In recent months, Batch63 came to hear about the plight of two embattled classmates One was in need of an emergency eye operation and another had lost everything during the onslaught of Typhoon Pedring last September. In support of its own, Batch63 came through for the two cases.
Case No. 1
Joey Alonso did not have many friends in Grade School. He was the quintessential school bully. He was actually kicked out in the fourth grade for fighting. True to form he lived the wild life all his life and is lucky he survived unscathed through all his escapades. He emerged a few years ago and reconnected with the Batch. He is now a Senior citizen who is affiliated with a Christian group. He calls everyone Brother and it was amazing how he could remember Batch63 guys - full names and all - even after 50 years.
Some months ago, he came requesting for help for his impending eye operation. He had managed to find sponsors in Makati Medical Center but it was not a totally free offer. He finally settled for another hospital (East Avenue Hospital) that was more affordable. One Kapihan day, the group passed the hat and came out with part of his financial requirement. Mari Duarte - ironically Joey's grade school foe - was tasked by the group to ensure the proper disposition of the funds. Mari attended to the matter with dispatch and coordinated with the social worker on the case. Mari finally handed the fund (P12K) last week to the social worker who guaranteed that the fund will be exclusively used for Joey's medical requirement.
Case No.
2
In the 50s, Boy Tungpalan's family owned the famous Roadside Cafe restaurant near the corner of Vito Cruz and Taft Avenue. With it's arresting neon signage, the Cafe was a landmark then. It had both famous and notorious people as its regular patrons. In those times, many of Boy's classmates would go to his house after school and where they partook of delicious hamburger sandwich from the Cafe. That was the equivalent of the McDonald treat at that time.
Today, Boy has fallen onto hard times. He lives in a small house in Navotas that was totally demolished by Typhoon Pedring. While Boy ekes out a living doing minor construction jobs (he took up architecture) and managing a little eatery with his wife, he lost everything in the storm. Led by Lito Quiogue, friends of Boy rallied to his cause and the hat was passed around during the Grand Kapihan today. The large attendance at the Kapihan was timely and who contributed an amount of more than P24K for Boy. Special mention is warranted for the long distance donation of Manolo Relova (who is an American resident). Boy was a picture of gratefulness as he received the token and said that the gift would go a long way. He was teary eyed as he thanked each and everyone in the Batch.
Case No. 1
Joey Alonso did not have many friends in Grade School. He was the quintessential school bully. He was actually kicked out in the fourth grade for fighting. True to form he lived the wild life all his life and is lucky he survived unscathed through all his escapades. He emerged a few years ago and reconnected with the Batch. He is now a Senior citizen who is affiliated with a Christian group. He calls everyone Brother and it was amazing how he could remember Batch63 guys - full names and all - even after 50 years.
Some months ago, he came requesting for help for his impending eye operation. He had managed to find sponsors in Makati Medical Center but it was not a totally free offer. He finally settled for another hospital (East Avenue Hospital) that was more affordable. One Kapihan day, the group passed the hat and came out with part of his financial requirement. Mari Duarte - ironically Joey's grade school foe - was tasked by the group to ensure the proper disposition of the funds. Mari attended to the matter with dispatch and coordinated with the social worker on the case. Mari finally handed the fund (P12K) last week to the social worker who guaranteed that the fund will be exclusively used for Joey's medical requirement.
Case No.
2In the 50s, Boy Tungpalan's family owned the famous Roadside Cafe restaurant near the corner of Vito Cruz and Taft Avenue. With it's arresting neon signage, the Cafe was a landmark then. It had both famous and notorious people as its regular patrons. In those times, many of Boy's classmates would go to his house after school and where they partook of delicious hamburger sandwich from the Cafe. That was the equivalent of the McDonald treat at that time.
Today, Boy has fallen onto hard times. He lives in a small house in Navotas that was totally demolished by Typhoon Pedring. While Boy ekes out a living doing minor construction jobs (he took up architecture) and managing a little eatery with his wife, he lost everything in the storm. Led by Lito Quiogue, friends of Boy rallied to his cause and the hat was passed around during the Grand Kapihan today. The large attendance at the Kapihan was timely and who contributed an amount of more than P24K for Boy. Special mention is warranted for the long distance donation of Manolo Relova (who is an American resident). Boy was a picture of gratefulness as he received the token and said that the gift would go a long way. He was teary eyed as he thanked each and everyone in the Batch.
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