BCCF Newsletter

Vol. 4 No. 1
September 2004

BCCF Braces for its Fifth Year
BCCF Updates
BCCF/ICF Launched New Project
BCCF Pledges Aid to Por Cristo
"I Love Butuan" Youth Development Project
Butuanons Helping Butuanons
BCCF Received Plaque
Washington Mutual Bank Volunteer Program
Acknowledgement of Donors

BCCF Braces for its Fifth Year
The Butuan City Charities Foundation (BCCF) marks its fourth year of operation this August. Aside from sending used clothing, medicine, and medical supplies and equipment to various health care agencies in Butuan City through the Ivory Charities Foundation (ICF), BCCF continues to support its two main projects:

• the micro enterprise (income producing home industry)
• the maintenance of the neurosurgical unit in Butuan Medical Hospital

Since its inception on August 2000, BCCF was able to send the following aid to Butuan City through ICF:

1. 70 boxes of used clothing, medicine, medical supplies and equipment.

   2001 - 27 boxes
   2002 - 20 boxes
   2003 - 15 boxes
   2004 - 8 boxes
   

2. 187,571 tablets of analgesic.
3. 113,200 tablets of vitamins
4. Raised P1.7M for the Microlending projects.
5. Helped in supplementing feeding for the POR CRISTO residents.
6. Donated 10 cabinets and 10 beds to the POR CRISTO HOME.
7. Launched last July 23, 2004 the "I LOVE BUTUAN" Youth Project. The initial budget of P 1,000,000.00 for teacher's salary, school supplies, and other incidental expenses funded by Dr. Lorens A. Alaan.

OUR NEUROSURGICAL SERVICES
As usual, going strong and helping a lot of indigent patients. Thanks to our very dedicated, young neurosurgeon, Dr. Jose Eduardo Dacudao. As recently reported by Dr. Rene Vargas, Ivory Charities Foundation President, between January to July 4, 2004, there's been 240 charity admissions by Dr. Dacudao with 42 of those patients having had major neurosurgeries. The average cost per operation if these were non-charity patients would have been about P100,000, according to Dr. Vargas. So, 42 operations alone translates to a service worth P4.2M for the last 6 months alone. Not to mention the cost of consultations and hospital care for the non-surgical patients like Stroke, Meningitis, Concussions, etc. That is a tremendous help to the Butuan City economy.

Dr. Dacudao also sees private patients in his Butuan City medical office and consults at the private hospitals in the city .

MICROLENDING PROJECT
Patterned after the Grameen experience in Bangladesh, our microlending project is on its 3rd year of operation. The Project, operated by the untiring members of our sister foundation, Ivory Charities Foundation, provides unsecured loans to indigent families wishing to get involved in small businesses like sari-sari store, piggery, buy and sell of plants, vegetables, fish, buwad, peanut butter making etc. Thus far, the project has granted loans worth more than P1.7M, with 98% fully repaid. Last month, on July 24th to be exact, I went with the Ivory Committee on Microlending, to Bgy. Pianing. It is about 2 1/2 kms. from the main highway, 15 minutes away from Butuan City, I estimate. The road was unpaved, dusty, and bumpy. We arrived at the office of the Barangay Captain who was a woman in her 30's.

The purpose of our visit was to find out why the last payment of their loan was 3 months late. All members of the Cell(5 to group of borrowers/cell) except for one was there. The Bgy. Captain was mother of the group leader who explained that all the monies were already received by her for safekeeping but, she just did not have the time to deliver the payment. And, she promised to deliver the payment that coming Monday. They all expressed their thanks and and served us snacks of fresh bananas which we graciously declined because of Ivory.s policy of accepting no gifts or snacks from microlending borrowers. The meeting must have taken more than an hour. Then, we headed back to the city.

Well, I just received an e-mail from Dr. Vargas while I was writing this article telling me that the Bgy Captain did not show up to pay up the long overdue loan. In the meantime, no new loans will be given in that area until the Microlending Committee draft more stringent policies and guidelines.

