Eight years ago, Hans Sy saw a heart-wrenching story on a newscast. Beauty magnate Ricky Reyes, long-time loyal building tenant of Hans’ father Henry Sy, was crying over an eviction letter against Childhaus from its home inside the Quezon Institute Compound in Quezon City.
Childhaus (Center for Health Improvement & Life Development) is an organization that temporarily houses cancer-stricken children while undergoing medical evaluation and chemotherapy in Manila, usually at Philippine General Hospital (PGH). The children (40 to 200) stay at the Center with one family member free of charge as they go to and from the hospital for their chemo treatment.
Fifteen years earlier, during a visit to the PGH, Ricky was told that the children were out-patients from far-flung provinces. Reyes asked for help from then PCSO (Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office) head Honey Girl Singson.
“Honey let the children stay at one of the empty buildings behind PCSO that served as bodega at the Quezon Institute Compound,” recalled Ricky. “For years, the PCSO also gave a yearly P1M grant to the Center and donors also provided food items with mothers of patients cooking dishes (designed by nutritionists) for their patient residents as well as keeping the surroundings clean, a practice being done to this day. A bayanihan practice.”
Volunteers and donors who saw the place and the residents, gave and came regularly like teachers from different schools, actors, actresses, media (such as broadcaster Henry Omaga Diaz) and even clients of Ricky’s salons. Celebrities would hold their birthday celebrations at the Center, like Karylle, Sarah Geronimo, Richard Gutierrez, Dingdong Dantes, Marian Rivera, Anne Curtis, Luis Manzano, Ogie Diaz, Iza Calzado, Gloria Romero, Daniel Padilla, Karla Estrada, Tates Gana, Divine Lee, Nadine Lustre, Elisse Joson and others.
Then came the eviction notice (electricity was cut) because the PCSO compound, according to Ricky, was being sold to a real estate developer. That was when Ricky cried on national television. Silent donors came to Ricky’s rescue, including Dr. Rachel Rosario, an anesthesiologist and pain specialist who was the executive director of Ricky’s Munting Paraiso at the Cancer Institute of the PGH.
...and Hans with other Childhaus patients
“For months,” continued Ricky, “I kept looking for Childhaus’ new home. But the landlords would turn me down outright when they learned that the house would serve as transient home for cancer patients. I found a three-storey building near Mindanao Avenue that could house 90 people. But the basement got flooded when it rained.”
Unknown to Ricky, Hans was already looking for a house but when sellers learned that “a Sy” was the buyer, they would raise the price. Hans found a temporary house (for three and a half years) at Mapangakit St., Quezon City. He called Ricky and handed him the key.
In 2015, as part of his 60th birthday celebration, Hans donated a permanent home for Childhaus at Agoncillo St., Paco, Manila (near PGH) which he bought with his personal savings.
Asked about his generous donation, Hans replied, “In the past years, I would reward myself with something special on my birthday. It could be an expensive watch or a painting. Then it hit me…Now, I feel so much better.”
There’s a touching story behind Hans’ acquisition of the house.
“In the beginning,” related Ricky, “the owner of the lot, Mercedes Barrios-Rivera, refused to sell the property, even to ‘a Sy.’ Mercedes said that they had so many memories in that house. But when her daughter told her why Hans wanted the property (because it’s near the hospitals) Mercedes finally gave in.”
The work of helping cancer-stricken children undergoing treatment continues, with the help of generous donors, volunteers, establishments, hotels, restaurants, etc. Of the more than 15,000 children who stayed at the Center, only one percent did not make it — “Because he came too late for the treatment. The rest are now healthy and going on with their productive lives, forever grateful to those known and unknown benefactors and philanthropists who have been blessed more.”
A list of all the patients and donors is kept in the files of Childhaus since Day One, 15 years ago.
(E-mail reactions at rickylophilstar@gmail.com. For more updates, photos and videos, visit www.philstar.com/funfare or follow me on Instagram @therealrickylo.)