Mongolia in transition

Warm greetings from Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia! It is summer here but every Mongol we have met so far has informed us that this year's summer is unexpectedly cold. Yesterday morning, for some seconds, there was snow in summer! Temperature here as well has gone down to seven degrees or lower.

It is not easy to understand why with such freezing temperature, there are about 300-500 Filipino migrants here. We were fortunate to meet some of them last Sunday at the Good Shepherd Catholic Church, through the assistance of Fr. Ronald Magbanua Jr., CICM. We also had the opportunity to meet another CICM Bishop Wenceslao Padilla. Some of our Filipino migrants work in mining companies or as domestic helpers and as teachers of English and Business in schools here.

We would like to extend our sincere gratitude and appreciation to our kababayans for sharing their time and warm, happy company with us in Ulaanbaatar: Arlyn Braga, Liezle Esteron, Joy Valera, Juvy Cruz, Jimmy Esplanada, Joel Nucon, Jeanalyn Pateno, Jerby Sumayan, Bernadeth Tribunalo, Ronald Fabroa, Elisa Guleng, Nestie Umbac, Emelda de los Reyes, Maria Cecilia Ramos, Ma. Cristina Bodino, Arturo Bodino, Ana Araullo, Vivian Laguisma, Rodolfo Nucom Jr, Belma Pescador , Romy Sia and Rene from Cebu, and of course, to Fr. Ronald and Bishop Wency who are doing their best to carry out their mission for the Lord and our people in Mongolia. Mabuhay po kayong lahat!

Mongolia has a land area of about 1,553,560 square kilometers and a population estimated at about 2.8 million for 2012. Imagine a country where population density is about two persons per sq.km! Mongolia, about the size of Alaska, has one of the world's most sparse population.

Ulaanbaatar, the capital city, has more than 50 percent of the population and has a land area of 4,704 sq. km. So many people in a very small space-that's now one challenge Mongolia is confronted with.

The country is also blessed with so much mineral deposits and a very rich natural and cultural history. Mongolia just recently retrieved one of its dinosaurs, Tarbosaurus bataar, which was about to be auctioned. Dinosaur enthusiasts will be very pleased to see an almost complete dinosaur (about 75 percent of the original preserved) in Ulaanbaatar's Dinosaur museum.

From a very proud and rich history of conquerors -- the famous Genghis and Kublai Khan, Mongolia came under Russian control from 1921 to 1991 and is now in the transition period towards democracy.

Mongolia is now in that crucial phase where it needs to move forward, with its sparse population, to maximize the utilization and distribution of its rich natural deposits as well as to restore among its people the pride and responsibility of what once was a proud and independent country.

Given so much space, so much wealth from nature and history, Mongolians can look positively forward to a very promising future if the right steps are taken, together, as a nation, as one people.

At the moment, however, like many developing countries in the world, Mongolia has to effectively hurdle, as a united people, many vulnerable issues and challenges and move forward, beyond transition, to a very promising prosperous future for all.

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