Helping others amidst disability

Saturday, January 7, 2012

DISABILITY can never be a hindrance in pursuing one’s advocacy to help other people.

Despite having no voice, Jerry Orcullo, four-termer past president of the Cagayan de Oro Press Club (COPC), has never lost his compassion for his fellow media practitioners who direly need help.

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Ka Jerry, as he wants to be called, lost his voice due to laryngeal cancer. But despite being literally voiceless, he still proves that his physical adversity cannot stop him from helping others, especially his colleagues in the media.

CAGAYAN DE ORO. KA Jerry (left) turns over packed goods to Ernie Balagot of RPN who was affected by the flash flood. (Joey P. Nacalaban)

At the onslaught of Tropical Storm Sendong, several journalists lost their homes, properties and personal belongings.

Through Ka Jerry’s initiative and many connections while he was still an active media practitioner, he was able to gather help from several donors for those media practitioners who were affected by the flash flood.

Even with disability, this “voiceless man” became an instrument as many of his friends answered his call. Donations then started pouring in, sent to the COPC under incumbent president Attorney Bobby Goking.

Through this, journalists affected by Sendong were given temporary assurance for food, potable water, clothing and even cash.

Ka Jerry, 57, says he feels happy and alive whenever he helps other people.

“Helping others makes me feel less sorry for myself,” he shares.

Ka Jerry was diagnosed to have laryngeal cancer in 2008. Upon learning his condition, he says he prefers to be dead than alive but voiceless.

But his outlook has considerably changed. He realized there is more to life than laryngeal cancer.

During his “healthy” days, Ka Jerry was active in protest actions. He is the fifth child of a family of first quarter storm activists. He was the Kabatang Makabayaan (KM) organizer during his student days and the first to be rounded up when Martial law was declared.

Except for their youngest girl, all of them were detained during Martial Law.

Ka Jerry then became the voice and the right hand of Pedro “Boyboy” Roa Jr.

Joey Nacalaban, a media practitioner and one of his closest friends, shares that Ka Jerry is one of the leading organizers of protest actions during martial law years such as the Coalition of Organizations for the Restoration of Democracy (CORD), the Nationalist Alliance for Justice, Freedom and Democracy (NAJFD) and a spokesperson of former Governor Homobono Adaza’s Mindanao Alliance.

He is also an eloquent and passionate speaker during rallies and it was during his time as COPC president that the club started to become militant and daring.

Nacalaban says Ka Jerry is one of the most effective leaders of the COPC and other organizations. His slogan is “Solidarity forever. Our dreams will never die.”

Being an activist, Ka Jerry says then president Ferdinand Marcos imprisoned him twice as political detainee, first in 1972 in Cebu for being a student activist when Martial Law was declared and in 1983 in Cagayan de Oro on suspicion that he is a ranking communist leader.

He tried politics and became barangay chief twice of Taguibo in Butuan City.

Then he became active with the COPC and was elected president for four terms.

The first time that a delegation of Cagayan de Oro media was exposed to a camp of the New People’s Army was during his time as president of the COPC.

“During my time as president of COPC, differences among mediamen were settled and cases were withdrawn,” he shares.

When he was president of COPC, he initiated several projects that benefited the members and their dependents. He also led the Club in massive protests and march rallies aimed at defending press freedom.

At present, Ka Jerry is now enjoying the company of his wife Gigi and daughters Attorney Sora Dereka, Vera Dereka and Ailex Dereka, a registered nurse.

He says the names of her three daughters carry the word Dereka, an acronym of Demokratikong Rebolusyon sa Katawhan.

Ka Jerry says this is to remind them always of the struggle of the Filipino people for nationalism, justice, freedom and democracy.

“My daughters should always be part of that struggle whatever and wherever they may become in their lives,” he says.

Vera says she is very proud of her father.

“One time, a journalist came to see him to borrow money. Since he had no money at that time and because that journalist badly needed it, he pawned his wristwatch,” she says.

She adds that maybe God extended his life so he could still help other people.

Though literally voiceless, Ka Jerry is making his presence felt by offering his service to his fellow journalists, even just in his own little way.

And even when he is no longer president of the COPC, he regularly gathers the members for a weekly Bible study at the Club.

Ka Jerry says his life has brought him colorful memories, may it be the struggles during Marcos times and the sweet benefits from friends who cared for him until now.

With much realization and great miracle from God, he says he openly deals with his present life with acceptance and sees to it that he can still be useful to society, and that his disability would never be a hindrance to do good to other people, with or without Sendong.