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(A project of the Rotary Club of Makati South - MG No. 22830)
by IPP Tonyboy Ongsiako,
RC Makati South
Sometime in September 2001, Rotarian Louie Vega of the Rotary Club of Makati South attended a Rotary club meeting in Westlake Village, California as part of his make-up. His golfing buddy, Edwin Velarde (an American with Filipino roots), invited him to make up in his club. After the meeting, Edwin Velarde brought up the topic that Westlake Village is looking for a project to do in the Philippines. They were thinking of donating wheelchairs to disabled disadvantaged persons in the Philippines. Rotarian Louie Vega jumped at the opportunity and mentioned that he has a place in mind that will benefit the project Edwin was thinking about. Immediately, the province of Marinduque came to mind. Louie is from Marinduque. The wheelchairs will go a long way in Marinduque.
As soon as Louie got back to Manila, he immediately brought this up with Platinum President Nesty Evangelista who together with Loving (then PE) Tonyboy Ongsiako enthusiastically endorsed it to the board. The board approved the project. Louie was talked into accepting a director-position in the incoming board of Loving PE Tonyboy Ongsiako. Rotarian/Director Edwin Velarde was contacted and the details worked out.
When Loving President Tonyboy Ongsiako took over in July 2002, he met with Rotarian Edwin Velarde of RC Westlake Village and further enhanced the program by contracting the Tahanan Walang Hagdan (House Without Steps) to
manufacture the wheelchairs. RC Makati South and RC Westlake Village will be able to help both the Tahanan ng Walang Hagdan and the disabled persons in Marinduque. As with most matching grants, Director Louie became a Paul
Harris Fellow.
Finally, the funds for Matching Grant 22830 came through. Immediately, the club coordinated with the Tahanan ng Walang Hagdan to manufacture the wheelchairs. The wheelchairs were ready by June 25, 2003. Director Edwin Velarde flew in from California to help distribute and document the event for his club, RC Westlake Village. The club also coordinated with the Office of Governor Carmencita Ongsiako Reyes and Congressman Edmundo O. Reyes, Jr. and their social welfare officers.
On July 4, 2003, PP Nesty Evangelista, now Loving IPP Tonyboy Ongsiako, PN Bonnie Vergel de Dios, Director and Project Chair Louie Vega, Director Edwin Velarde of RC Westlake Village flew to Marinduque. An hour later, PP Lew Llanillo piloting his own private plane flew in with Director Peter Rubenfeldt, Director Jimmy Formoso and First Lady Magarith Gloor (Star President Reineer Gloor was attending the induction of the club’s sister club RC Tanglin in Singapore). Governor Camencita O. Reyes and Congressman Edmundo O. Reyes, Jr. gave the delegation a very warm welcome.
After the signing ceremonies witnessed by the local officials of the Province of Marinduque, the club gave the first wheelchairs to recipients from Boac, the capital town of Marinduque. We were totally unprepared for what transpired next. The recipients started to shed tears of joy. We were hugged, kissed and we were emotionally affected in ways most of us have never experienced before. The sheer joy, the eyes of hope and the changed lives these wheelchairs brought were worth all the hard work. The same emotions and gratitude were repeated through the towns of Gasan,
Buenavista, Torrijos, Sta. Cruz and Mogpog.
The governor treated us to a sumptuous lunch of kalderetang kambing and lobsters at her beach house in Torrijos. We were struck with the awesome beauty of the island of Marinduque and the cleanliness of the entire province.
To show how much we meant to them, we were treated to cocktails at the ancestral home of the governor’s in-laws. The town of Boac is like Vigan. There are streets lined up with old houses from the Spanish era. We were presently surprised when we were treated to a Moriones play at the huge Mioriones stage built by the governor.
That evening, we had dinner at the governor’s sprawling estate in Boac and we stayed the night there at her cottages.
The next day after swimming in the clear blue waters of the governor’s private island of Natangco, we left for home satisfied that in some small way we were able to make 67 lives better.
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