The Third Visit

On December 10, I arrived in Manila for my third visit to the Philippines in 2006.  The purpose of this particular visit was to surprise my best friend Eddy on his 65th birthday, attend his 40th marriage vows renewal and participate in the Knights of Columbus Councils 4488 and 9636 joint social amelioration projects for destitute families in Las Pinas City.

I arrived without fanfare at the Ninoy Aquino International airport on December 10 (Eddy's birth date) at 6:00 a.m., boarded a taxicab and surprised Eddy with a birthday woo hoo that almost caused him to faint!

That afternoon, together with our Council 9636 knight brothers, we visited some 39 really very old, retired nuns in Paranaque City.  This is one of our projects.  We sang them Christmas carols, brought specially prepared chicken rice porridge which they asked for, and gave them our sweetest smiles in appreciation of their lifetime work in the service of the Lord.  They asked that we regularly visit them and bring only our sweetest smiles to give them joy.

I found out from the younger nuns who were their caretakes that these wheelchair bound nuns and bedridden nuns need adult diapers at least six times a day, mercurial blood pressure apparatus, thermometers, and lotions for bed sores and the like.  I promised to procure these for them.

That evening at the birthday party Eddy gave to the brother knights, we resolved to make the Visitation of the Nuns, a monthly project.  We will bring our sweetest smiles and as many adult diapers as we can get from donations.  A pack of 8 diapers costs 240 Philippine Pesos, roughly $5.

On December 18 at 4:00 p.m., the K of C brothers and I fed and gave gifts to some 200 squatter children and street children at the reception hall of the new McDonald's Restaurant.  At first, the plan was to take in only those children who regularly attend the catechism classes we sponsor at the chapel we built in the Manggahan squatter area.  However, it was a painful sight to turn away the other children.  I influenced my brother knights not to turn anyone away.  We fed them spaghetti, hamburgers, juices and sundaes.  Many of the children purposefully did not finish eating all their food.  They opted to take them home to share with their older brothers and sisters and their parents.  We also gave them food baskets and toy gifts.  The funds for this particular event came from the cash donations that Del Rosa Knights Ray Lobato, Jim Haubner, Bill Sutcliffe and I gave.

I actually shed tears of joy watching the children relish the food, take care of their younger siblings, and sing action thanksgiving praises they learned in their catechism classes. 

We actually feed these children every Friday morning with rice porridge and on one Friday of the month, we do our best to make it a special event by adding hamburgers and gifts of soap, toothbrush, sandals, or t-shirt.

I will be very happy to receive in behalf of these elderly nuns and destitute children any gifts or cash donations you will make.  Write your tax deductible checks in favor of Our Lady of Fatima 9636.  Every cent goes to the program without any overhead expenses.

My visit culminated with the 40th wedding anniversary of my best friend and brother Eddy in Cebu City on December 22.  It was a fitting end to a fruitful visit, even if I lost my voice as a result of a viral infection.  The celebration was both spiritual and secular.  Eddy is blessed with a supportive and loyal wife Zita and three devoted children Linnor, Junnie and May.

I left the Cebu City on December 24 at 5:00 p.m. and arrived in Los Angeles also on December 24 at 5:00 p.m., just in time to quietly but elegantly celebrate my own 42nd wedding anniversary that very same day with my loving wife Ces.