POR CRISTO, Home for the Abandoned Elderly
Yes, folks. There is such a thing in our beloved country. Some very poor families can no longer stand seeing their old parents suffer hunger and tribulations of senility from day to day while they and their young children suffer hunger as well. So, these poor old souls get abandoned at bus stations, public markets and dark alleys. Luckily, heaven sent an angel to our city by the name of Fr. Dennis. He set up a shack (that's all he can afford for now) of about a hundred square meter of space to house and care for an average of 20 of these poor old souls. He is being assisted full time by 3 volunteers who were orphans themselves, raised in the orphanage by the nuns. (Sorry, I forgot to get their names.) These volunteers live and eat with these poor old souls. The youngest one of them make his rounds daily picking up donated foodstuffs from the public market and everywhere else he can. Brings them back and prepares them for meals. The other two stays behind and bathes these poor old souls, then conducts social activities and exercises. Now, try to imagine doing this to people who are mentally confused and some with Alzeimer's disease!

Moreover, some are bedridden with sores and some have to be fed. It is a sight one can not ever forget; I have not seen anyone visit the place without shedding a tear.

Lately, a Butuan caregiver school has made it a requirement for their students to rotate there for 2 weeks. That's a huge help. So, the women residents get their hairs fix and cut their nails etc.

I have included this in my report because for almost a year now, BCCF has gotten involved with the POR CRISTO HOME, sending funds to buy rice and provided 10 cabinets for ther clothes instead of stuffing them in plastic grocery bags. The cabinets also serve as the walls dividing the areas between genders. If somehow this story has touched you, please send them a little bit of your blessings to: POR CRISTO, Home for the Abandoned Aged, c/o Dr. Rene Vargas, Doongan, Butuan City.

AURORA WELLS
For more than 3 years now, 18 underserved areas continues the sumptuous water they use for drinking, cooking and laundry. All 18 are maintained thru the water committee set up in each of these areas. The committee composed of the residents around the wells, oversees the fair distribution of the use ot the wells and promptly reports to Ivory Foundation if there are repairs to be made. Dr. Cas Garcia, a BCCF member of the Board of Directors, singlehandedly undertook this project of providing a heavy duty, industrial type Artesian Wells which he aptly named after his beloved Mom. There are so many other underserved areas that need wells. If you can help, please contact Dr. Casimiro Garcia at casmd@bellsouth.net.

OPERATION BITOK
Bitok, Visayan word for Worm. Yes, infectious worm. Worm infection problem being a common experience among growing kids in the Philippines especially in the provinces and even higher incidence among the poor is indeed alive and kicking.

And, Dr. Casimiro Garcia who, for a long time has lived in Atlanta, Georgia, has not forgotten. He recently purchased thousands of deworming tablets for Operation Bitok, his brainchild.

The project was undertaken by the Ivory Foundation Health Commission headed by Sonia Martinez. 6,251 pupils were de-wormed, plus pupils from 2 other elementary schools whose report has not been received as of this writing. Well, you may be thinking, there are so many more kids who deserve to be dewormed. No question! So, if you can help continue this project to reach as many kids as possible, send your donations to Dr. Garcia.

ULTRA SOUND EXAMINATION:
If you have not heard about it, I'm telling you again because this is such a very generous gesture on the part of our very own Dr. Cas Garcia. Dr. Garcia, a recently retired Obstetrician/Gynecologist from Atlanta, Georgia, donated a very expensive diagnostic machine to the Butuan General Hospital in Butuan a few months ago. The value is about $50,000.00.

The most recent report is that between June 4 to July 4, 2004, a total of 160 charity patients has received free Ultrasound examinations. The Provincial Hospital did not have one before. Yes, for all these years you might wonder, how did they get by without it? Ultrasound test can detect a lot of problems that x-rays don't. And it does not expose the patient to Radiation. It can detect very small size tumors, detect abnormal sizes and consistencies of the organs, presence of abnormal fluids, size of the fetus, abnormal placenta etc. So, you see how much help it is in the care of patients, rich or poor.

