MANILA, Philippines - Only a special kind of person reacts to misery with grace. It takes unfailing strength after all to address the unpleasant. Such is the strength of John Drake, a former senior VP for human resources and administrative services at US-based CMS Energy and Consumers Energy. After his employers sold their plant in the Philippines, Drake acted on a mission that was slowly forming within him.
During his past business trips to the Philippines, Drake observed the dire poverty of children on the streets. These children were hungry, impoverished, neglected, and as he found out — physically and sexually abused. Even while in the US, on breaks from his travels, he could not forget the children who had turned to begging and scavenging as means to survive. He was moved by their blank stares and absence of hope in the midst of suffering. In 2006, armed with his decision to help, Drake opened the Lingap Center in Toledo City, Cebu and formed its supporting organization, the Lingap Children’s Foundation in the US.
The center serves as a shelter for children from ages six to 18 who would otherwise be left to fend for themselves in troubled situations. Here, they eat three meals a day, have the opportunity to go to school, have access to religious services and counseling, and simply have the time to play as all kids should have.
Other programs of the foundation include Street Children Education. A teacher is sent to instruct children who are unable to go to school for a variety of reasons. At the city park, these kids learn the basics of reading, arithmetic and hygiene. Also provided is lunch, often the only meal these kids have for the day. Drake has even collaborated with the local parish priest for spiritual formation. Through the Third Saturday Outreach, a children’s Mass is held once a month at the center, followed by a soup kitchen for those in attendance.
More than nutritional sustenance and skills formation, what the children receive ultimately is inner value and self-worth. From the over 300 who have been served by the center, 15 are currently in university and three have already graduated. One of the former residents, Aileen Bantolinao, is a Tourism Management graduate of the University of San Carlos in Cebu City. She is currently taking her internship at the Baltimore Country Club in Maryland. Bantolinao, who first came to Lingap at the age of seven, credits Drake and the foundation for her success. Without Lingap, she acknowledges that she might have gone into prostitution, having grown up without a mother and with a father who could not support his children.
To many, John Drake is a hero, having saved hundreds from poverty and its effects — malnutrition, commitment of crimes, participation in the sex trade, and loss of hope. The center is recognized by the regional director of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) as “…the best facility of its kind in all of the Visayas, if not in the entire Philippines.” Yet, this philanthropist considers himself the most fortunate one. He has fun while continuously seeing the change in each child. There is an “imprint” that each child leaves in him, and through the help of volunteers and donors, the Lingap Center continues to thrive with its mission.