ICM: News - Hong Kong charity auction raises P27M for RP slums

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Hong Kong charity auction raises P27M for RP slums
Inquirer By Philip Tubeza
Dec 9 2007

HONG KONG--From HK$10,000 (P53,000) birthday greeting cards to a cruise to Antarctica.

These were some of the items on the auction block that helped a Hong Kong charity to raise nearly P30 million in just one night for slum dwellers in the Philippines.

Clad in elegant suits and dresses, members and supporters of the International Care Ministries (ICM) gathered at the JW Marriott Hotel on Nov. 15 and, after bidding for Filipino artworks and trips from Bali to Antarctica, raised HK$5.1 million (P27 million) for the very poor living in the slums of Negros, Bohol, and General Santos City.

"Your generosity will have a real, meaningful impact on the lives of more than 100,000 people. Your generosity has been wonderful and we really appreciate that," David Sutherland, ICM chairman and a managing director at Morgan Stanley, told those present.

More than 500 people, including Hong Kong business leaders and expats, packed the Marriott ballroom for the banquet, which a private benefactor generously sponsored. Nevertheless, attendees donated HK$15,000 per table (or HK$1,500 per plate).

Invited guests included ICM partner organizations in the Philippines like Centre for Community Transformation and Gawad Kalinga and local government leaders like Mayor Dan Lim of Tagbilaran, Bohol, where ICM has a feeding program.

"Remember, this is going to change the lives of thousands of people. I mean not all of you can trip down to Bacolod or Dumaguete and see what I've seen there," said Ranjan Marwah, one of Hong Kong's top corporate headhunters and the auctioneer for the night.

"I tell you what, just by reaching out in the aisle can make a huge change in the lives of thousands. You will feel enriched by the experience," he added.

ICM, a Christian charity, began working in the Philippines in 1992 and has grown enough to provide, in 2006, a total of 300,000 kilograms of rice and 2.2 million doses of free medicine to people living in the slums.

Rice was given on a weekly basis to 15,000 people who were identified as the most destitute in their slum communities while 66,000 patients received the free medicine.

"We now target communities where the average income of recipients is less than HK$350 (P1,870) a month. Most of the families we work are significantly poorer than that," Sutherland said.

ICM works with Christian churches based in the slums to identify families that are in dire need of help.

"We invite the pastors of all these different communities for a multi-day training program. We teach them to care for their people in their communities," Sutherland said.

"And then we ask each of those pastors to train half a dozen people in their communities in the same program. Once, we have six to eight trained, then we can start a program there," he said.

"Last year, we trained more than 2,000 counselors from 547 different communities. We told them to get the names of the 25 poorest families in the area. These are the poorest people there. What we do is have a one-hour training session each week with them," Sutherland added.

Training includes health education, spiritual values, and practical livelihood lessons to help them out of poverty. ICM maintains a computer learning center in General Santos City and an integrated farming school in Negros.

And besides operating a shelter for around 50 tuberculosis patients in Bago, Negros Occidental, ICM also provided help for persons with "special medical cases."

These include reconstructive surgery for burn victims, surgery and therapy for vehicular accident victims, chemotherapy for cancer-stricken individuals and surgery to correct goiters.

One of those who flew in from the Philippines for the banquet was Fredalyn Pabuaya who suffered from a distended stomach until ICM helped her. With her powerful voice, she sang the song "Thankful" for those present.

"Please raise your hand if you haven't got a piece of paper that allows you to donate to save a life. How many times in our lives do we get to do that? Thank you ma'am, you just saved a life," said Marwah as he urged those present to donate HK$25,000 for the special medical cases fund.

"Look, we should provide because we can, we are out in Hong Kong, eating in a fine hotel, in a fine restaurant. So please, one more time, is there any one in this room who hasn't had a chance to either bid or get one of those papers, please raise your hand before the opportunity passes you by," he added.

The items on the auction block, which were donated, included trips to El Nido and Amanpulo resorts in the Philippines, a cruise to Antarctica, a vacation in a villa in the South of France, front row seats at the French Open, a chance to play in the world famous Wimbledon tennis courts, and skiing in Telluride, Colorado, an exclusive skiing village where residents even blocked action star Sylvester Stallone from buying a home.

Also auctioned were a $150,000 gold and diamond Bathelay watch and paintings by Filipino artists Dominic Rubio, Federico Aguilar Alcuaz, and Carlo Magno.

"Look people, this is the greatest place in the planet!" cried a lady pastor as the vacation trip to El Nido in Palawan was auctioned. It eventually fetched $95,000 (P522,000).

Besides luxury items and vacations, ICM also auctioned out HK$10,000 (P53,000) birthday cards.

"Here's the deal," Sutherland said. "If you want a birthday present, what do you do? If you spend $10,000, you will feed 125 people. And those 125 people will send you a birthday card on your birthday."

"And (for) HK$50,000 (P268,000), 625 people (would be fed) and when your birthday comes around, in your mail will arrive a DVD with your 600 people singing happy birthday for you," he added.

Those present were then shown a sample of what they would get: a group of people singing "Happy Birthday" and then a woman in heavily accented English thanking their benefactor.

"For an extra HK$5,000, you can request them not to send the tape," joked Marwah, eliciting laughter from those present.

"My mother-in-law needs a birthday present. It could be for, you know, that relative that is a little difficult to get along with," Sutherland added.

The money raised at the auction would be used to feed about 15,000 people every week, provide about 3 million doses of free medicine to more than 75,000 regular medical patients, and give free pre-schooling to more than 1,000 poor children.

"In all, the evening raised just over HK$5 million, which is again about 50 percent of ICM's 2007-2008 operating budget of HK$10 million! At ICM, we are all very, very grateful for the generosity of our Hong Kong donors," Sutherland said.

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