ICUU Council Meeting and Conference

in the Philippines

03–05 February 2012

Manila Pre-Tour

Map of Manila Metropolitan Manila consists of 16 cities and one municipality, covering an area of 640 square kilometres (cf. 12 000 sq. km. for Sydney). It has a population of over 12 million and another 15 million live in the outer parts of Greater Manila.

Manila CBD The Central Business District looks much like those of cities everywhere. But, all over

Manila, large construction projects are under way, many of which will be apartment

buildings.

Lotus Garden Hotel, Ermita Our hotel was in the centre of Manila City, relatively near the Bay and the Old Town.

The district of Ermita has a number of budget hotels, whereas the fancier ones are on the

Bay and in the CBD.

Robinsons Place Shopping Mall Close to the hotel is a modern shopping mall, three blocks long and four stories high. It is the largest of 28 such malls in Manila and other cities and, despite the name, the chain is owned by a local Chinese entrepreneur.

Manila Traffic The traffic is not quite as chaotic as it looks but does consist of all manner of vehicles, including small buses called ‘jeepneys’ and motorcabs (motorcycle-driven pedicabs). While drivers change lanes constantly and ‘play chicken’ at intersections, they don’t use their horns much and collisions are very rare.

Ayala Museum, Makati City Our first day tour took us to the Ayala Museum in the CBD, where we saw a number of displays from different periods of the country’s history. The special exhibit was about the working of gold from early times and how traders from China, India and elsewhere had brought their own styles and motifs. A permanent exhibit contains some 80 3-D scenes of historical events, some of which were completely unknown to us.

Greenbelt, Makati City We had lunch in the beautiful Greenbelt hotel and shopping complex. Like Robinsons

Place, you have to pass through checkpoints to get in.

Fort Santiago We then went to the Intramuros district, which name refers to the original walled town.

Today, the only walls are around Fort Santiago, which guarded the entrance to the Pasig

River.

Rizal Shrine The fort also served as a ’Tower of London’ for political prisoners. The citadel is now a shrine to José Rizal, who was executed there in 1896 for leading an insurrection against Spanish rule in 1896. Brass footprints embedded in the flagstones commemorate his last steps from his cell to the firing squad.

Manila Basilica The Cathedral-Basilica of the Immaculate Conception is the eighth construction on that site. From humble beginnings, successive churches were damaged or destroyed by earthquakes, typhoons, fire and bombing at the end of World War II.

Bicutan UU Congregation On the Sunday, we were taken to the more working-class Taguig City for a worship service with one of the two congregations in Manila. Their meeting place is in a back alley and looks like a carport. However, the congregants are happy people and their children sing beautifully, especially in their own language.

Worship Service It was led by a young lady with the unlikely name of Irish. The ICUU President, Rev. Brian Kiely, gave the Address. That evening, we had another service with the student congregation at the University of the Philippines in Quezon City.

Dumaguete City

Map of Negros Located in the central Visayas group of islands, Negros is the third-largest island in the archipelago. It is divided into two provinces due to a range of mountains down the middle, so impassable that the inhabitants on either side speak different languages. The island is sheltered from typhoons by a number of islands to the east.

Dumaguete City Dumaguete City is the capital of East Negros province, also a seaport and university

centre. It has a resident population of 134 000 and 30 000 students attend its three

universities and nine high schools.

Destruction from Earthquake I landed on the Monday just a half-hour after a Richter 6.9 quake struck ten kilometres

north of Dumaguete. The city was shaken but the only damage and casualties were closer

to the epicentre.

Real Street The coastal National Highway is the main street of the city. The traffic is much lighter

than in Manila, dominantly motorcycles, and motorcabs are the principal form of public

transport.

Motorcab On my first trip to town, a young driver gave me his mobile number. He became my

regular driver for the week and his knowledge of specialty shops was invaluable.

Church of the Immaculate Conception Like any city in the Philippines, there is an old Catholic church. However, there is a much

newer one just behind it and there are quite a few non-Catholic churches, as well.

Silliman University Silliman University, founded by American Presbyterians in 1901, is the largest and most prominent private university in the Philippines. Today, it has ten colleges, four schools and two institutes, enrolling over 8,600 students from all over the country and also from overseas. Dumaguete is also home to the Negros Oriental State University and the private St. Paul University, established by French Catholic nuns in 1904.

