Doctor to the Barrios: My Reaction
I am honestly not a fan of reading unless it is a requirement. At first, I thought reading Doctor to the Barrios by Juan Flavier is boring but I was wrong. Knowing the chronicles of a Rural Reconstruction Worker is a privilege for me as a student nurse who is studying about community organizing.
The book was similar to the movie “Mumbaki” staring Raymart Santiago wherein it also tackles about the accounts of a particular barrio and a particular indigenous tribe towards an educated, organized, mobilized and peaceful community only that the book is more emphasized and detailed.
I know for a fact that rural reconstruction is not an easy task nor a trouble-free job, it entails not only your blood, sweat and tears but your life. I was exposed to a community set-up and I was literally exhausted in making a community diagnosis. I know that what we did way back in our AHSE days was nothing compared to the hardships and struggles of the rural reconstruction worker and I idolize them for that.
My understanding broadens when reading this book. Growing in the city, I was not exposed to superstitious beliefs the barrio people have and on how the barrio people live their everyday life without the modern technologies I am enjoying now. This book showed me the kind of life they live and those other factors that you need to consider especially when you are dealing with them. You can’t just simply impose new things to them even if you meant improving their lifestyle. You have to be one with them and being one with them is very difficult. People have different perceptions and preferences, you may see new improvements this time but as it pushes through you’ll see that those improvements are slowly failing. Why do such things happen? When there is not enough rapport and when the barrio people don’t see the relevance of the said “new things” in their life, it should be short-termed. We have to impose things the way they understand in order for it to be successful. Change is something that comes slowly especially if you are trying to change people, it may definitely take a lifetime. Upon knowing the situation barrio people have, I feel their need for help.
I am glad that there was an organization like the Philippine Rural Reconstruction Movement present in our country. The volunteers are not merely volunteers but for me they are heroes because they sacrifice their living even if it was already favorable for them and I believe that the road they chose is the road less traveled by, I salute them for that. I won’t enumerate everything that are at stake in this reaction paper anymore but I would like to give credit to their service, bravery and dedication because to deal with the problems of the barrio people separately will make them a failure. This is not about individuals; this is about the whole community of different people with different way of thinking.
If only the government prioritize this problem right from the start, most of the barrio people will now have improved lifestyle and health condition and they already gained self-governance. We should be the ones extending ourselves to those barrio people. I hope that there will be more rural reconstruction workers in the future also; the movement will expand as there are a lot of indigenous community that needs help and that the present rural reconstruction workers will never lose hope and strength despite all of those challenges in store for them. To train a rural reconstruction worker is hard but losing a rural reconstruction worker that is serving for so long is harder in terms of experiences.
There is no assurance in this job, but when you see the progress, it will make you fulfilled. “The only stability in the world is God. Stability is faith- faith in our Lord, and strength in our faith”. They wouldn’t have done this without the guidance from the Almighty.
This is my assignment for my community organizing subject. We are asked to react on the novel Doctor to the Barrios by Juan Flavier in relation to our concept. I honestly haven’t finished the book until now. LOL! Actually I have applied some of the topics there on the book because I am now on my community immersion program. This is just a one-page reaction paper.
July 19th, 2008 at 10:36 am
just as i need this. hehehe sorry ha pero kumuha lang ako ng konti dito kasi blanko utak ko. salamat na din. ayun. kelangan sa CO e. =)
July 26th, 2008 at 6:22 pm
.ganda pa ng reaksyon nyo. sakin naman kahit kalahati pa lang nababasa ko.. alam ko na maganda ung kwento..my boring na scene may maganda.. la lang na padaan lang ako dito.. kc kumukuha ako ng idea bout sa doctor to the barrio.. pinapagawa dn kc kami ng reaksyon paper sa social science..hehehe tnx sa idea!
July 27th, 2008 at 9:25 pm
@chad- dnramahan ko lng yan ehh..=) nahalf ko naman ung book pero di ko na natapos kasi passing na.. *cramming mode.*
January 26th, 2009 at 10:52 pm
phew!
same hir! hehe
blanko rn ako eh..
gud thing nkita ko 2,
uhmm.. paalam ko lng hah n kumuha ko ng konti..hehe
….. ….. …..
I’ll just be thankful for you pare/mare
I hope I’m just like you..
hehehe
apir!
