Daily Report: Feeding Hungry Kids

Getting the food set up.

Group photo. That's Henrik from
Belgium. He works with a foundation
that is helping to fight asthma in
The Philippines.

Every kid gets a big pile of food...

... and juice.

Many of the kids' families are so
poor that they can't afford pants.Today I joined Epril and the rest of the members of the Expats Ladies Charity (and a couple of Expats Ladies' husbands) and went to Barangay Tubajon in the town of Laguindingan, which is located about 30 kilometers west-northwest of the city of Cagayan De Oro. We went there to feed the children of indigent families who were displaced by the construction of the nearby Laguindingan Airport.

The Barangay of Tubajon is a nice little place on the coast, but sheltered from direct access to the ocean by some impressive mangrove forests. There is a little sandy-bottom waterway that runs the length of the barangay between the shore and the mangroves which is a lovely swimming spot and so tranquil. It was along this canal that the ladies set up a nice little feast for the local kids.

The ladies had bunches and bunches of spaghetti, lots of rice, and broiled chicken breast to serve. I tried pouting and whining, but none of the ladies would give me any of the food: For the kids only!

I was told that the crowd of kids eating today was a bit smaller than in previous weeks, although nobody could say why exactly. But, all in all 20 or 25 kids went home with a very full belly.





After that, we drove further up the coast (and out into the wilderness). We stopped at a promontory and had a nice lunch... the leftovers that the kids didn't eat (plus some bread and cola). Sometimes the ladies go swimming here as well, but it wasn't a particularly pleasant day.

Nearby to this promontory is the ruins of a guard house built by the Japanese during World War 2 to watch the shipping lanes.


The area around here is very windswept and dry, and the shelf-like promontory is the antediluvian remains of a coral reef. Jim Cunningham remarked that the place seemed very much like the bushland of Africa.




When we finished our lunch, we then drove out to look at the new airport. It is very nice, and looks to be finished soon. It is a bit unfortunate that it is father away from Cagayan de Oro than the current airport, but the location is designed to serve not just Cagayan but also Illigan as well, which is another 40 kilometers to the west-northwest.


Finally, it was over to John and Melogy Burn's house for drinks. I sat around with John and Jim Cunningham on the front porch, and we tried to set the record for the most subjects talked about in a single conversation.

From there, Epril and I did a bit of grocery shopping, had some dinner at McDonald's, and then caught a jeepney back to Jasaan. I'm so tired!