To all my supporters – emotional and financial – thank you from the bottom of my heart.

This is my ‘year-end report’ -  a sampling of what your support has meant to me and the people of Palawan over the last year.  My role is typically (after being asked) to analyze what would work from an American vantage, then review my analysis with a trusted Filipina friend who is both competent and a little versed in Western thinking/culture.  We select possible board members together and I do the organizational stuff, filing the necessary SEC documents and writing the Bylaws – something I’ve been doing since my children were in pre-school at St. Paul’s, then middle school at St. Matt’s and high school at Peninsula – it seems my legacy may be Bylaws!  Then we elect a board and I serve as adviser – usually as the secretary and organizer/agenda setter.  I call myself a cheerleader since the point is for natives, not foreigners, to take the reins.  But, it is said that the educational system here produces employees not entrepreneurs, and transferring these duties is slower than wished.

 

Special Olympics

We’ve got a great new board of experienced community leaders.  I am developing a new skill - patience!  I am not yet to “Asian Patience,” but have definitely expanded my basic patience level.  Special Olympics now has a set meeting date, time and place and we actually start and end on time – progress!  I tried to do the same at the Chamber of Commerce, which is more “old-school” – I would send them emails to remind them of the meetings, but then the secretary had to text them a note, telling them to check their emails!  Hilarity.  I took the year off from working with the Chamber, but hope to be back at it in 2014.

Special Olympics again performed what has become our annual Christmas    presentation at the mall.  
“A Special Christmas”  shows the community that these children are not animals to be caged or shunned, but are human and have potential  – we are making tiny bits of progress in changing the mindset. 
I now am the permanent Mrs. Claus and get to hand out presents with Santa (an Italian Jesuit brother here) as well as distribute our brochure.  

We got a $1,000 grant from the Northern California Peace Corps Association – to get equipment to start bocce ball.  Ironically, Special Olympics Philippines decided that bocce would be its primary sport – but you can’t get equipment anywhere in Southeast Asia!!  So, we are ordering it via Amazon, shipping to a friend in Los Angeles who has a balikbayan business and will send it to us – crazy!

 

And we still do our competitions and identification of athletes.  Our goal this year is to have year-round trainings and identify at least 100 athletes. 

 

I’ve also written a gargantuan grant proposal to USAID that is awesome, but with the typhoon, most aid is focused on rebuilding devastated areas.  I’m hoping that they will still have a few funds left for us.  Palawan has a population of nearly 1 million people, but has only 15 regular pediatricians and no developmental pediatricians – I’m trying to start a diagnostics clinic here and hoping to get interns from Manila that I can train.  We are also looking at buying a water purification business to be staffed and run by people with intellectual disabilities – that would be a first in the entire country.  Lots of good thoughts, just no money at the moment... patience is a virtue.
 

 Typhoon Haiyan 

I only helped a little with the typhoon effort – getting the word out about donations and such and what to send.  Did a little of the sorting and packing of clothes to send to Coron, Palawan, which was devastated and bought a couple hundred pounds of rice to send.  Dempto, a journalist friend of mine, just returned from Tacloban, where he counseled traumatized people.  He said that the area was still devastated and not functioning – and that he needed counseling after hearing all their stories from the pathos of their hearts.  Another businessman friend said that there were still bodies being discovered in the rubble (the paper says 1,000) – almost 2 months after Haiyan.  I’ve heard that Guiuan cannot restore electricity for another year and that Tacloban’s airport is still on generators.  It is hard to comprehend for those of us who were not affected – even here.  For those in developed countries, it is truly unimaginable. 

  

  Palawano ICT Association (PICTA) 
The Philippines is now #1 in the world for voice business processing (primarily based in Manila and Cebu).  Because Palawan is blessed with no volcanoes or earthquakes and few typhoons, it is a perfect place to establish such businesses (well, except for our erratic electricity and the lack of dependable internet, hehe).  We are looking at the long term, and a friend and I formed this Council, acting as advisers, to address how to develop the talent as well as the business here.  It’s been a rocky start – lots of excitement, but then the President vanished due to bankruptcy of his business and it was a mess.  We’ve reorganized and just hired an Executive Director (who is coming from Tacloban – where their council was wiped out in the typhoon) – we hope that this next year will begin paving the way for the future.

 

 

A friend sent me this 1945  picture
of a very young guerilla fighter from
Luzon

WWII Museum 

During WWII, Palawan’s governor resisted the Japanese – and they executed him.  His son has collected artifacts since the war and opened a museum 2 years ago.  He is now 78 years old and has got the national museum director interested – so I now am helping him organize it – quite fun, especially since my favorite people are on the board.  One main focus of my life has been to explore things and continue learning – this venture will provide me with lots of material! 
There is so much history here on Palawan – the Palawan massacre on December 14^th 1944 when the Japanese, after hearing of the surrender, proceeded to burn 143 American prisoners of war with gasoline, shooting those who tried to escape.  What is known now as guerilla warfare began here in the Philippines in WWII just after the Allied order was given to surrender to the Japanese when they captured control of the Philippines.  Some Americans and many Filipino soldiers refused to turn in their guns and became the first guerilla resistance fighters.  This museum is a memorial to those guerillas and their society – many here on Palawan.   Our newly formed board has lots of plans – and I will be learning a lot.

