Radiologist shares blessings with GK

Dr. Carlos "Charlie" Capati has been working as a successful radiologist in the United States for 34 years now.

In that span of time, he has experienced financial ups and downs, gained material comfort but went bankrupt in 2000 because of a severe financial blow to real estate investments (Capati is also in the real estate business.)

But through all his trials, whether he had enough money or not, sharing and helping his poor kababayans in the Philippines has always been on his mind.

That is why, when he first heard of Gawad Kalinga (GK) in 2004 and became inspired by the whole concept, he decided to forgo his retirement and worked "for one extra month for three more years" to be able to raise the $100,000 he needed to build the three GK villages he pledged for.

At a senior age of 63 when he was supposed to be slowing down, Capati became unmindful of long, tedious hours of working in the hospital, huge tasks and all because he was clear-eyed and deadset only on one matter, earn the money needed to fund the homes for the poor in the Philippines.

Today, Capati is still working in the US and not even sore muscles, a painful back, colds or cough and long hours of travel to and from the Philippines would stop him from coming back to oversee the villages he had built for the indigent in Bagong Silang, Caloocan, Angat, Bulacan and Angeles in Pampanga.

Pouring time, energy and so much passion to GK, he vowed to stay committed and involved with the lives of the people in the villages he donated.

Capati named the village in Bagong Silang after him and wife Myrna and sons Jay, Bill and Albert (CM and sons) while the one in Bulacan was named after his wife’s parents, Paul and Marcelina Galang, and the last one he named after his parents, Guillermo and Luna Capati village in Angeles City.

Capati said no other project has appealed to him more than GK, a non-government organization which offers a concrete plan to rebuild the Philippines, aiming to construct 700,000 homes in 7,000 communities in seven years or GK777. Its vision for the Philippines is a slum-free, squatter-free nation through a simple strategy of providing land for the landless, homes for the homeless, food for the hungry and as a result providing dignity and peace for every Filipino.

Even when he was in the US, Capati said he was never removed from the sad plight of poor Pinoys, he knew that someday he would give back to his motherland and GK became a perfect vehicle.

"I spent half of my life being nourished, shaped, educated and prepared for life by my wonderful parents in the Philippines and half of my life serving the USA as radiologist. It is now time to give back and serve my native land. Having grown up poor and once lived in slums as a squatter, I can relate very well with our poor brothers and sisters," Capati said.

His first visit to GK villages in Bagong Silang, Payatas, Towerville and Angeles City was an eye-opener to the magnitude of the impact of GK on the poor through its programs of shelter, health, education, livelihood and community empowerment.

"It convinced me that GK is the true hope for the Philippines," Capati said. "We believe in the Gawad Kalinga’s vision since we learned about it. Our commitment is not only the villages we pledged but to spread the words Gawad Kalinga at every chance to friends, associations, businesses, relatives and even strangers," said Capati, adding it was not enough to stay on the sidelines and watch after donating.

Today, Capati is more financially stable and successful, and is now president of the Illinois Medical Association, and a real estate businessman.

But he said nothing would compare to the joy and fulfillment of helping his kababayans, not status or wealth.

Right now, he is sponsoring two more villages in San Vicente and Labo in Camarines Norte and is convincing his fellow Filipino American doctors to fund these villages.

Capati is also active in a project that will connect 30,000 doctors in the US to their native provinces in the Philippines and convince them to build their very own GK villages for the indigent in their turfs.

Tony Meloto, GK founder, gave broad kudos to the kindness of Capati and thousands other GK heroes for their selflessness in helping the poor people they don’t even know and for nothing.

"While we honor overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) abroad for helping our economy, Dr. Capati, and many others abroad are doing their share to help the poor and homeless people in our country. These are the people they do not know but they help, they give back and for nothing," Meloto said.

Capati, for his part, said he wouldn’t get tired of building homes for the poor because he believed that this is not simply doling out but doing his part in nation building.

He and his wife considered the meeting with Meloto and Dylan Wilk in Chicago in October 2004 a turning point in their lives.

