I just came from Cullion Island in Palawan. In 1906 it was declared as a leper colony. All Filipinos diagnosed with leprosy was brought there. It was only in 2006 that it was declared officially by the World Health Organization that it was no more a leper colony. There is now a thriving municipality in Cullion.
Our visit to Cullion was not really planned. We were set to visit the Calauit Game Preserve and Wildlife Sanctuary but the weather did not permit us. We decided to see Cullion instead. It was a historical tour. We visited the museum that chronicled all the decades that it was a leper colony. We admired the dedication of all the volunteers, doctors, nurses, St. Paul sisters and Jesuit missionaries who served the leper colony. We visited the Catholic church built on the ruins of a 17th century fortress. Cullion was worth the long trip.
But what is so inspiring is when we met the first mayor of Cullion. He was a leper himself. Now cured, he was brought in Cullion when he was 8 years old. He talked about the pain, the isolation, the descrimination. But in the end he said leprosy was God's blessing to him. Our jaw dropped! How can leprosy be a blessing?
He was an orphan. No mother to take care of him. No father to provide for him. Because of leprosy he found Cullion. The colony took care of him. The colony provided for him. He received education. He found a wife and became mayor of Cullion.
Without leprosy, there would be no Cullion for him. Without Cullion, he would not be where he is today. God's way is truly mysterious!
