by: Gloria "Nene" Gernale
'A former rebel found her cause'
Nene has so much faith in people; she used to have none in God. Actually, she had but a flickering devotion to the Lord. But whatever devotion left in her disappeared when she decided to fully immerse herself in the affairs of men and women.
Nene's fervor for the betterment of people started to intensify when she became a labor union organizer. And she was good at it, developing a knack for assembling people to fight for their rights, to stand up against the injustice of the world around them.
Nene was employed in a big company that owns and operates large pig farms in the provinces. As the officer in charge of the payroll at the head office in Manila, she was privy to all the content of the company's financial statements. Her employer was earning well, but she noticed that the workers' compensation scheme was far from ideal.
She helped organize a labor union to press for better wages and benefits. After the company recognized the union, negotiations between management and workers commenced. Both parties forged a collective bargaining agreement, with the demands of the workforce expressly stipulated in the contract. The successful unionization process emboldened Nene.
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| "All that's well ends well." |
She expanded her union-organizing activities and facilitated the creation of workers' representative groups in other companies.Her mobilization skills caught the eye of advocates of Communism in the country. They provided assistance for her work, and soon, Nene found herself among comrades. As a full-pledged member, she was tasked to build the party's membership base among the working class, something that she had little difficulty with as she helped from labor unions.
Nene eventually embraced the Communist ideology, and decided to join the party's armed forces fighting in the mountains. During one of her sojourns in the mountains with a fellow laborer aspiring for membership in the movement, soldiers found and pursued them. Nene recalled that at that exact moment, faced with utmost danger, she called on, not God, but her dead father. Quite evidently, God had long lost His place in her life.
Five years into the movement, Nene met her would-be partner Alex. Both were assigned to the newly formed education committee, recruiting members and holding discussion groups on various issues. He served as the committee's head, she was a member. Alex and Nene proved to be a very good team. And they made a very good pair, too, as romance blosomed between the two. Although Alex was a married man with a drinking problem, and Nene swore never to be involved romantically with a person like him, she could not resist the call of her heart. She loved him, plain and simple.
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| "Daughter Ayi, her friend, her life." |
The forbidden affair bore a fruit, Orkidya, who was born four years into their relationship. Orkidya, who was born four years into their relationship. Orkidya, or Ayi, brought Alex and Nene closer to each other. Meanwhile, the criticism against their union grew stronger.
Ten comrades denounced the couple for their alleged "faults, weaknesses, and transgressions." The movement subjected her to some disciplinary actions. Those she could take. But when members of the movement proposed that she be assigned down south, while her husband and child be assigned elsewhere, she found herself unable to bear the "punishment". As any mother would, she simply could not, and will not, stomach the planned separation.
This was actually the last straw for Nene. At around the same time, she witnessed a spate of what she felt were unjust acts by members of the movement. A co-worker at the piggery company was tied up. Fellow members were tormented and even gunned down. After seeing the dark side of the movement, Nene began to question the very reason for her involvement.
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| "Nene's grateful daughter with a grateful smile" |
As such, Nene finally arrived at a decision: she will leave the movement and take her child with her. Alex supported the decision, and followed suit.
Reintegrated back into mainstream society, Nene and Alex had to start all over again. Alex took on all kinds of jobs from buying and selling, to printing t-shirts and calendars. Nene, on the other hand, went into selling beauty and cosmetic products. They even ventured into buko juice (coconut juice) business.
There were some things, though, that did not change. Alex was still a drunk, which irked Nene so much that they would quarrel often. His drinking got worse when his son by his first relationship was diagnosed with renal failure, and eventually died. He would soon pay a dear price for not kicking the habit himself.
Alex's nose bled profusely a short time after he learned about his son's condition. He bled a second time - more severe than the first - shorlty after his son's death. His condition remained undiagnosed because the family did not have enough money for medical assistance.
Not finding the answers within the reach of people, Nene looked elsewhere for the healing of her husband. After sending Ayi to school one day, she chanced upon an announcement in a nearby church about a spiritual seminar.
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| "By God's grace, traces of pain is no more. " |
Nene found herself attending the two-day activity, prompted only by her desire to find some form of healing for her beloved husband. To her great surprise, it was she herself who found healing.
After surrendering herself to God, asking for His forgiveness, and allowing the Holy Spirit to take over, Nene felt as if she were a brand new person.
Moreover, the acceptance of the community touched her so much. She was overwhelmed by the show of unconditional love, which, she realized, was something she had been longing for. And these people were total strangers to her! She went home and excitedly told her family about this existence.
Alex, along with two of her sisters and a sister-in-law, later attended the next session of the seminar. As with his wife, he also surrendered himself to God, and the couple entrusted their relationship to Him. In spite of his illness, which was later diagnoses as cirrhosis, Alex served in the community by helping prepare the venue for prayer meetings. He would arrive at the venue some three hours ahead of the scheduled time to clean and set up.
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| "A content life with the community she serves." |
But their renewed sense of belongingness appeared to be short-lived. Doctors announced that Alex had only a maximum of six months to live. He could only eat raw food, juice, and some herbal medicines. The family took it hard, especially Nene. It pained her that her husband was facing certain death. It pained her more that she could not ease his suffering as he marched towards the inevitable. They had no money; they were, in fact, buried in debt.
Nene's heart was already broken by the sight of her daughter struggling to just survive. Ayi dipped toasted bread in coffee for breakfast. She shared in a can of sardines, or a pack of noodles, which the family stretched for both lunch and supper. At times, she had to be sent to her grandmother's house just to eat. The poor kid also walked to school, while others used public transportation. With the latest medical development, Nene had to swallow her pride even more, and borrowed money this time for Alex's fruits and medicines.
And yet, amidst all these, Nene gravitated towards her newfound faith, and found strength by clinging on to and completely trusting in God. She realized that the fate of Alex's remaining life here on earth was now in His hands.
As his family could not afford to regularly buy his medicines, Alex continued to detriorate. But they tried to make the best of their remaining time together. Important days - like the birthdays of Ayi and Nene - were celebrated. They attended prayer meetings, and Alex would be the most enthusiastic of the three.
Sometime during the fourth of his supposed last six months on earth, Alex encountered greater difficulty in eating and breathing. It was not long for him to be bedridden.
The inevitable finally arrived on February 8, 2006. Nene remembers it all quite vividly. She just gave him a full glass of juice. After a few sips, he began to gasp for air, and for the next four hours, Alex struggled to breathe.
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| "Like the flower capturing the scene, her daughter captures her heart." |
Crying, Nene prayed before the Divine Mercy: "Lord, if You want to take Alex from us, please do not let him experience more pain. I give him to You. Please forgive him. If, however, it is Your will to give him to us for a while longer, thank you very much."
After saying this short prayer, Nene could no longer hear Alex's breathing. He has rejoined the Lord. She was comfortable in the belief that God has taken Alex to free him, not just from pain, but from all his sins. This she believed and fully understood.
She also realized that she still has a mission to do. To this day, she continues to serve God through the religious community which provided that much needed support when she was on the verge of hopelessness. She has also developed a firm conviction that God will never forsake nor reject her.
She still has great faith in people. After all, people around her extended financial help when Ayi was hospitalized. Through their help, she applied for and now holds a regular job. And she found people willing to give Ayi a scholarship grant.
But now, her faith in people is reinforced by another kind of faith. She has figured out, albeit painfully, that as the people around her will not fail her, much more God will not fail her.
"Just trust Him and open your heart to Him," Nene said. "He will do the rest."
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