The Words of the Remigio Family
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The Words of the Remigio Family |
I am Jocelyn Florentino-Remigio, 41 years old. I received the Holy Blessing in August 25, 1995 to a Filipino brother. We have four (4) blessed children. I was raised up from a Protestant family who started the foundation of the United Methodist Church in our barangay. I grew up in a family practicing a lifestyle of attending God as we begin the day (morning devotion) and close the day through reporting and prayer. I came from a humble, simple, God loving family. My parents dream for me is to become a Deaconess of our church in service to God and our congregation. I am the eldest child, at the age of ten, my mother went to the spirit world and since then I felt responsible of my younger siblings.
One semestral vacation (October 1987), my cousin Mr. Isaias M. Florentino invited me to attend a 4 days Divine Principle seminar and martial arts training held at UM center in Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija, Philippines. I was inspired to mingle with brothers and sisters of different faith/belief but what captured me the most was the ideals of the Principle and 2nd Coming of the Messiah, the True Parents of humanity whom I have accepted, Rev. and Mrs. Sun Myung Moon.
After the seminar, I went back home and shared the Divine Principle especially to my grandparents, my father and my siblings. Since I passed the entrance examination and scholarship in Central Luzon Polytechnic College (now Nueva Ecija University of Science and Technology), a school near our student home, I felt this is God's way of providing me the opportunity to deepen my understanding of the Divine Principle and be trained in fulfilling my portion of responsibility in attending the True Parents
I became a student fulltime at our PCARP student home, I led PCARP organization in my school and rose up committed members and majority of them got blessed in 1992 and 1995. When I learned how to lecture the Divine Principle I was very determined to testify Divine Principle and True Parents to my father (layman of our church at that time) yet I ended up being persecuted when he read Christology. He started persecuting me in joining the movement.
In December 1990, three months before my graduation, my church leader, Mrs. Joy Pagaran-Theriot asked me to stop studies to join the Philippine Commando fundraising team, though it's hard for me to stop my love for God and True Parents and my country drove me to decide and the strongest persecution from my father took place because I stopped my schooling. Since I join the Commando fundraising throughout Philippines and Asia for three years, I determined and sincerely focused in my mission even without communicating with my father.
I went back schooling and reached out my family, surprisingly my father's attitude towards me and the church became positive and joined the movement. I graduated and passed the teachers board examination and my whole family (my parents, my brother and sister were both blessed to Philippines) received the blessing in 1995. I went through Unification Church center fulltime life as CARP coordinator, Won Hwa-Do and Tong-il Moo Do instructor, mother figure, accountant, lecturer, church center leader, regional leader, UMHQ secretary and UM Northeastern Luzon Executive Director.
Since I joined the church for twenty-four years, I worked as a frontliner, even in times that I am pregnant with my four children, I am straight forward in fulfilling God's will. As a frontliner, whatever challenges that I encountered I never give up my faith and conviction to fulfill my responsibility and contribute to God's providence. My latest church public mission was as Executive Director of Northeastern Luzon and Regional Leader of Central Luzon based in Cabanatuan City (May 2005-2010 January).
In 2008, for the 2nd GPF celebration, our region successfully conducted a provincial level GPF in partnership with the Department of Education, city government and provincial government.
As a result, 150 educators from the Department of Education who were inspired with the vision One Family under God and with the effectivity and efficiency of the character- based education and service –learning education program in 18 pilot schools (elementary and high school) in Nueva Ecija decided to join the Global Peace Convention in December 2009.
However, the Continental Director of Asia, Dr. Chung Sik Yong, announced that True Parents gave direction not to support GPC and Dr. Hyun Jin Moon.
I even tried conveying to the Division Supervisor that Father Moon doesn't want Ambassadors for Peace to support GPC.
However as the head of the delegation she told me that their participation to GPC will be as partners in making Philippines as a nation of character and peace as a public servant.
They want to learn best practice from leaders abroad and wanted to spread our CBE and SLE program to be adopted by other leaders.
As their local partners, I was asked to lead other group of participants to go to GPC, however, Unification Church leaders said I disobeyed True Parents and even blamed that I am the second signatory in blacklisting Dr. Yong which is not true at all.
During the 1st National Leaders meeting in January 2010, Mr. Jimmy Vergara explained that GPF was not founded by True Father therefore it is not an umbrella organization of Unification Movement that's why those brothers and sisters who joined the GPC are not aligned to True Parents.
The new national leader of Philippines Mr. Rolando Basuil, Jr. announced publicly that all leaders who supported Hyun Jin Nim and attended GPC must tender their resignation.
