Saturday, November 25, 2006 Christmas in November By Janette Huang Teves Mom-About-Town
THE Friends of the Group Home for Girls (FGHG), in coordination with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD)-GHG in Ma-a, Davao City, recently sponsored a "Dinner for a Cause" with the theme "Christmas Dinner in November."
The successful affair was held at the charming and well-appointed abode of Davao Light senior vice president Manuel "Bobby" Orig and wife, FGHG president Jocelyn. Funds raised during the event will be used for the on-going dressmaking projects of the GHG wards.
GHG is a shelter-care institution, a regional facility of the DSWD Field Office XI for girls in need of special protection.
Its wards ages 7-18 years old are victims of sexual abuse, illegal recruitment, child labor; dependent and neglected; victims of abuse (physical abuse/emotional/psychological); and children under conflicts with the law.
This institution's objective is "to enable the girls to resolve their problems and to be able to restore to normal functioning thus repairing self-esteem and dignity through protective and rehabilitative services."
Visiting the Orig residence is always a welcome treat (their second daughter, Vanessa Orig-Pacheco, presently based in Canada is a high school buddy of mine).
Their cozy lanai is dramatically adorned with hanging vines -- a perfect spot to unwind, enjoy good food, share stories, and have a few laughs.
Now that the holiday season is nigh, their log cabin-inspired dwelling has been creatively transformed into a virtual Christmas house.
Culinary geniuses Mrs. Orig and eldest daughter Sue Anne Orig-Samson whipped up the sumptuous Christmas feast, which included mouth-watering Bicol dishes laing, pork binagoongan and binugtong (steamed sticky rice in creamy coconut sauce poured with native cocoa) as well as other treasured favorites: pasta, barbeque and callos.
The Origs are connoisseurs of entertaining at home. With all the kitchenware and china pieces they collected through the years, they might as well go into the catering or food business.
Most importantly, the family has an innate gift of making each visitor feel comfortable and pampered as they personally attend to their gastronomic needs. All night long, the GHG wards enthusiastically showcased their talents through Hawaiian and Broadway presentations, interpretative dances and song numbers.
Every outstanding performance was warmly received by guests from the Zonta Club II, Phil. Air Force, NCCC Cares and Bureau of Jail Management and Penology.
Even if Christmas is just a month away, the special night will certainly be remembered by the GHG children as they had a wonderful glimpse of what it is like to spend Christmas dinner at the Orig home.
