Officials start craze in Cebu

CEBU, Philippines -  The Ice Bucket Challenge phenomenon that has gone viral online and counts world leaders and famous world personalities among its participants has started in Cebu!

Two government officials have taken the challenge with the pledge to donate to the Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Association, a non-profit organization fighting ALS or the Lou Gehrig’s disease.

Ahmed Cuizon, Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board-7 director, accepted the challenge of LTFRB-4 Director Robert Peig by having his staff douse him with ice-cold water in a bucket yesterday.

“Medyo ra man ang tugnaw... Ang taguktok sa ice cubes sa akong ulo nga diyutay ra’g buhok maoy mas sakit (The cold was okay. The ice cubes falling on my almost bald head was the one that bothered me),” Cuizon posted in jest in the video taken when he took the challenge that was posted in his Facebook account.

The Ice Bucket Challenge is involves dumping a bucket of ice water on someone’s head to promote awareness on the ALS disease and to encourage donations to ALS research.

Under the “rules” of the challenge, those nominated has the option to either donate or perform the challenge, or do both. To complete the process, participants are expected to donate $10 if they have dumped ice-cold water over their heads while recording a video of themselves, or donate $100 if they have not. They should then proceeded in nominating those whom they would like to donate or accept the challenge, starting a chain of challenges, resulting to donations pouring in for the association.

Yesterday, Cuizon donated $50 (P2, 180) and nominated LTFRB-6 Director Romulo Bernales and news anchors Leo Lastimosa of ABS-CBN Cebu and Bobby Nalzaro of GMA-7.

He reminded those who would take the Ice Bucket Challenge to “donate before you nominate.”

Last Tuesday, Capitol Consultant on Jail Matters Marco Toral, together with some inmates, also took the Ice Bucket Challenge at the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center a jail facility known for its “dancing inmates.”

In a telephone interview, Toral told The FREEMAN that aside from pouring freezing water on themselves, they also donated $160 (P7, 000) to the ALS charity.

Toral and the inmates nominated Cebu Governor Hilario Davide III to accept the challenge.

The governor’s response to the challenge has yet to be known as of press time since he was still out of the country. He will return to work today.

Nalzaro, on the other hand, was not inclined to take part in the challenged when reached by The FREEMAN last night.

“Kanang maligo og ice? Makapasmo man na. Kanang ice bucket para pabugnaw na og beer. Kanang gipabugnaw nga beer maoy among imnon.  I challenge them,” read his text message.

The ALS Association said in its website (www.als.org) that as of Tuesday, August 26, it has already received $88.5 million in donations, which was several times bigger compared to $2.6 million it received for the same period (January to August) last year, showing the success of the Ice Bucket Challenge.

Donations, according to the association, ballooned to $88.5 million in just seven days from merely $22.6 million last week.

“Words cannot express how grateful we are to the nearly two million people who have donated and even more than that who have likely taken the challenge. You have all made an incredible effort in the fight against this disease,” said Barbara Newhouse, ALS Association CEO and president, in a press statement rposted in the website.

ALS or known as “Lou Gehrig’s Disease,” is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord.  A person with ALS loses the ability to initiate and control muscle movement.

Most people with the ailment would only live up to two to five years from the time of diagnosis. —/RHM (FREEMAN)