Posted on

Once a govt rebel, now a helper of the helpless (4)

An interview with Linn, our Goducate worker among the depressed communities in East Malaysia.

Linn is a Filipina who now lives in Malaysia, with her husband and her three children. Her husband is working with poor migrants in Kuala Lumpur.

PC: What experiences did you have organizing “communities”?

Linn: As a young adult, I would gather teens bring them to such areas and inspire them to help and build relationships.

In the university, it was different. It was not just mobilizing students It was more on planning and implementing how to paralyze the system – all our campaigns and protests in the univ were 100% very successful.

It was there that I have learned to spot leaders and recruit them. I realized also the big responsibility of being the leader – people follow you-to where? they embrace your dream.

It was here where I really thrive on building and bridging relationships both for poor and rich students. i would listen to friends as they pour out their stories and dillemmas even when i should be doing something for myself. It was always, other people first. Must have gotten it from my mom and dad.

Later it was organizing women in the community – when I started having babies, I bonded with women with the same needs; then it was older women in the community; then the wives of my husband’s colleagues – these were all regular times of getting together, ask-share-learn times-where to get help, what to do; came up with directory-connected them with others to enhance relationships and skills; organized events to enhance “community needs” like seminars, trainings, conferences.

Previous post:
Interview with Linn – Part 1

Posted on

Once a govt rebel, now a helper of the helpless (3)

An interview with Linn, our Goducate worker among the depressed communities in East Malaysia.

Linn is a Filipina who now lives in Malaysia, with her husband and her three children. Her husband is working with poor migrants in Kuala Lumpur.

Linn: It was the call of the times and I was given opportunities to serve. It was during those times that I realized I love people. I really love poor people and my heart ached for their miseries.

PC: Were you ever a communist? Party member?

Linn: I was with a left-wing national student org by association (because I was a student leader from a prime univ) and by affection because my friends were there. That org was labeled subversive.

We were more for social change rather than communism although during those times, every one was lumped together as such. No, I was not a party member.

PC: Where did you study in university?

Linn: I took up a double major of bachelor of Arts in political science and history at Univ of the Phils in the Visayas for 6 years but did not finish.

PC: Why didn’t you graduate?

Linn: I got sidelined by many other things:

1.The political climate

2.My emotional baggage: My father was among the first OFW leaving us to work in Qatar when I was just 10 yrs old.

3.My mom’s teaching post was away from us so we get to see here only week ends-grew up on our own plus the maid.

4.I was young – had no coach, did not realize my confusion about many things until later in life. I did not really know what i wanted except that I want to live a meaningful life of helping people. I was not able to see the end result but the day to day thing only.

5.People graduate to find work to have money. I had money-graduating was not as pressing.

6.People in my class were talking about what happened, what to do, what should have been done etc. I just do it.

Linn
Linn

PC: What experiences did you have organizing “communities”?

Linn: When i was 7, I remember my teacher writing my name on the board as president of the class and then opening the VP and other offices for election. That was weird I heard later that she observed me having command and leadership over my classmates.

During my teens, I would go to a slum area on Saturdays (for 4 yrs), look for kids to teach then spend time with their parents, discover their stories, organize events for them.

to be continued

Previous posts:
Interview with Linn – A helper of the helpless Part 1
Interview with Linn – A helper of the helpless Part 2

Posted on

Once a govt rebel, now a helper of the helpless (2)

An interview with Linn, our Goducate worker among the depressed communities in East Malaysia.

Linn is a Filipina who now lives in Malaysia, with her husband and her three children. Her husband is working with poor migrants in Kuala Lumpur.

My dad would tell us stories of how he sent himself to school and his brother. How he would apply for the most mundane job of road construction and the big boss would make them wait the whole day before talking to them. How he got scolded by their landlord because he wants to go to school and not work the sugarcane farm. He felt like the rich people wanted him to stay were he was, ignorant and powerless to change his circumstances. He read a lot.

And he tells us also of the nice rich bosses who treated them well and who gave us things / gifts when we were growing up. And the poor friends who are nice and helping us in any way they could. Told us not to forget to repay by doing the same to others. to treat people as human beings.

It was always “serve the people.” taught us to think and to speak up, not to simply agree. At home we could always say what’s on our mind even when the norm says it’s disrespect when you do so, but my parents thought otherwise. they made us read – newspapers, reader’s digests, time magazines, books which considering their salaries were a luxury.

Some time after the release of my dad, he filed a case against the sugar mill because the laborer’s benefits were witheld from them.

I remember my mom asking for his paycheck each month which he could not produce since he has to pay lawyers. After 10 years, he won the case in the supreme court, the sugar mill was forced to release benefits not only for my dad but to the rest of the laborers. By this time we had transferred already to the city, my dad started his own electrical/repair shop. When we visited the district, my dad was hoisted up in the shoulders of old laborers,everyone were happy – I was puzzled. I learned the stories later from my dad’s friends and much later from my dad.

The political events in our country and where i was during those times contributed much to what happened to me.

I was graduating from high school when Ninoy Aquino was assasinated, afterwhich I entered U P. (University of Philippines) and it was the season of strikes and protests. It seemed so natural for me. I wanted to do something meaningful so I gravitated towards the student council, my friends were much older than me. I was a misfit – not beautiful and fair like the rest of my high school friends who did not make it to the same school-my interests were different, not clothes etc.

to be continued

Previous post:
A helper of the helpless Part 1