“Centuries old coffins were discovered in this island,” explained the enthusiastic Fr. Gil Mediana. “Those coffins,” he further shared, “contained human skeletons that, if assembled together, would measure up to seven feet each. Hence, it was construed that this island must have been inhabited before by giants; and so the name Isla Gegantes.”

Isla Gegantes is under the pastoral care of Fr. Gil, parish priest of Carles. The municipality of Carles is a coastal town in the province of Iloilo which is situated in the northern tip of Panay Island.  Disconnected from the poblacion, Isla Gegantes can be reached by pump boat for mostly over an hour. Giant waves also give justice to the name of the island!

On 13 September 2008, the giants of Isla Gegantes were reincarnated. But they did not come in towering body structures, and neither were they scary (the giant waves rather scared them). They were just ordinary people with big hearts. And they put it in their hands (Now that’s scary! No, blame St. Camillus for the metaphor).

Through the Camillian heart of Fr. James A. Roa, MI, the Camillian Task Force of the Philippine Province was able to reach out to our hapless sisters and brothers in Isla Gegantes by means of the medical and dental mission it organized in the island.

Isla Gegantes, which is thickly populated and is the farthest locality from Carles proper, was one of the most devastated areas in the fifth district of Iloilo when typhoon Frank made a gigantic show of brutality last June.

Most of the residents of this naturally beautiful island rely on their meager income from the sea for economic survival.  With their livelihood disrupted, they find it doubly hard to recover not only from their physical illnesses but also from the emotional and material tragedies that Frank brought to them.  One mother related her family’s difficulty as they struggled to find ways to rebuild their house that was shattered when an uprooted coconut tree fell on it in the height of the typhoon.

Thus, Carles mayor Arnold Betita, who is likewise the current Parish Pastoral Council president of Carles parish, said: “I thank the Camillian Task Force for coming over here. It’s really a big thing for us since this island is seldom reached by doctors especially after a calamity.”

Hundreds of sick residents in the electricity-deprived island were served that day. Among them was Elma Tumaob, 70 years old. She felt satisfied with the medical help she received. “Everyone [in the medical team] was good in relating to us. They received us well. They are patient to us their patients,” she said with a smile.

At the end of the day, it was not only the patients, after all, who got satisfied with the mission. The team felt dwarfed by the gigantic hearts of the residents. They likewise treated the members of the mission with hearts in their hands. They were remarkably hospitable and generous and quick to respond to the immediate needs of the team. Just imagine the lavish array of seafood they provided from morning till night. What a huge gastronomic experience! Truly, they are the present giants inhabiting Isla Gegantes.

From the Camillian Task Force, giant thanks to all the persons, groups and institutions whose giant hearts enabled the giant success of the medical and dental mission in Isla Gegantes: Archdiocese of Jaro, Carles Parish Pastoral Council, Local Government Unit of Carles, Carles Municipal Health Office, Isla Gegantes Barangay Health Workers, volunteer doctors and personnel, Project Margarita, German Province of the Ministers of the Infirm, St. Camillus Hospital of Calbayog, St. Camillus Scholasticate Community and of course, all the people of Isla Gegantes and all the friends who are not mentioned here who believed in the endeavor.

As Fr. Gil aptly said: “I thank the Lord for all His goodness, for letting us ‘taste and see’ the gift of love and service of the Camillian Task Force. Amidst the calamities we experienced, we realize that there’s always hope. Thank you very much to everyone.”