The "I Love Butuan" Youth Development Project aims to teach the student good values and virtues. Details of the project are fully discussed in the "I Love Butuan" Youth Development Project article in this issue.

POR CRISTO'S sources of funds (cash or in kind) are pledges, donations, and food begged for at the market.

Dr. Casimiro S. Garcia and Mrs. Vicky Moran Sanchez pledged to provide two sacks of rice each per month.

Currently, the Home has 28 residents, the youngest of whom is 40 and the oldest is 87. One or two residents are mentally unbalanced but manageable.

With an initial funding of P1M for the pilot, the Project was officially launched on July 23, 2004 in the quadrangle of Butuan Central Elementary School (BCES). All the faculty members, the participating students, and their parents attended the event. The students wore blue jeans and yellow shirts with "I Love Butuan" emblazoned on the back and "ICF" and "BCCF" on the front. As Mrs. Lina Azote-Jandug explained in her overview of the project, the objective is to teach the students the right values such as discipline, resourcefulness, respect, honesty, integrity, love for community, and love of country, as well as care for the environment. As the students advance to the higher grades, especially high school, the students will learn how to get involved in the community and undertake civic and charitable projects. They will also be taught the responsibilities of parenthood.

The class will meet three times a week for thirty minutes. The students can participate in the discussion using any dialect/language they prefer, but they will be encouraged to use Binutuanon. Butuanon games like supla-supla and sakiki will be introduced as well.

The Project being in its pilot stage, teaching modules will continually be created and modified. The Project committee, headed by Mrs. Lina Azote-Jandug, will meet regularly to discuss necessary additions and other changes. Mr. Elmo Montilla and Dr. Jose Dacudao have been assigned by ICFI to the committee. Dr. Dacudao, the chairman of SOLFED (Save Our Language Program), will oversee the inclusion of Binutuanon as the main medium of communication in the classes.

The objective of this project is to produce adults who will be honest, industrious, and resourceful, loving and caring for their neighbors and countrymen, respectful of women and the elderly, as well as prepared and responsible parents and providers. True Filipino who are proud as such.

It is hoped that other cities and provinces will institute the program. Dr. Lorens Alaan, BCCFSC President for the next three to four years, is providing the initial funding of P1M for this project. Dr. Alaan proposed this project during his visit to Butuan in January 2004, and ICFI readily approved it. Subsequently, ICFI and Dr. Alaan, with the able assistance of Mrs. Lina Azote-Jandug, introduced the idea to Mrs. Eden Codilla-Omboy, Superintendent of Schools at the Department of Education. Mrs. Omboy readily endorsed it. She assigned a few of her best teachers to the committee. Within six months, the project was officially launched. Dr. Vargas later proposed that the project be named after an individual to justify the size of the donation. It was suggested that the individual be ALFONSO R. ALAAN, a quintessential hard-working honest father of Dr. Alaan.

The following is the program during the launching of the project:

(Reprinted from FILIPINAS Magazine May 2004)

The Butuan City Charities Foundation (BCCF), based in Southern California, is a toddler among the long-established community and non government organizations (NGOs) propelled by the goal of helping our less fortunate countrymen.

For BCCF members' the slogan is "Butuanons Helping Butuanons." On its fourth year, BCCF, led by Dr. Lorens Alaan, is forging ahead to increase its membership and raise funds for its many projects. Membership includes "friends of Butuanons" residing in the United States and other countries.

BCCF is realizing its goals in tandem with Butuan City-based Ivory Charities Foundation (ICF), headed by Dr. Rene Vargas. Butuan City is a chartered city in the province of Agusan, Mindanao. Agusan is one of the four Mindanao provinces that make up the CARAGA region, which has a population of roughly one million. According to the Bureau of Labor and Employment Statistics, CARAGA had unemployment rate of 9.1 percent in 2003.

Two of BCCF's ongoing pet projects, have been so successful that it is proud to tell as many interested friends as possible about them. As Jeremiah Opiniano of the Institute for Migration and Development Issues (IMDI) states "[BCCF's] work is a Philippine model of diaspora philanthropy supporting community philanthropy."

