 2005 when the Board of Elders of our Church, decided to make me an Overseeing Pastor of the OBCC Net of Churches. All the pastoral responsibilities in my shoulder were slowly taken away. I faced new and less burdensome tasks.

It was during that year when God opened a door of more challenging and inspiring ministry, the ministry of Onesimo. It was a great blessing for me and my family that I am in Onesimo. When I saw the plight of these young people, I saw my friends and myself during my teenage years.

I thought it would be easy since we are also ministering with urban poor people and the youth sector. Furthermore, my heart really belongs to the young people. However, when I was exposed to the various communities of Onesimo clients I realized that this ministry is tougher. It was far different from my previous tasks. I went to the most impoverished communities of Tondo, Malabon, Navotas, Payatas and to the poorest communities of Metro Manila. I even went outside Manila, where a lot of poor people were residing. Some are even in horrible condition. I cannot imagine people living in a condition where only animals are suited to live. Families eat their meals just twice a day. When a child is sick, they were not able to send to the doctor because they have no money. They live in a 12 square meter house, it’s indeed uninhabitable.

I used to complain why God put me in a depressed neighborhood. I even asked God why I am poor. I realized now why God put me in poverty stricken environment – in order to reach them to Jesus. I have learned that I am very much blessed upon seeing these less fortunate people. I need to love this people because I am one of them.

I was asked by a friend, “What do you want to achieve in life?” To share the love of Jesus to all the people specially to poor people like me. I cannot give them gold nor silver but what I have I will give to them, that’s my treasure – the love of God! I have to work double time to spread the gospel of Jesus to people like them.