I’m never impressed by overpaid athletes, ego-demented politicians, under-talented pop stars, or by myself.
I am, however, profoundly impressed by heroes and heroines. What do those terms mean to you? To me, it reflects on an individual’s selfless devotion to his/her community, and by extension, to their country.
I’ll now discuss two such people: one you probably have heard of, the other, probably not. One was murdered because he stood up against corruption; the other sacrifices her personal life every day by selflessly providing education to children in a remote mountain area.
Dr. Avelex Amor was 43 when he was murdered on Nov. 20 last year. He died with P20.00 in his wallet, but also with a pharmacy debt of P40,000 because of medicines he had purchased for hospital patients who could not afford to buy them.
He was shot at point blank range in daylight in Guihulngan by men on a motorcycle who’d been following him. I wonder what his final thoughts were. Did he perhaps feel a profound sense of sadness for the people, the society he loved and died for?
His loss had significant impact for the people of Canlaon City and the surrounding area. Dr. Amor had been the hospital chief for the Canlaon District Hospital, a much-loved and respected doctor and reforming administrator.
His murder devastated the lives not only of his parents and other family members, but also of many other people whose lives he had positively impacted. It seems too casual to say that Dr. Amor was a man of the people. He was that, and much more. He was an example of courage in the face of dangerous forces he must have known would eventually harm him.
People with feudal mentalities cannot tolerate their absolute sense of power being questioned. Sooner or later, they would silence him. And they did.
After the Doctor’s murder, four replacement doctors also left the Hospital due to fear for their safety. And they didn’t last long. Some days there are no doctors on duty as there is no one to take over a doctor who has to go to attend a conference in the big city.
“Justice for Dr. Amor” banners were plentiful at his funeral. They were also evident in many parts of Dumaguete and elsewhere in Negros Oriental. They are less evident now. Dr. Amor’s parents claim the banners have been intentionally-removed. Adding insult to injury, Dr. Amor’s father has been receiving death threats.
Dr. Amor’s parents are understandably frustrated by the lack of progress in identifying the suspects. They also question why the Provincial government that was his employer has offered no reward for help in solving his murder; especially since P500,000 has been offered for information to solve the killing of a Provincial Board Member earlier this year.
Sadly, Dr. Amor’s murder might soon become another irrelevant statistic. “Justice for Dr. Amor?” Forget it. Nobody will ever be brought to justice for his casual destruction.
I wonder if the people who ordered Dr. Amor killed, who paid to murder this “annoying” man, will ever, in moments of quiet reflection, feel any remorse. Probably not. It’s more likely their arrogance, fueled by self-righteous indignation, will prohibit a millisecond of discomfort. They probably feel their barbarous actions were not only necessary, but also justified.
A sad aspect of this wonderful, mostly peaceful Philippine society is that one can have another person murdered for a pittance. And the likelihood is remote that those who order the hit will ever be charged with the crime, let alone be convicted for it.
The Philippines is similar in many ways to Ireland where I was born and raised. Family, friends, humor, and a basic sense of decency lie deep within the subconscious of people here.
Sadly, just as in Ireland, violence is also an intrinsic part of life here. I consider myself relatively-harmless, but have on more than one occasion been advised by people I respect to be careful about what I write, lest the dark hand of anger reach out and punish me.
Such is the case now. There is much more I would like to say but will refrain from doing so because of concern for my personal safety. I regret being cowardly, but I’ve no interest in becoming yet another meaningless, unsolved, murder statistic.
I once was young and brave. Today I’m neither. Therefore, I won’t comment on the common knowledge about the reason for Dr. Amor’s murder or who was probably responsible for it. The police have “carried out an investigation” but not surprisingly, no suspects have been identified nor arrested. Nor will they ever be.
The number of unsolved killings in the country seems to suggest that legal justice in the Philippines is a myth, give or take a few exceptions. This hapless situation is highlighted in popular nighttime TV soap operas that have viewers seeing a situation not too different from their reality, that the legal system is a theatrical farce. In these storylines, sufficient judges, police officers, and politicians are routinely bought off, then instructed to turn a blind eye to the truth. Cynical prostitutes in low-class brothels have significantly more integrity.
If you were to see her on the street, she’d pass unnoticed. But to the mountain people of Sitio Labo, Bansud in Mindoro Oriental, Teacher Annie is known to everyone and loved by all.
Word travels quickly in remote areas, so when word comes that Teacher Annie has crossed most of the rivers she needs to navigate before beginning the climb towards the mountain, many people, especially the children, rush out from their homes excitedly to wait patiently for her arrival. The joy in her eyes when she sees the children is deeply-moving. The excellent TV documentary I-Witness Titser Annie, available on YouTube, beautifully and painfully captures her challenges and successes.
It’s in this remote mountain area in Mindoro where Teacher Annie provides precious, formal education to mountain children. The community is symbolic of many forgotten people in remote areas of the Philippines. They can be found on mountainsides all over the archipelago. They live their lives mostly unseen by the outside world. They struggle to scratch out a living in a harsh and unforgiving environment. They have never seen a medical doctor or dentist. They have no clean water or electricity.
To earn money, they walk many miles over rough terrain carrying heavy loads of bananas on their backs. They sell their produce to lowland merchants. These lowlanders routinely rob them because these mountain people are viewed as “ignorant” who cannot read, write, or do basic calculations. Consequently, they are unable to place a value on their goods. They don’t vote, so no politician cares about them. But Teacher Annie does.
She was mistrusted by the people in the mountain when she first began to teach there. And why not? These people are repeatedly cheated by lowlanders. But when they saw the love and devotion that Teacher Annie would give their children, over time, their reserve turned to cautious acceptance, and eventually, to unqualified trust.
Even the older women have recently asked her to teach them. She does this for no additional financial compensation. One of the reasons the older women want to learn basic math is because they have realized they should not tolerate being robbed by lowland merchants.
Teacher Annie has been serving the mountain people for several years now. She teaches all the children from several grade levels in one cluttered classroom. She even has a 19-year-old who has now learned to write her name, and is also learning to do addition.
The documentary also shows heartbreaking scenes of one dutiful daughter, walking with no shoes for many miles with a heavy load of bananas on her back. She was then paid a small percentage of its true value. Because of that, she was unable to buy sufficient medicines for her seriously-ill mother.
Teacher Annie’s devotion to the community is inspirational. A less devoted person would have been tested upon receiving word of a promotion to a “better” school in the city. But Teacher Annie refused such offer. She knows she’s no longer young, but still feels an obligation to stay with the mountain people for several more years.
Her legacy when she eventually leaves will be to have created a solid educational foundation for the people there. Those who have learned to read and write will teach the next generation. Because of her selfless devotion, Teacher Annie will be changed forever, as will the community she finally waves goodbye to.
Please view the documentary I-Witness Titser Annie on YouTube. I challenge you not to be deeply-moved. Teacher Annie is an extraordinary example of pure, unconditional love in action. The documentary conjures up a variety of emotions. It’s humbling to watch, while also painful yet exhilarating.
You may reasonably ask what do the actions of one person in Mindoro Oriental have to do with Negros Oriental. I’d suggest it’s simply an example of what is also happening, perhaps to a greater or lesser extent, in various parts of Negros Oriental.
There are no doubts that many people here are being of significant service to their communities. I also feel it’s necessary to experience a temporary uplifting of spirit when reflecting on the evil done in the murder of Dr. Amor.
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Author’s email: irishauthormichaelcassidy@gmail.com
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