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JENNILYN, then five, was asked one day by her mother to buy fish
while at Central Market in Manila. When she went back, her mother
was no longer there. For days on end, Jennilyn waited for her
mother—not eating, drinking, or sleeping, and staying in that one
spot where she last saw mother, afraid she would not be found if she
slept or moved away. Her mother never did come back. Today, already
nine years of age, Jennilyn still blames herself for having
“lost” her mother.
Joan was eight years old when her mother was
fatally inflicted with cancer. With two younger siblings, Joan
started begging in Luneta Park so that they could bring home food
for the family. When Joan turned twelve, Manila’s Reception and
Action Center took them in and brought hem to Marikina City’s Boys
Town. While in Boys Town, the siblings were informed that their
mother had died. There was no funeral wake; not even a grave. No one
knows where their mother last resided. Joan is now fifteen years
old.
Rosemarie and Baby Rose Jandayan, four and two
years old, were living with their parents under trees in Luneta Park
or in rocks along the seawall of Baywalk Manila. Without even a
wooden pushcart to live in, the parents finally decided to sell
their children upon instigation of some brokers. The parents were
entrapped by a police operative upon the request of ABS-CBN’s XXX
program. They are presently in Manila City Jail for child
trafficking with the brokers and face a possible lifetime
imprisonment.
Jennilyn, Joan, Rosemarie and Baby Rose are just
four of the twelve children that are now being cared for by
Meritxell Children’s World Foundation, Inc. Each child has her own
story to tell. Each story is bound to bring tears to your eyes and a
stabbing pain to your heart. And each story is rendered more heart
breaking by the reality that they will soon be joined by other
children, as there are countless millions other abandoned and abused
children in our country, all yearning to find, and be part of, a
family who can love and care for them.
Andorra’s minister counsellor, Joan
“Baneo” Forner Rovira, came to the Philippines aspiring to adopt
a Filipino child. When he saw Manila’s misery, as he saw children
incarcerated in reception and action centers, prostitution dens and
city jails, where children are mingled with hardened adult felons,
he vowed in his heart that he would do something about these
children’s situation. Discussing possible projects with child
rights advocates, Baneo Forner proposed humanitarian assistance for
these children to the Government of Andorra. Today, Meritxell runs
two “Andorra Homes” that can shelter 28 children. Meritxell is
the only child-caring agency that sends its wards to a top private
school, namely Infant Jesus Academy, which has branches in Marikina,
Antipolo and Kalibo, Aklan. Meritxell’s lawyer trustees will
attend to the judicial process to make the children legally
available for adoption, guardianship and foster arrangements. In the
meantime, its founders aspire to provide the best possible care
while the children are in their custody.
One can say that Meritxell’s story is that of
an Andorran minister-counselor who found his soul and his subsequent
connection with Filipino lawyers, who mutually agreed to respond, in
imitation of Christ, to the humanitarian crisis of abused and
abandoned children.
Meritxell can continue in its mission, and
succeed, however, only when other people continue to respond to the
compelling call to help. Meritxell has been fortunate in this
regard. Mother Ricky Reyes of Ricky Reyes Hair Salon has been
contributing generously for the salaries of our social worker and
caregivers. Spain’s ECAI-Genus and Dr. Elizabeth Mallonga of
Netherlands have provided substantial donations. Rotary River City
President Dennis Orlina and his colleagues have been attending to
health and feeding programs.
Teacher Kelly Liuson provides arts and craft
activities while cancer survivor Leah Lagmay teaches English to the
children. Even the Filipino Community of Alvarado and Vicinity,
headed by Union City, Vice Mayor Manuel Fernandez of California and
his wife Florinda Fernandez, with colleagues Rey and Lilian Sison,
Maynard and Mila Estrellado, Fred and Cecile Gonzales, Carlen and
Gertrude Gregorio, Pat and Fred Gacoscos, Oscar and Luisa Penaranda,
Domeng and Erna Miranda, Bert and Malou Padua, have all sent
donations so that these children might have a fighting chance of
surviving this harsh world.
Kindhearted lawyers of Siguion Reyna Law
Offices, Joey Santos, Marivic Grageda, Helen Tiu, Margina Syjuco and
the Sweethearts of Christ, Jardine Gerodias, Natalia Atienza,
Jessica Fernandez, Isa and Obet Pascual, Jeffrey Dizon, Engr. Tony
Castro, San Beda, UP and UST college students have assisted for the
children to transcend their miserable conditions in life.
Tonight, these children in Meritxell
Foundation’s Andorra Homes shall be sleeping well, happy in the
thought that there are people who love and care for them. A
compassionate community that cares for its children is bound to
succeed in its humanitarian endeavors. Meritxell Foundation and its
sponsors is one such compassionate community.
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