Manila Bulletin

As cold wind blows, hearts grow warm

‘At Christmas time, we let in light and we banish shade’ goes the song and many Pinoy celebs are doing their part alright.

- By JOJO PANALIGAN

People making lists, buying special gifts — but some celebritie­s are also into showing compassion this time of the year. TV personalit­y Marc Nelson and child actor JJ Dolor, both World Vision ambassador­s, spent a day in Makilala, Cotabato recently where they visited quake-affected children and their families.

“Going around the town of Makilala, we’ve seen schools that were severely damaged by the earthquake. In the village where we distribute­d relief items, we came across temporary shelters with little pieces of tarpaulins that can only last for few months especially in this weather,” Nelson was quoted to have said in a release.

Even at 12 years old, JJ already understand­s the gravity of the situation.

“I was saddened to see children like me staying in evacuation centers,” he said.

“Despite their situation, they were smiling at me and were playing with me throughout the time that we were there.”

Nelson and Dolor visited the schools where World Vision set up temporary learning spaces to complement the government’s efforts in ensuring that children’s education is not disrupted. They also participat­ed in a child-friendly space activity aimed at helping children cope from the distress caused by the multiple earthquake­s that hit their province last October.

The national disaster risk reduction and management report showed that more than 330,000 individual­s were affected across Regions XI, XII, with about 47,000 of them still in evacuation centers. Meanwhile, the education department said that over two billion pesos is needed to repair the over 500 schools in North Cotabato that were damaged.

Quite earlier, Hope from Within’s advocacy ambassador­s led by Tirso Cruz III, Susan Africa, and Marlo Martel shared their personal journeys to cancer patients and caregivers, with the aim of inspiring those who are currently going through similar battles.

“It’s very important to take advantage of events like these to inspire,” Susan Africa was quoted to have said in a release. The actress was caregiver to her late husband, Spanky Manikan.

“Everything happens for a reason and maybe that’s why this happened to us — so we can share our experience­s, inspire others, and (help them) learn from our experience­s.”

“It’s also important that they know how we went about it, especially the acceptance part,” added Tirso Cruz III, a lung cancer survivor himself. “Years ago, when you say cancer, hopeless na kaagad. But as technology and the medical world has progressed, marami na ang nagpatunay that cancer is really a disease that can be won. It may be a little hard, but there is hope. ”

The ambassador­s shared uplifting words of advice that espoused the importance of living a healthy lifestyle, going for regular check-ups and getting screened to detect cancer early, knowing every treatment option available after diagnosis, and playing the crucial role of caregiver to cancer patients.

Marlo, who lost his mother to cancer, performed a number.

“It’s important to turn bad situations into something good, to inspire people and give them hope,” he said.

The recent outreach event at the Philippine General Hospital is but one of many initiative­s, driven by MSD’s ethos, Inventing For Life. Inventing for Life is MSD’s commitment to keep inventing and innovating to develop worldclass, science-backed medical solutions to help fight deadly diseases such as cancer.

Hope From Within, led by MSD in the Philippine­s, strengthen­s the fight against lung cancer as the tides shift in favor of more lives being touched, and more lives being saved.

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 ??  ?? (From left): Tirso Cruz III, Susan Africa, and Marlo Mortel
(From left): Tirso Cruz III, Susan Africa, and Marlo Mortel
 ??  ?? Marc Nelson (left) and JJ Dolor in their community visit
Marc Nelson (left) and JJ Dolor in their community visit

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