Marian Rivera reaches out

Bantayan Island is considered as Northern Cebu’s heart and soul. Located in the Visayan Sea, it is regarded as one of the province’s economic lifelines, serving as a fishing ground from where boatloads of fish are transported and distributed daily to the other parts of the country.

But for more than three months after Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) made landfall in the country in November last year, bringing heavy rains and winds that caused landslides, uprooting trees and forcing thousands of residents in the affected areas to evacuate and look for safer grounds, Bantayan Island, like most areas, came close to a standstill.

Greatly affected was the livelihood of the local fisher folk of the island whose major tool or means of living was terribly devastated by the typhoon.

Seeing and hearing these painful reports all over the news, Kapuso Primetime Queen Marian Rivera wanted nothing more than to see life in Bantayan Island return back to normal. That’s why on Jan. 18 this year, despite being busy then with the primetime series Carmela, the actress, together with GMA Regional TV, and in partnership with the Back-to-Sea Project of the Bantayan Island Association of Hotels, Resorts, Bars and Restaurants, Inc., launched the Kapuso Adopt-a-Bangka Project.

With Marian as Media Campaign Ambassadress, the Kapuso Adopt-a-Bangka helps in the holistic and transformative rehabilitation of the local communities in Bantayan Island by rebuilding the fisher folk’s major tool of livelihood — their bangkas.

Through the help of various sponsors and donors on Feb. 18, exactly a month after its launch, a total of 100 boats were successfully turned over as part of the campaign’s initial wave. To date, the Kapuso Adopt-a-Bangka was able to rebuild 122 boats, provide 28 boat engines and 112 fishing implements for the fisher folk communities in the island.

In addition, with the help of generous donors and the Network’s local partners in Bantayan, a total of 262 families have been given aid by the said project.

Speaking before the beneficiaries of the Adopt-a-Bangka Project during one of her visits in Bantayan, Marian said, “Gusto po naming i-extend sa inyo ang tulong. Kahit nasa Manila po kami ay dumarayo po kami rito dahil naniniwala po ako na sa nangyari pong bagyo, alam namin na marami kayong pinagdadaanan pero kayo rin po ang nagbibigay sa amin ng lakas. Sa kabila nang lahat ng nangyari sa inyo ay nakukuha niyo pang mag-smile at magdiwang, ‘yun talaga ang spirit ng mga Pinoy kaya nandirito kami upang buhaying muli ang pangarap ninyo.”

To further help raise funds for the beneficiaries of the Kapuso Adopt-a-Bangka Project, Marian, GMA Regional TV and its GMA TV Central and Eastern Visayas (Cebu) Station, presented last August the Marian Rivera Collections Exhibit wherein 30 of the most memorable dresses and head-turning fineries of the iconic star were sold via an online auction.

Marian’s different outfits were on display at The North Wing of SM City Cebu from Aug. 11 to 17, while the auction ran for 20 days from the exhibit’s launching date until Aug. 31. Since the launch, the team behind the Marian Rivera Collections Exhibit received countless calls from interested bidders here and abroad, with majority of them coming from Cebu.

Among Marian’s unique outfits were the vibrant and stunning red costume she donned in this year’s FHM’s 100 Sexiest Victory Party, a gown by Jun Escario that she wore during the Comedy King Tribute Gala in 2012, a casual-chic dress she used during the casting audition for the remake-adaptation of the Mexican telenovela Marimar, plus several other outfits from milestone events and celebrations.

GMA Regional TV’s AVP and head for Integrated Marketing Services Division Oliver Amoroso shared, “When we were in Bantayan Island last year, we saw the devastation brought by the typhoon, doon namin nakita na hindi dapat nag-e-end ang pagtulong sa Northern Cebu through simple relief operations but instead, we need to go to another level which is to help them bring back their livelihood. And nothing is more inspiring than to see our stars, like Marian, paying it forward to the Cebuanos.”

As the list of kind-hearted individuals, groups and organizations, both local and international, that provide generous financial assistance continues to expand, the Adopt-a-Bangka team was already able to raise a significant amount of donation for the benefit of the Cebuanos in Bantayan.

“Hindi lang po sa pamimigay ng bangka natatapos ang kawanggawa natin. Patuloy po nating ginagabayan ang mga mangingisda at pinagtitibay rin po natin ang kaalaman at sistema ng mga komunidad dito. We wish to empower our communities so that they will be able to chart their own course towards a better life and in managing their community’s resources,” said Allan Monreal, president of Bantayan Island Association of Hotels, Resorts, Bars and Restaurants, Inc., key partner of the Kapuso Adopt-A-Bangka Project.

For more information on the ongoing second wave activities of the Kapuso Adopt-a-Bangka Project, the website kapusoadoptabangkaproject.blogspot.com may be visited.

Meanwhile, this year has also seen Marian traveling and headlining numerous fans’ days via GMA Regional TV’s year-round events, two of the most recent were her trips to the Queen City of the South (Cebu) and City of Smiles (Bacolod) that both happened in August.

In events like these, the newly-engaged actress simply delights her supporters with exciting games and thrilling performances as a treat for their unwavering support. In 2014, she has already visited a total of eight cities and two towns: Naga City, Baguio City, Dagupan City, Cebu City and Consolacion, Roxas City, Bacolod City, Davao City, General Santos City and Daraga in Albay.

In addition, more will be seen of Marian, who’s no longer just the Kapuso Primetime Queen, but also the Network’s Dance Diva, via the second season of the Saturday primetime musical Marian, which will kick off tomorrow, Sept. 20.