• A. V. DEL CARMEN
Step back four decades ago when many parts of Mindanao were still plagued by restiveness due to, among others, the operations of the Moro armed movement and of the remnants of extremist amulet-using paramilitary operatives.
That was the social climate where Pastor Allan Castigador found himself in after he responded to the mission call to help spread God’s word as a circuit minister in seven mountain churches in Cotabato City.
Pastor Castigador, now 63 years old, recalled that his five-year stint –from 1987-92 – in southern Philippines were truly years of living dangerously.
He accepted the call after completing his theological studies from the Convention Baptist Bible College in Bacolod City.
Recalling the many challenges, he admitted having fears but he knew “God was with me and he would deliver me from the forces of witchcraft, idolatry and ‘anting-anting’.” He has vivid recollections of being challenged to hack cult men who wanted to prove that their amulets were powerful “but my faith prevailed and after shared with them God’s love.”
Eventually, he added, a number of those men were led to believe His all-powerful God.
Pastor Allan was no stranger to a restive environment.
He recounted his childhood days in Sitio Pataan in Barangay Mailum, an upland community Bago City, where he spent his teen years as his father was working then in a sugarcane farm and later became a logger in the area.
His parents moved to the mountain village from San Carlos and Silay City where the family lived after leaving his home barangay, Santa Rosa, in Murcia. In the forests of Pataan, he said, I hunted wild animals with my father to ensure our survival.
The upland village was then starting to simmer as a hotbed of insurgents in central Negros who figured in fierce engagements with military troops as social unrest started to envelop the island.
Pastor Allan’s accounts of faith – amid fears and frailties – and fortitude are contained in his autobiographical book, “The Hunter and His Flock”, which he launched at Apollo Restaurant in Bacolod City on May 25.
The 254-page volume has six chapters. It was edited by book author and journalist Dale Le Vack, a former Bacolod resident married to a Filipina who worked with the British Broadcasting Corporation. “He encouraged me to publish my story because it offers many lessons I can share with the world,” he said, adding, “his encouragement motivated me to write with all my might about my journey in life.”
He said he actually completed writing the book in 2010, however he shelved the printing plan for 13 years as the earlier target publisher imposed a ceiling on the circulation of the book, which we could not afford to fund.
Eventually, he added, Alagdon publisher, Pastor Robert Sumugat, encouraged him to start printing a smaller number of copies. “I’m glad we finally launched it,” he said.
After completing the intellectual property requirements with the National Library, the author said he plans to connect with overseas and national book publishers to expand circulation and readership.
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Among those who have read the book is His Life founder, Pastor Jose Roberto Ramos, who said he is “amazed and amused” by Pastor Castigador’s journey of faith.
I’m amazed, he said, due to his diligence and amused he has been determined to move forward despite being backward in his upbringing. “God promoted him all the way.”
Steeve Matti Buenaflor, a BPO training executive and a former preacher, had this to say after reading the book: “What I like most is, we may not always understand the path we are on, but your story shows that when we trust God, even life’s detours can lead to something beautiful and meaningful… Live long and prosper, and salamat sa kabuhi mo.”
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Pastor Castigador, holder of Bachelor of Theology and Master of Ministry degrees, is the senior pastor of Fortune Towne Baptist Church in Bacolod City under the Convention of Philippine Baptist Churches.
He has been serving the church since 1993, after he left his Cotabato posts.
He is married to the former Marilou Esmillarin Sorallo, a teacher at Romanito Maravilla National High School in Bacolod City. The couple has three children – Angelique, 29; Christy Ann, 27; and Allan Mari, 20.
Fortune Towne Baptist Church, with 170 members, has seven mission outreaches – four in Bago City (Pataan in Mailum), Mambahaw, Najaba and Upper Tabucol (all in Barangay Bacong), in San Miguel in Murcia, in Purok 7 in Barangay Alangilan and in Purok Sagrado in Barangay Estefania in Bacolod City.
At present, the pastor said he is hoping that the church can realize its dream of acquiring a 1-hectare lot for the construction of a two-storey church building, a parsonage and spaces for children, youth and adult Sunday school classes as well as for a service vehicle.
At the same time, he is praying that all seven mission outreaches will have their own pastors soon. And a house for his family, too, he added.
Reiterating the motivation behind “The Hunter and His Flock”, the pastor said he is hopeful that the documentation of the transformation of his ordinary life to an exciting and colorful one because of Jesus “will inspire and touch more people.” | AVDC
