|
PROFILES OF GK HEROES FEATURED IN PARAISO
posted March 2, 2007
JOCELYN LLORENTE
Mudslide victim in Southern Leyte
Jocelyn Llorente did not forsee the tragedy that was to befall her
family on that fateful day in February of 2006. Jocelyn together with
her husband Nieto lived in a nipa hut with their six children –
Christian Paul, 13, Aizan, 9, Chreszel Mae, 8, Jishell Jane, 7, Sweet
Leany, 3, and Gretchel, 1. It had been raining non-stop for seven days,
the precipitation equal to three months worth of rain. The family was
inside the house when the mudslide occurred in the late afternoon. The
family ran for their lives and Jocelyn tried to get all her children to
safety. In the midst of the chaos of flowing mud, panic stricken
families running about, Jocelyn lost her eight year old daughter
Chreszel Mae. She never saw her child alive again. For four weeks after
the disaster, Jocelyn was severely depressed, incoherent, rarely
responded when spoken to. She also had bouts of hysteria and poor
hygiene. Even after being re-located to their new GK Village, Jocelyn
would have sudden episodes of hysteria especially when sudden gusts of
wind and heavy rains would visit their area.
The Llorente family was one of the first twenty families who were
awarded with new homes because of their “bayanihan” and enthusiasm to
build and start anew. To date, there are 88 beautifully painted and
landscaped houses in the GK community where Jocelyn lives. They have
been joined by other disaster victims who are resolved to build a new
and vibrant community.
Jun Lana, the Palanca award-winning writer and director of the GK movie
depicting Jocelyn’s story relates how her story “was able to encapsulate
the Leyte tragedy, the people who survived the mudslide”. On learning
that her lifestory was going to be made into a movie and that she would
be portrayed by multi-awarded actress, Maricel Soriano, Jocelyn says she
was very excited, proud and even ecstatic when she met the celebrity.
One year after the tragedy, the families are striving to re-build their
lives full of hope despite the initial grief that brought them together
to their new community. Perhaps as a way of God replacing her grief over
the loss of her daughter in the tragedy, Jocelyn is now blessed to have
given birth to two new babies in her new home.
Maricel Soriano plays Jocelyn in the first segment of the GK
trilogy about the Southern Leyte mudslide entitled, “Umiyak Man ang
Langit” (Even If Heaven Cries).
MICHAEL THE ROCK
Also known as “Boy Bato”
In April 7, 2002, the Couples for Christ Medical Mission Foundation
headed by GK worker Dr. Jerome Paler went to a barangay (district)
consisting of 36 households, two kilometers from the main highway made
accessible only by a dangerously slippery pathwalk with ragged edges on
one side and a steep embankment on the other side. The community had no
electricity, no water system and only one dilapidated structure had a
water sealed toilet bowl. Of the 98 children examined in the barangay,
only four were diagnosed as normal (weight for height) with the rest of
the children testing positive for intestinal worms. Dr. Jerome took
notice of Michael because he hardly moved, just sitting in the corner,
pale, pot-bellied, his buttocks were flattened and breathing heavily. On
closer examination, the doctor found out that he had a prolapsed anus
with thousands of worms in his body; he had been passing bloody stools
for over a year with compulsion for eating stones. Michael had been
living with his foster parent Erning who was always out working, leaving
Michael with his deaf mute foster mother. His biological mother left him
four days after birth and his father left him when he was 10 months old.
Dr. Jerome was overcome with guilt after being faced with Michael
because he had three healthy children of his own. He brought the boy to
the hospital for treatment where he stayed for a week and they
transfused two bags of blood to address his severe anemia. On the day
that that he was discharged, a different Michael met Dr. Jerome at the
hospital bed - he was smiling and full of energy although still a little
bit shy. Dr. Jerome asked Michael’s foster father if he could take care
of him. His wife Gina, was also very excited and when Dr. Jerome brought
Michael home. Even the children were excited specially their youngest
Panpan who was only 4 yrs old at that time but was already bigger than
Michael who was 8 years old.
The Palers experienced a lot of challenges while nurturing Michael. He
was bumped by a motorcycle while playing outside the house, he
contracted hepatitis A because of eating contaminated food with his
friends. Perhaps the worst episode was when went into cardiac arrest
when he had severe asthma. He had stopped breathing for three whole
minutes. Fortunately, the Palers’ home is very near the hospital and
they were able to revive him. He has learning difficulties only being
able to identify colors at his age; he graduated from kindergarten just
a year ago. His tutor had a heart attack because of his kakulitan
(hyperactivity or being a nuisance); one teacher resigned because of
him. But Dr. Jerome asserts that Michael is harmless and not prone to
violence; he is just hyper active perhaps catching up for all the years
that he had barely enough energy to even move because of his steady diet
of mossy stones. He is very malambing (affectionate), he is always the
first to mano (kiss the hands of his elders) and the Paler children have
learned to love him like their full blooded brother.
The whole barangay where Michael came from is now a GK village with
beautifully painted houses, an elementary school, a proper water system,
electricity and the all houses are equipped with clean toilets. The
incidence of worms in children has also declined. The community also has
something to proud of --- their GK Mabuhay House perched on top of a
mountain to welcome visitors and partners. The City council even had
their Session there. Many visitors already frequent the place. Every
time Dr. Jerome brings Michael there, he is very excited to see his old
friends but home is now with the Paler family.
Dr. Jerome recalls that just a few weeks after being discharged from the
hospital, Michael still tried to eat stones and even taught Panpan, the
youngest of the Palers to do likewise. “But that was only once,” Dr.
