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Michael Javier

A Voice for Justice

By Michael Javier

The author is a Columban lay missionary (CLM) from Jubgan, San Francisco, Surigao del Norte. He belongs to PH22, the first group of CLMs from the Philippines assigned in Chile in 2015 and has recently returned after a three-year contract.


Michael in Patagonia, south of Chile, 2017

Language is a basic skill we need to learn in order to communicate, to express our feelings and to understand others. But we are divided by many different languages. For a migrant seeking a good life in another country, how can you express yourself to the locals who do not understand your own language?

This challenge of dealing with language barriers reminded me of a migrant named Jamby, whom I met in Chile. Jamby is a 45 year-old single mother, a Muslim from Zamboanga City, Philippines.