One source of pride is the microlending project, which has given collateral-free loans for income-generating home businesses, to over a hundred families in several barangays. ICF President Dr. Rene Vargas says, "[The Ivory People] educate the barrio folks about workings of the program. ICF believes that many of the 'non bankable' rural folks, if given access to capital, can help themselves get over their plight."

The first livelihood loan was released on February 16, 2002. ICF screens the applicants, inspect the project site to verify viability of proposed business, gives feedback and encouragement, and collects the payments. ICF members do all of this as volunteers and at their own expense. All the donated money from BCCF earmarked for this program is spent on the program.

Some examples of the livelihood projects attempted so far are peanut butter making, pig raising, flower propagation, tire vulcanizing, sari-sari store retailing, growing and selling farm produce, buying and selling dried fish and firewood, and buying and selling palm tree leaves for roofing material.

Since 2002, BCCF has remitted P994,000 to about 245 beneficiaries, 95 percent of whom are women. There are three loan brackets: P3000 for first-time recipients and P5000 and P7000 for existing beneficiaries. One rule is that ten percent of the loan must be deposited in a bank of the recipient's choice as their account for emergency use. ICF's treasurer, Araceli Montilla Dy, reported a 99 percent repayment of loans. ICF's goal is to extend microlending opportunities to the rest of Butuan City's 86 barangays.

The other pet project is providing neurosurgical services for the first time in Butuan City. In the past the whole CARAGA region with its million residents lacked the services of a neurosurgeon. Patients requiring such services had to be transported to Cebu or Manila. The poor either sold what little they had, borrowed where they could, or just resorted to prayer. Now, thanks to BCCF and ICF, neurosurgical services have been available since September 2002.

Dr. Vargas reports, "In the span of 13 months there were a total of 227 charity admissions (185 paid hospitalizations) [for] neurosurgical services. Twenty-five indigent patients underwent major operations of the brain, skull or spine at no cost to them. In addition there were 36 pay surgery patients."

The specialty surgical instruments, supplies and medicines have been donated by BCCF. (The collection and purchase of much-needed instruments and supplies is a 'perpetual' project of BCCF.) Butuan City provides the rooms at Butuan Medical Center, and the neurosurgeons, Dr. Jose P. Dacudao and Dr. Amado M. Layno do not charge indigent patients. These doctors are not Butuanons by birth but have chosen to give of themselves to the poor of the region. Words are not enough to express the gratitude of patients and their families.

BCCF and ICF are two toddlers taking giant steps to fulfill their goals and join their older and bigger siblings standing under the noble umbrella of helping our less fortunate kababayans (compatriots). To join and/or to learn more about their many projects please contact BCCF at 5421 Pacific Blvd., Huntington Park CA 90255, or through its website http://www.butuancharities.org/

As the old, tried and true saying goes: HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS .

COMMITTED ACTIVE NEIGHBORS (CAN), Washington Mutual Bank's volunteer program, enables employees to give back to the community through volunteer work for schools and nonprofit organizations. Most organizations that are tax exempt under section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code are eligible for volunteer assistance. For every 15 hours of each employee's volunteer work, the Bank will donate $100 or up to $1,000 each year to school or nonprofit organization of the employee's choice.

Four members of the Bank's Retirement Plans Department in Chatsworth, California - Nida de la Cruz, Leah Beltran, Maricor Ylagan-Calo and Mags Villamin are volunteers with CAN for three years now. They chose the Butuan City Charities Foundation (BCCF) as the recipient of the Bank.s donation for their volunteer hours because they believe in the goal that BCCF is doing for the poorest of the poor of Butuan City, Philippines

Ms. Leah Beltran is also connected with another outreach program, the MSM Delivery Services Corporation. The Corporation is a family business that services Money Remittance, Travel, Cargo, Gift Gram and Medical and Dental Plans. BCCF hope to benefit from the outreach program as soon as things are worked out.