Lebanon Evacuation

THEY have gone through a war and are now living amid renewed political tensions, but Filipinos in Lebanon are still able to think beyond their own plight.

The Filipino community decided to forego with their usual holiday celebrations in deference to the sufferings of their kababayans (fellow Filipinos) who were victims of the recent typhoons in Bicol, said Fr. Agustin Advincula, parish priest of the Our Lady of Miraculous Medal in Beirut.

The Catholic Church was the temporary shelter of thousands of Filipino workers, mostly domestic helpers, who fled the war between Israel and the Hezbollah last August.

"Actually, the recent calamities and disasters in our country and the ongoing tension here have inspired us to simplify our activities and focus on the essentials," Agustin told the Philippine Daily Inquirer in an e-mail message.

The Filipino community was actually already preparing for a "bongga" (elaborate) celebration, Agustin said, as early as September.

But by late October, Typhoon "Milenyo" (international codename: Xangsane) brought destruction to Metro Manila and several provinces. In November, a Lebanese Cabinet official was assassinated, which heightened the political tensions there.

"We put things on hold," Agustin said. And ultimately, the community decided to altogether forego with its holiday celebrations.

"And we were glad we did, after what Typhoons 'Reming' [Durian] and 'Seniang' [Utor] did to the Bicol Region," he said.

Day of prayers
They celebrated Christmas in the only Christian-Arab nation in the Middle East in the most austere way.

There were no parties, raffle draws, singing contests, said Agustin. There wasn't even a parol or a Belen in their homes.

They also did not hold their annual "Day of Gratitude," where employers are invited to join the Mass recognizing their part in the lives of the Filipino workers and are given gifts by their Filipino helpers.

But pray they did.

"We continued with our Simbang Gabi, at 5 a.m. and 5 p.m., and the midnight Masses for Christmas and New Year and the gift-giving for the children," he said, adding:

"We spent a day fasting and praying. We committed ourselves to the 3 o'clock silent prayer for an hour for nine days before Christmas."

These calls to heaven were all for the victims of the calamities in the Philippines, for the peaceful resolution of the ongoing tension, and for the kababayans who have escaped from their employers and are still "languishing in our embassy and the government detention center."

"We didn't have the chance to raise funds for the typhoon victims," Agustin said. "Bear in mind that we had to scrap our raffle draw which could have been the source of funds."

"Besides, the volatile situation made us tighten our belts and prepare for eventualities," the priest added.

Agustin said that despite the war, the Filipino community there still feel "luckier than the typhoon victims."

"We experienced the bombings at a distance, though we heard the sound and felt the tremors. Whereas they (typhoon victims) were struggling to save their lives in the midst of a cascading mudslide," Agustin said.

Of the estimated 30,000 Filipinos in Lebanon, nearly 6,000 went back to the Philippines to escape the war.

But a number of Filipino workers have made their way back to Lebanon, despite an existing employment ban, Agustin said.

"These are the Pinays who are receiving good salaries and are enjoying the favor of their employers," Agustin explained.

Those married to Lebanese nationals were the first ones to be allowed back, he added.

Getting their lives back to normal is a continuing struggle for the Filipino community. It doesn't sound trite when they say that peace is all they want for the New Year.