Dear neighbor

by Isabel

Before going ahead with Our DEH Community, I sent out a questionnaire that would help assess how many community members are “Netizens” (Internet citizens) and to what degree. The questionnaire also sought to gauge DEH residents’ interest in participating in community life — would we be interested in reading reports about the community, chapel or parish activities, or the youth? Would we participate in online discussions on community issues?

One questionnaire was sent out per household. Of the 200 that were distributed, only 74 were returned. This represents about one-fourth of the number of households in DEH — a small sample, but good enough to get a feel of how and to what extent we were interested in community life.

(To skip the statistics and read ahead, click here.)

What the survey said
Most of the respondents (60%) access the Internet from home, with majority (33%) going online only once a day. When asked to rank the reasons for going online, not surprisingly, the respondents gave email the highest ranking (87%), followed by research (79%). Blogging and reading other people’s blogs each accounted for only a small percentage (21%).

When asked which of the different aspects of community life would interest them, the respondents indicated the most interest in current community issues/events (58%), followed by chapel/parish activities (39%). Participating in online discussions got the least response (26%).

Most of the respondents (32%) were neutral about having a DEH web site or blog; about half this number (18%) gave it a high priority. According to the majority (32%), a web site or blog about the community should carry news about current events/projects/activities. Other suggestions for content were ads (12%), community problems and concerns (10%), and information about neighbors (8%).

For the parish, the responses were similar — a number of respondents (14%) thought a parish web site or blog was a top priority, but the majority (22%) were neutral about it. Content suggestions included parish programs and activities (21%), a schedule of services (17%), official stand on issues (14%), and profiles of priests (10%). However, as St. Benedict Parish (of which Our Lady of Remedies is just a subparish) encompasses a larger community than DEH, these are by no means exhaustive results.

It is interesting that most of the respondents (20%) were from the 21-30 age bracket, followed by the below 21 bracket (18%). I later learned that some homeowners let their children or grandchildren answer the questionnaire because it involved the Internet — a subject they perhaps felt was better suited to the younger members of the household. (The youngest respondent was 12 years old, by the way.) Seventeen percent did not give their ages.

Hi from Fr Steve, your friendly neighborhood priest!

by Fr Steve

Hi. This is the first time I have ever “blogged.” I wonder whether I will get infected with the “blogging” passion?

Any suggestions for what we should be doing this Lenten Season?

An Ash Wednesday reflection

by Isabel

I asked our parish priest, Fr. Steve Tynan of the Missionaries of God’s Love, for a short reflection to help us begin the Lenten season today. Here is what he gave me:

The focus of Lent is always the inner conversion of the person to Christ; it is a time for embracing penitential practices (the ashes we receive today are a sign of this call to do penance) once again in order to facilitate our ongoing conversion.

In a day and age of individualism, materialism, consumerism and secular humanism, this sort of an idea has become very foreign to us. It is time for us to rediscover the call to personal conversion as it is from this that all divine graces flow.

What is it in my life that needs conversion? How can I be conformed more to the image of Christ as we find it in the Scriptures? Perhaps the penitential imperative for us this Lent is to learn more about who Jesus wants to be for us in this confusing day and age? Perhaps we should make a commitment to take up the Gospels and read a few chapters at the beginning of every day so that we can reflect upon what we read during the day? Perhaps we need to rediscover the social imperative of the Gospel call? I do not know what you need! This is why we call it ‘personal conversion’ and a ‘personal relationship’ with Jesus.

Let us all do what we can to respond to this call to deeper conversion.

With thanks to Fr. Steve for this contribution.

The community’s own remedy

by Isabel

At a meeting last night, someone from Fairview asked me where I live. When he learned that I live in Don Enrique Heights, his eyes lit up.

“Your subdivision is a beautiful place,” he gushed. “It’s small, but very well kept.”

He went on to describe the chapel. “It’s so big and beautiful that you would think it was the parish church,” he continued. “It’s hard to believe it’s just a chapel.”

I could not help but smile upon hearing this. It wasn’t the first time I had heard people describe our chapel this way. They may find it even harder to believe that it was such a tiny structure years ago, renovated recently to keep up with the growing community.

Dedicated to Our Lady of Remedies, the chapel stands as a reminder of the community’s love, cooperation, and tireless efforts. Hopefully this blog will soon include a history of the chapel and of Our Lady of Remedies.

The centuries-old shrines and churches in honor of Our Lady of Remedies — in Sri Lanka and in Mexico, for instance — are surrounded by stories of miracles and healing. I have no doubt that Our Lady of Remedies will continue to manifest Her Healing Love to and within our community as well.

Changing landscape

by Isabel

Who would have thought Holy Spirit Drive would become as busy as it is now?

In the 1980s, it was a quiet — almost sleepy — street lined with trees and homes. One could cross it on foot or on a bicycle without even having to look out for cars or tricycles approaching from either side. I wish I had a picture to show what it was like back then.

Now it is a bustling thoroughfare with banks, coffee shops, restaurants, and stores. As the access road for Don Antonio Heights, Don Enrique Heights, and nearby subdivisions Isidora Hills, BF Homes, and Mapayapa Village, it has become a prime location for commercial establishments.

I didn’t give much thought to these developments until a major fastfood chain opened in December last year in Isadora Hills, not far from the DEH gate. It caused a major traffic jam in the area on its opening night, as cars lined up at the drive-thru!

Nevertheless, this fastfood chain soon blended into the landscape of the wider community where DEH is located. Residents now have a place to go for a quick snack or a full meal — or as this photo shows, to just do some people watching!

Thank you, Sir

by Isabel

The Don Enrique Heights community gathered yesterday at the chapel for the mass commemorating the 40th day of the passing of one of its long-time residents, retired Brig. Gen. Pascual Melivo.

Gen. Melivo passed away on 26 December due to an aneurysm. He was 78. His body was cremated on 28 December, following a mass attended by his family, friends, and DEH residents.

Hard-working gentleman
Gen. Melivo moved to DEH in 1982 with his wife Basilia, and sons Ralph and Allan. He was always involved in community activities such as the construction of the chapel, gazebo, and clubhouse. He will be remembered by many as the elderly, hard-working gentleman in cap and rubber boots tending the plants and trees in the park. His gifts of vegetables and fruits harvested from his own backyard were always appreciated, and his generosity and neighborliness will be missed.

A private and unassuming man, Gen. Melivo was from a generation that believed in action more than words. He was the kind of man who personified the Filipino tradition and attitude of bayanihan — if there was something that needed to be done in the community, he would roll up his sleeves and do it without hesitation.

Despite his quiet demeanor, Gen. Melivo was not timid. If he had something to say, he would say it. He was outspoken about where he stood on community matters.

Defining and redefining the community

by Isabel

During one of our early years in Don Enrique Heights, my sisters and I joined the youth choir that was to sing at the fiesta mass. I bonded with the other kids, especially the girls who went to the same school I did. We had regular practices and hung out at each others’ homes during that time. Even after our fiesta choir “duties” were over, some of us continued to spend time together and to attend parties as a group.

The friends I made — some of them no longer living here — and the experience of doing something concrete for DEH made me feel that I belonged. This ultimately gave me my first sense of community — of sharing something tangible (living in DEH) as well as something intangible (goals and interests) with others.

This is what this blog seeks to capture — the spirit of community in DEH. Through blog posts, photos, news reports, and discussions, we’ll attempt to document life in and around this place we call home.