A Columban initiative has brought economic, ecological and cultural improvements to a remote area of the Philippines.
By Fr. John Boles

"Excuse me, John, but would you mind giving me your urine?”

This is not the sort of question you’d expect to hear soon after your arrival at a parish house.

But Katipunan is no ordinary parish, and I quickly discovered that this was just the first of many surprises at the home of a fascinating Columban-backed project in the Philippines.

Katipunan is set in the lush countryside of Mindanao, the southernmost island of the Philippines. Columbans have been working here for many years, and recently it has become a seedbed for a whole series of initiatives that seek to combine the interests of ecology, rural development, Christian values and indigenous people’s rights.

Many of these initiatives are the brainchild of Fr. Brendan Kelly, an Irish Columban and Katipunan’s current parish priest. Fr. Brendan and I studied together in the seminary, and when the Columbans sent me to a meeting in the Philippines, I took the opportunity to drop in on Fr. Brendan to see for myself what his projects were all about.

Fr. Kelly examined crops with peasant farmers Nida (left) and Rico.

Fr. Brendan pointed out that I shouldn’t really complain about the mud, because it was with water that this success story began. The moist climate allows the Subanens to grow their crops, but because rainfall is not always regular, the growing season is often interrupted.

So the Columbans, working with the indigenous People’s Apostolate of the Filipino Church, helped the inhabitants install an irrigation system. Now farmers can grow several crops, such as bananas, squash and spring onions all year round, allowing them to boost their incomes.

Despite this project, there continued to be a problem with corn, the staple food crop of the Subanens. There was still no way to avoid the “hungry months” of May-August when corn could not be harvested, and speculators hoarded it and sold it to the people at inflated prices.

Fr. Brendan and his parish team decided to beat the speculators at their own game. They began to build up supplies of corn as well, but then sold them at a fair price during the lean period. The speculators were not happy, but more food appeared on poor people’s tables. The Catholic Church gained added credibility, allowing Fr. Brendan to embark on a more ambitious venture.

Fr. Brendan sought a “market niche” to further improve the local economy. He found it when he realized that some customers in nearby towns were concerned about the additives in their food and looking for organic alternatives. Fr. Brendan encouraged some parishioners to form a cooperative, whose members then started to grow vegetables without chemicals.

Better Prices, Profits & Self-Esteem
Fr. Brendan, his catechist and newly arrived Columban Lay Missionary Sarah Young of England would then receive this produce at the parish center. They would load it onto his jeep and take it directly to the customers.

Soon, Fr. Brendan became a familiar sight on the streets of Ozamiz City, the nearest big town, making deliveries of cabbage, cauliflower, carrots and so on to clients that included hospitals, presbyteries and restaurants.

“There are many advantages,” Brendan told me. “We get a fair price for our goods; we cut out the middleman; and the farmers get 90 percent of the proceeds. The other 10 percent is invested in seeds and equipment. Local people can make a small profit for the first time and buy things they need, such as salt, oil, fish and kerosene. Also, this is a great opportunity for consumer education. There is contact between urban Filipinos and the tribal groups. The Subanens’ self-esteem grows.

And people see that the Catholic Church doesn’t just talk about justice, but practices it.”

Now what about that request for urine? Organic crops thrive on a natural fertilizer made up of water, urine and vegetable waste. The compost is then broken down by micro-organisms.

“They are the real laborers,” explained Primitivo, a farmer in Brendan’s cooperative. “They work 24 hours a day, seven days a week.” Impressed, we gazed thoughtfully at the compost heap at the back of the parish house.

“Just think, John,” commented Brendan, “There’s a part of you in that.”

It gave me a certain satisfaction to know I had contributed in some way to this minor miracle I had witnessed in Mindanao.

Fr. John Boles of England is a Columban priest who works in Lima, Peru.