Eyewitness - Philippines

CRCM was idyllic compared with the congested roads outside, loaded with jeepneys jostling for space and stopping at whim to put down or pick up passengers. Each jeepney could carry around ten passengers at a squeeze but, typically, “there was always room for one more”.  We tried travelling by jeepney a few times but had a difficult time fitting in. But they were, in the absence of buses, a very affordable and practical form of transport.

Inside the compound was a perimeter road lined by delightful flame trees, but there were also mango trees, tamarinds, chico fruit trees, a cashew nut tree and others, which each bore their fruits in season. Those arriving at the compound were suddenly embraced by a lush greenness, and a sense of peace and tranquillity as they came through the gates. No doubt this climate of well-being did much to draw friends and supporters of FEBC to the annual anniversary celebrations each June. (p.79)

)In August 1983, Aquino boarded a China Airlines flight to return to Manila via Taipei. His supporters had been informed of his return and swarmed to the airport in droves, armed with yellow ribbons. It so happened that Hennie and I were heading to the airport with our children to meet the same flight, unaware of the coincidence. Old friends of ours Craig and Linda Throop, from the Fullerton church, were on their way back to Papua New Guinea with their two small girls and stopped over in Manila to spend a few days with us. As we approached the airport, a Ninoy supporter asked us if we wanted a yellow ribbon too to fly from our radio antenna. Of course – we joined the celebration.

There were so many people milling around that Hennie felt it best to stay in the hot car in the airport car park with the children, and that I should go in alone to meet our friends. I went inside the Arrivals area. It was packed with people, but most alarming was that the military had wired shut the exit doors so that, once inside, no one could go out. It began to feel claustrophobic. We waited. After a while, the mood changed and there was a buzz of subdued chattering – all in Tagalog, which I did not understand. Finally, the doors were opened, and we were allowed out. People were running around, but in the confusion, I found Craig and Linda and their two girls and greeted them. They were in a state of shock: Ninoy Aquino had been shot dead while being led from the plane. Craig told us how, as their seats were on the left side of the 737, they could see Ninoy escorted off the plane and down the steps. It was thought that their small girls, seated by the window, had seen the shooting and were traumatised.  (p.83)

FEBC-Philippines was the incubator for much creative programming, and “Marathon” broadcasts were one of their specialties. These broadcasts often ran over several days and would focus on a specific issue relevant to Manila. Various speakers would talk about the central issue and then listeners would phone in their questions. One of the marathons I recall well focused on Johnny Midnight.

Johnny Midnight ran a late-night radio show on a popular radio station in Manila. He claimed that if you drank his “toned” water you would be cured of your sickness or family-related issue. All you needed to do was place a glass of water on your radio and he would recite a mantra that would, in turn, give healing properties to the water. This program drew thousands of listeners and had become quite a talking point. FEBC station DZAS rose to the challenge and produced a few days of talk radio to address the issues it raised.

At a programming conference in 1985, FEBC program staff agreed to provide more opportunity for talented Filipino staff to develop their own programs. One of these was Action Line, an innovative program that addressed head-on the problem of unemployment by providing an on-air forum to connect jobseekers with positions being offered. (p. 144)

One can hardly write about Manila without mentioning the terrible floods that occurred during the rainy season. My colleague Dick Chase nearly disappeared down a manhole in the street during one flood. Its lid had been removed – possibly stolen. Another colleague, Jan Springer, had to be dragged from an open culvert in the street that was sucking her down. I was often reminded of the old saying “the last mile is always the longest” as I sat in a half-submerged taxi on MacArthur Highway close to CRCM. Once, I had to help bail it out to stay afloat.

Perhaps the most dramatic flood for me personally was in 1989, when Hennie came to meet me one night at the airport after I had been visiting Hong Kong with Eila Murphy. We had contact there with a researcher from the Chinese University, Kenneth Leung, who was interested in working with us on a research project concerning our Chinese audience. When we flew back to Manila that evening, everything seemed normal. However, on arrival at the airport, we discovered the city was badly flooded due to a massive cloudburst. No one could go anywhere. Moreover, Hennie had committed to meet us there and drive us back to CRCM.

