Maripipi Crafters Association

There were times when I had to attend to medical emergencies. The island has a rural health doctor who comes by only three times a week.

During the time he was not on duty, the sick have nowhere to go. When they found out I was home on vacation they’d come to see me.  I functioned as a doctor, a nurse, a nutritionist and a consultant.  Because the town health personnel are political appointees, most of them are hired without the proper qualifications to do the job. Being treated by unqualified and incompetent health personnel is scary. You can die bleeding from a simple cut.

One time a man was brought to my house whose foot was bleeding profusely.  He said he was cutting wood in the forest. The axe got stuck, so he pulled it with all his strength, it landed on his foot almost severing it completely. Losing a lot of blood, he was already very pale when brought to my house. I thought of sending him to the hospital in Naval where they have better facility but it is an hour and twenty minutes trip by boat.  Afraid that he would die on the way to the hospital, I decided to treat the injured man myself. I tied the bleeders using ordinary sewing needle and thread.  With the bleeding now controlled I poured a bottle of alcohol onto the wound. Then I sutured the wound.  I applied antibiotic ointment onto the sutured wound and wrapped it with an ironed clean rag.  I told him to see a doctor as soon as possible.

On the third day I saw him walking in the street.  I asked him if he went to see the doctor.  He said no because he had no money.  He could not buy the medicine either because he did not have the money. Well, I had to go to his house and remove the thread I used to suture the wound.  There was no sign of infection and the wound was healing nicely. Except for the antibiotic ointment I rubbed to the wound, there was no other protection that man had against infection.  The family could not thank me enough for saving his life.  The inner feeling I got from all the work I do for the poor is a happiness and satisfaction that I cannot describe in writing.  I do not get compensated for my work. It is all work derived from the kindness and goodness of my heart.

One year after volunteering in the Philippines I forgot about Colorado. I adjusted my life to live simply among the poor and I was happy and contented. Our doll making continues to improve and after ten years, we are selling our dolls online and at Amazon and Etsy. All of this is It is the brainchild of the late Wayne Jaro, the first governor of Biliran.  Without his persuasion that I stay, this project would have been impossible to begin. Unfortunately he died just before the organization started to pick momentum. Executing the organization is a very difficult task. It needs understanding, perseverance, determination, hard work, honesty, sincerity, generosity, love and all the virtues in the book that you can find because the community look up to you to lead them to a better tomorrow.

A lot of help is needed and I get most of them from my sons.  One constructed the web site for me, so we can sell the dolls on line. The members are determined to succeed.  They do not want handout but they do need help to start a new life.