My arrival in Ibabao, Cordova was unintentional. I was in Cebu and had no plans to visit there but due to a change in my original plans I decided to meet with other internet friends to pass time.

As time passed others that I knew became aware that I was in Cebu so I began to meet with them, often treating them to a meal, coffee or whatever seemed appropriate at the time.

Out of the blue, I was contacted by my friend Rovina. After having explained the past events, she invited me to her home. I accepted the invitation and thought it would be most interesting to see the average home. It seemed like an adventure because I had heard many things about Cordova, sadly mostly bad things - crime, drugs, etc. It was an area that had been featured on a television documentary because of the numerous webcam girls, scammers and other that attempted to get money from foreigners by various means - some legitimate and some rather dubious.

It was evening when I left my room at the Valleyfront Hotel in Cebu near the Guadalupe area. Cordova was a very far distance but that was not known to me at the time. I went on a long taxi ride through various areas, in the darkness, to finally arrive in a rather rural area with an unpaved road and no street lighting.

The taxi driver wanted extra money for this trip due to the distance and that he would have to go far to find another passenger. It may seem unusual but it's a common practice among Cebu's taxi drivers but perhaps it was also due to the area's reputation. I honestly don't know.

When we arrived in the area where we were told to go it was completely dark outside. There was a little light coming from the scattered homes in the area. I noticed immediately that the taxi was surrounded by people, as it is rare for a taxi to arrive in such a rural area off of the main road.

I thought to myself this will be interesting, here I am a foreigner (considered "rich" by comparison to the people living in Cordova) and I was carrying a relatively expensive DSLR camera.

Upon opening the taxi door I said "I'm looking for Rovina" (as Rovina instructed me to do upon my arrival) and a female voice replied "I am her sister, I've come to meet you". I thought to myself why didn't Rovina come herself and I hope i'm at the right place as it would be easy for someone to just lead me into a possible trap. After all how would I know otherwise that this was the right place and that voice was indeed really Rovina's sister.

I couldn't see faces in the dark, so I followed the voice and silhouette of this female. We went down a path away from the road and between some houses. Finally we entered a house that was about 100 meters from the road and behind other homes.

Upon entering the home, I finally saw the person whom I followed to the house. I learned her name was Elvira. Awaiting me was Rovina and her family - brothers, sisters, mother, father, grandmother, and aunts and cousins. I sat on the floor of the living room. I was offered a chair but declined and let Rovina and Elvira sit upon the chairs.

We discussed the events of my past two (2) weeks and what unfolded upon my arrival in Cebu. At the time I was troubled by some relationship problems but due to Elvira's humor and attention I completely forgot all of my problems. Rovina, Elvira, an aunt and a cousin translated for family members that didn't understand English well. We sat and talked into the late night hours. They suggested I stay the night since it was a remote area and impossible to find a taxi at such hours.

I awoke the next day and Elvira was completely at my disposal. She attended my every need and every question. I was fascinated by their life and circumstances. We talked about very many things and I had what seemed to be a million questions to ask Elvira and Rovina.

The following day Elvira had to go to school but she came home early because she was concerned about me. This continued for the next 2-3 days as this was her last week of school. She had to take a test then she was on a break then vacation followed. Each day she had to attend school she would come home as soon as possible to see if I needed anything. She seemed very eager to help me, to be with me and was very interested in talking to me. Elvira is very enamoured with me.

One of the uncles was formerly a tour guide, the family knew I wanted to see some of Cebu so we arranged a trip the first week to the Blue Reef Resort in Lapu Lapu, Cebu. During this trip they brought along one very sick uncle, they were afraid to leave him alone. The whole time he simply laid on a bench. The entire first week I noticed he hadn't moved when at home. Various family members would attend to him. By the end of the week I asked why he hadn't gone to see a doctor. They told me he didn't have enough money. I could see his condition was very serious, so I asked how much was needed for him to see a doctor. They told me one thousand (1,000) pesos which was approximately 25 dollars, so I gave them the money.

After the doctor examined the sick uncle he was immediately admitted to the hospital. The doctor said he should have come sooner and that he had a severe case of pneumonia. He was given intravenous (IV) medications during his stay at the hospital.

I believe if I hadn't paid for him to go to the hospital he would have died. The total cost of his doctor's visit, hospital stay and medications was four thousand (4,000) pesos (approximately $100.00).

Public health care in many countries is not totally free. You may hear about Phil Health but from the many stories i've been told it seems a bit complex and is a system in which your employer pays into but they only cover about 40 percent. Understand that many people don't work for a large employer and even so many employers don't pay into that system.

As I lived with the Limpangog (pronounced LIM - PAN - GO - Guh) family I learned more and more about their life, history and about the depths of poverty. The two (2) oldest girls - Rovina and Elvira - are the family providers. They provide the family income for food, shelter, school tuition, etc. Without their efforts the family would starve and not have shelter.

The timing of my arrival was perfect. Just a day later and they would have had no food, they were out of money and they had no means to get help for themselves or the sick uncle. The grandmother said I was literally an answer to her many prayers and arrived with perfect timing.

Abellena, their blind grandmother, said just before I arrived at their home she had been praying that God would send an understanding man that would help them and be interested in one of her grand daughters so they would no longer have to do unacceptable things to survive.

I know the next question is "what about their parents?"..... so to fully understand their life I wrote the following to help you understand.....

THE FATHER, born in 1973, is the second (2nd) oldest of three (3) children. He couldn't continue his education beyond the fourth grade because his father died when he was young and he had to help support the family.

He was a stone worker all of his life but was put out of work, in recent years, because the Philippine government prohibited the stone work due to the deforestation it caused and the hazardous fumes produced from the stone work. He has been trying to find work but due the his limited education and much competition (from better educated persons) it's been impossible as no one wants to hire him.

With great sadness I report the passing of their father, Ruel Limpangog, on January 15, 2013. It happened suddenly and unexpectedly possibly caused by a stroke or heart attack. He just had a birthday in late 2012 and was 39 years of age.

THE MOTHER, born in 1974, is the second (2nd) oldest of three (3) children, just as with the father. Her mother died when she was young and her father abandoned his children. She, her brother and sister were raised by the sister of their grandmother. Also due to financial hardships she had a very limited education. She has only completed the first (1st) grade. Due to her limited education and on going health problems, including severe asthma, finding work or working has been nearly impossible.

NOTE: Presently the mother is experiencing a very serious health scare. She has open lesions on her breast which doctors have said will become cancerous if she doesn't have surgery soon. This has put a serious strain on the family emotionally, mentally and financially too because they can not afford the surgery. I have personally seen the wounds and I will post a photo of her other wounds (that are appropriate to display/show), which can be seen below...

Olivia, their mother, is on the right in this photo. As you see she has some wounds - possibly from previous surgeries or they may be new lesions, I didn't ask. However she did allow me to see the lesions on her breast, which can't be seen in these photos. They are open, weeping and bleeding. She was informed by a doctor that surgery is necessary or they will become cancerous. The cost of the surgery is expected to be fourty-five thousand (P45,000) pesos. I will try to assist the family as much as possible but it is an unbearable burden for them and there are no other options. I cannot begin to explain the hardships this family has had to endure. The bits you see on this website are only a fragment of their lives and hardships.

WARNING: The following photos are VERY graphic and show open, bleeding wounds. Open and look at your own risk ! ! ! ! !

Olivia's potentially cancerous wound #1

Olivia's potentially cancerous wound #2