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| There's a reason why I wouldn't give this Igorot guy a pair of slippers |
I am not some big corporate guy. You probably make more money
than I do. But I find a way to help others financially, not that I feel I have
a moral or divine obligation to do so. I just feel that it's the right thing to
do, but most importantly, because I am a product of philanthropy myself. I was
on scholarship from high school 'till college. And this example of my
benefactors helped me see the universe as a product of meaningful accidents or
fate and fortune. It was an accident that I was born a Filipino citizen that's
why I was not eligible for a working holiday visa when I was 25 and wanted to
pick apples in Australia for a living and a holiday. Some Yoshihiro could do
that because he was, by fate, born in Japan. And he could earn 3 months' worth
of my salary, (just working at 7-Eleven in one month) because he was
accidentally living in that society. But we can't just whine about our fate and
envy others' fortune. We can choose to emancipate ourselves from this bondage
of fate, and eventually make our own destiny. The inspiring story of Apo Elmer,
whose dream to ride an airplane was realized all because he did what he was
born to do--farming--and firmly believed in that dream, is a good example of
making one’s own destiny.
Josiah Ballagan has a similar story. He was just doing what
he was born to do--run--when I met him at their home on the foothills of Mt
Tabayoc in Benguet. I saw his great potential as an athlete so I registered him
in The North Face 100 (50K, CamSur) in 2011 where he finished 4th. It was his
first trail race. It was 50km and he was still barely 17 then. In 2012, he
finished second in The North Face 100 Baguio (50K). That same year, with the
help of the Philippine Skyrunning Association and the benevolent Nestor
Fongwan, the then governor of Benguet, I sent him to the Mt Kinabalu
International Climbathon in Malaysia where he finished just 37 minutes behind
the world champion Kilian Jornet. His outstanding performance in that
international race prompted the governor to give him a full scholarship at
Benguet State University. Four years after that run, he earned a college degree
and now he has a job.
I prefer this idea of effecting a change—where you focus on
an individual instead of a big community. I am not a fan of one-time-big-time
outreach programs. Sometimes, the proud selfies of the donors last longer that
the slippers they donate. Like I said, I am not some big organization. I can
only effect a very little change in this world. I cannot help a whole community
in a long term case. But with the help other little hands and small pockets, I
can help create a lasting change in an individual.
And this year, we've seen two individuals brimming with
talent—the elite runners from Antique, John Ray Onifa and Rene John Ello.
However, little hands and little pockets can only afford to help one individual
so we've chosen Onifa. We saw his running caliber when he breezed through the
21K race in Tracing Iraynon-Bukidnon Trails in Antique. Through the help of
some individuals and organizations (who I really want to mention here but whose
preference for anonymity we need to respect), the proceeds of the lagataw shirt
was able to support Onifa in two of his trail races in Luzon—the Salomon Xtrail
32K and Soleus Cross-Country Challenge 12K- where he emerged champion (in both
events).
Seeing the talent of this promising athlete, the office of the
governor of Antique, Rhodora Cadiao (coincidentally a party-mate of former
governor Fongwan of Benguet) through the Provincial Youth Development Office
headed by Rexon Nodque, gave Onifa a job and a scholarship grant. Onifa
couldn't contain his joy when he heard this news. He couldn't believe that
great things could come just by being the best that you can be—whatever you are:
a farmer, a fisherman or a runner. After TIBT, he has added more trophies and
titles to his already large collection, the most recent of which is the Milo
Marathon qualifier in Iloilo. But we want to extend this feat overseas. We're
sending him to The North Face 100 Thailand in February 2018. And we need more
small hands and pockets.
In this world of meaningful accidents and fate, you can
choose between two things—you can be one who firmly believes in your dream and
tries to be the best of who you can be, or you can choose to be the wind
beneath that believer's wings.
Join me in sending Onifa to the finish line in The North Face
100 Thailand 2018.
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| dri-fit; neon green |
Get a piece of this limited edition shirt. When you wear this
shirt, it may not remind you of a mountain that you have conquered or a
monument that you have visited. But let this shirt remind you that you have
helped in creating a lasting change in this world.
Even the flutter of a butterfly’s wings can create a
hurricane halfway across the Earth.
For details, visit our page on Facebook.