Jerome shares, “to date he even forgot that once upon a time he had
compulsion to eat stones, he just celebrated his 12th birthday last
September 9.”
Michael’s story inspired the second segment of the GK trilogy entitled
“Ang Kapatid Kong si Elvis” (My brother Elvis) by child actor Paulken
Bustillo.
JEROME AND GINA PALER
GK Head, Southern Leyte
The journey of Dr. Jerome and Gina Paler with Gawad Kalinga started in
2002 when they attended a Couples for Christ conference where they are
active members, and heard a talk that challenged the provinces to build
Gawad Kalinga where none was present. Upon coming home to Southern Leyte,
the couple immediately started searching for a potential site motivated
mostly by a bruised ego for being “admonished” that they had not started
the process of social transformation in their home province. Dr. Jerome
shares, “However, when I was exposed to the people were living in
unimaginable conditions, the hurt ego turned into guilt then later on
love and then compassion. The passion deepened when I saw apathy, gross
negligence and even people taking advantage of the poor.”
Gawad Kalinga immediately became successful in Southern Leyte through
the convergence of people from the local government, the church and
ordinary people. “Attacking poverty is indeed doable giving me
inspiration that it can be done; nothing is impossible (because it is)
God’s work. The mudslide tragedy in Southern Leyte even shifted the work
of GK into high gear to go beyond relief.” Dr. Jerome has risked his
life several times being the first to travel through rough seas and
venturing into mudslide prone areas in order to reach the victims of
disaster in his area. “When you see ordinary people brushing shoulders
doing heroic works in times of chaos and confusion, it fuels the passion
to do the extraordinary even at the expense of comfort, time with the
family and life.”
But now Dr. Jerome and Gina can now merge family time with serving the
people of Southern Leyte as all their children are also deeply involved
in Gawad Kalinga. Their eldest daughter Jigjig is the GK provincial
youth head and is eyeing a law profession to serve the poor. Their
second child is currently graduating form elementary and is keen on
serving in the GK Child and Youth Development Program. Finally Panpan
their youngest who is a member of Kids for Christ is growing up with the
kids in the various GK sites in Southern Leyte as her friends.
“The bulk of the GK work in Southern Leyte is disaster response and
(dealing with the) victims of these tragedies are very difficult. But my
greatest joy is seeing my co-workers in GK working untiringly despite
all obstacles.” He says he is ecstatic when he sees these “difficult”
people that he has been caring for respond with love to their fellow
victims because of the example shown to them by the volunteers.
Dr. Jerome looks forward to serving the poor full time and shares his
dream for the country, “It is just a matter of time that I will submit
myself fully to the service of the Lord, with the rate we are going, I
claim that we will be able to raise up this once proud nation again.”
Michael V. plays Dr. Jerome
Paler and Carmi Martin plays Gina Paler in the second segment of the GK
trilogy entitled, “Ang Kapatid Kong si Elvis” (My Brother Elvis).
RUDY ABAD
Filipino-American whose wife perished in 9-11
Rudy Abad is a successful Filipino-American who lived the good life in
the US. He and his Italian-American wife Marie Rose were both top
executives in New York, happy and content with their careers and their
life together. All these changed when 9-11 came. Rudy was still at home
when he received a call from his wife who had gone off to work ahead of
him, telling him that she was okay and that they were being evacuated
from Twin Towers were Marie held office. Rudy switched on the TV and
watched in horror as a second plane crash into the building. Another
call from Marie told him that it was getting smoky inside. Her last
words to her then were, “Ru, pray, please pray.”
For two whole days Rudy waited, prayed and hoped that Marie was alive;
he believed that she would turn up again. Eventually his grief turned
into acceptance that his wife had perished in the tragedy. He turned to
their memories together, the good times that they shared. He also
remembered the last time that he and Marie had visited the Philippines.
They became acutely aware of the poverty in the Philippines, Marie
especially was moved by the poor children she saw in the streets. Rudy
shares Marie’s words during their last trip to the Philippines, “I don’t
know how or when but someday I hope to be able to do something about
these children, about these poor people. Next time I come back, I will
be ready.”
Not long after, Rudy got re-connected with a classmate from Ateneo de
Manila, Mike Goco. Rudy asked Mike what he was doing then and Mike
related that he was a volunteer for Gawad Kalinga, a nationwide movement
to eradicate slums in the Philippines. Rudy became very interested in
the organization and so he visited the website and did some research and
became convinced that he wanted to help.
As Rudy recalled the words of Marie Rose, its full meaning dawned on
him. “What it meant to me was a village in her name to perpetuate her
legacy. I knew I was helping people but I did not know the extent of
what I was doing.” Rudy decided to come to the Philippines to help build
the village that he financed in honor of his wife. He shares, “At that
point it was not $50,000, it was 50 families whose lives will now change
because my wife died. That is meaningful and I can not put a value to
what that means; to say that you put a roof over one family’s head that
is so powerful. It’s the best thing I’ve ever done.”
He shares his thoughts about GK, “Gawad Kalinga is the hope; it is going
to grow and it will be the social change that the Philippines needs. I
am so, so proud to be part of what is happening here.”
Today the Marie Rose GK Village is a flourishing community in Baseco,
Tondo, Manila with the legacy of Marie Rose Abad that Rudy has
perpetuated. Rudy Abad remains to be one of GK’s most inspiring icons of
heroism and is a GK advocate to his network of family and friends.
Cesar Montano and Lexi Schulze play Rudy and Marie Rose Abad
respectively in the third segment of the GK trilogy entitled “Marie.”
|
