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CARP raises funds for RP poor

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Canadian Aid and Relief Project (CARP) held its 2nd Annual Bayanihan Ball on March 27, 2010 at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel. Directors of CARP, from left: Rey Sunga, Cecille Sunga, Dr. Clarita Portugal Ketels, Pete Garcia, Minerva Garcia (Treasurer), Verth Bugtong, Ores Ting (Co-Chair), Melodina Portugal, Dr. Francisco Portugal (President), Dr. Jorge Jose, Dr. Belle Tumbokon, Rose Cruz, Erlinda Gallardo, Dr. Rodolfo Gallardo and Dario Meriales, (Stage & Decor Chair). Others not in picture: Edgar Adan (Executive Director), Alma Benemerito and Minda Longkines.

CARP President Dr. Francisco Portugal (left) being congratulated by Philippine Ambassador Jose Brilliantes for the successful second annual ball and CARP’s charitable projects.

At the CARP 2nd Annual Ball on March 27, 2010 at Fairmont Royal York Hotel.From left: Petro Canada Manager Connie, Belle Tumbokon, VP of CARP, Petro Canada Manager Zamir Khan, Immigration Consultant Marissa Corpus, Petro Canada Manager Linlin, Petro Canada Manager Armida, World Financial Group co-founder Agnes Miranda and Petro Canada Operator Paul Cadiente.

Chyrell Samson who sang at the 2nd Annual Ball of Canadian Aid and Relief Project, March 27, poses with Dr. Jorge Jose, CARP director, at the Fairmont Royal York dance floor.

CARP gives hope to the less fortunate

By Harija Riza U. Khamal

Focusing on giving hope and realizing the dreams of the less fortunate and the needy fellowmen in the Philippines, Canadian Aid and Relief Project (CARP) held its 2nd Annual Bayanihan Ball at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel in Toronto to share its accomplishments in the past two years and also to raise funds to implements its programs.

Led by CARP Founder and President, Dr. Francisco Portugal, the celebration was attended by hundreds of guests from different racial backgrounds, professions, companies and organizations supporting the humanitarian projects and missions of CARP.

The Annual Bayanihan Ball, also a fundraising event for CARP held an auction that showcased valuable items, from jewelries to art pieces and personal mementos of known personalities. Among the valuable items that was sold in the auction that got the highest bid, $15,000, was a signed jersey shirt of the Olympian Hockey player Sydney Crosby.

Approximately $90,000 in cash was raised and $30,000 worth of goods and clothing and medical equipment have been collected. Young Kim of Howard Pharmacy, pledged an annual donation of $25,000 to sustain a medical clinic in Antipolo.

During the occasion, guests were mesmerized by the colorful cultural presentations of Filipino talents through the song and dance numbers rendered by known singers like Jenifer Camacho, Andy Gabriel and the Solemn Sanctuary Band. The event commenced through the Dance of the Manubo presented by Folklorico Filipino of Canada.

Along with the other members of the committee, Dr. Jorge Jose chaired the event, whose leadership made the occasion possible and successful.

The birth of CARP

A crowd of 3,000 in Milaor, Camarines Sur waiting for the CARP mission.

“It all started as a medical mission in Antipolo,” relates Dr. Portugal in an interview with The Philippine Reporter. “Then we saw the need of the Filipinos, so we decided to put up a charity clinic with nine beds in March 2009.”

The said charity clinic serves the squatters’ area in Antipolo, where an estimated 25,000 patients benefit from the services it offers.

“The clinic serves for outpatient care, medical counselling and also does minor surgeries,” adds Dr. Portugal.

Thru the initiative of the kind-hearted community leader Dr. Portugal and a group of volunteers in 2007, the CARP was born out of a long term project that aimed to provide help to calamit- prone countries. Included in the said project is assisting the poor and the needy by sending relief goods and delivering health care services to families affected by calamities.

Programs and projects

Since its inception in 2007, the CARP, composed of mostly medical professionals have conducted numerous medical and dental missions in poor areas of the Philippines in cooperation with the KupKop Kita Kabayan Foundation in Antipolo that also facilitates the KMED Klinik. With qualified medical professionals on-duty in the Klinik, it provides the poor residents with primary health care, serves as lying-in facilities for normal pregnancies and emergency medical care.

In September 2009, CARP was among the first organizations that responded to provide help to Filipinos when the Philippines was struck by typhoon Ondoy. It immediately released $10,000 from its funds. Its newly set-up health clinic was also there to provide medical help to the victims of the calamity. CARP was able to raise funds amounting to $20,000 that was used in medical and relief mission in Rizal.

In January 2010, the medical team of CARP visited places in the Philippines for two weeks, in cooperation with its local partners, the Kupkop Kita Kabayan Foundation and the Alpha Phi Omega fraternity Epsilon Chapter. The team reached out to the needy residents of Purok Maligaya in Antipolo, Rizal; San Clemente, Tarlac; and to Milaor, Camarines Sur, where it also provided service to the towns and villages along the way.

In an email interview, CARP President Dr. Portugal added that in San Clemente Dueg resettlement in Tarlac, 300 Aetas were seen for various illnesses through the assistance of Sto. Nino Hospital staff thru Mayor Roseller M. Toledo and his brother Dr. R. Toledo.

Meanwhile, in Milaor close to 3,000 residents were served with dental optometric and medical services. And the Antipolo’s Purok Maligaya Clinic Outpatient provided prenatal and minor surgeries, while the dental/medical mission at the clinic attended to 432 patients.

The recent mission was a joint project of Alpha Phi Omega Fraternity, Epsilon Chapter. Staffed by a physician, nurse and midwives, the recently completed lying-in facility provides birthing services to the impoverished residents of this squatters’ area as soon as qualified personnel is recruited. Besides the health services, a feeding program at the Mambugan Elementary School, that has a population of 3,000 students will begin soon. Forty percent of which are malnourished.

“During the Milaor, Camarines Sur medical-dental mission, 10-year old Chrisha’s ventricular septal defect was seen. Her cardiologist recommended surgery be done as soon as possible. CARP will help secure funds for her surgery thru the Herbie Fund or thru CARP fundraising activities. Either way she would need plane fare and accomodation should she be approved for assistance by Herbie Fund. We are submitting all the documentation to the Herbie Fund shortly,” according to Dr. Portugal.

On behalf of Chrisha, the soft-hearted physician, calls on everyone to help for the child’s treatment. In his speech during the 2nd Bayanihan Ball, Dr. Portugal said: “So tonight, when the party is over and when you go back to your comfortable homes, when you shed off your fineries, when you lay yourself to sleep, and as you begin to dream, include Chrisha in that dream.

“Then let’s do something. Do something for girls like Chrisha. Help CARP accomplish its dream. Help CARP in its mission. And I appeal to you to give.”

Chrisha’s father, Nolito Bermillo, her mother Jona, a housewife, and three other siblings live in a makeshift shack in Borongborongan, kilometres away from Milaor. Her father makes P300, about seven dollars a day. This income is not a stable one as the work in construction is seasonal and sporadic.
Despite the challenges in accomplishing the goals of the CARP, Dr. Portugal expresses joy in serving the Filipinos by providing health care where there is none, giving out free medicines where it is out of reach, and dental care to those who can least afford it.

“On top of all these, I believe the greatest that we have given those people was hope – hope coming from the thought that people from far off Toronto came to them because they care for them. Message of joy and gratitude we saw written on their faces. Faces – wrinkled and parched by the ever scorching, smiling Philippine sun.”

Banking on hope, indeed nothing will be impossible with the spirit of Bayanihan uniting not only the Filipinos but humanity in realizing the dreams of the less fortunate.

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