“PHILIPPINE CHARITY ASSISTANCE NETWORK”

Due to the growing demand for public assistance that is being generated by my radio program, newspaper columns and internet discussion groups, I have decided to establish the Philippine Charity Assistance Network (PHILSCAN), with the end in view of making it the umbrella organization for several charitable projects that would include a Food Bank, a Job Bank, a Seedling Bank and a Book Bank. It is for this reason that I saw the need for an office in a mall location. As of today, we are finalizing talks with a mall in a strategic Metro Manila location, to make this plan a reality.
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As a strategy to support PHILSCAN, I am also organizing the GOOD SAMARITAN MISSION (GSM), an association of businessmen and professionals, and SELF HELP ALLIANCE FOR REVENUE ENHANCEMENT (SHARE), an association of students and out of school youth. By mobilizing these two new groups, I hope to create a seamless supply chain made up of volunteers and donors, backed up by an international network of supporters among my colleagues in the Foreign Service and the foreign-based members of my internet discussion groups.
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Through the active involvement of GSM members, I hope to sustain a constant “supply” of volunteer doctors, dentists, lawyers and accountants for our year-round Medical Clinic, Dental Clinic, Legal Clinic and Credit Clinic, which I hope would become regular components of the PHILSCAN office that we are going to put up in a mall location. As you already know, there are many medical missions that come and go once a year, but in our case, we hope to sustain a year round charity clinic, having already received many commitments of support from here and abroad.
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Through the goodness of the Lord, GSM has been blessed with many benevolent patrons, one of whom is Mr. Raffy Garcia, President of MEGA COMPUTERS, Inc. MEGA is the contractor and service provider of the computer systems that are being used by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and the Land Transportation Office (LTO). Through the kindness of Mr. Garcia, he has agreed to co-locate with our mall location, so that we could also service our clients with their requirements for NBI clearances and LTO licenses, both of which are livelihood related. I am in the process of inviting more GSM members, and inquiries are welcome.
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I know that it may sound too ambitious to organize eight projects, but for practical reasons, we are not going to do everything at the same time. Since we are just relying on the kindness and generosity of our donors and volunteers, we will set up these projects as the resources come in. Through the combination of a Food Bank, a Job Bank, a Seedling Bank and a Book Bank, along with a Medical Clinic, a Dental Clinic, a Legal Clinic and a Credit Clinic plus the NBI and LTO services, we hope to be drawing large crowds on a daily basis in our mall location.
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Although we know that we are going to be swamped with many people every day in our mall location, we are going to make sure that we will have crowd control measures, and we are going to do that through a “number coding” system. SAMA KA will provide free goods and services to its members, as well as discounted products courtesy of its private, corporate and government donors from here and abroad. Membership is free but an Automatic Tulong Machine (ATM) card is required to avail of the freebies. As we have planned it, members should only go to the mall location on their designated service days, in order to avoid overcrowding.
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Naturally, and as a routine practice, I am going to announce our mall location in my radio program every day, thus promoting it also as an attractive destination for shoppers. Needless to say, I am also going to promote the location in my newspaper columns, as well as in my internet forums.
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I think that it is not a coincidence that I met our first Food Bank partner this week, in the person of Mrs. Karlyn Cloma. She is the founder and chairperson of Tulong Agad sa Kapwa Foundation. Her foundation has been implementing feeding programs for many years now. They have also been helping poor women in putting up livelihood projects. Aside from agreeing with me that a Food Bank is needed in order to sustain their feeding programs year round, she also agreed to receive referrals from SAMA KA, for them to help women applicants in their livelihood needs. I have referred to her four women who need sewing machines. I am sure it is not a mere coincidence too, but the slogan of her foundation is “SAMA KA”. I say that God is with us in what we are doing.
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I am happy to report that PHILSCAN has recently established a tie-up with the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) for the latter to conduct livelihood training seminars in cooperation with PHILSCAN, on topics covering animal raising subjects pertaining to pigs, cattle, goats chicken, ducks and other poultry products. BAI Director Dr. Dave Cabatbat assured me that his agency is willing and ready to conduct these seminars at any time, with as many modules as needed, in any location and accommodating as many participants as possible.
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We contacted BAI after QUEDANCOR President Nelson Buenaflor gave us the clarification that his agency only provides for the financing, while other agencies such as BAI and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) are the ones responsible for the training component. Hopefully, I could contact my friend Director Malcolm Sarmiento this week, so that we could complete the subject matters for the needed seminars. Along with loans for transportation businesses (jeep, taxi, van and tricycle), animal raising projects are very popular among the listeners of my radio show “Gulong ng Kabuhayan”. We are going to announce the schedules of these seminars as soon as we finalize the dates and venues.
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Earlier on, PHILSCAN has worked out a tie-up with the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP), for them to provide the counseling (consulting) services to our livelihood beneficiaries. With the entry of BAI and BFAR into the picture, we are only lacking two other components (namely marketing and packaging), having already addressed the financing, training and counseling components. As of now, noted marketing experts Tommy Lopez and Tony Gatmaitan have already volunteered their services, but in addition to them, I am hoping to work out an institutional arrangement, hopefully with the Philippine Marketing Association (PMA).
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Among other small business components, packaging is perhaps the most neglected aspect, and this is really a sad reality considering that nowadays, even fruits and vegetables (and raw meats) have to be well packaged in order to compete in the marketplace. Just like in big business, the products of small producers must be packaged well in order for them to sell more.