‘Side A’ band to hold charity concert for kids

To help put a smile on the faces of children born with facial deformities, the "Side A" band will hold a benefit concert on May 20 at the Aliw Theater on Roxas Boulevard in Manila to raise funds for their surgery.

The concert, dubbed "Side AID," will also feature singers Basil Valdez, Agot Isidro and Rachelle Ann Go as guest performers.

Proceeds from the show will go to the Philippine American Group of Educators and Surgeons, a non-government organization based in New Jersey. PAGES has been traveling to the Philippines for the past 16 years to provide medical care to indigent children afflicted with hare lip, cleft palates, facial defects and burn contractures.

According to Ali Gonzales, the group’s external affairs liaison, PAGES is composed mostly of US-based doctors and nurses who want to help Filipino children with facial defects have a new life.

PAGES was founded by Vid Figueras, a Filipino nurse based in New York, who felt the need to help fellow Filipinos who could not afford medical services.

"Those with facial deformities oftentimes suffer from discrimination. They don’t go out of their house. They withdraw from the public eye because of embarrassment. PAGES wants to change all this. We want to put a smile on the faces of these children," he said.

Gonzales said PAGES’ charitable missions, called "Operation HOPE (Helping Other People Excel)," target poor Filipino children aged one to 12 years.

Since 1990, PAGES members have come to the country every month of February to perform free surgery on 300 beneficiaries in certain areas.

This year, the group’s charitable mission was conducted in Emilio Aguinaldo Hospital in Trese Martires in Cavite and in Bay, Laguna. Part of the proceeds will also be used to purchase equipment for the hospital.

Aside from offering free operations, PAGES also donates medical supplies and equipment to needy hospitals and supports the education of patients and their families, among other projects.

"PAGES members donate their expertise, time and money for the benefit of the poor people in the Philippines. They spend their own money in coming here," Gonzales said.

This is the first time that a fund-raising campaign is being conducted in the Philippines for PAGES.

Gonzales said the group has been soliciting funds abroad through concerts featuring Filipino performers and money-raising activities like car washes.

Concert tickets are available at all SM Ticketnet outlets.