Willie and Gina turn over 30 motorized bancas to Masbate fishermen

MANILA, Philippines - A few days ago, Willie Revillame (above, second from right) went to Jintolo town (part of Balud, Masbate) to turn over 30 motorized bancas to the fishing village. With him was Gina Lopez (above, second from left), head of the ABS-CBN Foundation who spearheaded the project. Also on hand were Mayor RJ (Ruben Jude) Lim (above, rightmost; with Norie, leftmost, managing director of ABS-CBN Foundation), and Vice Gov. Vince Revil with his wife (First Board Member) Kate.

The island boasts of old lighthouses said to have been built in the 1890s.

The group left Manila early morning and boarded a Beechcraft King Air propeller-type plane at the INAEC, a Lopez-owned hangar, for the 55-minute flight to Masbate.

‘From where we landed,’ Willie’s trusted man Jay Montelibano told Funfare, ‘we traveled for two hours by land, stopping at schools along the way where we were met by cheering teachers and students. Willie got off the car and posed for pictures with them.’

Then, the group took a two-hour ride on a pump boat to Jintolo Island.

Willie has been partnering with Gina in several projects.