By David R. Aquije, photos by Sean Sprague

It is typhoon season and rain falls from the thick gray sky over Tarlac, a small farming town two hours from Manila, capital of the Philippines. Bent over, their feet sunk in wet soil, a group of men and women speedily plant rice with their hands. It is as if they are weaving a fluorescent green tapestry in what was a muddy piece of land—land that belongs to them and at the same time does not.

Not far away, other farmers, families with barefoot children running around, are sheltered from the same rain under a tent made of sticks and plastic. A man uses wood to start a fire for cooking; another uses a machete to take the water out of coconuts and grates the pulp out of the fruit, and women peel the stems of vegetables for the food they will all share. Around the tent many banners cry out in the native language the farmers' demand for justice.

Maryknoll Sister Teresita Rellosa arrives to visit the farmers, long involved in a legal dispute over their rights to the land. A short woman with a never ending smile, Rellosa carefully gets out of the car and the children run to welcome her. "The people are struggling for their land," says Rellosa, as she explains her ministry. More than an activist or advocate of the campesino cause, she visits the families and shares time with the children. Such is her option for the poor.

Hacienda Luisita, a farmland of over 15,000 acres, was originally owned by the indigenous people. In the 1950s, a relative of the then president of the Philippines bought the hacienda with the help of a government loan. Toward the end of the 1980s, an agrarian reform law called for land distribution among owners and farmers, but it never happened here. In 2004, 12 farmers and two children were killed on the hacienda during a protest in which the farmers were voicing their rights to the land. Currently, even though the land is involved in a legal suit, around 1,200 acres have been sold to a bank; nevertheless some 200 families continue farming that land, which they claim belongs to them.

"They farm the land collectively and collectively they fight for their rights. Historically, this land belonged to the farmers," says Rodel Mesa, a spokesperson for the farmers union and the 200 families on the land.

Sister Rellosa, who has spent most of her religious life in her native Philippines, has always looked to serve the poorest of the poor in ministries that range from education, health, and justice and peace and support to indigenous communities.

In 2008, she explains, she and five other Filipino women were searching for "wisdom, for truth and for justice, for the meaning and purpose of our lives... in the context of the Philippines situation," and they decided to begin the Suhay Kanayunan (Base Community) project.

"Our shared mission vision has led us to choose the farmers as our target group. They are the poorest and the most oppressed sector of our society," says Rellosa.

Farmers, fishermen and indigenous people make up 75 percent of the population in the Philippines. Although the country is rich in farmland, one in four Filipino households reported going hungry, according to local sources. Landlessness is the fundamental problem of the Filipino peasants, with seven out of 10 being landless. When they become land tenants, they spend 40 to 90 percent of their earnings to pay for the lease.

It is within this context, says Sister Rellosa, that she and the women who founded Suhay Kanayunan realized they were "continuing the mission of Jesus: 'I have come that you may have the fullness of life.' "

Rellosa wrote the grant proposal to begin Suhay Kanayunan, a project to bring sustainable development to farming communities. The Maryknoll Sisters provided the funds to start the operation. The group bought a truck and began selling vegetables and rice, without the middlemen, to parishes and non-for-profit organizations. The bishop of Nassa also contributed funds for the operation and a group of Sion Sisters donated funds to acquire four hand tractors.

Through Suhay Kanayunan, the farmers obtain small loans to buy seeds and other staples. The program charges low interest, which is saved into a central fund to increase the capital available for lending to other farmers. It also offers production assistance and technology advancement to enable the farmers to avoid using harmful chemicals while restoring soil quality and preserving ecological balance. The program also fosters awareness and understanding of issues of exploitation and injustice in the rural economy, especially among urban consumers of agricultural produce.

But the small organization needs global help to continue its support to Filipino farmers. A $20 donation, they say, can buy a sack of seeds and $100 can send a child to elementary school for a year.

Suhay Kanayunan is a great initiative, but Sister Rellosa prefers to focus on the spiritual aspect of her work. "We brought the bishop. He celebrated Mass here (on the field) and he blessed the hand tractors," she says joyfully.

At the protest camp in Tarlac, Sister Rellosa enjoys each moment with those she regards as close family. "I cannot join them in the protests," she says, as if excusing herself for not being actively involved in this seemingly endless conflict. Her mission, in another sense, goes beyond being actively involved in a protest. She is there to share with the marginalized and the oppressed the fullness of life.

For more information about the Maryknoll Sisters visit www.maryknollsisters.org