A Weekend Visit to Joylin . . .

Since the Spirit Questors adopted Joylin, she is not seen begging at the MRT Cubao stairs with her mother Rodita anymore. Some of her needs are provided by the Spirit Questors. Last Saturday, November 22, the Spirit Questors went to visit Joylin in her shanty, where her mother, Aling Dita, her brother, Bernard, Bernard's wife, Rosalie, and Bernard and Rosalie's three little boys live.



The Spirit Questors on the way to Joylin's house . . .














The gateway to the Abendans' shanty. They're ready for Christmas!











The Spirit Questors inside the small house. The group is trying to look for ways to help the family improve their living conditions, noting the roof and walls that badly need repair.








Inside the small house with Aling Dita and Tony Perez.










A heartwarming sight of Joylin attempting to speak . . . .


. . . and laugh!!!! A true personification of joy!








And in the garden surrounding that small house, something wonderful is growing, much like the faith that Aling Rodita is nurturing in her heart. This beautiful flower is nurtured by Joylin's brother Bernard in a small garden outside their house!




Bernard, a Machine Shop vocational graduate at Don Bosco Tondo, has a green thumb and would make a great landscaper's assistant!






Bernard also arranged stone figures and ornaments to decorate their small garden.







Art, even at its most trying time, can indeed nurture the creative spirit. In this creative display of beautifying their surroundings, Bernard and his family have shown us that faith and hope live in their hearts even as they try to barely survive their day-to-day existence.


Some day, when we return to visit again, their world will be brighter and their hopes will always assure them that it was worth, after all, to have faith.



Their faith nurtures us as well . . .


. . . as we trek back to the city, and its noisy lights and sounds . . .




The photographs on this page were taken by Gerard Paul Elvina.

Joylin's Angels

Special thanks to KatKat de Castro, Lara Sen, Ronald Ona Lara Unico, and Lee Reyes for including excerpts from Joylin’s video in “The Trippers Meet The Questors” October 31, 2008 episode of Bayan Productions’ “Trip Na Trip,” ABS-CBN Channel 2.

Special thanks to Dr. Joven Cuanang of Saint Luke’s Hospital for referring us to Dr. Joe Robles of Philippine Children’s Medical Hospital, Quezon Circle. Dr. Robles is now the official neurologist of Joylin P. Abendan. He has scheduled Joylin for free check-ups every three months.

Special thanks to Physical Therapist Richard So of the Philippine Rehabilitation Institute for conducting physical therapy on Joylin at my house and for training Joylin’s family members to do the same.

Special thanks to crystal therapist Riza P. Regis for regularly providing Coco Nectar for Joylin. She takes four tablespoons in the morning and four in the evening. Dr. Joe Robles has approved this.

Special thanks also to Gerard Paul Jalandoni Elvina for picking up the Coco Nectar bottles and delivering them to my house.

Special thanks to Kay Malilong-Isberto for driving all of us from my house to Philippine Children’s Medical Center and back on November 11, 2008.

Special thanks to Olive Hernandez, my former student in Creative Writing at De La Salle University, for conducting Reiki and Chios healing on Joylin on the MRT Cubao stairs. Olive now conducts these healing sessions with Joylin at my house at 2:00PM every Sunday.

We are all pleased to inform you that Joylin will no longer be found begging for alms on the MRT Cubao stairs or elsewhere.

Special thanks to Chi de Jesus for designing Joylin P. Abendan’s Thank-You Card for Donors.

This card is for every donor who graciously gives P5,000 or above; it serves as a receipt with my signature on the back. In addition, each of these donors receives an autographed complimentary copy of one of my volumes in the my series “The Collected Works of Tony Perez” produced by The Publishing House, University of Santo Tomas.

Special thanks to Dr. Mike Luy for giving Joylin a bottle of Saint Philomena’s oil and an accompanying prayer sheet.

An accounting for all donations will be posted here. If you’ve donated and you don’t see your name on the donor's list on the right, please send me an e-mail message at studioantenor@yahoo.com.

Lest it be said that I have done no contributions on my part, allow me to state that I cover all expenses for Joylin and her family members’ roundtrip public transportation (FXs, taxis, jeepneys, buses) for all medical and healing appointments, occasional meals and snacks, and all of her maintenance medication. My daughter-in-law Ivy Miranda has also included Cerelac and red headbands (we’ve bought five so far) in her regular grocery/shopping lists.