Robinsons Mall Dumaguete also has a Robinsons shopping mall, though it’s only a block long and two

storeys high. As you can see, security is taken very seriously, though crime is not a major

problem there.

Mang Inasal (Mr. Barbecue) Inside is one of the many popular fast food outlets (there’s also a KFC). These Catholic

senior schoolgirls were having their lunch with their teachers (who also wear uniforms)

sitting between them and the boys.

Rizal Boulevard The best spot in the city is Rizal Boulevard on the seafront, which has many bars and restaurants. The ‘Why Not?’ bar is popular with tourists and local expatriates, as it has an Internet room which patrons can use for free.

View North toward Port There are ferries to Manila and Cebu City (on the neighbouring island).

View South Half-sunken freighter in background, smashed against the shore by a heavy sea. (I was told

that it will be re-floated.)

South Sea Beach Resort

Main Road The resort is north of the city and just south of the airport.

First Turn-Off The first road off the highway is of reasonable quality.

Second Turn-Off But the second is so rough even heavy vehicles slow down.

Entrance to Resort But then you come to a proper driveway that brings you to this.

Mysterious Neighbour No-one seems to know who owns the building next door – no indication from the street,

either.

Reception Desk This is in the passageway from the main entrance.

Meeting Hall Past that is the building where the plenary sessions were held.

Al Fresco Dining Area Across some grass and next to the seawall is the fair-weather dining area. (There is also an

indoor hall for inclement weather.)

Service Area Most Filipino food is not spicy but, when it is, they make up for it.

Swimming Pool and Low-Rise Accommodation There are small meeting rooms in the upper storey.

High-Rise Accommodation Two rooms on each level.

High-Rise Room My room was on the upper floor.

Fishing Boats The neighbours on the beach were a small fishing community – not sure where they live,

though.

Shrimp Farm They also breed shrimp in a fenced-off area. (Not sure what the other flags are for.)

Another Meeting House This is another building where some discussion groups met in the upstairs rooms.

The Bar Now we come to my ‘Holy Space’, which unfortunately didn’t open until after 6 p.m.

However, dinner was usually served later than that, so it was possible to get one or two

drinks in before the evening sessions.

Gorgeous Bar Staff And these were my ‘guardian angels’ who looked after me so well. I didn’t like the local beers and their refrigeration wasn’t up to keeping cans of Guinness at all cold, so I finish-ed up drinking various cocktails based on white rum, tequila and brandy.

Council Meeting and Conference

Plenary Session There were 61 people from all over the world in the Conference, at least half of whom were ministers and about that number were delegates to the Council Meeting from their various national bodies. The actual Council Meeting took place on Wednesday and Saturday morning, while the Conference was on Thursday and Friday.

UUCP Leadership However, there was an orientation meeting on the Tuesday afternoon and a presentation by

leaders of all the Negros congregations.

Presentation of Songs They were men and women of all ages and excellent singers.

Worship Service There were half-hour Worship Services every morning and evening, conducted by people from many countries in their respective traditions and often involving music. In this one, Rev. Diane Rollert of Montreal brought a number of representatives up to say the Chalice Lighting in their respective languages. Other services were conducted by representatives from Mexico, Kenya, Transylvania, India and the USA.

UUCP Headquarters The best of these services was held at the UUCP’s headquarters, which was so close to the

resort that most of us could walk there.

Kenyan Service It was conducted by the two Kenyan representatives and included a popular African song that the presenter had adapted to refer to the Filipino people. We all had to sing the re-sponses (again in that language), after which he had us all dancing in circles while shaking hands with each other.

Reception at ICUU The service was followed by a reception in the adjoining hall. The UUCP’s offices are also

in that annex of the building.

Dr. Muriel Montenegro The Wednesday sessions were largely reports and financial matters. The first speaker to the Conference was Dr. Muriel Montenegro, Dean of the Divinity School at Silliman University. Her topic was ‘Embracing our Communities’ and small-group discussions followed. The afternoon consisted of workshops on a broad range of subjects.

