Rough Road

by: Bro. Rene Tumang


'A man's faith alters his fate'

In the face of death, Rene embraced life.  In the midst of evil men, he relied on the goodness of the human heart.  In his greatest time of need, God was with him all the way.

After buying some plants along P. Tuazon Street in Quezon City one afternoon, Rene walked towards his two-month old, shiny, and white sports utility vehicle that was parked by the roadside.

As he was about to enter his car, two men popped out of nowhere and aimed their .45 caliber guns at his head.  With clock-like precision, Rene was immediately whisked into the car, where two other men were already occupying the front seats.  One of them grabbed him by the throat and then pushed him down the backseat.  He was blinfolded with packaging tape, and his hands and legs were tied with rope.

With the community's shepherds in a  spiritual retreat

At that point, Rene realized that he was being carjacked and kidnapped; he has read about these in the papers, but he never thought this would happen to him.  The clinical precision of the quarter-minute operation led him to believe that they were fearless professional criminals. He tried to convince them to simply take the car and leave him on the road, but his plea fell on deaf ears.

He further realized that his kidnapping will most likely end in death.  And yet, he somehow managed to face this probability with peace in his heart.  He prayed  to God- the first of three prayers he would offer throughout this four-hour ordeal - and asked that he open the gates of heaven for him should he die that day.

A zealous , enthusiastic and humorous preacher

From Cubao, he felt that they were heading down south.  He thought that he heard one of them say "Batangas."

Throughout the entire trip, the carjackers hurled invectives toward Rene, whom they said was carjacked and kidnapped to "pay for a crime."

Somewhere along the way, Rene was transferred to another vehicle with a new driver and another man. That vehicle with a new driver and another man.  That vehicle appeared to be fitted with communication equipment, as he heard what seems to be chatter between the driver and other accomplices about a separate carnapping  operations.

The driver then struck a conversation with Rene, asking him several probing questions.

"What is your name?"

He answered "Brother Rene,"  and added that he was a servant in a religious community.  He did not know exactly why he replied that way, when he could have simply answered "Rene."

Could still find time in a wacky moment despite 
the pressure in the ministry

"How many children do you have?"

Rene said he has two, one of whom is afflicted with Down syndrome.

"I have a child with Down syndrome., too."  Rene felt that he was creating a bond with his kidnapper.

"How many siblings do you have?"  He said that he has five, two of whom already died and one sister has cancer.

"I am sorry for your sister."  Rene said that she is actually doing fine, and has not had any relapse the last six years.

"What is your livelihood?  And why do you have such an expensive car?"  He said that he has small, part-time business engagements.

Are you a Catholic?" Rene said "yes."  "I am a Catholic, too."

Then came the clincher.  'Since you are serving in a religious community, what can you say about what is happening to you right now?"

"I am not asking you to believe me," Rene answered, sounding like a sage, "but i believe that each person is not inherently bad, that circumstances can drive a person to evil deeds.  I am not angry at any of you for holding me hostage."

His answer was met with dead silence.  In the stillness, Rene knew that God was speaking to his captors, God was in control.

Moments later, he heard a tiny voice say "rough road" twice.  In next few minutes, he felt the zigzaging, downward motion of the vehicle on what is apparently a dirt road.  He thought that this was it.

Juggling a photo shoot with Young Friends in Action (YFA),
which he is eyeing as future shepherds

Even as he felt His presence,  Rene prepared himself for the probability of his death. He offered his two other prayers:  one for the protection of his family, and the other for the growth of his ministry.

Rene kept repeating these three prayers , until the vehicle stopped. He sensed that the two men in front went out and were replaced.  They resumed the journey, and, after a few minutes, stopped again.

This time, the two men beside him alighted and two new men came in. One of them - perhaps the triggerman, Rene thought -repeatedly tapped his gun on Rene's leg since he got it.  He heard another say that they will show him to the "boss,"  and that he will be released if he is not the guy they were after.  Rene knew this was all for show; they were trying to wear him down.  Besides, he thought, he has not wronged anyone to such degree that they would want him hurt.  Or dead.

He simply loves Praise and Worship Ministry so he manages
to shift into an acoustic music genre

Finally, the vehicle came to a full stop and two men guided Rene out.  Rene felt what seemed to be a grassy field on his feet.  I guess I will die on a sugarcane plantation, he said to himself.  The men told him to run a straight line; or sideways, and he will be shot.

"Run!"

Rene ran, faster than he has ever done before.  His survival instincts told him to just run, but he knew running was futile.  He knew a bullet was headed towards his direction.  He prayed to God that it be quick - a bullet straight to his heart or head.

He ran what felt like ten meters, and expected the gunshot.  It did not come.

He was sure he ran more than ten meters already.  Still, it did not come.

Then, he felt the ground beneath him slope downwards.  Fearing that he was about to run off a cliff - a slower, more painful way to die - he stopped and changed direction.

God's channel of blessing and healing

When he could not run any further, he finally stopped.  In between huge gulps of air, he tried to listen to his surroundings.

It was eerily silent.

He raised his bound hands to lift his blindfold and peeked.  All he saw were sugarcane stalks.  He stayed still for some time and when he realized he was out of danger, Rene removed the blinfold.  Beyond the sugarcane stalks rose Mt. Banahaw. He was indeed, in Batangas.

Rene stumbled upon a farmer and asked for help.  Surprised and perhaps suspicious of the unexpected and unlikely visitor, the farmer merely directed him to the nearby highway.

Rene stood by the road and desperately waved his bound hands for help.  But the vehicles refused to stop for him, and one driver even accused him of setting up a trap for a hold-up.  Eventually, a jeepney full of passengers stopped.  The driver, who was a bit reluctant to believe his story, only offered to cut the rope that bound his hands.  Rene noticed that the driver had a scissor on his dashboard, and he was never happier to see such a pair of cutting materials.  It's as if that small detail was intentionally placed there, a part of a rescue plan laid out for him.

From Luzon to Visayas as a call of mission

When the rope was finally cut, Rene's relief was boundless.  In the midst of his deliverance, he heard God say, "My servants have suffered so much in the hands of evil ones, but this is my promise to you through the Divine Mercy:  I will be with you in time of danger and I will rescue you."

Rene soon received help from a police station, which arranged for his return home to Manila.  Once in the Metropolis, he immediately sought the assistance of a police officer-friend, who, inturn, helped him report the crime at the offices of the anti-carnapping unit of the Philippine National Police.

As Rene recounted his four-hour nightmare, his friend just stared at him with a pale expression on his face.  The friend later told him that no carjack victim had ever come out of that site in Batangas alive.

"I thought I was seeing your ghost."

A bonding time with the servant leaders and members of the community

But a spirit Rene was definitely not. Except for minor bruises, he survived with body and soul.   intact, his faith in God becoming stronger than ever.

"This is God's promise, "Rene said. "He can change people, like my carjackers/kidnappers who are clearly from a big-time syndicate. And he can change situations, too, like my four hours of certain death."