The Way

This is a synopsis of second novel I’ve been egging to write about – The Way. Thanks to Jeff Goins for this 500 Words a Day Project.  Hope to take up the challenge as it is always best to take any opportunity there is to improve,  enhance your writing career what with mentors encouraging you to give your best shot delivering what your creative mind has on the subject.  After all, life is only lived once and as one Maxim rightly puts it: Man does not live by bread alone, but also bread, butter and  hopefully another book at the end of the year or perhaps earlier as the case maybe. . . .

           

            I’m a Filipino and proud to be one specially given our being certified loving host to any strangers.  Accommodating actually visitors giving them the best comfort, foods and all that has been truly an excellent Filipinos contribution to the world.  Yes, we do drink but not the way Russians are practicing  to the point of intoxicating you till you drop dead!  Not even like Chinese where you have all the luxury in town lavished to your heart’s delight treating you to twenty one smorgasbord menus.  That on top of wines too as far as you can manage to take.

 By far though, the best contribution I think etched in history is how we treated foreigners driven away  from their own homelands finding  solace right here in the country.  Yes  for good.  We have the Boat People coming out from Vietnam as a result of their persecution from the hands of Ho Chi Min back then in the early 70’s.  For many decades now, these erstwhile unwanted refugees have acculturated themselves even raised their own families and lived like any ordinary Filipino at Palawan.  Some might have married Filipinos too.  This for sure as love knows no race and boundary.

Second was the celebrated more than thousand White Russian Refugees, result of Bolsheviks Revolution springing from 1949 Mao Tse Tung’s forces then entering Shanghai.  The dramatic evacuation was incidentally one of the highlight of what ensued after the latest super typhoon Yolanda rendering havoc at Ormoc, Samar and all over rekindling  the past gloried anecdote that is Guian, once a resettlement area of  driven White Russians revealing the dramatic saga of the Cold War that once happened  long forgotten but now revealed, the caption of the picture of an airstrip revealed.  The 7,000 ft airstrips was built by the Americans during World War II under Gen. Douglas Mc Arthur as a cover up of driving the Japanese out from the country.

Fast forward.  The sight of Russian lady carrying a fifty kilos sack of rice on her shoulder by her lonesome self seen against the sea of humanity of typhoon victims and foreigners extending necessary lift obviously speaks well the beauty of it all – reflecting the courtesy of those once resettled returning back the compliment extended to them of how Philippines took them with open arms giving them shelter when they most needed it.  Wow, isn’t this beautiful.  In fact where I am sitting now writing this piece can’t help but also appreciate the leaders of this country giving and showing to the world our brand of charity.

Third and most importantly was the incident on early 1960’s (would narrate the details of this from my files later) when then Pres. Manuel Luis Quezon opened the country to Jews, driven away from Germany.  This after several countries did not allow them to be accommodated. The story has it that MLQ, US Officer and another gentlemen who were playing poker back then hatched the plan providing financial support and all that thus collectively contributed in bringing in thousands of persecuted Jews. More than wow, isn’t it? Hear this straight from then Pres. Quezon – “How could we refuse entry of these persecuted people when the Savior of the World is their color and race!” Indeed, what moving narrative here on the history of continuing saga of Exodus of this God’s chosen people with more than sixteen million of their tribe  treated to gas chamber during the rise of Nazi Power in Germany.

This where the plot of  “The Way” would start.  Actually the scene of Resettlement is at Mandaluyong in Manila.  But I have to revised it to have it  happened here at different islets away from Surigao City, the Mainland. This to make it appear supporting a theory that geography spells out the success of creating and or establishing cult demanding cohesiveness and blind loyalty of members to their leaders. Actually, Dan Brown’s works (Da Vinci Code, Angels and Demons . . . ) are inspirations here what with the way he treated symbols treating you  to an exciting Rollercoaster ride on baffling symbolism its  ramifications gradually illuminated revisiting back  history and all that. This albeit he parroted his Da Vinci materials from Lincoln et al’s “Holy Blood, Holy Grail,” thoroughly researched works of art whose scholarship  could stand any scrutiny.

Where my first novel – The Needle – treated monster that is Martial Law ergo, should not be accepted by any freedom-loving Filipinos, “The Way” addresses the significance of the Bible as Word of God and preached by Catholic Church.  That people should be wary about the fly by nights pseudo-Christian groups out to create a mess out of gullible Filipinos. Only in the Philippines as we say it. Where in the world for instance you can find an infallible claim that his church is the only one holding the key of salvation, that their messenger was the latest prophet in the case of Iglesia ni Kristo which incidentally crucifies politics as one vote by its leader commands millions of votes during election.  Reason why any ambitious politicians has to  remain subservient to the Church or you would lose your ambition to get elected.  Or of Eli Soriano’s “Dating Daan” (Old Path) literally taken from Jeremiah answering any of your question straight verbatim from the Bible right on your face, better than what the devil did to Christ challenging him to jump down the road! Why not when you have gadgets at your disposal and gyped to the people of your alleged genius.  This excluding many others Born Again Fellowship out to exploit the innocent and fragile religiosity of Juan de la Cruz.  But of course, getting its toll from his meager resources  surely from his pocket.

 Island Under the Cross, this what Peter Gowing describes the Philippines, an apt title indeed of his book back then.  In sum the plot would revolve on the secret from history (Brown’s like plot but enhancing it for good!) few members from this resettled Jews kept but revealed when they left the Resettlement.  The Way, this is one of the original secret group as spelled out in the book of Acts who kept relevant civil registration of Jesus Christ.  That secret was kept all the way from Jerusalem and as history reveals were carried all the way to Germany and Philippines.  That when the country through Pres. Quezon inadvertently accommodated them not knowing that these group brought also with them those documents which far outweigh the importance of all other discoveries there is in the world.

Thanks Jeff.  This is it.  Hope I could sustain keeping up the pressure of your  challenge.