Going Rogue...

This has been one trying week. A week that changed everything about my time in the Philippines, and threatened to remove me from my new community for good.

I felt great about my time in Rosario when, Friday morning, I was at a hospital in Catarman, the provincial capital, for a lab test to finally determine whether I have any lingering parasites from my visit to Mali. After just one month, I was already well-integrated into the community, and Bobi and I were in the midst of planning a disaster risk reduction and management workshop with local government officials.

But as I was waiting for the results from the lab, I got a text message from our country director notifying me that they had obtained 'compelling and overwhelming evidence' that I have been riding a motorcycle, which is in violation of Peace Corps policy, and that I would be immediately sent home.

My friends and I enjoy an octopus and fish feast Friday night at the church after learning that these might be my last moments in Rosario. Father Roni (right), the priest of our local Catholic Church and a great friend, has offered that I can join them for their meals everyday if I return.

I'm not going to get into the details of the evidence, and I do understand the Peace Corps end of things, especially since I had just learned of a recent accident involving a volunteer in the area. The truth is that I did indeed ride a motorcycle and I accept the need for me to resign.

I rode on my counterpart's motorcycle a couple of times simply because I found it compulsory to do the job mandated of me effectively. We were working towards developing our Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Plan. Such a plan would govern the policies and projects of the municipality regarding hazard mitigation for years to come. I did not feel comfortable putting forth a plan which was drafted without a thorough understanding of the municipality.

Bobi, Iso, and I had to visit all barangays (districts) within Rosario together in order to assess the associated hazards. It is not something that I can do alone, since I don't know the local language nor did I know the area. And if I were excluded, several specific hazards would have gone unnoticed, or the wrong conclusions would have been drawn due to a lack of expertise.

As an example of wrong conclusions being reached, this bridge over the Pinamukran Creek in Guindaulan, which has suffered notable damage to the road bed and the retaining walls, has been blamed for significant flooding of nearby homes at every incidence of heavy rainfall.  A study by a national bureau claimed that the culverts were under designed to accommodate the creek during heavy rains.

My counterparts all agreed with this assessment, but it didn't jive with my observations. Looking downstream from the bridge, the creek narrows drastically, with a significant bend to the left. This portion of the creek downstream seemed to me to restrict more rainfall than the bridge.

To test my hypothesis, we asked local residents whether flooding occurs on both sides of the bridge, or only upstream of the bridge. They all replied that it is the former. Therefore, it is clear that, although the bridge may very well be under designed, the cause of the flooding is downstream of the bridge.

If the municipality were to replace the bridge based upon the previous assessment, the flooding would continue amounting to a waste of public expenditure.

Many of the barangays in our municipality are quite remote and only accessible on two wheels. In Kenya, I frequently made use of a bicycle for such tasks. My counterpart and I would visit any such area together in this fashion. But here, none of my coworkers ride bicycles. In fact, I have yet to see anyone over the age of 16 on one in Rosario.

Beyond the greater distance, if we were to travel to these barangays together, but on such different modes of transportation, it would be impossible to coordinate. There are too many stops to make; not just one destination. So although I had earlier thought about asking Peace Corps for a bicycle allowance, once I arrived at site, I realized it would be futile.

Engineering 101: cut slopes. This is a problem we found throughout the municipality. Many residential lots have been prepared by cutting off the side of a hill or mountain. But any civil engineer will tell you that a cut slope must be done at a gradual slope such that it can be stabilized to reduce the risk of landslide and collapse. The proper slope depends upon the soil profile, but generally you do not want to exceed a 2:1 (horizontal-to-vertical) slope.

This house is among hundreds in the area that was constructed at the base of a sheer vertical cut slope. On many such slopes, signs of erosion are already severe, and many trees have even fallen from the top of the slopes. Many of these slopes even exceed 30 feet in height. My counterparts knew that this was a hazard, but had never known the general rules which, if followed, can mitigate such a hazard.

So I made the conscious decision that I would ride with my supervisor on his motorcycle in order to accomplish our job to the best of our abilities. And I think we did do that.

I am not going to make an argument that I shouldn't have needed to resign. It is a rule and I broke it intentionally. But it is unfortunate. I opted to take the risk because I never expected Peace Corps to find out, since I only did so in rural areas on minor dirt roads (really trails) within our small municipality. I am not in any way ready to leave my community after only one month.

A final 'drinking session' with Emperador Light, the Filipino brandy, Friday night. The community has shown me amazing hospitality, and actually worked on a petition with tons of signatures to try and convince Peace Corps to change their minds. I am very appreciative.

So where do I go from here?

After receiving great news from the graduate schools I had applied to, I came to a decision regarding my future. In August, I will be settling into a dorm room in New Jersey, embarking upon a two-year program to obtain my Masters of Public Affairs from Princeton University. The best part is that I will receive a fellowship covering full tuition and a stipend for room and board.

Given that my financial situation will be secure once August comes around, and that I now have 4 months free from responsibility, I have decided to stay in the Philippines. I am in the process of downgrading my 'special non-immigrant visa' for a volunteer to a standard tourist visa.

My friends and I outside my house Saturday night, my last in Rosario before heading into Manila.

This process seemed like it would go smoothly Monday morning, until I was told by the Bureau of Immigration about a new law enacted within the past month that may make it impossible. But I visited the Department of Justice, where the attorneys helped me in working with the Bureau. Suddenly, all seems to be moving okay and I should have my visa in-hand tomorrow.

My plan is to spend the rest of what was to be my four remaining months with my friends in Rosario. I will now be a tourist where, just one short week ago, I was a volunteer. None of this is ideal, but it is the best that I can do given the circumstances.