The Spirit Questors have three IMMEDIATE objectives, which is why we have decided to skip applications for assistance from such institutions as the PCSO (where, predictably, there is too much paperwork and the lines are horribly long):

1) to have an antiscoliosis brace fitted for Joylin by Dr. Jen Santos of Saint Luke’s Hospital and have an ortho construct it (they are adjustable and are to be worn only in the daytime and taken off at night, when Joylin is asleep);

2) to seek employment for Joylin’s 29-year-old brother (a Machine Shop vocational graduate of Don Bosco Tondo), since he is at present the family’s sole breadwinner and works as an irregular construction worker because he was laid off two years ago when the factory he was working in shut down; and

3) to temporarily improve the Abendans’ shanty in their squatter area, such as building a separate room for Joylin, reinforcing their roof and walls, and screening their doors and windows.

The Donors

The following have made financial donations for Joylin P. Abendan:

November 11, 2008

Mr. Eugene Cheng,
Vice-President for Operations of Sanctuarium PhP1,000

Ms. Kay Malilong-Isberto PhP 500

Ms. Olive Hernandez PhP 789


November 15, 2008

Mrs. Lourdes Floro of Sydney, Australia PhP 1,000

Ms. Alicia de la Cruz PhP 1,000


November 18, 2008

Ms. Baby Vergara PhP 300
(Special blessings to this woman—she is one of our compound tenants
and can barely manage her own budget, but she happened to watch
Joylin’s portion on “Trip Na Trip.”)

Ms. Viring Yamat
Metro Aide Supervisor, Makati PhP 800
(Special blessings to this woman too!)

Mr. Constantine Ong PhP 2,000

Mr. Edgar Lee PhP 2,000


November 25, 2008

Ms. Joy Aldaba PhP 1,000


TOTAL Donations PhP 10,389


Antiscoliosis brace: PhP 20,000
Less: Donations PhP 10,389


Amount still needed as of November 25, 2008: PhP 9,611


NOTE: Amounts are in Philippine Peso. PhP48:$1

Tony Perez . . .

TONY PEREZ is a creative writer, playwright, poet, lyricist, psychic journalist, painter, and fiber artist. He is one of the 100 Filipino recipients of the 1898-1998 Centennial Artists Award of the Cultural Center of the Philippines. His other awards include the 13 Artists of the Philippines , four National Book Awards from Manila Critics Circle and the National Book Development Board, and the Gawad Pambansang Alagad ni Balagtas from the Writers Union of the Philippines .

While some of his works in Filipino have been translated into English, Tony Perez has had works written and published in English, as in Naomi Shihab Nye’s "This Same Sky." He was also featured in "Asian Enigma: Psychic Detectives" on National Geographic’s Discovery Channel, and in "The Chronicle of Higher Education." Among his works performed abroad are "Trip to The South" Off-Broadway in New York and in Singapore; "On The North Diversion Road" in Melbourne, Australia, and in Singapore; and a dramatic reading of his short story “Paskil,” translated by Matthew Cunningham as “The Poster” from the French translation “L’Annonce” by Heloise Magannon, during the "Documenta 12 Magazines Lectures" bienalle in Documenta Halle, Kassel, Germany on August 30, 2007.

His mentors in literature and drama were Onofre Pagsanghan, Rolando Tinio, Bienvenido Lumbera, Nicanor Tiongson, Virgilio Almario, Cecille Guidote, Nestor Torre, and Randy Ford. His plays for radio, television, and film were directed by Sonia Roco, Lino Brocka, Lupita Concio, Mitos Villareal, Nick Lizaso, Joey Gosiengfiao, Gil Portes, Maryo de los Reyes, Frank Rivera, and Anton Juan.

Tony Perez’s published books include "Albert N.: A Case Study" and the five volumes in the Cubao Series titled "Cubao 1980 at Iba Pang Mga Katha"; "Cubao Pagkagat Ng Dilim"; "Cubao Midnight Express"; "Eros, Thanatos, Cubao"; and "Cubao-Kalaw Kalaw-Cubao" by Cacho Publishing House. His Anvil Transpersonal Psychology Series includes "The Calling: A Transpersonal Adventure"; "Beings: Encounters of the Spirit Questors with Non-human Entities"; "The Departed: Encounters of the Spirit Questors with Spirits of the Deceased"; "A Young Man Cries for Justice beyond His Grave" (Volume I); "Stories of the Moon: Further Adventures of the Spirit Questors"; "Songs of Sunset: Incantations and Spells by the Spirit Questors"; "Mga Panibagong Kulam"; "Mga Panibagong Tawas"; "Mga Panibagong Orasyon"; "Mga Panibagong Orasyon Sa Magica Cantada"; "Mga Panibagong Ritwal Ng Wicca"; and "Mga Panibagong Kulam Sa Pag-ibig". His literary series for Anvil include "Maligayang Pagdating sa Sitio Catacutan" and "Malagim Ang Gabi Sa Sitio Catacutan".

