Manny Pacquiao unknowingly contributed cold cash, P10,000, four years ago. The late lawyer Rudy Salud, super PBA commissioner, was a solid backer. Dr. Bobby Magsino of Lipa City sent gift baskets ahead and promised to come this afternoon. Architect Joebing Malabanan, on a holiday break from California, will be around to lend a gentle, generous hand.
The event is the annual gift giving for poor farm families, 50 of them. It’s being undertaken for more than a decade now in a small tree-lined farm in Purok 4, Pangao, seven kilometers from the San Sebastian Cathedral in Lipa City.
Romulo “Boy Puti” Sebreros, a native of Telegrafo, Tolosa, in Leyte and a former street digger turned vegetable magnate in the Mandaluyong City wet market, fished out fresh peso bills from his trader’s apron pocket the other day for 50 balls of ham that have been put in separate bags, together with rice, sardines, noodles, candies, toys and other goodies. Included are contents of a tidy balikbayan box sent in by Zeny Luna, former school teacher, from California.
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Four years ago, Mang Boy, driven by his friend Pete Tanyao of Bauang in La Union, traveled all the way from Manila to deliver the balls of ham, kept in two boxes, for the annual Dec. 27 affair that was initiated by the late basketball Olympian Narciso Bernardo, noble son of riverside Mandaluyong, in a team-up with trader Lucio “Luchi” Yan, Barts Mayo and the tireless civic worker Nandy Charvet, who was the first to deliver his share early this month.
As early as last November, Mang Boy was regularly asking that he be reminded when he would be able to chip in. He had personally witnessed and experienced the genuine joy of sharing when he delivered his share contained in two big boxes four years ago.
It was the first time ham was made part of the Christmas package. Mang Boy, who deeply knew how it was to be penniless, cold and hungry, was later told how one farmer’s wife later begged that they be included again in the list of recipients the following year.
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The poor mother claimed with evident joy how they tasted the true taste of Christmas when her family was able to partake of simple ham for the first time—(“Pasensiya na po, pero ganuon po pala ang lasa ng hamon, talaga po, sana huwag ninyo kaming kalilimutan”).
Dr. Ruel Reyes of San Pablo, who presided in the first gift giving a decade ago, will motor with his son Gio with their usual gifts like candy, toys, cash in envelopes, for all the 50 farm families. Engineer Mar Maralit, also an original benefactor, will join church friend Gerry Mayor, to help out and reunite with Joebing, who returns to California tomorrow. The committed couple of Rene and Tess del Monte have made advance preparations, like distributing tickets around the village, just like in past years.
By the way, Manny Pacquiao became an accidental contributor to the Christmas affair after one retired newspaperman won P10,000 in a raffle during a victory party thrown by the Filipino boxing superhero at the Harbor View seaside lounge around the Luneta four years ago. The lucky sum was divided evenly inside 50 envelopes for the farm families.
Happiness is being able to share what little we have, mainly with those truly in need. Thank God for this golden chance at selfless sharing.