THY TRAN - "I Regret"

"I regret how fortunate I was to have arrived safely by plane while thousands of refugees who left before me died in open sea seeking a better life."

 

Remembering PFAC Palawan (the VRC)

PFAC Palawan - Our Second Home

This is our new PFAC Palawan blog and Facebook cover.

This is the Caodaist Temple. It was located next to the Red Cross on the left on VRC Main Street.

This is the PFAC Palawan main gate. It had 24-hour military security provided by WESCOM and the Philippine government.

This is the IOM/ICM Office. It used to stand across from the Catholic Church.

This is the UNHCR Field Office in Zone One. Refuge interviews by different countries took place in this building.

This is one of the authentic boats which sailed across the West Philippine Sea from South Vietnam.

This is the Roman Catholic Church inside PFAC. The priests all came from abroad to serve the Christian population of the camp.

This is the main building of the Refugee Camp. You can see the Media Communication Center and the Mail Section on the left.

This is the PFAC Evangelical Church. It used to stand next to the Caodaist Temple and across from the Catholic Church.

This is the Buddhist Temple. It used to be located between the Red Cross and the Caodaist Temple.

 

This communal restroom was located in every zone. Refugee families had keys to access them and were responsible for their cleanliness.

 

For the record, PFAC was originally called 'The Vietnamese Refugee Camp' or the 'VRC'. PFAC stands for the Philippine First Asylum Center (or Camp).

 

MEMORABLE HTC-PFAC PALAWAN REUNION 2024

Sharing some pictures taken during our HTC-PFAC Palawan Teachers' Reunion on January 2, 2024 in Puerto Princesa.

From left: 

Teachers Marivic, Tess, Andrew, Mona, Gemma, Tina, Florence, Sammy, and Violly.
 

JVA / IOM PFAC American Volunteer Karen

JVA / IOM volunteer Karen Inez from the United States of America volunteered her services to IOM and the United Nations serving Vietnamese refugees in Palawan, Philippines.

 

Some of the important tasks that she did was to issue IOM Bags - the large white plastic bag issued to refugees at the time of travel to the U.S. in order to carry medical and other documents, including the DS-2053, immunization records, and overseas chest X rays. 

JVA stands for Joint Voluntary Agency. It is now called OPE - Overseas Processing Entity.

First set of Photo collections from PFAC Palawan submitted to our blog by Karen Inez. 

 

A Big Tribute to Sister Tomasa Rivera, O.P.

SISTER TOMASA RIVERA, O.P.
It is with great sorrow that we announce to you the passing of our dearly beloved Sister Tomasa Rivera, O.P. 

Sister Tomasa served as the School Principal of the HTC-PFAC School for Children from June 1979 to December 1995. Her immense love for the Vietnamese refugees and dedicated service had remarkably inspired the locals and international volunteers in the camp, including the HTC-PFAC Teachers and Staff.

We are deeply saddened by her passing; on the other hand, we are joyful that she has now joined her creator in heaven and forever in peace. Sister Tomasa had lived a life so beautifully lived and deserves to be remembered as a person with a huge heart for the Vietnamese refugees.

A part of who we are today is because of the HTC-PFAC School for Children, Sister Tomasa, and the teachers and staff of the school, who served the camp from 1979-95.

BIG THANK YOU TO YOU, SISTER TOMASA on behalf of the Vietnamese refugees, especially the children, who once lived in PFAC Palawan, Philippines.  May you rest in PEACE