While in flood-devastated Laguna, Philippines, I met a group of Filipinos who were determined to learn to help themselves. I had the privilege of meeting one of them when he was in Singapore for a brief visit. He had been invited by a friend of his to visit Singapore.
During his stay in Singapore he was lost and asked me for instructions how to get back to his friend’s house. As I was going to drive in the direction of where his friend lived, I told him to hop into my car. In the car, I asked him what he did and he told me the many interesting things that he was doing and planning to do.
The car ride was barely five minutes and when he I dropped him off at his friend’s house we exchanged emails. Though I was quite impressed with what this young man (aged 27 at that time) was doing, I didn’t think much about him because I did not think that I’d ever meet him again.
Shortly after I received an email from him and photos of the projects that he had told me about. I am used to receiving “impressive” reports from overseas – and have become a little sceptical because many of such reports are exaggerated and sometimes downright dishonest. So I didn’t bother much with that email.
However, he persisted in sending more reports and photos of his projects. I began to think that maybe he was really as creative and productive as he claimed to be. So I decided that on my next trip to the Philippines to visit him.
When I visited him in Laguna, I was impressed by what I saw – the team of earnest young people that he had, the network of friends that he had cultivated, the livelihood projects and potential projects that the had for the poor. That was two years ago. Since then I make a point of visiting him each time I visit the Philippines (say about 3 times per year).
This young man graduated as a civil engineer in a top university in Iloilo, Philippines but decided to give up his profession to help the poor and needy. He has built up a team of young men and women who have the same dreams as him.
He has the ability to reach the poorest of the poor and also to make friends with the rich and powerful. He mobilizes the resources of the rich to help the poor – often holding seminars for poor kids in top resorts for free. He knew how to be the voice of the poor to the rich and a channel of the rich to the poor.
After several visits and many hours of dreaming together, I was convinced that he was to be our Goducate man for Laguna’s poor and helpless.