At Boys Town, regrets over lost glory

(Conclusion)

One house parent at Boys Town recounts how he had to wait for two days before he could bring a sick young boy to the hospital because the staff had to scrounge for money first. Even then, he had to walk the ailing child to the nearest corner where they waited for a jeep, just so they could save as much of the P1,000 they had for expenses they might incur at the hospital. (The boy was found to be in such a serious condition that he was required to have an operation on the same day he was brought to the hospital.)

Some staff also complain that under Cabangangan, the Town administration has acquired a habit of getting more than its maximum share of the quarterly allocation given by the PCSO to each of four centers. They say the administration can take only as much as P3,000 to P4,000 per quarter per center.

Emelda Lopez, OIC of the Foundling Home, which looks after boys from ages three to seven, says that sometime in June last year Cabangangan requested P33,000 from her unit. According to her, the Boys Town head said he would use some of the money to buy a water pump for the Home for the Aged (another center within the complex) and another portion for the repair of a PCSO ambulance that doubles as Town service vehicle.

It was not until December when Cabangangan finally submitted the liquidation report. Worse, the report showed no purchase of a water pump; neither was there any indication of any vehicle repair.

Most of the supporting documents also consisted only of cash vouchers. "Kung anu-anong resibo ang sinubmit (All sorts of receipts were submitted)," grumbles Lopez, noting that these included those for veterinary vaccines and medicines.

Town staff say it is not as if the administrative office has no funds of its own. For instance, since Cabangangan became Town head, all donations — in cash and in kind — have gone straight to the administration. The staff say they do not know what happens to the donations, because they are no longer receiving updates on the Town’s financial status, unlike in previous administrations.

Donors’ funds

Given the stories told by house parents, though, it is unlikely that donated money is being used to purchase medicines. Or for that matter sports equipment, which wards say is sorely lacking. Then again, Cabangangan has said that he hopes to introduce ballet instead of reviving the Town’s gymnastics program, which has practically disappeared after he dismissed gymnastics trainer and former Boys Town ward Pelagio Austria last December.

Austria had been training the Town’s wards in gymnastics since 1997. Since then, several wards have won in various gymnastics competitions. One of them is Arnold (not his real name), 18, who has won gold and silver medals. Arnold says he misses his mentor, who "was like a father to me." He also longs to join gymnastics competitions again. He would have joined the recently concluded Palarong Pambansa if only he received support from the Town administration.

In 1999 Arnold was one of five Boys Town male wards who participated in the First Gymnastics Association of the Philippines’ Gymnastics Competition. Their team emerged second runner-up. Like other Boys Town wards who trained under Austria, he has won several medals. He, too, is one of two other wards who filed complaints of sexual molestation against a male volunteer brought in by Cabangangan.

Jorge Billote, who clinched the gold medal in the gymnastics division of Palarong Pambansa in 2002, is another former Boys Town ward trained by Austria. Billote was also named the Most Outstanding Athlete in the secondary division for gymnastics in the Milo Little Olympics in 2001. At least 10 other wards under Austria’s mentorship have won various medals in other competitions, including the National Capital Meet (2001), the Milo Little Olympics and the Manila Youth Games.

Decline of sports

But Cabangangan says that, at 51, Austria was already "too old" to be a gymnastics trainer. Besides, he said, Austria had "a case," but declined to elaborate on what that was. Insiders say Austria had been accused of somehow being involved in the disappearance of several pieces of iron sheets at the complex. They add, however, that they do not believe the accusation.

What is more plausible, they say, is that Austria lost his job because he was seen as sympathetic to the wards who had filed complaints at City Hall. They note that his relief came at the heels of the complaints; some have even speculated that his dismissal was meant as warning to those thinking of supporting the wards’ claims of abuse.

Like Beren, Austria has only fond memories of Boys Town — at least the one he grew up in. "It was beautiful then," he says, referring not only to Boys Town’s physical structure but also to the overall environment that nurtured him in his youth.

He echoes Beren in saying values inculcated in the wards, who also received a great deal of love and affection from the personnel. Austria makes special mention of the regular sports activities that helped mold the young boys into men.

And so when an opportunity came for him to become a sports trainer at Boys Town, Austria took it even though there was a more lucrative job waiting for him elsewhere. He says he also listened to the advice of fellow former wards who urged him to restore to Boys Town the strong sports program they had enjoyed.

The position — which was at volunteer level — gave him a monthly honorarium of P2,000. But as Austria says, "Hindi naman ‘yung pera ang tinitingnan natin dito. Ibabalik natin ‘yung glory (Money was not our main consideration here. We just wanted to restore the glory of Boys Town)."