abel morales cadias

"Ket agkanta tayo ah" I remembered saying to a group of ACT ladies when we were all in Ayuthaya to participate in our very first monthly meeting in the province. I glanced at each person in the room. It was 6 in the evening. And there she was...

She was silent and oftentimes smiling. All ladies were gorgeous but she had all the charm. And I approached her.

"Ayna, ading ko. Nagpintas ka mettenen. Taga ano ka idiay ayan tayo?" I asked.

'Taga Atok manong." she said. And the story went on. We got acquainted.

The cocktail party continued until midnight. We were all singing and dancing. I remember she did sing once but she preferred dancing with the rest of the ladies.

We had our sports and fun activities on the next day. All new members were finally introduced in the afternoon. She was one of them. Then we played the gongs for the last time. We exchanged numbers and email addresses. Then that was it. Cheryl Depnag...one of our new members. That was September 2009.

And that was the first and last time we talked, sang and danced.

In November 11, I received a call. And it struck me. An ACT member was taken to the hospital. She's in critical condition. She was hit by a car and suffered head injuries. "What happened to the driverr?" I started inquiring. It was a a hit-and-run accident. I immediately posted the news in the ACT site. I started looking at her profile. And yes, I remember. It was Cheryl.

I traveled from Bangkok at 6 AM on November 12. I arrived in the hospital at 8:30 AM. I saw the sad faces of her colleagues. Inside the ICU, I was ushered to bed number 7. And there she was. She was silent and her charming smile left her. She looked calm. And then finally I approached her. I couldn't help it but my tears started flowing down my cheeks. So sad, I saw her again but that time we could no longer make conversations. But I know she was listening. I started to tell her stories. I joked on how frustrated I was not able to see her in our two monthly meetings in Rayong and in Bangkok. That was almost two months ago. And so I started telling my plans...rest for now and tomorrow we will all go together in Bangkok to have fun.

"How does that sound?" I poignantly whispered. And there was no answer. I could only hear the beeping sound of the machines connected to her. Three days had past. Still, she was resting.

I traveled back in Bangkok. It was Sunday. I thought of going to work on Monday. The plan was to skip my classes on Tuesday to visit her and her father.

At 4 o'clock in the morning, I received a call. But then I knew that I won't be having another chance to see her. Odd as might it seemed but I suddenly woke up at 3:10 in the morning. With no reason, I just woke up. I took a deep breath and went back to sleep. And then I heard the news. And so it was confirmed. I got up and started calling everybody. Cheryl was gone.

And yes...I was with Cheryl!

(This article is featured to motivate and inspire the ACT members and officers, and fellow Igorots/Cordillerans in Thailand to continue participating in our monthly activities).

We always hear the words “support, sacrifice and commitment” every time we meet to talk about a specific activity which we all hope to accomplish. These are not merely words to reflect on. They are values we hope to see in action! And these values are what we see among the ACT members and officers….making our small association the biggest most active Filipino group in Thailand!

Many are curious on how ACT manages to organize and implement its activities. The process is common. The result is almost always 100% success. The key ingredient on the success of ACT’s activities is encrypted on the association’s acronym: A – C – T.

A – Active support. Majority of the officers and members continues to uphold their own way of showing their participation to the group. Attendance is the key for active support. However, some officers and members are unavailable due to work and other urgent activities. The good thing about the group is that we all respect each other’s time. There is no place of coercion in ACT but only unpaid cooperation and voluntary participation. Notably, the ACT provincial groups are important networks that bring our fellow Igorots/Cordillerans together during monthly activities. Despite of distance, time and financial constraint, the ACT as a group remains active and strong.

C – Continued sacrifice. This is the highest level of active support and participation. Worthy of recognition are those who never failed to support and participate every ACT activity. They knew what ‘sacrifice’ really meant. Time, money and energy are oftentimes sacrificed for the success of any ACT program. But to what cause of every sacrifice spent? The answer is camaraderie. ACT for the past seven months was and will never be political and personal. The group gets its strength from the equal opportunity for social, spiritual and professional growth; and this communal strength is the price of every difficulty conquered by every ACT officer and member.

T – Total commitment. Our commitment as an officer or as a member to ACT is essential. The commitment we have in ourselves is pure. It is not marred by misunderstanding, personal ill feelings, pride, jealousy and competition. Total commitment sees the good side of things in the face of failure, dissatisfaction and frustration. And this commitment is lived by sharing what we can give no matter how trivial it is. Those who have total commitment to ACT’s cause will always be “us” not just “you” or “me.” How inspiring to see that the ACT officers and members are one of “us”… the Igorots/ Cordillerans who comprise the ASSOCIATION OF CORDILLERANS IN THAILAND!