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The Heroes of Philippine Funds for Little Kids (Masbate)

Yesterday, I discussed about the heroes of the Zamboanga chapter of the Philippine Funds for Little Kids here. Today, I would like to name my heroes in what became known as the Masbate Funds for Little Kids.

(I have a disclaimer though, because of the high level of volunteerism that we've really seen in these two community development projects, I wouldn't be able to name everyone. Rest assured that your deeds no matter how small has made a difference.)

Our story started with another conversation between me and Dr. Ofelia Samar Sy of Legaspi City, Albay.

Over the past few months while our project in Layag-Layag, Zamboanga City was on-going, Dr. Sy kept forwarding to me concerns from the Bicol region. Many of which I felt powerless to act on until finally she shared to me a story about kids who also swim to school in Sitio Mababoy, Brgy. Guinhadap, Monreal, Masbate. And then I thought to myself, this one I had experience with.

This was late May 2011, around the time when I just came back from my US trip where Facebook invited me to visit their headquarters to be part of a panel discussion on using Facebook Groups.

After a few days, a researcher from GMA News TV's Brigada show, Genelie Sta. Ana, called me and asked me if there were still areas aside from Zamboanga City where kids swim to school. I immediately shared the story of the kids in Isla Mababoy which was shared to me by Dr. Ofelia Sy, which was in turn shared to her by DepEd staff Mr. Justino "Dong" Cabarles. My first thank you goes to Dr. Ofelia Sy and "Uncle" Dong Cabarles.

After 2 days, a GMA News TV crew headed by reporter JP Soriano went to Isla Mababoy and covered the story of the swimming kids in Masbate.

And so last June 13, 2011, we saw a special documentary on Brigada hosted by Jessica Soho the story of "Batang Lukso," where the kids of Isla Mababoy jump off a rock cliff first before swimming to school. And so my second thank you goes to the GMA News TV team led by Jessica Soho and JP Soriano for helping us bring out the story of these swimming kids in Masbate even before we started to 'dive' into the ground.

Immediately right after the show, donations for the Bagong Pag-asa yellow boats started to pour in. My third thank you goes to all the initial donors that made the Masbate Funds for Little Kids possible: Jacqueline Marzan-Tolentino of Eton International School, Noel & Mariel Tolentino, Presidential Sisters Ballsy Aquino-Cruz and Pinky Aquino-Abellada, Lisa Cheng, Josiah Go, Anton Lim, Gel Caguioa, Bonifacio Gillego family, Atty. Vito & Dr. Mayette Bose, ACER Philippines, Dr. Jullie Sy, and others who wanted to remain anonymous.

This allowed us to build 25 Bagong Pag-asa boats in one month with one boat that is bigger and motorized to serve as an 'ambulance.'  My fourth thank you goes to Manuel Wong for making this 'ambu-boat,' short for ambulance boat possible.

My fifth and very warm thank you (with lots of hugs) goes to donor Mariel Tolentino for donating and helping raise funds that made the makeshift school in Isla Mababoy possible. With the emergence of so many boats, enrollment shot up to 150 children. My sixth thank you goes to the 4 teachers that took the challenge of teaching in the makeshift school (my memory fails me for the moment but I will get the names, help Mr. Dong Cabarles).

My seventh thank you goes to all the other donors that made the materials needed for the makeshift school possible i.e. the chairs, tables, others: Alex Lacson, Wilma Zapata and many others. 

My eight thank you goes to all the volunteers of Pinoy Power Bicol Coalition Inc. (some of them are Eppie Daep, George Labalan, Efren Monsalve, Beth Plaza, Mrs Sampaga, many others), Albay Medical Society and other volunteer groups who paved the way for the successful establishment of the Mababoy Elementary School Extension, the 600 meter water pipe system, and other mini-projects in the island.

Almost the same with the Zamboanga Funds for Little Kids, there are so many unsung heroes in this story: there is Dir. Opay Tuy of DepEd Region V for allowing Mr. Dong Cabarles to assist us in coordinating our work in Isla Mababoy, there is Schools Division Superintendent Gilbert Sadsad who gave the first P5,000 to start the building of the makeshift school, there is school principal Letty Cervantes who coordinated many of the efforts done in Isla Mababoy as well, and Kagawad Glenda of Monreal who helped arrange the blessing and inauguration ceremony last July 2011.

As it was in my experience with the Zamboanga Funds for Little Kids project, after my visit last July for the blessing and inauguration of the Bagong Pag-asa Boats and the makeshift school, we felt that our work in Isla Mababoy has just began...

The pages of my blog are surely not enough to name all the people, some are faceless and anonymous, who have allowed us to touch many lives in both the village of Layag-Layag and Isla Mababoy, but know that you have become part of the solution.

If there's one thing I've learned in this journey, building a nation is a lot like building a boat. It takes one community, one village to do it.  

There is wisdom in the ways of our ancestors.  That's why they called the smallest political unit in the country, the barangay.  It came from the word 'balangay,' which refers to the boat.  Because what they realize is that you really need the whole community united and in 'kabayanihan' to build a boat, to build anything. This experience has made me stronger and wiser because I gained confidence when I realized that we were always a smart race. I can only pray that the hope that the yellow boat virus has unleashed is just the beginning of this re-discovery.

(This is the second in my series on the little heroes write up... more to come...)