 

Palawan Alliance for Clean Energy (PACE) Started last year to oppose the new installation of a coal-fired electrical plant here, there has been lots of grassroots effort here – although not like you would find in the US – soooo frustrating here – very fragmented and lacking strategic planning.

Very confusing for someone used to direct communication.   However, we produced a logo, an instructional flyer promoting renewables and lots of Facebook entries.  Many of the people are activists and too radical for my taste, preferring to fan emotions rather than promote rationale discussion.  My main contribution was organizational and marketing advice, but I did get to pen the petition that is now on 350.org.  This is the first time I’ve done anything like that – Yeb Sano's is the first signature (the Philippines’ climate commissioner, who everyone saw on television choking back tears at the UN summit on climate change – during typhoon Haiyan), followed by a host of other notables.  And it is fascinating to see where it is going – all around the world – really interesting to be part of that.  With every signature on the petition, three letters are sent:  one to the President of the Philippines, one to the Palawan governor and one to the Secretary of the Department of Energy.  And this week, the Secretary of the Department of Energy said he will resign.  His reasoning revolved around Tacloban, but maybe Palawan figured in his decision as well?  Haha. 
 

We are hoping to keep this island environmentally sound, but that is a tall order for a place with poverty as high as 80%.  It is easy ideologically to protest such things in a developed country and have the environment be the predominant concern – here, where people are literally hand-to-mouth and the average daily wage is around $4 for a family of 5-10, it is not so black-and-white.

  

I pay my rent and utilities (and only barely with my $500/month pay) with a consultant job for a company that I just love.  Last week I completed my year-long project: the first operations manual for their 950 branches throughout the country.  Nothing like instant readership!  297 pages – I think I can recite each by heart – soo much proofing!    The family who runs this company is amazingly generous – they have funded over 200 scholars at the local university – students who otherwise would have no opportunity.  Because of the typhoon, employees voted to cancel Christmas parties and donate the money to the relief effort.  However, we did do a Christmas party in Bacungan about an hour outside of town – for 100 indigent families – food, games, clothes and a little cash.  It was an all-day affair on Sunday – and all 90 of us were there to coordinate the day.  The employees work 6 days a week and several Sundays as well, but they are happy.  As the new manual says – “think of your job as a gift – not as a punishment”.  And they do!  The owner told me that after he returned from his last visit to Tacloban, he decided to help out – he is sending two of his construction crews to put roofs on houses and structures there beginning in January.  This man has given typhoon-affected staff over P1million in cash; over P2million in low interest loans and all of us employees also donated about P500,000.  He wiped his eyes as he told me of seeing body bags still in the streets only a week ago.  He has a need to succeed and make money, and he has  similar need to give to those who are in need- he truly considers those who work for him “family”.  His employees adore him with reason, although he can be demanding and bull-headed at times, he is selfless and humble.   I only wish I knew business leaders in the US who were similar.

 

This company is now my family – they have taught me so much.  I am thankful that they are accepting of me and are willing to patiently listen to me and work with me.  I am such an American and so direct that I must be offensive at times, even though I try so hard not to be.  But I am often baffled by Filipino culture.  When we presented the manual to the Executive Committee, it took about 2 hours – there were a few suggestions, but not many.  At the end of the meeting they said, “That’s all?  Okay, see you Monday.”    And left the room – all 10 of them!!!  I had no idea what happened.  No feedback – I didn’t want a “thank you, good job, wow-this will be useful” (although that would have been nice).  I was baffled.  Did we do a good job?  Did they like it?  Did they think it was pertinent?  I asked the two people who worked with me on it – how do you know that you did a good job?  “Oh, if they don’t ask many questions or make you correct something, that means you did good job.”  Hmmm.   Well, I will be working with them in 2014, and my target will be management trainings on giving meaningful feedback.

 

So, those are the big projects in my life these days, and lots of little things – events planning for 300-1000 for specific conferences, necessitating learning details of Palaweno culture: that the centerpieces are handled by the hotel – we don’t have to supply them; that everyone needs pasalubong when you return from a business trip (I have lots of keychains and pencils either with my name on them, or the city where they were purchased); that food is the most important part of any meeting, closely followed by the official certificate of attendance.

 

I am lucky to work with people who have become my friends here – the 25 year olds who take me to the karaoke bar, whose voices are stunningly beautiful (mine just stuns); lunches with my best friends and overnights at Daluyon in Sabang where we knocked about in the waves; pledges to each other to take care of us as we age, and Noche Buena celebrations with my Mendoza family.  Acceptance and warmth.

 

I received my official special retirement visa in September and am now a resident of Puerto Princesa. 
For Christmas, I purchased a 20 year old Toyota 4-runner and took it for my first drive up the coast 68 kilometers for an overnight at Tarabanan Cottages in Concepcion.  It is glorious here – easy swimming in the clean waters and the monsoon winds lifting the shiny capiz shell chimes. 
At times I am incredibly lonely; at others, incredibly fulfilled, like most everyone else in this life. 
At times I feel like I never left the US; more often I feel I can never return because I’ve changed so much.  Someone called me a “citizen of the world like the John Lennon song” which disconcerted me, belonging to no one and no place.  But, I thank all of you for the little pieces of your hearts that I carry with me wherever I go – and guess that’s what it’s all about.

 

With love and gratitude this holiday season

Deb Pritchard