The rice was distributed among the 16 families in the camp and the remaining two bags were to be distributed to another indigent families in other area of Alfosno, Cavite.

The children also enjoyed snack bread handed by the Japanese guests.

There was a man with enlarged testicles who had a hard time walking due to its enormous size. He explained that he had pain occasionally and showed us laboratory test results. Doctor Iwai who has a license in Japan briefly diagnosed it as a benign tumor and suggested an operation to incise and get the fluid out.
PP Raymund will coordinate with the municipal health department.

The family was selected for our support by DSWD (Department of Social Welfare Development) and LCPC (Local Council for Protection of Children) Alfonso, Cavite.

She is a single mother of 5 children who are attending high school and elementary school. Her 5th child is barely a year old.

She is a manicurist, wherein she put up a shaded spot near her rented home for her customers.

Updates on August 20, 2022

RIMM assisted Merly Montealto from Barangay Marahan1, Alfonso, Cavite on the school supplies of her 4 children attending high school and elementary school.

The school supplies consisted of backpack bags, assorted notebooks, brown envelopes, art papers, sketch pads, pencils, pens, umbrellas, socks, water tumblers, rulers, coloring pens, box of face mask, toothbrush, water color, tape, scissors, highlighter pens, rubber erasers, glue, plastic envelopes and many more were provided.

Merly and her eldest son who assisted his mother to purchase the school supplies thanked RIMM for the support.

Merly said she had no means at all to buy the school supplies as a manicurist and a single mother.

DSWD and our club have been associated for education of family planning as the Philippines is known for population explosion or baby factory, which has accelerated poverty entailing people to spend more money for nursing their children.

After being educated and assisted, Merly is willing to undergo ligation, one of the most popular contraceptive methods in the country, next month.

Updates on December 10, 2022

Rotarian Casey and Raymund, together with DSWD Alfonso Gina and former councilor Carol visited the family again.

After having 6 children from different fathers, Merly has decided to undergo ligation surgery and will take a week off from her business as a manicurist.

Our Club pledged to provide a financial assistance for her transportation to the ligation facility and food for the whole family during her off-the-work period.

Learning her eldest son has been making knitted items such as shoulder bags and sweaters, the fund assistance will cover the cost of yarns for him to further pursue knitting and potential sales of the products.

Updates on January 9, 2023

Gina of DSWD accompanied Past Presidents Casey and Raymund of Rotary International Multinational Manila (RIMM) to the rented home of Merly Montealto in Barangay Marahan 1, Alfonso to give 10 kilos of rice on January 9, 2023.

Her eldest son does crochet, and some of his completed items were displayed. He is selling them for his own school needs.

Merly was ligated in December 2022 and financial assistance to survive during her resting that also included the transportation cost for her ligation and yarn materials for her son was given by our club. She has 6 children and a single mother working as a manicurist.

ARMK completed a 7 day feeding mission in Dinagat Island and almost cooked 7,000 hot meals in the towns of Agusan Del Norte, Surigao Del Norte and Bohol. 
ARMK shared happiness with RIMM to feed many homeless and hungry victims of the typhoon. 

The following volunteers joined the event:

• Army Reserve Command 402nd Team
• Alfonso Municipal Mayor Randy Salamt (RS) group
• Members of the Alfonso police who donated school supplie
• CDC Charlie of Anti-Crime Alfonso
• Gina of Department of Social Welfare Development Alfonso
• Barangay Captain Cynthia of Luksuhin Ibaba
• Barangay Captain Berio Perea of Manggas Uno who donated children’s clothing and slippers
• Guardians Central Federation International
• Guardians youth

About 70 indigent children attended the event.

Our club provided the following to the children:

• slippers
• clothing
• toys
• reading books
• school supplies ie. crayons, pencils
• packed biscuits and drinks

A Philippine non-profit organization Academy of World Healing Foundation (AWH) which provides the HQ facility to our club at no cost provided the following items that were donated by its guests from Japan:

• schools supplies
• adult clothing
• travel size hygiene items (shampoo, toothbrush, toothpaste, soap)
• bags
• men’s shoe

Children’s faces were lit up each time an item was individually handed to them. They also received P20 coins each. While the event was on-going the children opened their packed biscuits and drinks immediately.

