Straight from the heart

Someone born after Valentine’s Day must be full of love — as Gina de Venecia is. Thus, after an intimate lunch with family and colleagues in Congress last Feb. 15, Manay Gina had another celebration the next day — this time with the children of Batasan Hills and the members of the INA (Inang Naulila sa Anak) Foundation.

Leading the well-wishers were INA co-founder Ali Sotto and friends like Dr. Honey Carandang and lawyer Lorna Kapunan. They conducted a feeding program for undernourished kids at Batasan Hills in the morning while the rest of the afternoon was spent with the members of INA Foundation at the INA Healing Center in Quezon City.

When asked why the members of INA play such a significant part in her life, Gina confides that they were instrumental in her “rebirth” after losing her youngest daughter KC in 2004. “When I lost KC, I didn’t want to live anymore. But in the process of grieving, I found comfort from the support of Ali Sotto and other orphaned mothers, who had also lost a child. We discovered that through sharing of our common grief, we can help each other cope with our loss and in the process, fortify each other.”

Their bond also gave birth to Gina’s new advocacy to help orphaned mothers in the country through the INA Foundation and the INA Healing Center, built in DSWD main office’s compound in Quezon City.

Due to the nature of her charitable works, Gina is often referred to as “champion of the abused.” Aside from her duties as congresswoman of the fourth district of Pangasinan, Gina also monitors the progress of three national institutions she has founded: The Haven for Women with 15 regional centers that help women-in-crisis; The Haven for Children and its three regional centers that help rehabilitate streetchildren who have become drug-dependent; and The Haven for the Elderly that shelters senior citizens, who have been abandoned by their families.

On her birthday, Gina wished that she would be able to build a national center for special children. Along this line, she has authored House Bill 4447,  an act providing for the establishment of centers for children with autism and those with hearing and speech impairment.

‘Butanding,’ ‘Malakas at Maganda’

When South Bay Village refurbished its swimming pool, it did it with élan.

Because finance committee’s Rory Ching and Herman Son were tight-fisted reincarnations of Uncle Scrooge, maintenance and construction committee chairs Fred Sy-Santos and Gabby Dolor took over from private contractor and succeeded in halving the cost of the project. The substantial savings enabled the lady members of the board Beth Padron, Rica Anderson and Beth Quah to indulge their whim for designer décor.

The ladies turned to Manuel Baldemor for a mosaic mural for the 12x12-feet kiddie pool, and the UNICEF artist came up with two “Butandings” — the friendly-as-flipper whale sharks, which migrate to Donsol, Sorsogon from May to December.

Because it was for kids, Baldemor even did the sketch with his left hand — the only oeuvre done by the kaliwete artist! The illustration was interpreted into mosaic by Gigi Armonio and three masons — Masons Johnny Hufalar, Richard Mamuyac and Edwin Estrada.

Baldemor completed the ambience by sketching the “for him” and “for her” sections of the outdoor showers... a Malakas at Maganda mural — also executed in stylized mosaic. The gegenschein glazed tiles came from Wilcon Depot and the high-end plumbing fixtures from German supplier Haefele.  

As long-time residents Manny and Kathleeen Copon said of the upgraded pool, “This is a country club facility without country club rates!”

The original Baldemor sketches are up for silent auction. Proceeds will go to the ERDA School for the Poor of Fr. Pierre Tritz, S.J.

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Mandy Navasero will conduct a photo workshop in Batanes from March 23-26, April 6-9, April 27-30, May 4-7 and May 25-28. The workshop will include destinations portraiture, fashion, naturescape, architectural and macro photography. 

It is open to local and foreign tourists and amateur photographers. 

(Call 896-3208, e-mail [email protected] or visit www.mandy-navasero.blogspot.com.)

(You may e-mail me at [email protected].)