By: Sr. Josephine Evident, DC

30 Years Ago
I came here thirty years ago on last, 1960 when Taiwan was still an agricultural country with mud houses even in the suburbs of Taipei. People farmed with primitive means of cultivation and their produce was not of good quality. Everything was of miniature size like fruits and vegetables and they used human waste for fertilizers which polluted the whole vicinity.

Sudden Change
With the advance in technology and science of farming through the help of the U.S.government, Taiwan has produced triple the quantity and the best quality rice, fruits and vegetables. The farmers got rich and lived in the most modern way with telephones, electrical gadgets such as washing machines, refrigerators and even air conditioners. What a contrast with our poor farmers in the Philippines! Then Taiwan turned to industry and factories sprouted like mushrooms, and even individual families owned a factory in their homes. With this new trend of life the people got richer and started to sell their land and condominiums were built on these lands. The simple farmer turned rich millionaire overnight. The farmers or middle class families who sold their lands to the rich people had a share of the buildings built on their land as a condition of payment. Now they live very comfortably in well furnished flats with rugs and furniture fitted for a millionaire.

High Wages
Prices of commodities went sky-high yet, people can afford to living because the salaries are high too. Imagine a simple workman like mason, carpenter or construction is paid about P1, 500 daily. Some office workers such as executives or manager are paid about P2, 200 daily. We were living in the midst of this very high standard of living and we only depend on Divine Providence to go on with our works of charity. Thanks God, all our needs are provided for and even more than we need. We always feel God’s love and care for and our poor wards, those in our home for the aged.

Crime Up
 Our biggest problem now is where to get helpers for our Home for the Aged and Children’s Home. No one among the Chinese or Taiwanese likes to do dirty jobs because they prefer to join the stock market wherein they get rich in a day. The government here does not accept foreign workers anymore, even lay missionaries. We are understaffed now with our lay missionaries leaving for good after several years of dedicated service to the poor. We have no more candidates for the congregation because almost all the young people here live in opulence and ease, and their sole ambition is to go abroad or study and get a good job. God is not present in their lives and the almighty dollar becomes their god. That’s why there are so many crimes committed by youth even in the opulence society.

Empty Churches
I think I have given you a good idea of our life here in Taiwan. By the way, I forgot to tell you that our Churches are empty, even on Sundays because our “flour and powdered milk” Catholics have long forgotten their doctrine of Sunday obligation and some have gone back to their Buddhist  practices for lack of follow-up instructions.

Paradox
The greatest poverty of the people here is spiritual poverty and for this we ask the people of the Philippines to pray for them. We, Filipinos are very poor indeed but we are rich in faith, for which I rejoice and thank God.