Cardinal's passion: Visiting poor in village of Sin
Apr 02, 2005
The frail figure alighting from the white sedan is an all-too-familiar sight to residents of this poor community in Punta, Sta. Ana district, Manila.
(Philippine Daily Inquirer, Mar. 24, 2005) At least three times a week, retired Manila Archbishop Jaime Cardinal Sin visits this place which some have aptly called "The Village of Sin." When he comes, the people receive him like a celebrity, if not a king.
Cardinal Sin, 76, has made the two-hectare Cardinal Sin Village his second home away from Villa San Miguel, his Mandaluyong retreat for more than three decades. He built the village for some 500 residents of Punta, one of the poorest communities in the capital city, soon after he retired from the Archdiocese of Manila two years ago.
This is where he now finds the strength to withstand the exactions of a lingering kidney ailment and heart problem. "He comes usually in the morning and somehow feels rejuvenated just by observing the community," said Peachy Yamsuan, the communications director of the Archdiocese
Cardinal Sin usually arrives not later than 9 a.m. As soon as he gets off the car, children would swarm around him, becoming his instant entourage as he goes on a tour of the village, checking on the houses and the ongoing construction.
"He really loves the kids," said Fr. Mark Munda, the village caretaker.
"His visits don't really last long, just between 15 and 30 minutes. But he spends most of his time with the children," Munda said.
Not even his illness can keep the cardinal from these regular visits.
Once last December, after a weeklong stay in hospital, Sin stopped home only for a change of clothes and went straight to the Punta community, recalled Munda.
The visit came as a surprise to the villagers who knew that Sin had been down with low-grade fever that necessitated his being confined for a week at the Cardinal Santos Hospital.
Earlier in October 2004, he had spent 17 days in hospital after suffering from a heart attack while undergoing dialysis. But apparently nothing can keep the energetic Sin down.
Munda recalls the prelate suddenly showing up at the village on the afternoon of New Year's Day. "I thought he was sleeping at the villa because I know he was receiving a lot of guests. He's always very excited to come. He would always ask, 'Anything new? How many have been given houses already'?"
No one could be more excited about having the multimillion-peso project completed soon.
'Father and son' duo
Sin and his protégé, now Bataan Bishop Soc Villegas, had envisioned the community to be the continuation of the prelate's ministry after his retirement, said Munda.
The dynamic "father-and-son" duo raised the initial P6 million -- through donations, supplemented by the sums that Sin received on retirement -- for construction of the first building which is now occupied by 84 families.
Among the supporters of the project was the Couples for Christ group whose Gawad Kalinga program helped build the houses.
Sin and Villegas chose the plot themselves, which used to be the site of an oil company compound and which is separated by the Pasig River from the Pandacan oil depot.
'Richest' resident
Munda says the plan was to build a decent community for the poorest of the poor in Punta. Probably the "richest" resident in the community is a taxicab driver who earns an estimated P2,000 a month.
The village design is something to marvel at. Located in the very middle, just a few steps from the entrance, is the Parish of the Mother of Perpetual Help. Its elevated structure and basement are curiously similar to the Edsa Shrine where Villegas used to be the rector.
On both sides of the church are two residential buildings available for free for a total of 168 families.
Behind the church is a 14-classroom learning center whose teachers will be provided by the nearby Montessori School.
At the far end of the community is the site of a planned low-cost housing project, also for Punta residents. Lots are for sale at a very low price.
2nd building
Munda says workers are rushing to complete the second building by May, the church and the school in time for Sin's 77th birthday on Aug. 31.
The low-cost housing project remains in the planning stage as there's no funding yet, Munda says.
In the meantime, Sin and his staff are busy screening residents who will be awarded spaces in the village. Everything is for free so recipients really have to be poor.
Much of the basic work on the buildings is done by the beneficiaries themselves, supervised by engineers, architects and a small group of construction people.
Each family is required to put in at least 24 hours a week, working on the house they would soon be occupying, says Munda. They can help carry cement bags, do some painting or carpentry work.
No clothesline on display
The 21-sq.-m. building units are a cheap but slick version of high-end condominiums. They're built in such a way that clotheslines, a common eyesore in squatter communities, are hidden in "laundry areas" in the middle of the buildings.
A unit is big enough to accommodate a living room at the front end, a small bedroom in the middle and a kitchen and toilet at the far end.
Munda says large families sacrifice headroom by building a second mezzanine where the children can sleep.
Sin's vision doesn't stop at simply building houses, said Munda.
Help to the fullest
"If we really want to help the poor, we have to help them to the fullest," he quoted the prelate as saying.
The village of Sin now has a livelihood program, helping generate income for the families there.
There's a bakery run and staffed by villagers. Another group makes bags. Others segregate the garbage of the community from which they are able to earn some income.
On Sundays, residents attend Mass at the still only half-built parish, a gesture of gratitude to a Church that indeed never abandons the poor.
And thanks also to an indefatigable prelate, they now live in comfort in the Village of Sin.
Cardinal's passion: Visiting poor in village of Sin