Dr. Bruce Knotts The speaker on Friday morning was Dr. Bruce Knotts, a former diplomat and now Exec-utive Secretary of the UU-UNO office in New York City. Unable to intend in person, he gave a real-time videocast in which we were able to ask him questions. His topic was ‘Embracing Our World’ and he spoke about the value of the UUA having a physical presence at the United Nations. Later discussion groups considered (amongst other things) whether the ICUU could do the same.

Dr. Paul Rasor The third speaker was Dr. Paul Rasor, Director of the Center for the Study of Religious Freedom and Professor of Inter-disciplinary Studies at the Virginia Wesleyan College. An ordained UU minister, he holds degrees in Divinity, Study of Religion, Law and Music. His topic was ‘Embracing Our UU Identity or Identities’. Subsequent discussion groups dealt with the diversity of beliefs and practices in the ICUU community. There were workshops after dinner focused on aspects of worship and (the one I joined) the sharing of technology within the ICUU.

UUCP Organising Team In the final session of the Council Meeting, thanks were given to the local organisers of

the event; from right to left: Rev. Nihal Attanayake, Merlyn Mahinay, Rev. Rebecca

Sienes, Bob Guerrero and Efren Piera.

ICUU Organisers Also to Rev. Jill McAllister, Program Director, and Rev. Steve Dick, Executive Secretary.

(Jill served two terms as ICUU Treasurer, two as President and one as Member-at-Large.)

Rev. Brian Kiely Rev. Brian Kiely of Canada was re-elected to a second term as President of the ICUU.

Pauline Rooney Pauline Rooney of Adelaide was re-elected as Vice-President.

Rev. David Gyero Rev. David Gyero of Transylvania was re-elected as Secretary.

Galen Gisler Galen Gisler of Norway was elected Treasurer. He is a geophysicist currently

working in Iceland.

Rev. Celia Midgley There were six nominees for the three Member-at-Large positions. Rev. Celia Midgley of

the UK was re-elected to that position.

Rev. Nihal Attanayake As was Rev. Nihal Attanayake of the Philippines (though originally from Sri Lanka).

Fulgence Ndagijimana Newly elected was Fulgence Ndagilimana of Burundi. (The Unitarian Christian Assembly of Burundi and the Liberal Religious Community of the Netherlands were made Full Members of the ICUU earlier in the proceedings.)

James Hills James Hills of Brisbane moved a motion to support the UUCP’s project to build a dormitory for female university students in Dumaguete City, which was carried unanimously.

Mountains North of Dumaguete After the final session, we were taken north and inland, close to the epicentre of the

earthquake, with the intention of seeing the volcanic Lake Balinsasayao.

Azalea Restaurant However, we only got as far as our luncheon destination, as the road further up had been

damaged too badly.

View from Balcony What looks like a landslide here was actually the result of flooding a month earlier.

UUCP Band The closing ceremony was an extravaganza of music and dancing.

ICUU Choir For our part, Rev. Jill McAllister recruited some conferees to form a choir.

Kahayag Dance Troupe But then Silliman University’s traditional dance troupe took the floor, starting with a

tribal dance from northern Luzon.

Spanish Dance from Manila After a quick change of costumes, they did an old colonial dance.

Marinaw Dance from Mindanao Followed by a traditional dance from the southern main island.

Marinaw Dance Clearly, these Muslims have nothing against music and dancing.

Tinikling (Bird Dance) from Leyte Most people know this one, where the dancers step deftly between clacking bamboo poles.

Square Formation This one was quite elaborate, with the poles arranged in parallel lines, then a square and

finally a rotating cross.

ICUU Trainees Then the troupe let the conferees try their luck. As far as I know, there were no

casualties.

Who’s Who in ICUU

Rev. David Usher (UK) Rev. Usher is credited with founding the ICUU, having first proposed such a body to the UK General Assembly in 1987. Originally from Adelaide, he was the Council’s first President (1995–1999). (He’s also the brother of a former minister at the Sydney Unitarian Church.)

Rev. Fredric Muir and Kat Kowalski (USA) Rev. Muir wrote a history of the UUCP titled Maginplay Universalist. He and Kat are

from Annapolis, Maryland.

Ellen Campbell and Rev. Diane Rollert (Canada) Ellen Campbell’s involvement with the ICUU goes back to the beginning, for which reason she received a Founders Vision Award last year. She is a former Executive Director and the current Vice-President of the Canadian Unitarian Council. Rev. Rollert is the minister in Montreal.