I explained to the new national leader that as a Blessed Central Family and extended member of True Family, I have a noble mission which is given by God and True Parents to serve for God's providence, no one would be able to find any reason to kick me out of the public mission which is given by God. I can work for both the church and GPF but he insisted that Dr. Yong said I need to leave Hyun Jin Nim so that he will become weak and will go back to True Parents but if you will continue you should resign and Dr. Yong told him that he will appoint new leader in my church.
Michael Zablan, our national leader for 17 years was not given a chance to speak before leaders at that time.
Towards the end of that national leaders meeting Unification Church Philippines top leaders called for a closed-door meeting with all leaders who attended the GPC 2009 and it was decided and agreed that GPF will be an NGO partner working for CIG Philippines wherein Mr. Zablan will report result of GPF to the national leader however this agreement was not substantialized because this meeting was reported to Dr. Yong, he didn't want reconciliation among Filipino Unification Church and GPF members.
One Sunday in May 2010 Mr. Jimmy Vergara didn't allow us to enter the Unification Church headquarters and during the visit of Rev. Hyung Jin Moon (August 2010) at the meeting of Dr. Walsh with Ambassadors for Peace supporting GPF, Mr. Vergara confessed that it was Dr. Yong who gave the direction not to allow GPF members to enter headquarters.
When Mr. Jin Man Kwak and Mr. Young-jun Kim visited Philippines, another instance that we were not allowed to enter headquarters Sunday Service but during the Day of All True Things 2010 we went to headquarters early (preparation is not yet finished), leaders were shocked of our presence and they were not even recognized, it was our elder second generation who approached and greeted our Filipino leaders.
Last July 1 holy day we are set to do our pledge in headquarters but GPYC members from Caloocan went early but headquarters was closed and fully guarded so we decided to do our pledge in our respective dormitories.
After we were remove as Cabanatuan Church leader, Unification Church Council (UCC) Nueva Ecija was formed and their first project was how to remove my husband from managing the rice farm of the church. My husband initiated utilizing the Sta. Rosa farm (abandoned for a decade) to support rice for the headquarters and our local church without the financial support of Unification Church. A lot of investment was made even there was no return of investment yet but he was served to sign a contract for one year only. We were terminated and discriminated by the current Philippine leadership, however, we continuously fulfill our tradition of attending Sunday Service, tithing/donation and 2nd generation seminars in our local area.
On March 20, 2011, my family and 5 GPYC members attended Sunday Service in Cabanatuan City Church and during the news and announcement, Mrs. Jacy Manabat, wife of Cabanatuan Church leader Mr. Wenceslao Manabat, announced that there is ongoing unified service in headquarters and she received a direction from Dr. Yong, Asia Continental Director and Mr. Jun Basuil, national leader based on True Parents direction that Eric and Joy Remigio's family and all GPYC members are no longer Unification Church members and not allowed to enter the church premises.
You must finish 40 days repentance seminar in Chung Pyung before you can come back to the Unification Church.
I immediately stood up and spoke that you abuse True Father's name, personally I don't believed that Father's desire is to ex-communicate members. This is your decision, you must be accountable of this. You can take away my membership in the Unification Church but as a Blessed Family and extended member of True Family, we must be owners, you can't take away my love and commitment to True Parents and you can't stop me in taking responsibility. I demanded for a copy of the memo regarding my excommunication but she said it's not with her.
Honestly speaking, this decision is too hard for me to accept, especially for my family. I really feel this is not fair and just. My eldest daughter who is 9 years old only commented that uncle Hyun Jin is True Parents son; therefore we must support him if we love True Parents more than Dr. Yong. True Parents is parent of all not only in the center. I feel very painful when I and my family have to be treated in this way by the church leaders/members because this is not the way of true love which is God's, True Parents' and our movement's tradition. The church leadership should not treat my family this way because this is a great violation to human rights.
Last April 7, Mrs. Jacy Manabat came to our apartment and met my sister-in-law. She shared that a direction changed already since Dr. Yong and Michael Zablan reconciled already during the funeral of one UMHQ staff. She also explained that she only follow her leaders direction. She mentioned that the reason why she announced that we are not Unification Church members anymore and not allowed to attend Sunday Service and can't enter the church center was because I distributed the Global Peace Newsletter after Sunday Service and one elder member reported to the national leader and later on Dr. Yong and the national leader gave such direction. On April 9, the church leader Mr. Wency Manabat came to our apartment together with his children and we met. He said he came to let her 2nd child know our place and secondly to encourage me that we must continue attending Sunday Service because the direction changed already. I told him that the damage has been done, your wife publicly announced that we are not Unification Church members anymore therefore you should publicly announce clearing our names to the public.
It is so painful experience but I need to digest it with the power of love by living for the greater good. As a blessed family we will take ownership in supporting God's providence and True Parents timetable for a substantial Cheon Il Guk.