Yesterday, we had a good conversation with Sr. Eva Maamo, the President of the Foundation of Our Lady of Peace Hospital located at San Dionisio, Paranaque City. Before the arrival of the other sisters, she narrated to us how today, she feeds 280 children everyday in order to give them nutritious foods. The clients come from very poor barangays and their mothers are given finance in order to prepare and cook the food.
Sr. Eva is so tireless. I met her in 1979 when I was doing the film on the T'boli woman brassmaker named Ye Binto at Lake Sebu Cotabato. She was then a young medicine graduate and the Mother Superior had asked her to serve there.
One of her memorable patients was the sick wife of the datu who had 28 wives. She said she could not operate on her because there were many mosquitoes. Ah sister, no problem, we have a mosquito net. But she said, I have no anaesthesia. Sister, all we have to do is pull her hair so she would feel the pain on her head and not on her stomach. But we need to give her dextrose. A sister, we just give her buko juice. Then Sr. Eva found out that she had brought with her simple tools for surgery and so the operation went on smoothly and successfully , under the mosquito net.
It is a great revelation when we meet women like Sr. Eva who is able to rise above the challenges of the situations that need utmost dedication and service to our needy countryfolks. Never mind the polygamous character of the husband. The point was save the wife, or one of the wives, shall we say.
One guy whom Sr. Eva taught to succeed her as a community volunteer turned up in Manila. "O, why are you here?" "Sister I will be given an award because of my three-term service as mayor at Lake Sebu."
So, Sr. Eva is not only a surgeon but also a good mentor who knows how to impart her skills in encouraging the people to stand up and become good leaders of the people.
I think that the nunnery really has a good space to encourage women to become leaders, to hone their skills in order to serve the masses, and also to nurture their belief in spirituality, When we believe, we are being attuned to the universe, attuned to the needs of the people.
Unfortunately, some people are just enamoured with rituals and when meeting edgy situations start blaming others, not themselves.
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