By Jocelyn Ocariza-Efhan

The author, known to her friends as ‘Jojo’, is from Dumalinao, Zamboanga del Sur. St Isidore Parish, Dumalinao, was founded by the Columbans in 1957.  

The Author

‘Paduola kanako ang mga bata . . . kay ang gingharian sa langit ila sa mga tawo nga sama kanila’ – ‘Let the children come to me . . . for the kingdom of heaven belong to such as these' (Mt 19:14). Fr Michael Sinnott shared this, his favorite verse from the Bible, with me and it continues to inspire me, to ‘fuel me up’, every day as I attend to children with special needs.

I grew up in Camalig, Dumalinao, Zamboanga del Sur, which is in the Diocese of Pagadian. I was a scholar of Fr Michael Sinnott, whom I know as ‘Father Mick’, through high school and college. I graduated from Saint Columban College, Pagadian City, as a Bachelor in Secondary Education with concentration on Values Education and a minor in Filipino. I was Youth and Catechist Coordinator in the year 1987 to 1997 in the Parish of San Isidro Labrador, Dumalinao.

Children and staff with Joy Rile, MISYON editorial assistant
Joy, at the back left, and some of the boys, are making the ‘I love you’ sign used by the Deaf, a combination of the letters I, L and U in the Sign Language alphabet.

Father Mick is a Columban Missionary priest who spent more than 50 years in the Philippines and was assigned in different parishes. After finishing as parish priest of Dumalinao Father Mick thought of establishing a community-based rehabilitation program to help children with special needs. He invited me to join him and so in April 1998 we scouted in the different areas of San Jose Parish, Pagadian City, and found 47 children, most of them from poor families, with special needs. We invited their parents to a meeting where they expressed that they wanted to open a school for their special children. Since the program was to be community-based we hoped to train the parents and members of the families on how to help their children. It was really to be their program. We saw our role as motivating them and providing them with resources that they could not obtain themselves.

The program officially started on 3 August 1998. 24 children came to the center every morning. I was the teacher for the nine deaf children. Emma Andales and Helen Nelmida taught the other 15 students, those with learning disabilities, including Down Syndrome, and those with autism. Every afternoon the staff would visit the homes of children who could not come to the center because of their physical disabilities and encourage their families to support the program. The school catered for children with different disabilities except blindness. Lucy Endonto joined us in September that year as a volunteer.

Fr Michael Sinnott with children in 2010

The program was initially offered in Barangay San Jose. Father Mick exerted much effort to make people aware, during Mass and wherever he went. Later, children from other barangays were also accepted. We refused no one. Everybody was welcome, as long as parents were willing to let them come to school. The school was named Hangop Kabataan, which literally means ‘to embrace children’.

Father Mick was very devoted to the children. He did his best to found the first school in the city for special children, and set up the Hangop Kabataan Foundation, Inc. He wanted to enable the children to be as independent as possible.

It was really difficult at the start. I was floundering since I knew nothing about classroom management or how to handle special children. But in God’s mercy, I learned along the way how to deal with each child. The teachers were sent for seminars and training. I attended a summer course in Basic Sign Language in 1998 at Welcome Home Foundation in Bacolod City, founded in 1988 by the late Columban Fr Joseph Coyle from Northern Ireland. It was very challenging as it was my first time to use my hands to talk with deaf people. But I wasn’t able to take the evaluation as I had to leave right away for another seminar in Ozamiz City related to the program.

Students at Hangop Kabataan

Hangop Kabataan has three categories of services.

The first is for school-based children who are capable of attending classes at the center from Monday to Friday. We divide them into five groups, using color-coding according to their skills and needs. The Blue Class is composed of children with autism who cannot sit still during class and so need the full support of a teacher. The Yellow Class is composed of children with autism but who can follow some verbal instructions, do simple writing as well as art works and have developing motor skills. The Pink Class is for children with different types of disabilities but who are focused and able to write their names and copy words. We are preparing them to cope with mainstreaming in a regular school. The Green Class is also of children with mixed disabilities who are trained to cook our daily snacks for the children of Hangop. The Violet Class learn some functional academic subjects such as Simple Mathematics and Values Education. They are also trained in skills such as planting and caring for flowers and trees as their livelihood projects.

St Valentine’s Day celebration, 14 February 2011

The second category is for home-based children who cannot come to the center due to the severity of their disabilities. Two staff are assigned to do home visitation every afternoon to conduct some exercises, tutorials and to encourage the family to continue nurturing their children as much as they can.

The third category is the Deaf Club, composed of adults who want to look for a job so they can help their families even in a little way. Five years ago three members of the Deaf Club were employed by the City Government as casual workers and one got work in a fast food chain in the city. The Deaf Club meets at the center every second Saturday of the month for some inputs, workshops and socializing to help them become more rounded persons and to be involved in the wider society as responsible citizens.

Hangop Kabataan children at interfaith rally in Pagadian City when Fr Sinnott was kidnapped in 2009

I really love my work. It’s easier for me now. The children are very loving. Compared to high school students, they are light-hearted. They don’t hold grudges. It is a big consolation for us to see even a small improvement in a child. It’s a joy to know that they are able to read compared to when were enrolled in normal schools where they didn’t receive much attention due to the large number of students.

The most challenging thing for me is to see the children being degraded by others, with some calling them ‘abnormal’ or ‘crazy’, saying ‘hayop’ (‘animal’) instead of ‘Hangop’. That really hurts me and there were times I picked a fight defending our children. We are challenged to teach them to upgrade their status and be treated equally with others in the community.

Hangop Kabataan children at the interfaith rally for Fr Sinnott

There were instances when Father Mick would hear individuals disrespect the children. He would get angry and tell them, ‘Tarunga imong gikasulti’ (‘Watch what you’re saying!’). He was very loving to the children and so much like a grandfather to them. And I can still hear him say, ‘Tanang mga bata moanhi sa center batuna jud. Bahala na ang ginikanan basta kay mga bata ang may kinahanglan. (‘Welcome all children who come to the center. Never mind the parents since the children are the ones in need’). And if parents weren’t supportive he would tell us to continue to encourage them as that was still part of our responsibility.

Staff members Lucy, Emma and Jojo

When Father Mick left us with the new administration, it was really a challenge. We were so used to having him around. But by God’s grace, we have made it up to the present. At times I say, ‘Lord, oi, I’m tired already. Is this where I’m supposed to grow old?’ There are days when I feel exhausted but next day I’m alert again! When I look at the children my heart picks up again. Now I am more used to the work, with a more relaxed mind. Fr Mick was also a big help to my spiritual growth and needs. Even though he has left us we sometimes contact him through email if we have problems.

One of the youngest students at Hangop Kabataan

Father Mick urged me, ‘Padayon sa pagtukod sa gingharian sa Ginoo (‘Continue to build the kingdom of God’). His favorite line from the Bible still keeps me going. I will always hold it in my heart.

I would like to express my deepest thanks to Fr Mick because he trusted me as one of his workers in this amazing program. I consider him my second father in my life and I knew that he has been an instrument of God in making me a better person. Thank you very much, Father Mick. I will never forget you. God bless us all!

Father Sinnott was kidnapped in Pagadian City in October 2009 but released, unharmed, a month later. Shortly after that he moved to Manila and later retired in Ireland. He is in good health and turned 87 in December 2016.

‘Thank you’ message from Fr Michael Sinnott after his release