Bishop Jószef Kászoni (Transylvania) Bishop Kászoni was elected last year after the death of his predecessor.

Transylvanians and Hungarians There were eight of these in attendance, including two women.

Vickie Roberts-Gasser (EUU), ‘L’ Shoemaker (Denmark)

and Wies Houweling (Netherlands)

Vickie is an American who lives in Bussels. ‘L’ has an English married name. Vlies led

a workshop on the history of liberal religion in her country.

Derek McAuley and Revs. Celia and John Midgley (UK) Derek is on the staff at the General Assembly’s headquarters. The Midgleys are recently

retired ministers.

Benard Macharia and Josphat Mainye (Kenya) Benard is Chairman of the Kenya UU Council. Josphat leads the Kisangani congrega-tion

in the Rift Valley near Nairobi.

Rev. Rebecca Sienes (Philippines) Rev. Sienes is the long-standing President of the UUCP and the daughter of its founder,

Rev. Toribio Quimada. She was at the conference that formed the ICUU and holds a

Founders Vision Award.

Femi and Rev. Ade Matimoju (Nigeria) Femi was a Member-at-Large on the previous Executive Committee. His brother is the

minister in Lagos, succeeding their late father.

Rev. Petr Samojsky (Czech Republic) Rev. Samojsky is the minister in Prague and nominated for a Member-at-Large position.

Revs. Derrick Pariat and Harrison Kingsley (India) Rev. Pariat is President of the Unitarian Union of North East India (Khasi Hills). Rev.

Kingsley is the minister in Chennai (Madras) and also nominated for a Member-at-Large

position.

Rev. Eric Cherry (USA) Rev. Cherry is the Director of the UUA’s Partner Church Council.

Revs. Gordon Oliver and Roux Malan (South Africa)

Francisco Gaitan (Mexico) and Galen Gissler (Norway) Francisco conducted a worship service.

Wolfgang Jantz and Manfred Paul (Germany) Wolfgang served two terms as Member-at-Large and holds a Founders Vision Award.

Antje Paul (Germany) Antje served three terms as Member-at-Large.

Marilyn Gaa, Sylvia Krogh and Alan Boyle (Canada) These are all from Edmonton, Canada. Alan and Sylvia came to Australia later.

Ruth Pearce (Canada) There was also a very active lady from Winnipeg.

Rev. Jay Atkinson (USA) Jay is from Berkeley and contributed some of the pictures in this collection.

Rev. Jon Luopa (USA) Jon is from Seattle.

James and Rene Hills

And I mustn’t forget our people from Brisbane.

Southern Post-Tour

National Highway The tour took us to the south coast of the island. The National Highway is quite good and

well maintained.

Rice Paddy This is good farming country and you even see water buffalos.

Nagbinlod Village However, the road inland was the worst I’ve ever seen, though the occasional paved

section may indicate a better future.

Nagbinlod Church This is where Toribio Quimada was working at the time of his murder.

Welcome Table The congregation made us most welcome, though I got the impression that meat was not

plentiful.

Mango Farm They do have a mango farm, which was a UUCP community development project.

Nagbinlod Congregation Actually, this is just half of them. Each row of children is in a different year of school.

Congregation Banner The congregation wants to clad the interior walls of the church, also to build a playground.

Sydney Unitarian Church made a donation toward those efforts which was announced at

the gathering.

Older Girls Dancing We got some entertainment from the children and the conferees all introduced themselves.

Men’s Group and Minister Actually, two ministers, if you include John Midgley.

Women’s Group Probably some of the men were away working.

View from the Mountains This just gives you some idea how high up we were.

Toribio Quimada’s Grave Back on the coast, we paid our respects at the founder’s grave in the town of Santa

Catalina.

Bayawan City Bayawan is a nondescript place, though our hotel was quite nice

Seafront in Bayawan It does have a large beach and some big fishing boats.

Pedicab I didn’t notice any motorcabs there.

Southern Tour Group The hotel’s rooftop restaurant and bar were quite nice but we had an early start in the

morning. By 3 p.m., I was in Manila.

Flight to Manila Oh! – but I won a singing contest on the local hop from Dumaguete. (Admittedly, there

were only three contestants and the prize was just a crappy plastic zipper wallet.)