Alay Lakad and Frank

Alay Lakad 2002 reels off September 1st, with teachers, government officials, soldiers and their chiefs, and Rotarians, Jaycees, Lions, Kiwanis, Knights of Columbus and groups of all shapes and shades and sizes walking, laughing, telling stories (perhaps munching at something or other, too) as they walk nationwide for the cause of the young nationwide.

At the helm of the walk is Frank Evaristo, a popular, ubiquitous man-about-town who dines and wines with ambassadors and socialites, writes a column, and has been an officer one time or another and awardee of Jaycee and Rotary clubs, the Manila Overseas Press Club, DARE Foundation, and Operation Smile.

He has walked with President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who last year said Frank should head Alay Lakad Para sa Kabataan Day, and true enough, Frank is this year’s Alay Lakad Foun-dation Inc. (ALFI) president. In fact President Macapagal-Arroyo, and – I wonder if he will walk a mile this time – Vice-President Teofisto Guingona Jr. – will lead marchers in tomorrow’s walkathon, starting at the Manila Hotel and ending up at the Quirino Grandstand, Luneta, alongside swashbuckling Frank. Tomorrow will be Frank’s moment of glory; I think the walk is just the first mile in his journey to an ambassadorship.

Frank urges people "to step forward and be counted in healing the out-of-school youth andhave a better future." He expects that a million persons will be joining the walk.

This year’s theme is "Hakbang Mamamayan! Kinabukasan ng Kabataan." The nationwide Lakad is the fund-raising event of ALFI. It is participated in by various government agencies, the education sector, business establishments, local government units and socio-civic organizations. Participants from these agencies will walk some 2-10 kilometers as a symbol of solidarity towards the promotion of its key advocacy – enabling and empowering the out-of-school youth to become responsible and productive citizens. This year’s host civic organization is the Rotary International districts 3810 and 3811 under district governors Rosie Go and Romy Cruz with Gen. Francisco Atayde (ret.) and Gregorio Navarro as co-chairpersons of the National Coordinating Committee for Walk 2002. In the Metro Manila Walk Group Composition, the group marshal is Maj. Dennis Roman D. Isleta (PA), and the controller, Maj. Agane C. Adriatico (PA).

Alay Lakad began in 1972 when the Department of Social Welfare and Development initiated a walk-for-a-cause project in Metro Manila, launching it in cooperation with the Boy Scouts of the Philippines,

In 1973 then First Lady Imelda Marcos launched the project nationwide with government agencies and the private sector joining in the walk. On May 27, 1974, the late President Ferdinand Marcos signed Presidential Proclamation No. 1267 which declared every third Sunday of June each year as "Alay Lakad sa Kabataan Day."

More executive acts were made to make the project worthier and worthier.

President Corazon Aquino signed Proclamation No. 27 which superseded Presidential Decree 1267 declaring September 14 as Alay Lakad Day then moved it to the first Sunday of September of every year through Proclamation no. 289.

President Fidel Ramos, a veteran Alay Lakad participant (you see those muscles, don’t you?), changed, on April 28, 1993, Alay Lakad to "Alay Lakad-Takbo" to encourage jogging and running among the participants. He also showed his commitment to the cause by donating P1 million during the 1992 Alay Lakad to finance various livelihood projects for the benefit of the out-of-school youth affected by the Mt. Pinatubo eruption.

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The project aims to 1) open avenues for better communication and understanding between the youth and adults; 2) demonstrate the need for effective partnership between the public and private sectors in promoting the welfare of the youth, and 3) to enable the youth to initiate and manage projects and activities toward their personal development and betterment of family life.

Alay Lakas gives interest-free loans to deserving beneficiaries, in such projects as food vending, sari-sari store, garment vending, hog-raising/fattening, cattle and goat-raising/fattening, poultry raising, fish culture, and sports activities and organizing combos/rondallas to provide music in community activities like fiestas, weddings, birthday celebrations and the like.

So, when you walk with Alay on September 1st, you’re walking for a cause.

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But back to Frank, whom I call Frankenstein (that’s how good friends we are). Not everybody accomplishes such feats as being able to invite the diplomatic community at a moment’s notice as Frank. Last week, he gave an intimate dinner – "a get-together with close friends" – he calls it, at the Rockwell Club’s Fernandos for wine and cocktails, and Palm Grove for fine dining. Frank and friend Bambi Harper were the most gracious of hosts to Chile Ambassador Carmen Narvaez, France’s Renée Veyret, Israel’s Irit Ben Abba, Malaysia’s Mohn Tanfik Bin Mohd Noor, Amb. And Mrs. Enrique Hubbard of Mexico, Amb. Theo Arnold of the Netherlands, Nigerian Ambassador Ray Intje, Peru’s Amb. Jorge Chavez Soto, Swiss Head of Mission Peter and Ursula Casaulta, Consul to Togo Evie Costa, Beth Day Romulo, Amb. Raul Goco, Supreme Court Justice Art Panganiban, Consul to East Timor Amando Jesulito V. Jimenez, lawyer Noel Laman, Saeed Daof, Adu Escudero, Carlos del Rosario, and Tina Bautista. US Ambassador Francis Ricciardone and USAID’s Joan Silver joined the happy merrymakers at cocktails but left for other engagements elsewhere.

As I said, only Frank could whip up a party of big shots like he did Wednesday night.