Malaysia ~ Philippines Endeavours

Since November 2019, spearheaded by Ms Jenny Mah, co-founder of Vision of International Children Endeavours (VOICE), has started several small sponsorships in support of Bro Billy Tan’s MalPhil Community humanitarian activities.

MalPhil Community, supported by Father Bong (a Filipino priest) and his team of volunteers, are able to reach-out and delivers assistance and benefits to the marginalised, less privileged and often forgotten community of the indigenous group that are scattered throughout the many islands in Philippines. All projects are personally supervised by Bro Billy Tan and Father Bong.

MalPhil Community projects are mainly concentrated in Pollilio Island, the homeland of indigenous people “the Dumagats” of the Philippines. Approximately 3,000 Dumagats are scattered throughout the islands, mostly living by the sea in “Nipah” huts, built from bamboo walls and coconut-like leaves for roof. These indigenous people survive on fishing, planting and collecting coconuts and bananas. The Dumagats are very resilient, resourceful and display exemplary survival skills. Each time when typhoon strikes, their nipah huts are completely destroyed, yet they will get over their losses and rebuild their nipah huts in no time.

The projects that VOICE supports MalPhil Community are projects related to children and education such as: -

1) Children Play Centre. This centre is for homeless, abandoned children, and children of neighbouring villages to keep them off the streets. This centre also caters to the residents of special needs children centre which is located next to this Play Centre. This Children Play Centre project has since been completed in mid-2019, as this centre no longer in urgent need of assistance from MALPHIL Community as they are currently receiving adequate financial aids and support in kind from other NGOs, and is also receiving support from the municipal hall and is self-sufficient.

2) Bigger & Safer Boat to ferry the children to school. School children of all ages from other smaller islands/small towns on the other side of the main island have to ride small ferry (approximately 1.5m x 6m in size) carrying 40 secondary school kids to Bonifacio to attend school. Not only it is a dangerous mode of transportation with so many children in one small boat, the children get all wet when getting off the boat. When the children board the boat, they wear swimming shorts and everyone carries a large plastic round biscuit container to store their books and school uniform. When they reach land, they head to the mangrove swamp to a dry spot deep inside to change into their school uniform.

The current ferry transporter charged each student 20 pesos per day. Father Bong initiated this fund-raising project to get a bigger boat to accommodate more students and the transportation fee will be reduced by half or less so as to cater for the marginalised community. The new boat will be operated by the welfare community – formed by Father Bong comprising the villagers.

3) Satellite Internet Sponsorship. In support of students on the Island to access online learning. The Vincentian-Kacific Broadband Satellite has launched an I-scholarship to benefit these graduating students from the Bonifacio National High School, Burdeos, so that they have the much-needed internet access to do their modules and research assignments. MalPhil Community will continue with this sponsorship until the graduation of the students.

4) Covid-19 Food Relief. This project is in responds to the severe pandemic lockdown in Philippines. Some of the activities are: -

a) Rice distribution and food parcels to about 700 families

b) Milk powder for children and elderly

c) Feeding 400 malnourished children every weekend in each district. These children rarely have solid proteins in their meals because fresh meats are beyond their family budget. Bro Billy plans to continue with these feeding programs for as long as funds are available. This is a sustainable project as Children are the future of our generations.