Tony Perez’s artworks have been showcased in more than 20 individual and group art exhibits. Among his art teachers were Araceli Limcaco-Dans, Brenda Fajardo, Virginia Flor Agbayani and Ben-Hur Villanueva of University of the Philippines' College of Fine Arts, Florencio Concepcion and Fernando Sena of The Saturday Group, and Rafael del Casal.

Mr. Perez holds an A.B. in Communications and a Cand. M.A. in Clinical Psychology from Ateneo de Manila University, and an M.A. in Religious Studies, magna cum laude, from Maryhill School of Theology in New Manila. He taught as adjunct lecturer at Ateneo de Manila University, De La Salle University, Saint Scholastica’s College, Maryknoll College and the Philippine High School for the Arts. His master’s thesis, titled "Pagsubok sa Ilang: Ikaapat na Mukha ni Satanas", was published by Anvil Publishing, Inc. in 2005.

Mr. Perez has two sons, Nelson I. Miranda (a dentist) and Chito I. Miranda (a licensed mortician), and three granddaughters, Angelique Pearl Miranda, Nielsen Tegelan, and Aubrey Rose Miranda. His daughters-in-law are Agnes Tegelan and Ivy Vercacion. They live in Cubao, Quezon City, where Mr. Perez has resided since 1955.

Social Case Study Report

Republic of the Philippines
City of Antipolo
Province of Rizal

City Welfare and Development Office

Social Case Study Report
Date: June 4, 2008

I. A. IDENTIFYING INFORMATION:

Name of Client: Abendan, Joylin P.
Age: 10
Religion: Roman Catholic
Civil Status: Not Applicable
Birth Date: September 22, 1997
Birth Place: Manila
Educational Attainment: Not Applicable
Occupation: Not Applicable
Source of Information: Mrs. Rodita Abendan
Relation to the Client: Mother

B. FAMILY COMPOSITION
Name: Rodita
Age: 53
Relationship: Mother
Civil Status:
Education/Attainment: Grade VI
Occupation/Income: None

Name: Bernard
Age: 29
Relationship: Brother
Civil Status: Married
Education/Attainment: Vocational Course Graduate (Machine Shop, Don Bosco Tondo)
Occupation/Income: Irregular Construction Worker

II. PROBLEM PRESENTED

The client's mother is requesting a social case study report relative to her application for medical social assistance. She has no means whatsoever to provide for her daughter's medical needs, hence relies mainly on outside support.

III. FINDINGS

Barely 11 years old, Joylin Abendan was diagnosed with cerebral palsy when she was about two years old. Her condition is severe because, aside from being so emaciated, she is also bedridden, requiring constant assistance and attention. But, the mother's predicament is her inability to provide for Joylin's medical needs. She merely resorts to outside help.

The client's parents have long been separated, and it is her brother, Bernard, though married, who acts as the family breadwinner. He is just an irregular construction worker.

The family dwells in a makeshift house, situated beside a creek which is habitated by other urban-poor settlers.

The mother also claimed that, with her family's economic situation, she has since been seeking medical help for her daughter from benevolent persons who are able to provide for her needs.

IV. EVALUATION/RECOMMENDATION

The client's family is among the many indigent families of this city who cannot afford even simple medical treatment.

Appropriate assistance is hereby recommended.

Prepared by:
Jeffrey C. Elmeda
RSW, SWO

Noted by:
Jovita D. Mojica
CSWDO

Finding Joylin . . .

This is the story of Joylin.
It is so easy to ignore her story. Hers is the face that you see along the corners of our busy streets. Hers is the face that tries to stop you as you hurry your way to work or school. You see her eyes and quickly scan her surroundings and then you move on. You just move on. . . .

You have to move on because her eyes are calling your name. Her eyes cry out to you. And you move on to drown that cry that tugs at your heart. . .You have to move on because you know that if you stop, you will never be able to move again. You know that when you stop, and look deeper and longer into her eyes, you will want to touch her hand. You know that when you hold her hand, you will want to stroke her hair and listen to her story. You know that when you stop and listen to her story . . . your world will not be the same again. You will never be able to pass her way and not stop and know her story.

Yet on that day, you stopped. Your eyes locked with hers and you heard her call you. You stop and tried to drown the nagging voice that tells you to move on. Your eyes simply decided it all for you that day. You stopped and your world was never the same.


That is how I found Joylin.
I simply stopped walking, held her eyes in mine, held her frail hands, stroked her hair and listened to her story. And this blog is her story. . .