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Thursday, October 20, 2005
Magsaysay: Golden touches
By Magsaysay: Golden touches
Thirteen years ago, there were only 20 of them: 20 dirty, smelly, snot-nosed children who scrounged for scraps in the garbage dump which, for want of a more descriptive term, imitates the evil Smoky Mountain in Manila.
They were collected from the dumpsite and brought to a makeshift building where they were given bread and water, sometimes juice and crackers and occasionally milk and cookies. There they were taught about being clean, eating proper food, and taught the alphabet and arithmetic. Most of all, they were taught about Jesus, the good Lord who cares for them and who loves them.
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Today, there are 137 of them with well-scrubbed shining faces, sunny smiles, bright red uniforms, their shrill little voices lustily singing, Here I am Lord. I cried, my tears uncontrollable. They were so beautiful, so incredibly, artlessly innocent, they were gorgeous! A tug in my heart: the Lord is calling them. Just as Father John Iacono had called them that many years ago and continues to call them to come to the Lord, to know the Lord, to love and serve the Lord. Father John, for whom I have a soft spot. Not only because he looks so much like the sainted Padre Pio, but because he, in his own time and in his own ways, has done wondrous deeds that only those whose lives he has touched have exalted him and practically deified him.
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The Bethlehem Day Care Center (BDCC) in Inayawan, Pardo, is Father John’s pet project. The most pathetic among the poorest of the poor, these children in the dumpsite who, doubtlessly, would never have a chance to make a better life for themselves, are being given a jump-start by Father John and his staff of dedicated teachers who have been with the center from day one, like my old friend, Helen de Guzman. Although it matters that the children get to learn their ABC’s and 1-2-3’s, that they learn to brush their teeth, keep themselves and their homes clean, eat good food...if they can, when they can...it matters most of all that they know what is right and good, what’s wrong and bad. That they learn moral values, that above everything else they are taught that a better future awaits them in their lifetime here on earth, with the good Lord guiding them and that surely a glorious future awaits them in heaven.
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Many kind persons who, by word of mouth, have heard about the BDCC reach out to help the children. Charitable and civil organizations have solicited donations in cash and kind, and the silver jubilarians of St. Theresa’s College (STC) gave donations in cash and kind. The silver jubilarians of STC class of 1980, alerted by Theda Polotan Smith and Stella Encabo Gonzales, have adopted the center as beneficiary of their outreach program and free clinic project. A large, not grand, new building has been constructed a small distance from the dumpsite. There’s a small administration office, a medical clinic, a dental clinic, a library, classrooms and a multi-purpose hall convertible to a chapel and a recreation area. Several children from adjoining neighborhoods are accepted for schooling in the center but space limitations and funding (P100,000 a month to keep it going) prevent more from coming, although priority is always given to children from Smoky Mountain.
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No government funds, not a centavo, have been allocated to the day care center. Father John is beginning to realize that politicians and their promises are—for want of a less offensive phase that b.s.—nothing but hogwash! Anyway, Congressman Antonio Cuenco promised something, like P2 million kuno from his “whachacallit,” pork barrel, which dwindled down to a promise of half-a-million. Which completely vanished because, and I quote from a certification from Congressman Cuenco, displayed on the bulletin board: “The amount of Pesos Five Hundred Thousand (P500,000) from my 2003 Priority Development Assistance Funds which was originally intended for use in the operations of the Bethlehem Day Care Center in Cebu City was realigned and utilized for the TNT Health Program implements by the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center.” End of quote. Hogwash! I still say!
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What about help from our dear Mayor Tomas Osmeña? The garbage in the dumpsite is our city’s garbage, di ba? Not that I expect very much from Hizzoner who is beset with “Debts and the City.” Besides, he really doesn’t give a d_n! Not even for Margot’s Streetchildren. Well, that's a different story altogether.
Gwen Garcia! My favorite! Perhaps the good guv can spare and allocate some funds to help the children? Governor Gwen Garcia to the 3-G’s, add two more for “Golden Girl,” now that she has turned a “Glamorous Grandma.” But more than all those G’s, I’d like to attach “Generous Gwen,” whose latest magnanimity was to make the Bagong Buhay Rehabilitation Center inmates happier by improving, not only the prison kitchen, but also improving most of all, the quality of the prison food. Many happy returns, Governor!
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Another great favorite of mine has become a “Diamond Girl” and no one was happier turning 75 than Mingming Gullas. Instead of the usual splash and glitter surrounding her birthday celebrations year after year, this time, encouraged by her ever-indulgent “Eddiegul” (Eddie Gullas), Mingming very quietly slipped out to Guadalupe. She was “equipped” with three lechons, a truckload of food and goodies, ice-cream and cake, balloons and loot bags to overwhelm the orphans of the Sacred Heart Children’s Home. It is run by Franciscan Sisters Magdalena Acosta, Carmela Coro and Agnes Medina. Never was there such fun and excitement; never such delighted children. But never ever the happiest of them all was “Diamond Ming” extending her cheer to the deaf mute children of the Mission for the Deaf. Happy birthday! A blessed birthday indeed!
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All ye gourmets and gourmands: it's not too late to indulge and engorge yourselves at the Singapore Food Festival in the celebrated Cowrie Cove of Shangri-La. The Chinese chef, Tay, an import from Singapore, lent a touch of magic to the ugly, black sea monsters with menacing pincers, and transformed them into spicy red hot peppered “mamas” to manhandle, twist, munch, suck and titillate as Jing Ramos did. Ever so daintily with a pair of metal pinchers, he all but curled his little finger. Smack! So good! On hand to greet the ladies of the press for the taste test was GM Tim Wright and his delightful staff of ladies from promotions and the PR department:
Sharon Samarista, falling in love with Cebu, the countrified sophistication of the Cebuano lifestyle; slender and sensuous Jaja Chiongbian, who is such a love; her new assistant, Dindin Lo, who has an endearing smile crinkling all the way to her eyes. Wright, to the squealing pleasure of Chinggay (Utzurrum), Aissa (de la Cruz) and Cookie (Newman), took over the wheel of the gold cart and drove us all the way to Cowrie Cove while this old lady all but swooned! (Acting like a 17 year old at 77, shame!)
(October 20, 2005 issue)
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