January 29-31, 2007
The Bicol Region of Camarines Sur, Albay and Sorsogon were hit with a 1-2-3-4-5 punch of Typhoons Milenyo (Sept 27, 2006), relocation due to Mayon eruption, Typhoon Reming (Nov. 30, 2006), Seniang (Dec 7-12, 2006) and the Mayon landslide. The needs were great and FTH tried to put together 3 teams and CFO formed 2 teams to meet the challenge. This is the third of a 10 part series of FtH stories.
January 29, 2007 - After completing the FtH Missions in Buhi, Camarines Sur and Pilar, Sorsogon, Team No. 1 of Gloria, Solita, Lottie, Ethel, Bing, Fely, Manny, Carl, Jeanette, Ernie, Tessie and Pablito proceeded to Bulan, Sorsogon where we joined FtH Team No. 2 who were assisting the medical mission. Nine (9) FtH volunteers were assigned to 3 rooms at the 9 Balls Inn and the rest of the volunteers were in the Cosmopolitan Hotel nearby with 4 guests in a room, with private bathrooms but no hot water. Tessie had to bribe the caretaker to boil some hot water for bathing.
After a get together dinner of all FtH volunteers and the rest of the members of the Bulan Medical Mission, we were treated to a recognition party at the town plaza by the Municipal Mayor who has some resemblance with a staff at the Philippine Embassy in WashDC. At the recognition party, by invitation only, but lots of viewers outside the gate, each volunteer was given a plaque of recognition. The recipients were arranged alphabetically and Carl A. was very excited for getting one even though he has not done anything yet. After the presentation, photo op, it was a ballroom dancing until about 10:00PM. We walked to our hotels nearby, tired but happy.
Tuesday, Jan 30, 2007- We did gift giving to 300 families of the fire calamities last year.
It was done at the Police station grounds were there was a better crowd control. Ernie and Carl asked the recipients to form 2 lines and controlled the flow smoothly. Solita, Gretchen, Ethel, Celia, Gloria, Lottie, Tessie, Belen, Mary Anne, Fely D and Fely G, took turns in getting the tickets, and handling the heavy bags of goodies. Bing, Manny and Pablito took pictures.
After lunch, the FtH Team No. 1 of Gloria, Solita, Lottie, Bing, Ethel, Fely D, Manny, Ernie, left for Legaspi City for the 8 AM flight back to Manila the following day. Carl, Jeanette, Tessie and Pablito, stayed with FtH Team No. 2 and started packing for 300 more gifts for the recent Typhoon Reming victims.
After the dancing that night at the concrete floor plaza, Pablito’s only shoes, a year-old Rockport walker made in China, the sole broke away from the rest of the shoes and was flapping noisily as I walked. While waiting for the relief goods from the supplier, I sneaked out and told the tricycle driver to take me to a shoe repair shop. The ‘shoe repair shop’ is in the sidewalk, across the plaza where we danced the night before, manned by 2 brothers, ages 10 and 8, off from school because their teachers are attending the funeral of another teacher. The tricycle driver talking in Bicol, introduced me as a VIP with the Medical Mission and requested to have my shoes done right away and the boy happily obliged. The 10 year old repair man expertly put glue on the sole with his fore fingers and while waiting for the glue to dry up a little bit, he suggested sewing the bottom for added security. The “sewing machine” is an improvised, modified, ice pick with a hook at the tip to hold the string. He casually put a hole on the bottom and side of the shoes; thread the strings, pulled it tight and moved on to the next hole. In 15 minutes, the pair was done, he charged me Ph50 for the repair of a $50 shoes, I gave him Ph100 and you can see the happy, very wide smile on his face. The tricycle driver waited for me all the time, he claimed no business around that time in the PM, the fare was Ph 7.50 one way, I gave him Ph50 and everybody was happy, including my shoes that are not flapping anymore.