The leader of Camp Hope was very grateful for extending the spirit of Christmas to their children. He even mentioned that it was only our club who helped them with weekly food supply during the Enhanced Community Quarantine period when they were not able to go out to sell taho (tofu), their vending staple. In a joyous voice all of the children said, “Maraming salamat po” (translation: “Thank you”) at the end of the event.

Present were our club president (TP) Lito, past president Raymund,  Honorary member and Sargent of Philippine Army Reserve Command (ARESCOM) Jun Baurile, Sgt. Janet of ARESCOM and Gina of Department of Social Welfare Development (DSWD) Alfonso, who shared vital information on Responsible Parenthood, Teenage Pregnancy and Vasectomy.

There were 60 participants (indigents and 4 P’s members of the community) who received a bag of rice, assorted canned goods and noodles.

The indigent recipients as well as barangay volunteers received P100 cash each.

During the event Raymund thanked past president Don Shields of Rotary Club of Geelong Central in Australia for his generous donation for the event and everyone applauded to show their heartfelt gratitude.

The Barangay captain Noralyn Hernando and her team awarded our club a Certificate of Appreciation.

Incidentally, Brigada Eskwela or the National Schools Maintenance Week is a nationwide initiative by the Department of Education (DepEd) that mobilizes thousands of parents, alumni, civic groups, local businesses, non-government organizations, teachers, students, and individuals who volunteer their time and skills to do repairs  

May 20-30, 2019, our Rotarian Imelda supported Aeta Village Elementary School for repainting tables, installing bamboo fences, planting various plants and cleaning rooms under OBE and Brigada Eskwela.

Our club and club Rotarian Imelda Donated painting and cleaning materials and school bags and supplies to grade 4 Aeta students.

The school teachers and approx. 260 students are benefited and appreciated our support.

Indigent women and their children were pleased to receive the hygiene products.

In the meantime, Since family planning is the flagship program of RIMM we reminded the women and young teenage mothers in Usting to voluntarily undergo free subcutaneous implant on April 11, 2018 to be conducted by RIMM, Friendly Care and Dr. Manzo (Municipal Health Officer of Alfonso). RIMM has offered cash incentive to Usting resident Roselyn who underwent tubal ligation to invite more women in her community for subcutaneous implant on April 11, 2018.

Humanitarian Mission to the Poorest of the Poor

An all-day humanitarian mission was conducted by four RIMM Rotarians with a van overloaded with rice (250kg rice in 5kg bags), baked goods, bought school supplies, misc. school supplies and clothing donated by Japanese Club Rotarians and over P10,000 in P20 currencies for distribution to the children.

Tondo (formerly known for Smokey Mountain) Dump Site, Metro Manila

This site is huge, old garbage mountain where the poorest of the poor are struggling to survive by going through garbage, looking for recyclable items which can be cashed in at junk shops. A nearby active garbage dump site provides further opportunities for recycling and survival with garbage delivered to the street recyclers by middlemen.

Our club members were shocked to see hundreds of children emerged to grab P20 bills (watch video). In poverty there is no proper education thus family planning is neglected. What kind of future can these children expect? After this visit, our club decided to provide financial or food assistance only to whom undergo contraceptive measures such as BTL (Bilateral Tubal Ligation), subcutaneous implant, etc.

Pasay Cemetary

People live in and around the cemetery with no source of income except for garbage recycling and begging.

Day 1. Distribution of school supplies, clothing, hygienic products and immediate cash for personal needs to families establishing temporary “nipa hut” roadside evacuation sites.

Day. 2 Returning with 250 kg of rice, additional baked goods and incidentals to the sites visited the previous day.

Day 3 – After evaluating the needs of evacuation centers in schools, an additional 500 kg of rice was delivered there.

While our humanitarian mission may have just been a drop in the bucket considering the never-ending needs, to those we served it was more than just a lifeline and brought joy and hope.

On Christmas day PE Betty along with husband Fred and the whole family opened their home to the same indigent families and other indigents in the neighborhood, serving several hundred hearty meals from a large roasted pig along with individual wrapped presents for each child.