Abandoning our Isuzu pick-up some distance from the airport, she took a taxi to get as close as she could before finally having to wade through water up to her chest. We met up in the Arrivals area, where she told us what was going on. (p.123)

Once mobile, we finally decided to attend the Union Church of Manila (UCM) – a largely ex-pat church with air-conditioning and a good Sunday School for all ages. It also had home groups, one of which we attended during the early years. The preaching was excellent – first with Revd Alex Aronis (who could preach the Sermon on the Mount from memory) and later Revd Darrell Johnson. We are forever grateful to him for bringing alive to us Jesus’ Gospel of the Kingdom. It was especially poignant at the time of the People Power Revolution of 1986.

I also appreciated UCM for the number of key mission thinkers who went there. One, whom I am honoured to call my mentor, was Mac Bradshaw. He and his colleague Gene Daniels had done much to unpack holistic ministry from their own involvement with World Vision International. I would engage with them after church and get into some deep discussions. Mac once asked me what I saw as our overall objective for our local radio ministry. I waffled a bit, then he came to the rescue with a suggestion: “Suppose the Kingdom of God were lived out through the people of Manila. What kind of society would it be? What changes would take place? (pause) That is what you should be aiming for!”

Knowing Mac was one of the gifts God had given me in my missionary career. (p.81)

We had some amazing holidays in the Philippines. The main difficulty was that, if we wanted to go to a decent beach, it always required a journey of at least four hours to get there. We much enjoyed Punta Baluarte, where we stayed in a hotel that comprised various bungalows. It had a beautiful pool surrounded by palm trees, their fronds waving in the breeze. The driveway was lined with gorgeous frangipani trees, and in the sea, we could watch seahorses and our children could explore the mangrove swamps. Puerto Galera required a ferry ride to the island of Mindoro. There we stayed in Cathy’s Inn, right on the waterfront. We would take rides around the bay in a banca, a narrow boat with outriggers for stability, and gaze down into the azure sea at the tropical fish below. Walking into the sea called for some caution, as there were sea urchins lurking with their long spines, which would easily penetrate our feet. We could take lessons in windsurfing, but we also enjoyed having our own inflatable.

We took a wooden attachment I had made for our dinghy that not only gave the vessel steerage, but also had a mast and a sail. One day Malcolm and I rigged it up, hoisted the sail, and went straight out to sea on a stiff breeze. It worked so well that we got alarmed and wondered how we would get back if we didn’t act quickly. Otherwise we might eventually end up in Vietnam! Happily, there was a promontory to starboard, so we pulled the sail down quickly and used our paddles, eventually making it to land before it was too late. Hennie had watched us disappear from sight and was quite relieved when we finally walked back through the palm trees, carrying our deflated dinghy and all the gear. (p.86)

Helicopters flew overhead, and the military was showing up on the streets. The mounting tension was palpable.

Hours earlier, Defence Minister Juan Ponce Enrile had crossed over EDSA, the main highway that ran north to south around the city. He had come from the army’s Camp Aquinaldo to join forces with General Fidel Ramos of the Philippine Constabulary. Roman Catholic radio station Radio Veritas lent its support by airing a broadcast from Cardinal Sin. He called on the people of Manila to take to the streets and provide support. Around 2 million people showed up, jamming EDSA as far as one could see. Catholic nuns were holding a prayer vigil, kneeling in front of tanks to prevent them moving. They were also conducting a peace campaign to win the hearts and minds of tank commanders.

What followed was a fascinating media campaign. June Keithley rose to fame as the measured, calm voice of Radio Veritas, telling people what was happening, what to do and where to go. Who could ever forget her sterling performance? (p. 117)

Meanwhile, over on TV, General Ramos was calmly calling out army battalions to come and join him. On Channel 4, Maharlika Broadcasting, Marcos and his Army Chief Fabian Ver were trying desperately to retain control, but it was quickly ebbing away from them. Then, suddenly, the screen went blank as the station, which was just a few short blocks from EDSA, was taken off the air. Marcos would have to look for another station to be his mouthpiece. It was truly a battle of the mass media.

Meanwhile, back at CRCM on the north side of town, we were doing our best to keep services on the air. As foreigners, we were left to keep the Overseas English service on air as all the Filipino staff were deployed to run the outside broadcast units in the midst of the action on the streets. President Marcos had issued a decree that no news should be broadcast without it first being certified by the Office of Media Affairs. Impossible! (p.117)