“We plan to spend our Christmas in the Philippines and are scheduled to go to Botolan, Zambales,” This was a long distance call from the East Coast from a longtime friend, Rene Jaro. When he’s in the Philippines this guy normally takes time to enjoy the beautiful beach of Boracay and other places. This is a person who simply loves to savor the joy of traveling, dining and shopping in so many parts of the globe. As usual, I was thinking he’s out for a tour of the beautiful beaches of Zambales. “We’ll be there in Zambales to construct houses for a Gawad Kalinga project. The village will be named “Massachusetts” simply because it’s a collaborative effort of Filipino-Americans from that state,” he continues. This time, my assumption was wrong.
“How did all start, Rene? I have known you since the early eighties and it’s very unlikely of you to be involved in such undertakings. What did you eat?” I jokingly asked him. Rapidly, he told me in detail how it all transpired during a birthday party one summer in Massachusetts.
“Eugene Florendo, a Couples for Christ [CFC] advocate and his lovely wife, Evita Ocampo Florendo started it all. Raymond, my son, goes to the Iskwelahang Pilipino in Boston to immerse himself in the culture, language and arts of our country. Eugene introduced the noble concept of Gawad Kalinga or GK to Raymond. My son’s birthday and that of his close and childhood friends, Alister and Tyrone, are exactly a week apart from each other. For 16 years these teenyboppers had never wanted to have a joint birthday party, insisting they wouldn’t get as many presents if they had individual parties. But this summer, in their 17th year, after realizing they are not getting any younger and witnessing the many poor people in the Philippines during their recent visit, these kids decided unexpectedly to have a joint party. (The trio call themselves ART—for Alister, Raymond and Tyrone—and titled the birthday invitation “Art for GK.”) And it was not JUST a party. Alister’s father, Lito Santos, and Tyrone’s, Frank Celoza, are my long-standing friends. We shared $500 each for the weekend party, “fiesta” style, (complete with buntings, lechons, pancits and the works reminiscent of Philippines festivities) in Lito’s residence in Easton, Massachusetts. A local disc jockey volunteered to spice up the celebration. Friends brought native delicacies. In the invitation card, they requested that in lieu of bringing gifts to the kids, a donation to ANCOP USA or Gawad Kalinga would be preferred and much appreciated,” he narrates.
“Visitors started pouring in that Saturday, June 16th. The three kids were in front to greet the guests. True enough, donations in checks for GK were handed to the kids. There were around 180 guests who attended the gathering. To add flavor to the festivity, I had two Boston Red Sox season tickets (each costing $110.00) raffled for $5.00 per raffle ticket. It’s amazing—we were able to collect $375.00. Ditas, my wife, wrote a check for that amount and it was given to Patty Yusah. She (Patty) gave it to Sibol, a GK program for children, for a year’s expenses for one kid as well as five electric fans. To honor her mother, Patty’s family raises funds for a GK village in Bulacan and named it “Aldaba Lim Foundation.”
During the height of the celebration, Luisito “Cito” Lorenzo, GMA’s former agriculture secretary, gave an inspirational talk espousing the worthy cause and activities of GK. He was invited by fellow CFC Eugene Florendo. (GK leader Tony Meloto also went to the state once.) His speech was very moving, touching, pare, and before I knew it I had pledged $1,500. The party raised $3,611. Later on, Lito Santos, together with his wife Ester and her family in Batangas, chipped in another $1,900 raising the amount to $7,011. More donations keep coming from our kababayans in Massachusetts.”
On June 7th—just nine days before the festivities and just tens of miles away—the richest man in the world gave his commencement address in one of the best educational institutions in the world, Harvard University in Boston. Yes, Bill Gates was 30 years late receiving his diploma but his message to the graduates was timely. His address rang not only across the hallways of the university but across the planet. He said, “I completely disagree with the skeptics who say that inequity has been with us since the beginning, and will be with us till the end—because people…just don’t…care. The challenge is the same: how can we do the most good for the greatest number with the resources we have? With all the inequities in this world I believe we have more caring than we know what to do with.” (I bet the guy is not all talk; he and his wife, Melinda, walk it, as evidenced by the enormous amount the couple pour in to the world community via their foundation.)
It is no longer surprising more and more people are touched by the good deeds of those who have more in life—compassion is infectious. Though still a great minority, Bill Gates, Tony Meloto, Cito Lorenzo, Eugene Florendo and others, like my friend, Rene, his friends Lito and Frank, their families and their neighbors who have had a change of heart remind us we are our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers.
(Vics Magsaysay is a fine art nature photographer, artist and alternative healer. His website: www.yessy.com/vicsmagsaysay E-mail address: vicsmag@yahoo.com)