We had dinner in Irosin hot spring, about 30 minutes away. The spring is privately owned and there was an entrance fee of Ph20 per person. Dinner was brought in from Bulan. The hot water was tapped from the side of a mountain and it is really hot to the touch. The pool is lukewarm and just right for relaxing from all the excitement of the day.
Wed, Jan 31, 2007- FtH Team No. 2 of Celia, Gretchen, and Malu stayed in Bulan to do the gift giving for the 300 families and continue assisting the Bulan Medical Mission.
FtH Team No. 3 of Carl, Jeanette, Tessie, and Pablito and with CFO’s Ivy and Edwin were picked up early in the morning with a van provided by the Mayor of Sorsogon City, for the trip to Sorsogon City.
NOTES: The preparation done by the CFO staff in coordinating the procurement and packing of the gifts, arrangement for the hotels and transportation for the volunteers, scheduling the gift giving with the local government units (LGU) and non-government officials (NGO) is incredible! And the bits and pieces of the puzzle all fall into its places. There were some delays and breakdowns but all were manageable and we were able to carry out the missions. All FtH volunteers paid for their own meals and lodging in this mission.
It was a fun trip of nine days. After 2 bottles of Robitussin DM, 30 capsules of anti-biotic provided by Nurse Malu in Bulan, a bottle of Listerine to gargle my sore throat, living in one hand carry luggage and a back pack of video camera, flashlight, camera, bottled water and TP; using one shoes and a pair of slippers; sleeping in 6 hotels with somebody snoring like me and me coughing all the time; practicing my ballrooms moves in 2 nights and after one breakfast; having a night swim in a hot spring in Irosin; having my $50 shoes repaired expertly by a child labor for $1 using his agile hands and crude tools; seeing the smiles of about 2,050 recipients having Christmas gifts in January; being able to locate the sites of eight (8) classrooms to be donated through FtH, I will do it again for FEED THE HUNGRY and the poor people of Bicol. If there’s a will, HE will show the way!
Pablito
February 17, 2007
The Bicol Region of Camarines Sur, Albay and Sorsogon were hit with a 1-2-3-4-5 punch of Typhoons Milenyo (Sept 27, 2006), relocation due to Mayon eruption, Typhoon Reming (Nov. 30, 2006), Seniang (Dec 7-12, 2006) and the Mayon landslide. The needs were great and FTH tried to put together 3 teams and CFO formed 2 teams to meet the challenge. This is the third of a 10 part series of FtH stories.
January 29, 2007 - After completing the FtH Missions in Buhi, Camarines Sur and Pilar, Sorsogon, Team No. 1 of Gloria, Solita, Lottie, Ethel, Bing, Fely, Manny, Carl, Jeanette, Ernie, Tessie and Pablito proceeded to Bulan, Sorsogon where we joined FtH Team No. 2 who were assisting the medical mission. Nine (9) FtH volunteers were assigned to 3 rooms at the 9 Balls Inn and the rest of the volunteers were in the Cosmopolitan Hotel nearby with 4 guests in a room, with private bathrooms but no hot water. Tessie had to bribe the caretaker to boil some hot water for bathing.
After a get together dinner of all FtH volunteers and the rest of the members of the Bulan Medical Mission, we were treated to a recognition party at the town plaza by the Municipal Mayor who has some resemblance with a staff at the Philippine Embassy in WashDC. At the recognition party, by invitation only, but lots of viewers outside the gate, each volunteer was given a plaque of recognition. The recipients were arranged alphabetically and Carl A. was very excited for getting one even though he has not done anything yet. After the presentation, photo op, it was a ballroom dancing until about 10:00PM. We walked to our hotels nearby, tired but happy.
Tuesday, Jan 30, 2007- We did gift giving to 300 families of the fire calamities last year.
