Touched by an angel
Iwill never know what force of luck brought Mr. Washington SyCip to the launching of Synergeia at AIM in 2002. I did not know him from Adam and never met him when I was working at the Department of Finance. He queued up unobtrusively to register, and, showed no offense when our volunteers insisted that he give his surname. All I can remember was he requested to have breakfast with the Synergeia Mayors the following morning.
Over a cup of coffee, scrambled eggs and broiled fish, he listened to stories of children crossing streams in order to reach their schools. He was so quiet when Mayor Raul related that in Concepcion, Iloilo, children are only aided by a candlelight when they study in the evenings.
We were all speechless when he asked us if a gift of R10.0 million will help our cause. Our 15 years of journey started that morning, and through all the years, he was there through thick and thin.
He was there in every workshop, in every special and ordinary event – be it in a basketball court, in a squatter area, or in ARMM. I hope he saw his dream fulfilled last year when he walked along a throng of 500 partners at the 10th National Education Summit at PICC.
There were only about 20 of us at IIRR when we started. Time and seasons did not matter. When the skies cleared after a storm, he took the first plane to General Santos to meet the Mayors from Maguindanao.
The meeting with Muslim mayors in Marbel, Cotobato launched our partnership. To help more Muslim municipalities, he spearheaded the ARMM initiative with Fr. Ben Nebres. Our program expanded to include localities in Lanao with the participation of Hyundai.
He gently pressured STEAG to bankroll the program in Misamis Oriental and San Roque Power Corporation to embrace the improvement of basic education in Pangasinan.
Without exception, all his speeches ended with his crusade: “Give all children the opportunity to obtain a good basic education lest you condemn them forever into a life of poverty.” I became a fixture in many of his dinners where he introduced me to his friends. I was painfully shy, but I took all the courage I could muster to hob knob with the high and the mighty. His advocacy paid off. His friends celebrated his birthday by making donations to Synergeia.
I donned my first evening gown in a Tatler’s ball that raised funds for a program in Silang, Cavite. I met USAID Director Mike Yates in one of the dinners he gave. It opened opportunities for Synergeia to access USAID grants to expand our programs.
The only funding opportunity I refused was to meet one of his friends. He said I had the “narrowest mind.”
Mr. SyCip was not just a rainmaker. He wallowed deep into shaping our programs. He was there in every strategic planning. He met with Mayors to listen to their problems and offered solutions when he can. He was the first to offer R1.0 million to Mayor Jesse Robredo to help Naga City recover from the devastation of Typhoon Reming.
He was particularly offended that Naga City was excluded from the rehabilitation program of government because of politics. But he had such keen eyes and asked why mayors from poor towns came to our meetings wearing Lacoste shirts and Rolex watches. Performance and potential did not escape his attention.
He was so impressed with Governor Miguel Dominguez from Sarangani and nominated him for the Eisenhower fellowship. His marching order to Mayor Rex Gatchalian was to transform all the others into “Education Mayors.”
His experiences with the poor must have made a lasting impression on him. He spoke gently before the informal settlers in Intramuros. He was so sad to meet the poor who lived on other side of the affluent BGC. He gamely participated in their group dance and later spoke of how he valued their presence.
He liked being appraised of how Synergeia’s work is progressing and called my attention whenever I did not submit a progress report on time. But he was ever so sweet whenever we visited him in his office.
He took delight in simple “pasalubong” – “galletas” from Iloilo and durian from Sulu. He looked like a school boy when he opened our Christmas presents – a Jack-in-the-box, a choo-choo train, a toy giraffe, and, a gingerbread house.
He beamed with pride when we told him of the Ozanam award that would be conferred on Synergeia by the Ateneo de Manila. He said he would be happy to go on stage to receive it.
He promised to be a panelist in the 11th National Education Summit. He never got to go in both events. But deep in our hearts, we knew he was there and will always be present in our work with children.
Good night Angel. We love you forever.
mguevara@synergeia.org.ph