Junten Junior High School / Senior High School

September 25 to October 10th, 4 students from Senior High School attended the Philippine Fieldwork. 

After arriving in Manila, the students visited the Japan Foundation (The Japan Foundation). It is a specialized institution for international cultural exchange, engaging in cultural exchange in the Philippines and other countries. They were also able to hear about the educational system and the status of Japanese language learning in the Philippines. Magaldan High School, which the group will visit later, has adopted this program.

On the 26th, the students learned about the history of the Philippines and headed for their destination, Dagupin City. First of all, they visited the Intramuros area in Manila. The Church of San Agustine (San Agustin), one of the oldest and listed as a World Heritage Site in the Philippines, was originally built under Spanish rule, and the surrounding streets have been paved with the stones of that time. Many Filipino students also visited Manila Cathedral, considered the most important church in Manila, for field trips. 

Jose Rizal is a national hero well known to all Filipinos, and helped set the Philippines apart from Spain. At the Rizal Memorial Museum, many of his belongings are displayed, including his coat, hat, medical equipment and furnishings. Japanese business cards of Rizal who had stayed in Japan were also exhibited. If you go up to the wall around the building and look at the opposite shore, you can see a modern office building on the right side of the slum on your left, and you can feel the difference.

In the afternoon, they drove to Capas to see the Death March monument. Death March during the Japanese occupation is a sad legacy. The monument was modeled after an actual photograph. The group also visited the site of O’Donnell camp. There are pictures of that time in the museum. The trees planted in the site are said to be the number of victims here. The 70 meter tall tower is made up of 3 pillars that symbolize the wishes of the Philippines, the United States and Japan for peace. We all should never forget what we learned here.

The group visited Magaldan school in the morning of 27th. They took part in the Japan Foundation program, which they visited on the first day, to learn about Japanese language and culture. After participating in the class, the group also participated in an interview survey and a questionnaire survey on research subjects. The notice in the classroom also had pictures of Junten’s visit last year.

In the afternoon, the group will visit the private Lassaret School. The banner next to the school gate was made when the students of Lassaret visited our school in February. Here, too, they cooperated in questionnaire surveys and interview surveys on research subjects. The group participated in classes for children with disabilities and participated in science experiments. The students go on the Homestay after the survey. Each of their host families came to pick up the students and they all had a wonderful time.

The group visited Home for Hope on the 28th. The organization supports the independence of young people who grew up in poverty. The students went to the market with high school students who were regularly trained here and interviewed people working there.

On the 29th, the students will prepare for the workshop and activities in the children’s dormitory of CFF. The group had a lot of props this year, so they prepared with the help of children. The team game is very popular! Finally, there was a handwashing workshop that the children at the Home took and Junten students were able to carry out everything their mentors planned.

On the 30th, the group visited the rehabilitation center first. Girls suffering from multiple sclerosis and staff members willingly cooperated in the interview. The group heard that he went to elementary school normally until he got sick, so the students hope he recovers even a little by this rehabilitation.

In the afternoon, I visited the Kalikaan region (urban slum) and the garbage dump. The students heard from an elder about life in the slums and he said, “You don’t know what you’re doing here unless you’ve experienced it.” was speechless. At a garbage dump in Lingayen, scavenger children worked hard to pick up trash.

On October 1, the group moved to Manila and visited Smokey Mountain. There were people who build their own huts on the hill covered with dirt and live there. You can see the developed streets of the Philippines from there. A slum is formed on the riverside. When the CFF staff told the Junten students, “This scene hasn’t changed in years.” We all felt hopeless.

The last night is　UNIQUEASE in Manila. It’s a restaurant that trains and hires local children as employees. Ms. Yachiyo Nakamura, a representative of the association who has been supporting activities in the Philippines for a long time sends messages with passion, and it was an inspiring night with a delicious meal. The next day the group looked back at the hotel and left Manila for home.

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