It was done at the Police station grounds were there was a better crowd control. Ernie and Carl asked the recipients to form 2 lines and controlled the flow smoothly. Solita, Gretchen, Ethel, Celia, Gloria, Lottie, Tessie, Belen, Mary Anne, Fely D and Fely G, took turns in getting the tickets, and handling the heavy bags of goodies. Bing, Manny and Pablito took pictures.
After lunch, the FtH Team No. 1 of Gloria, Solita, Lottie, Bing, Ethel, Fely D, Manny, Ernie, left for Legaspi City for the 8 AM flight back to Manila the following day. Carl, Jeanette, Tessie and Pablito, stayed with FtH Team No. 2 and started packing for 300 more gifts for the recent Typhoon Reming victims.
After the dancing that night at the concrete floor plaza, Pablito’s only shoes, a year-old Rockport walker made in China, the sole broke away from the rest of the shoes and was flapping noisily as I walked. While waiting for the relief goods from the supplier, I sneaked out and told the tricycle driver to take me to a shoe repair shop. The ‘shoe repair shop’ is in the sidewalk, across the plaza where we danced the night before, manned by 2 brothers, ages 10 and 8, off from school because their teachers are attending the funeral of another teacher. The tricycle driver talking in Bicol, introduced me as a VIP with the Medical Mission and requested to have my shoes done right away and the boy happily obliged. The 10 year old repair man expertly put glue on the sole with his fore fingers and while waiting for the glue to dry up a little bit, he suggested sewing the bottom for added security. The “sewing machine” is an improvised, modified, ice pick with a hook at the tip to hold the string. He casually put a hole on the bottom and side of the shoes; thread the strings, pulled it tight and moved on to the next hole. In 15 minutes, the pair was done, he charged me Ph50 for the repair of a $50 shoes, I gave him Ph100 and you can see the happy, very wide smile on his face. The tricycle driver waited for me all the time, he claimed no business around that time in the PM, the fare was Ph 7.50 one way, I gave him Ph50 and everybody was happy, including my shoes that are not flapping anymore.
We had dinner in Irosin hot spring, about 30 minutes away. The spring is privately owned and there was an entrance fee of Ph20 per person. Dinner was brought in from Bulan. The hot water was tapped from the side of a mountain and it is really hot to the touch. The pool is lukewarm and just right for relaxing from all the excitement of the day.
Wed, Jan 31, 2007- FtH Team No. 2 of Celia, Gretchen, and Malu stayed in Bulan to do the gift giving for the 300 families and continue assisting the Bulan Medical Mission.
FtH Team No. 3 of Carl, Jeanette, Tessie, and Pablito and with CFO’s Ivy and Edwin were picked up early in the morning with a van provided by the Mayor of Sorsogon City, for the trip to Sorsogon City.
NOTES: The preparation done by the CFO staff in coordinating the procurement and packing of the gifts, arrangement for the hotels and transportation for the volunteers, scheduling the gift giving with the local government units (LGU) and non-government officials (NGO) is incredible! And the bits and pieces of the puzzle all fall into its places. There were some delays and breakdowns but all were manageable and we were able to carry out the missions. All FtH volunteers paid for their own meals and lodging in this mission.
It was a fun trip of nine days. After 2 bottles of Robitussin DM, 30 capsules of anti-biotic provided by Nurse Malu in Bulan, a bottle of Listerine to gargle my sore throat, living in one hand carry luggage and a back pack of video camera, flashlight, camera, bottled water and TP; using one shoes and a pair of slippers; sleeping in 6 hotels with somebody snoring like me and me coughing all the time; practicing my ballrooms moves in 2 nights and after one breakfast; having a night swim in a hot spring in Irosin; having my $50 shoes repaired expertly by a child labor for $1 using his agile hands and crude tools; seeing the smiles of about 2,050 recipients having Christmas gifts in January; being able to locate the sites of eight (8) classrooms to be donated through FtH, I will do it again for FEED THE HUNGRY and the poor people of Bicol. If there’s a will, HE will show the way!
Pablito
February 17, 2007
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