Local, expat folksingers raise over P100,000 for ailing Irisan girl

Reaching Out

Cordillera-bred musicians here and abroad turned to folk and country, raising  over P100,000 from fellow Cordillerans  to boost an ailing girl’s chances for a kidney transplant.

Expat soloist Conrad Marzan flew in from Northern California and female vocalist Mhia  Tibunsay came in from Singapore for”A Walk Down Memory Lane”, a reunion concert that netted over P50,000 last March 1 at the covered court of the Quirino Elementary School at Irisan Barangay here.

Over in San Diego,  California, Baguio boy Bob Aliping, a retired U.S. Navy serviceman, got wind of the local effort and went on a house-to-house delivery of his “Booba Songs” CD of his personal compositions. At $12 “or any amount will do”, he came up with a $1,300 collection from pledges, cash and checks  from 62 fellow Cordillera expatriates.

The twin initiatives were for QuakelynLisayen, a 24-year old former volunteer rescuer who, the other year, found the shoe was on the other foot. That was when she was diagnosed for kidney failure and told to  undergo thrice-a-week hemodialysis treatment for life.

Not content with hemodialysis, she went against the grain, against financial odds,  and worked out an organ transplant, with her younger brother Jason as donor.

“I feel so lucky as the tissue matching we had with my brother went beyond expectations on compatibility,” she texted last week from Metro-Manila where, for months, she was working out a semi-charity arrangement with a transplant facility.

It took a village -  folksingers, police officers, lawyers, rescuers, barangay officials and tanods, teachers, together with other dialysis patients and their relatives – to mount the concert for Quakelyn and four other  dialysis patients from Irisan.

Aside from sending the police regional office combo to perform, regional police director, Chief Supt. IsaganiNerez  provided free use of sound and musical instruments, thereby whittling down on expenses.  He topped it with a P10,000 donation from his command.

The Benguet Electirc Cooperative saw to the stability of the power wirings at the venue and added P10,000 to the fund, 50 percent of which will go to Quakelyn and the other halve to be divided equally divided among the four other patients.

An anonymous soul regularly responding to appeals for help coursed by patients through the media, contributed P7.500 which he coursed through Conrad.

While lead singer Mhia was printing the tickets and souvenir T-shirts in Singapore where she was based, Conrad, her fellow lead singer in the now disbanded Foggy Mountain Band, arrived here to coordinate the show with fellow musicians Jose “Bubut” Olarte, Zeny, Kenneth, Alma, Liza,  Dolfo,  Arsen, the Seldom Seen group of March Fianza and Dick Oakes, Slow Speed band led by SerafinMarzan and other pro bono performers.

A five-member volunteer committee headed by former city prosecutor Gloria Agunos earlier opened   BPI-Harrison bank account number 0563845279 through which Samaritans may course their donations.

Donors may contact Quakelyn ( 09393559927),   Agunos (09176556201), committee members, former assistant city prosecutor Evelyn TagudarTagudar (09175069481), regional director Helen Tibaldo of the Philippine Information Agency (09175088534), city social welfare officer Betty Fangasan (09175041892) Irisanpunong barangay Thomas Dumalti (09465971520), or this writer (09167778103).

Earlier in San Diego, Bob, elder brother of Baguio Rep. NicasioAliping Jr., raised $230 from his CD compositions and sent the amount for 19-year old peritoneal dialysis patient ShalyCrisBantas.

Rep. Aliping also set the tone of the community fund drive by allotting P200,000 from his Priority Develolpment Assistance Fund for Quakelyn’s fund drive. The girl needs at least P640,000 for the transplant and more than P1 million for the maintenance, purposely to prevent rejection of the implanted kidney

Cordillerans in the United States who pooled the P1,300 sent by Bob were  Tony Siak, Ed Briones, Jeremy Abeya, Nover Velasco, Helen Balitang, Lyn Baroy, Judith Lino, Roger Sabatchi, Marie Badol, Ramon Chaong, Jones Domingao, John Cosalan,. LandoGanasi, Rick Nabus, LalitOsio, John Tarnate Jr., John Pulsingay, Marshall Wandag, George Cleope, Ron Tello, Gary Adamos, John Allan, Larry Senato, Carol Cosalan, CrismarDirige, Edith Esteban, Edwin Macayo, Patrick McDonough, FoestComafay, ErolBecasen, Elvis Becasen, Marie AguelbaStaiger, Elmer Angadol, Art Butic, Gloria Maoguet, CecilioZabala, Edwin Abeya, Jun Panganiban, GumzSalupen, Willy Matundan, Mitz Yee, Nick Lamsis, Joseph Bangao, AudyCabico, PhylisCachero, Leon Bugtong, Gus Yturalde, Rufus Claro, Bibiana La Vega, Marilyn Maravillas, Edgar Sagubo, Marge Heo Marines, Amy Estandian, Lester Dulnuan, bobby Bacasen, Elvis Cagas, Annie Leyaley,  Jun Velasco, Liza Sagudan, Nestor Yodong,  Ellen Tanacio, JuanitoPengdaden. 

Contributors may course their support through BPI-Harrison bank account number 0563845279. They may contact the following: Quakelyn( 09393559927),   Agunos (09176556201), Tagudar (09175069481), Tibaldo (09175088534), Dumalti (09465971520), this writer (09167778103). – Ramon Dacawi 

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