February 1st, 2009 at 8:21 pm
bukas na pasahan
February 1st, 2009 at 8:23 pm
amp amp amp amp amp amp amp amp amp amp bukas na pasahan may quiz pa bukas sa pharma, unit test sa endo at quiz sa repro.
February 1st, 2009 at 11:59 pm
hi!!i need this din kumuha po aq ng ilang lines niu…tenkyu..juz wanna ask..from wat skul po kau??
February 2nd, 2009 at 9:10 pm
haha!!FEU yang mga yan sigurdo..my mga quiz pa pla tgal ng pnpgwa yan..haha!!
February 2nd, 2009 at 9:16 pm
I’ve read your entry, don’t worry I didn’t get any of your lines LMFAO. Though I’m an FEU nursing stud. too
thanks for this anyway.
February 4th, 2009 at 10:19 pm
kakatakot kumuha d2 hahahahaha baka may katulad ako bukas hahaha :p
February 4th, 2009 at 11:38 pm
that’s the dilemma.. :p
February 20th, 2009 at 4:31 pm
wahahahhahahahha…. eto nga un hnhanap ko..
March 6th, 2009 at 9:29 pm
nung orientation pa sa comdev cnabi smen to..haha, ngaun ko lng ggwin, hays! thanks dianne peña..
March 7th, 2009 at 4:41 pm
we were also given an assignment, a reaction paper to the “doctors to the barrio”, your reaction was very nice, i felt that you were touched on the novel, anyway i also got an idea from your reaction.. this was helpful because i can’t see even a summary of the novel..thanks!
March 10th, 2009 at 2:38 pm
hey…may assignment rin kami ni2 sa com dev parang kilala ko na kung sinu nag pagawa sau nito hahah actually Feu SN rin aq…… ka2lad ng ibang bumisita dito… blanko rin utak ko ngayon hahahaha… pahingi ako ng idea ah hehehe salamat….^^
March 12th, 2009 at 9:27 am
hi..nice reaction..kumuha lng aq ng konting idea pro d q kinopya….tnx..
June 8th, 2009 at 7:09 pm
? ?? ??????? ?????????? ?????? ?????????
July 2nd, 2009 at 10:53 pm
????? ?????????? ??? ????! ?????????? ?? rss. ???? ????????? ??????.
July 29th, 2009 at 9:58 am
galing nyo poh gumawa ng rection. . . xenxa n poh pero kukuha lng ako ng idea sa reaction paper moh. . . d ko kc ntapos bsahin ung book. . . . kelangan lng poh talga eh. . . . salamat poh. . . .tnx. . . . . ^_^. . .gud luck n lng sau. . . .
November 10th, 2009 at 10:12 am
looks like its everyone’s assignment..haha
January 7th, 2010 at 1:53 pm
well i really need to copy some of the ideas in here!!!! sorry 4 that but i am running out of time and i was not able to produce my own copy of the book eh…, hope you understand guys! tnx!!!!!
March 2nd, 2010 at 3:12 pm
haha. yes, these guys here are tamaraws. fellas! thanks to your reactions, my burden was lessened.
)
March 7th, 2010 at 8:46 am
waaah..mga tamaraws talaga mahilig sa copy-paste,.tsk!
March 13th, 2010 at 1:49 pm
Howmagdog. Naisip ko pa nman kumuha ng mga konting lines dito, pero napakadami nio na kea wag na lang.. Hahaha baka dito din kumuha yung mga ibang tamad kong classmates tulad ko. Yikes! Haha. pero niwie thank’s at least me idea na ko. I got the gist.
March 13th, 2010 at 1:52 pm
Hey and I’m also a BSN tamaraw, sa mga kalahi ko dito, wag naman kayong masyadong pa-obvious mejo nakakahiya.. LMAO.
) Hay nursing nga naman.. I’m looking forward to finish reading the book but napakadami pa din kcng ibang requirements kea hndi ko masingit sa oras ko.. Waaaah..
February 23rd, 2011 at 10:40 am
pakuha kunti jeeheje
February 23rd, 2011 at 10:41 am
fEU NGA MET
July 24th, 2011 at 10:44 am
..its my pleasure reading your reaction indeed your ryt..
your perspective will help me.,tnx
..same as your i dont like reading books but wen my ou prof. requires us
i was enjoying upon reading unto it..
…nice reaction!!!