A Star is Born

Hello Stars! Just a quick summary of the Flood Relief Operations.

This past Saturday, July 24, 2021, when there was a gathering of the current presidents of 3810 (Life Changing Presidents or LCPs) at Subic, they were discussing the current stormy weather and the Cavite Rotarians mentioned how some of the towns in three (3) Rotary areas were seriously flooded and people were in evacuation areas. PP Jackie Rodriguez, under an emergency system of RCM, called the Disaster Response Task Force (DRTF) and alerted RCM and partners, RCManila Foundation, Inc. Chairman and Programs Committee Chairman PVP Hermie Esguerra and DGE Joyce Ambray, decided that the help needed had to be done as soon as possible. The RCM Board and the RCManila Foundation, Inc. Board raised a call for donations and allocated funds for the impromptu project immediately.

Last Saturday night, DGE Joyce Ambray had to find an open store as most were closed due to rains and flooding together with some helpers and managed to get the bulk of the items, closing the store 9:00 pm. The morning after, Sunday, she still had to make two (2) trips for additional supplies (more rice, toiletries, plastic bags) to the same store (Puregold).

Still last Saturday, RCManila Foundation, Inc. and Programs Committee PVP Hermie Esguerra led the operations for the next day, having streamers made (one of the Rotary Club LCPs was able to rush it), preparing his farm (a bubble facility with 175 workers fulltime staying in-house, complete with an antigen testing laboratory at the gate area, with staff in full hazmat suits), and preparation of the main hall for the food packing. The restaurant reception was also set up for breakfast (for the early comers, hot chocolat-eh tables with kakanin and brewed coffee), lunch, snacks, and even dinner. Coordination needed to be made with the pick-up, delivery, and receiving of the food packs. In the meantime, PP Jackie Rodrigiez coordinated approvals from the boards of RCM and the Foundation and arranged for the truck to pick up and deliver goods. Almost everything was set up except for the warm bodies, especially of RCM Members. He called for volunteers for the following day, Sunday, which I saw on my Viber.

For myself, I had no visibility on the whole activity, but I thought it unlikely that anyone could make it given the terrible weather, heightened GCQ restrictions given the renewed CoVid-19 surge and worries about the Delta variant, not to mention the extremely short notice (Saturday afternoon post asking for volunteers early Sunday morning). Precisely because I thought there would be no Rotarians there but Hermie and Jackie (I assumed (wrongly) that workers would be doing most of the packing), I decided to commit. I had to cancel my plans of the usual work catch-up, and errands. I also had medical tests planned because my right thumb was hurting and I was afraid (still am) that it could be a diabetic neuropathy affecting my nerves. Until late Saturday night, I was still coordinating plans with whoever could go. I wasn’t expecting STAR Rtn. Teddy Tee to make it since I knew he was in Balesin, but he arrived Saturday afternoon and committed to go. In the evening, STAR Rtn. Mike Albaña had canceled his own family time and circuit racing plans to join us.

Early Sunday morning, July 25, 2021, I asked STAR Rtn. Teddy Tee to maybe offer to pick up PP Jackie Rodriguez because it didn’t look like he was going with anyone. We ended up all riding STAR Rtn. Teddy Tee’s spacious and flood-busting Toyota Land Cruiser to the Esguerra Farms with the radio tuned in to the Rodriguez History Channel (no commercial breaks). Meanwhile, at Esguerra Farms, RCManila Foundation, Inc. Chairman and Programs Committee Chairman PVP Hermie Esguerra was alerted by the gate that two (2) brothers, two (2) named Mr. Rodriguez and two (2) more companions had arrived at 7:00 am. Thinking RCM members had arrived so early (he and partner, DGE Joyce Ambray had quite a late night), he rushed to get ready, only to find out it was the Cavite Rotaractors, Adrian and Aaron Rodriguez, with two (2) other girls.

