Lucy’s boat project gets boost from Japanese company

ALBUERA, LEYTE, Philippines – Leyte Rep. Lucy Torres-Gomez’s fishing boat received another boost with donations from Japanese shipping company Kawazaki Kisen Kaisha Ltd. (K-Line), through the Rayomar Foundation and the San Miguel Brewery.

Dubbed 6,200: Mission Possible, the project aims to provide fishing boats to each of the 6,200 fishermen in her congressional district whose livelihood was affected by Super Typhoon Yolanda.

Last Feb. 6, the congresswoman led the distribution of 102 boats to fishermen in this small coastal town, in a simple ceremony held at the baywalk.

With her were Rayomar Foundation representatives Maria Ana Zubiri, president; Jacqueline Fedalizo, VP for Project Development; Cherry Bautista and Julian Rodriguez. The Japanese shipping company passed their donations through the foundation, it was learned.

The San Miguel Brewery delegation, on the other hand, was headed by Emily Dumalag, SMB National Business Affairs and Communication Manager.

Maria Ana Zubiri of Rayomar Foundation told the recipient fishermen that through them, the K-Line Shipping of Japan donated 60 boats in sympathy to the Filipino people who were victims of typhoon Yolanda.

She said a good number of people working for K-Line Shipping were Filipinos, hence management felt it was just right to help out the Yolanda victims, especially fishermen, as they were in the seafaring industry.

Emily Dumalag of SMB, on the other hand, said the fishermen were lucky to have a representative like Lucy Torres-Gomez, who went out of her way to ask help for her constituents. She said the company decided to donate 100 boats to Lucy’s “6,200: Mission Possible”, after she appeared before them personally to make her appeal.

That day, SMB distributed the remaining 29 boats of 100 that they donated.

Other donors whose boats were distributed that day were Carol Cabangon and Midy Cua, who gave two boats each; Jocelyn Chua; the Manila Science Batch’84; Del Monte Bone Smart; Jennifer Gobing; Iglesia Union; Darvida; Chicago; Phoenix Bld and Ivory Grains who gave a boat each.

Rep. Gomez is distributing 24-foot fiberglass boats with engine and propellers. The fishermen’s equity is just to make its bamboo rudders. Including early donations to the cause from various sources, the congresswoman has already distributed close to 2,000 boats to fishermen in her district. In Albuera town alone, she already distributed almost 200.

“’Noy Maeng,” a recipient from Sitio Tinag-an of Brgy. Mahayag, said he was happy to get the boat because his old one was destroyed.

More than a year after Yolanda passed, Gomez said she and his wife are still living under a plastic sheet, as the shelter kit they received was just enough to put a small sturdy roof over their sleeping space. With the income he will get from fishing, he expects to be able to buy plywood and other materials to slowly rebuild their lost home.

Rep. Lucy Gomez, on the other hand, said she remains confident that she would hit her target of 6,200 boats, and thanked all the people who have supported the cause, among them Mr. Ben Chan of Bench.

She said that a fashion and art exhibited dubbed “Art Fair Philippines 2015,” spearheaded by Bench, was ongoing in Manila, of which part of the proceeds would go to 6,200:Mission Possible.

In a previous interview, Rep. Gomez said she named her cause “Mission Possible” because when she started out, the idea of getting donations of 200 boats seemed remote, but she was surprised at the outpouring of generosity that she decided to set her target high. 6,200 is the ultimate target, she said, to be able to give each and every registered fisherman in her district, a chance to restore their livelihoods and maybe, make their futures better.