A best friend

I have just lost one of the best friends I ever had, a philanthropist, a blue-blooded Atenean, a man with a golden heart, one who devoted almost all of his entire life to the less fortunate in life, the fellow who inspired me to put up the Good Samaritan Foundation. He is Dr. Manuel Chua Chiaco Sr., almost 30 years older than I, my mentor on how to bring joy to the poorest of the poor. He passed away last Friday, May 10, 2002, and went home to God.

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It was Dr. Chua Chiaco who conceptualized Operations Christmas Joy, the Valentine Luncheon Affair with indigent children, and many other projects of the Good Samaritan Foundation. And he attended every fund-raising event of the Foundation, helped look for donors, and went out of his way to give, give, give until it hurt. Almost every week, he visited my office with a bright new idea on a socially-oriented project to undertake, and brought along checks that came from relatives and friends, and from fellow alumni of the Ateneo de Manila and the University of the Philippines College of Medicine.

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For his humanitarian work and his lofty deeds for Philippine society, Dr. Chua Chiaco was conferred the Lux in Domino Award by the Ateneo University. He was already then wheelchair-bound, but he showed up at Loyola Heights to personally receive his award. I eventually wrote an article about Dr. Chua Chiaco and his award, and explained how, even in his younger years as a doctor, he always looked after the welfare of nurses, interns, fellows and other members of the medical and allied professions.

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A couple of years before he passed away, Dr. Chua Chiaco found it most difficult to go out of his house and drop by the office of the Good Samaritan Foundation. But every now and then, with extreme difficulty, he would drop by to say hello and provide encouragement. And he often contacted us by phone from his sick bed at his home.

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I will surely miss seeing Dr. Chua Chiaco again, but I am certain we will meet again somewhere, in the Great Beyond, where there is no pain, no hate, no regrets, and only love. Goodbye, Doc, until we meet again!

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Although only three out of the 18 listed oppositors to the confirmation of Secretary Pantaleon "Bebot" Alvarez have testified before the Commission on Appointments, it is every political analyst’s perception that the former Davao del Norte congressman has already hurdled all obstacles to his confirmation. For the nth time, Bebot Alvarez has creditably acquitted himself of all charges leveled against him.

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The turning point came after no less than National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) Director-General Dante Canlas informed the CA that the NEDA had passed over the three amendments and supplementary agreements appended to the original concession agreement. These supplements were agreed upon by the Department of Transportation and Communications (under then General Arturo "Boy General" Enrile) and the Philippine International Air Terminals Corporation. Between the NEDA’s and Perfecto Yasay’s word, of course, the choice is clear on whom one should believe.

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For the duration of Bebot’s Calvary, I heard that foreign investors have been holding on to their investment purse strings while waiting to see how the zarzuela will unfold. The investors, especially those interested in transportation-related projects, were wary of the risks to their investments, depending upon how the Commission on Appointments handles the confirmation hearings.

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The Arroyo administration has obviously achieved political stability. The Erap phenomenon has lost its luster (with the measly crowd the PMAP was able to muster on the first anniversary of their siege of the "Bastille"); the Misuari uprising, much like the worn-out CPP-NPA-NDF agitation, has just been tucked away in a lonely Laguna cell; the MILF has been driven out of the camps and pressured into signing a truce; and the Abu Sayyaf has become a spent force, crumbling at a fast-paced rate.

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As the Arroyo administration has become the government to deal with, investors wanted such clear signals to reflect on the DOTC, especially in its foreign assisted projects. Bebot Alvarez has become a familiar figure they have learned how to deal with in reasonable terms, the fears and anxiety of the investors have turned to fever pitch due to the grueling CA hearings they had to agonize with. By this time, for most investors, Bebot Alvarez is already predictable – he will approve what is good for the country, and he will reject what may ruin the economy.

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As far as I am concerned, everything about Bebot, true or false, has been expounded at the confirmation hearings – from the number of children he has to the size of his kitchen sink. The tsismis and paninira have been separated from the truth. Now is the time for the CA to put on the brakes. Let the investors pour in more funds into our rebounding economy and let our people savor the economic benefits they bring.

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Thanks a million and God bless the following kindhearted and generous donors who lent a helping hand to the Good Samaritan Foundation:

Elsie Macalalad of Project 6, Quezon City, a regular donor, P500

B.M.A. Jr. from Valenzuela City, P500

R.S. of Sampaloc, Manila, P1,000

VLA of Pasay City, P5,000, (Security Bank 0164979)

LVY & JVY of Grace Park, Caloocan City,, regular donors, in memory of their father, P1,000

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In the meantime, the Good Samaritan Foundation provided assistance to the following indigent beneficiaries:

Antonio Daniel of San Roque, Malilipot, Albay, a sweepstakes ticket vendor and father of six children,

Rita Nicart of San Julian, Easter Samar, a 24-yr-old polio victim,one brandnew US made wheelchair

Anilda Pombok of Nena, San Julian, Eastern Samar, a brandnew weelchair

The two wheelchairs are part of several wheelchairs which the Rotary Club of Makati West, headed by Teodoro G. Limcaoco, one of the most active Rotary organizations in Metro Manila, requested the Good Samaritan Foundation to be its partner in locating deserving beneficiaries of the wheelchairs. The wheelchairs came from the Wheelchair Foundation in the United States and were coursed through PDG Guiller Tumangan. Rotary District Governor Ernie Salas and other presidents of several Rotary Clubs are helping coordinate the distribution of the wheelchairs.

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Thoughts For Today:

Happiness is hard to find
when you seek it for ourselves.
But when we give it to others,
then it will find its way back to us.

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No limit has God’s love.
No measure has His grace.
His power knows no boundary,
and His blessings are endless.

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My e-mail addresses: [email protected] and [email protected]