"It was definitely the most exciting and inspiring day I can remember in my life when we listened to Tony and Dylan and was overwhelmed with their passion and vision to uplift the poor countrymen from their hopeless situation. I have never seen such an awe-inspiring commitment to such a heroic project. My wife and I were so humbled by the leader’s compassion, leadership and dedication," Capati said.

His first visit to the first village he had built was most memorable.

"I could still vividly see the houses so cute, colorful and clean. I could see the faces of the children so happy in their school uniforms greeting us ‘good morning visitors’. I could see the faces of the men full of resolve and beaming with pride building the houses. I could see the mothers proudly showing off their homes and their community center full of gratitude," Capati said.

What warmed his heart was the bayanihan spirit of the village leaders and volunteers and how these gave the people hope.

"After over four hundred years, we may yet live to see the day when our motherland will finally become what our heroes have strive and died for, a great nation buoyed by the bayanihan spirit that will be the envy of the rest of the world. A great nation our children and grandchildren will be proud of," Capati stressed.

He emphasized the importance of getting involved and committed in the GK community.

"This journey is being told not to boast on what we have done but to illustrate that making a commitment to a cause does not end after a donation is made. It is actually the beginning. We realized that it is not what you give financially that counts the most, rather it is the intensity of commitment to spread the gospel of Gawad Kalinga thereafter. We do not know where this GK journey will lead us but so far it has been a very fulfilling experience. Myrna and I are very fortunate we found a truly worthy movement in Gawad Kalinga that we deeply believe to finally give back in a big way as we always dreamed about many years ago," Capati said.

Living in the US

He and Myrna settled in the US in 1972. Being both the eldest in the family, they took charge of sending their relatives to school and when life got better in the US, they planned to donate some of their wealth to the poor.

"About ten years ago, we were looking for bigger things to undertake to help in the Philippines. My practice in radiology and the investments we entered since 1978 have given us the opportunity to plan to give back in a big way.

"We thought about halfway houses for drug addicts. We thought about home for the aged and homeless street children. We thought about Honorio Ventura, the Pampanga philanthropist who sent so many needy gifted students to school one of whom became president, namely Diosdado Macapagal," Capati said.

But he said none of these materialized because they were dealt a severe financial blow due to a stock market crash and aggressive real estate investments in the year 2000.

"I just retired from the practice that year and we were brought to near bankruptcy by the end of the year. I was forced to go back to work. Today I am still working. I am financially more stable but nowhere near where I was at the start of 2000. I wish I met Tony that time. I could have given a lot more," Capati said.

Still, Capati is happy that he had the opportunity to help later. Today, he is busy with another endeavor, the Gawad Kalusugan, the health arm of Gawad Kalinga.

As the project director, Capati agrees with Drs. Primo Andres, Oni and Zita Yorro and Joe and Stella Evangelista that it was time to put up a Gawad Kalusugan or a clinic in every GK village to oversee the health of the people, especially the children.

"We were discussing the five-point life saving mission of Gawad Kalusugan, which were fight TB program, immunization, nutrition, surgical mission and other medical programs such as control of water-borne diseases, sexually transmitted diseases and family planning and agreed that it was about time we integrate a health arm in every village," Capati said.

The vision is to apply all these programs to all 7,000 villages of GK, and for now, the main project is at the Tomasian GK village at San Jose Delmonte in Bulacan.

Dr. Andres, also a GK Bayani said they made a survey in a typical village and found out that 60 percent of children are positive for tuberculosis. They also found out that there are no funds for the treatment of the children afflicted with TB. For now, they plan to involve the residents of UST Med school and hospital.

Capati, for his part, once more urged everyone to take part in nation building through GK.

"GK’s programs of shelter, health, education, livelihood and community empowerment, made possible by the strength of conviction and commitment by their leaders and thousands of volunteers have succeeded way beyond their imaginations. The Philippine private and public sector support as well as international support has grown exponentially. Let us all be a part of the GK revolution. Let us give our generation the opportunity to move our beloved motherland, the Philippines, from third world to first," Capati said.