10th Meeting of the Prefecture of Battambang
Siem Reap, October 20-22, 2009
Our life is full of experiences that spin and interweave, making up realities of life completely unsuspected, exceeding many times our dreams and expectations. The strength of life and the faithfulness of God in his love with his people is manifested with extreme clarity. This is our experience in Cambodia.
Last week I had the great luck of being able to go to the villages in the region of Banon with Phally, Theara and Javivhín. They are three members of the team of the Arrupe Center that work in remote villages helping disabled people.
Fr Primativo Viray (PHI) invited Fr Pedro Walpole (PHI) to the Juniors’ Social Forum. The day’s discussions with scholastics raised significant questions about poverty and how those who are bound to the land are poor, since they receive no benefit from society for the quality of ecological services drawn from their areas yet destroyed by others. It also drew people to consider how they might better seek experiences in reading the signs of the times in what they want to do and analyze what could be just and effective action.
“Conversations 2009” in Davao amongst the universities and apostolates brought a clear focus to what Jesuit institutions can do, even though they may not seem to be the experts. Clearly it is everyone’s concern and interest to adapt in the face of climate change. Davao, already expecting to have a dryer climate in the future, is sure to draw up numerous responses.
Fr Pedro Walpole (PHI), through his engagement with Asia Forest Network (AFN), had an opportunity to follow up on the actions agreed upon during the Jesuit Conference Social Ministries meeting in Manila last August. In October 2009, with Rowena Soriaga of AFN, he visited several Jesuits in Indonesia interested in contributing to a network of people currently involved in environment related activities.
UNESCO continued its review with Fr Pedro Walpole (PHI) of the teaching through Pulangiyen, a mother tongue based curriculum at Apu Palamugwan Cultural Education Center (APC) near the Bukidnon/Agusan province boundary in Mindanao, Philippines. Working from the indigenous culture that is seeking ancestral recognition of rights from the government, the relationship of education and the land has become increasingly important.
Human development is about putting people at the centre of development. It is about people realizing their potential, increasing their choices and enjoying the freedom to lead lives they value. Since 1990, annual Human Development Reports have explored challenges including poverty, gender, democracy, human rights, cultural liberty, globalization, water scarcity and climate change.
Two Jesuits from OCIPE in Brussels, Frs. José Ignacio Garcia (CAS) and Jacques Haers (BSE), are present at the COP15 Climate Conference in Copenhagen as NGO observers, part of a team of Franciscans International. They keep up a blog, with posts in English and in Spanish, reflecting their personal reflections and experiences. This blog can be visited at http://ignatianeconet.wordpress.com.
Thank you for your concern, prayers and support
for the victims of the flood brought about
by Tropical Storm Ketsana (‘Ondoy’) in the Philippines.
On 04 October, Fr Heribertus Pardjijo Bratasudarma (IDO) wrote, “In Siem Reap the floods started on Wednesday morning, but it came to the church only on Wednesday evening. The Siem Reap River that divides Siem Reap town was overflowing. Over half of Siem Reap town was flooded. Most parts of Old Market were flooded. The 
church was flooded from the water from the river and from the water that kept flowing from the back of the church from villages.