She was a lady. Absolutely no airs. As simple and as cheerful as sunlight. She was always reaching out to the poor. She became the godmother of hundreds – literally, hundreds – of very poor children, most of them destitute. She helped her husband, President Manuel L. Quezon in everything good that he did. And she kept complete, total silence about his faults. She was a lady, and everyone loved her.
So, when the Concerned Women of the Philippines decided, fifteen years ago, to give awards for peace – they chose to name them after her: the Aurora Aragon Quezon Peace Awards. It was a good decision. She was shot and killed by violent men, armed with rifles, and filled with hatred. But in her own life there was no violence, and no hatred. Her life was all heart, all love. It was a joy to visit her, because she was so gentle.
Two awards were given this year, on February 19, because that is the birthday of Aurora Aragon Quezon. The awards were given in Kalayaan Hall, in Club Filipino – where Cory Aquino was sworn in as President of the Philippines in 1986. Those awarded were a man and a woman: Father Rufus Halley, Irish Columbian; and Mrs. Elisa Gahapon del Puerto, a simple housewife.
Rufus Helley was born in Country Waterford, Ireland. His father was a lawyer, whose passion was horses. The family raised and trained race horses. Rufus was a horseman all his life. His blood sister came all the way from Ireland, to be present at the Awards, and she said, very simply:
"I knew what my father would have said, if he were able to be here. He would turn to my mother and say: ‘Mel’ – that was my mother’s name, Mel – he would say: ‘Well, Mel, at least we got one of them right. One out of the seven’."
Rufus was educated by the Benedictines, at Glenstal, the only Benedictine Abbey in Ireland. He was a remarkable athlete, good at every sport he tried. He played on all five Varsity Teams, at Glenstal, starring in rugby – which is a rough, tough, contact sport, the favorite athletic game in Ireland.
He had a talent for languages. He was fluent in Gaelic, the native language of Ireland, and in French, though his first and best language was English. This natural ability was a blessing to him when he entered the Missionary Society of Saint Columban, trained for the priesthood, was ordained, and sent to the Philippines.
He was assigned to Silang, Cavite, and later to Morong in Rizal. In 1971 he became the parish priest of Saint Michael the Archangel at Jalajala in Rizal. He held this post for six years, and was very happy there because he was fluent in Tagalog.
He was at home with the poor, preferring to live with families in far-flung barrios rather than in the town Convento. He was always cheerful, always smiling, joyful in his service of the people. Because he came from a family of lawyers, he championed the poor who were struggling for justice. To the credit of our judicial system, most of the poor, whom he supported in court, won their cases.
He volunteered for the newly-formed Prelature of Saint Mary, in Marawi. When he was assigned there, he studied Maranao. He already was at home in Tagalog, and in Cebuano. But his approach to Maranao was unique. In Marawi, he worked in a store, meeting Muslims and Christians. Learning the language opened a door. It gave him real rapport with his Muslim friends.
In 1986 he was moved to Mala-bagan, the local name for the municipalities of Malabang and Balabagan, on Yllana Bay in Lanao del Sur. Once again, he worked in a store. From that position he became a bridge builder. He was following in the footsteps of Bishop Bienvenido Tudtud, who believed in the "apostolate of presence", "the dialogue of life". Neither Bishop Tudtud nor Father Halley tried to convert the Muslims. They just wanted to be there, to be a friend, so that the Muslims would see how the Christians love one another, and be drawn closer to God.
Bishop Tudtud said – and he believed this with all his heart – "Dialogue is a way of breaking down walls of prejudice and building bridges of trust." The secret of Benny Tudtud was that he saw God in everybody. Once, during a seminar given for the Bishops of the Philippines on media, Father Miles O’Brien Riley of San Francisco, California, asked hem: "When was that last time that you meet Christ Our Lord?" Benny smiled, and said: "I am meeting Him right now, in you."
And that was the secret of Father Rufus Halley. He saw God in every Muslim he met, and in every Christian. He was the first to capture, in graphic detail, the damages of the war in Moro communities. In 1999 he published 34 photographs of the Muslim victims of war. He led the effort to bring food and medical services to the Muslim families. Without fanfare, he was building a bridge of friendship, of gratitude, of love.
On August 28, 2001, on his way home to Malabang, he was stopped by armed men, kidnappers. He tried dialogue. It did not work, with these men. Then, with his athletic background, he fought, to break away. He was doing very well, until they shot him dead. The Aurora Aragon Quezon Peace Award was posthumous.
Dona Aurora was shot and killed on a rural road, by violent men, armed with rifles. Though both Dona Aurora and Rufus Halley were Apostles of peace, trying to bring peace on earth to men of good will.
Elisa Gahapon del Puerto did most of her work for peace in three little towns of Basilan – Maluso, Sumisip and Lantawan. She was dealing directly with MNLF, the MILF, and the Abu Sayyaff. Where delegations from the government failed, and delegations from the military failed, she succeeded. The rebels did not trust the government, or the military, but they trusted her. She not only stopped armed conflict between Christians and Muslims. She stopped the rebels from warring with each other. She has a natural genius for reconciliation.
One method she used, very effectively, was to donate vegetable seeds, and fruit and forest tree seedling, to the warring factions. The rebels in Sampinit reforested their denuded mountains with rubber, mahogany and acacia magnum seedlings. These peaceful, profitable enterprises kept them from joining the Abu Sayyaf.
Nina Hamili, National Director of the CCF, describes her as "strong-willed, known for her bravery, action-oriented, and possessing a treasure of knowledge and wisdom." Bishop Martin Jumoan, of Basilan, says that she "bridged the gap between the military Muslims and the Church."
In the United States, and in the Middle East, they are preparing for war. They will meet violence with violence, hatred with hatred, slaughter with slaughter. They are carefully planning the most effective ways to kill each other. Here in the Philippines, we are giving the Aurora Aragon Quezon Peace Awards.
It is better to light just one little candle, than to curse the dark.