Apart from the five (5) RCM members, four (4) Rotaractors, two (2) RCM staff members (Con Bigcas and Sol Encarnacion), there were twelve (12) other District 3810 Rotarians from Cavite and Manila led by DGE Joyce Ambray and included a couple of spouses. The supporting cast outside of the truck drivers and “pahinantes”, were one photo/videographer, the helpers, the utility and kitchen staff of the Esguerra Farm. We arrived and went through quarantine protocol and antigen saliva test (spit from the diaphragm, label your containers with your name) as well as the disinfection of our vehicle tires, and waited fifteen (15) minutes after which the staff in hazmat attire returned to announce the CoVid negative findings. We were escorted by a motorcycled uniformed escort to the main hall to see that the goods were stacked in the middle. DGE Joyce Ambray was still out doing her Puregold run. Some of the sacks of rice were already being placed in one (1) kilo portions in plastic bags.

While waiting for the others to arrive and the streamers to be set up, RCManila Foundation, Inc. Chairman and Programs Committee Chairman PVP Hermie Esguerra took us on a brief tour of the facilities (there was no time though to go to the stables and the piggery). When we got back, the other District 3810 Rotarians were already there and the work started in earnest and boy, it was real work and all hands were on the deck (Rotary Club Presidents, RCM and Rotaractors side by side). I injured my hurting thumb carrying the pails a couple of hours into the operation. We started around 10:00 am and lunch was at 3:00 pm. Long as the hours were, we still made good time, considering the 350 packs, the correction for contents, counting, quality control, putting into small portions and plastic (rice, soap, toiletries), arranging, moving the pails constantly, and so on.

The Orocan pails contained 3 kilos of rice, 3 cans of viands (corned beef, meatloaf, wowulam), 2 sachets of Alaska milk, 1 pack of Great Taste coffee, 1 pack of sugar, 1 pack of vinegar, 1 pack of soy sauce, 3 beef noodle packs, 2 chicken noodle packs, 1 pack pastry, 1 loaf of bread, toothbrush, toothpaste, laundry soap, bath soap, alcohol and toiletries. We laid out an assembly line, each station for separate items, then the "shoppers" filled in the pails with goods. Pails had to be arranged with the same height (different kinds of pails had an inch difference in height) and eventually the contents had to be arranged flat so that the cartons could be put on top and more pails put in, arranged in the truck. We had to do a fire line to put the pails in the truck which had to be backed into the hall area because it started to rain.

Tired and hungry, we were treated to a late lunch that was superb. We had Kurobota collagen bone broth, inihaw na baboy, korean pork ribs, rice, pasta carbonara, fish fillet, garden salad, almond lychee, kakanin paired with hot chocolate or brewed coffee for dessert. Afterwards, Bignay and French wines were served with the farm's newest product, Kurobota chicharon, freshly fried. This was the period when everyone introduced themselves because most of us were just Rotarians side by side not really knowing one another. I was surprised that most of them were Rotary Presidents of Districf 3810.

RCManila Foundation, Inc. Chairman and Programs Committee Chairman PVP Hermie Esguerra’s introduction was, certainly, one of a kind and undoubtedly, worth mentioning: “In a time of emergency, it is difficult to expect too much from fellow Rotarians, but, indeed, the RCM support for the lightning fast execution of the Flood Relief project came like a deluge of goodwill in the classic Rotarian way. The RCM Board and the RCManila Foundation, Inc. acted with speed and decisiveness. Pledges and cash donations from members came in speedily. Most heartwarmingly, three (3) STAR Rotarians drove in the stormy weather on a Sunday morning and spent the day, not like primadonna generals, but like humble soldiers, side by side with our District 3810 Presidents and Officers, physically packing the goods. Let us ask them to relate their experience to the body now, may I call on STAR Rotarians Anton Mauricio, Teddy Tee, and Mike Albaña.”

RCManila Foundation, Inc. Chairman and Programs Committee Chairman PVP Hermie Esguerra and DGE Joyce Ambray, as the hosts, led the program, while PP Jackie Rodriguez updated them about how RCM donations were still coming in as we were posting the photos in the different viber groups. All in all, my fellow STAR Rotarians (I only found out yesterday that only new RCM members are called STARS and not the new members of other Rotary clubs), it was a tiring day of sacrifice for all, but well worth the effort, not only in terms of the 350 families that we helped, but the spirit of camaraderie and bonding in my first Rotary Club of Manila experience of this kind.