CARMENCITA HERNANDEZ: UNSUNG ANGEL OF MERCY By Nelson de Lara Menchit was the embodiment of human kindness. A champion of the underdog, she felt the sufferings of the disadvantaged. She toiled with quiet dignity to alleviate the suffering of our kababayans mired in poverty and despair. But that was how she wanted it: no accolade, just the personal satisfaction that she made a difference. Menchit shared with me her passion, through her foundation in Canada, to help our forgotten kababayans in the far flung regions of Bukidnon and Sulu. I was impressed and asked her to send me her future projects. As President of FAPI (Foundation for Aid to the Philippines) and with the additional support of the Weinberg Foundation, I felt I could help push through some of her projects. The first project was a one-year health delivery and livelihood project for Mapun, Tawi-Tawi in Sulu Island. It was a grueling boat trip from her office to the island that she visited regularly to be in contact with the natives. She walked to work instead of taking the tricycle. Menchit organized a team of doctors, nurses, midwives, pharmacists to treat as many people covering different barangays. The population was a mixture of Christians, Muslims, Indonesians, and other Asian countries. The Medical Team treated diseases, delivered babies, did minor surgery, vaccination, and provided medication, milk, and other necessities. The Second Team taught self-help projects to provide sources of income like making "banig", small vegetable garden, raising poultry, fish ponds, and produced rice. The families were provided with seedlings and fingerlings (small fishes). A majority of the families became self-sufficient by the time the funds were exhausted, and this one-year project was over. Menchit's office was transferred to Davao to manage other projects. Her disregard for personal comfort was heroic. She deprived herself of material things while catering to Agatha, her "ampon" who periodiucally visited her. I noticed she did not even have a suitcase for her clothes but a box that used to fill an air conditioner. My wife Nora's ancestral house became the lodging for Menchit while in Davao. The sole resident, Ate Aida (Nora's sister), became her good friend. Ate Aida has only praises for Menchit. She was very kind to the "katulong". They bonded together, and in our regular visits, she became an extra member of our family. Menchit's and Ate Aida's hearts were big enough to accommodate the two sons of Menchit's best friend who were studying Nursing nearby. She became a mother to them. In one of my visits, Menchit asked funding for projects other than the foundation's projects. I personally funded artesian wells for 10 barangays in Marawi, Lanao because people were drinking stagnant water. Menchit asked if she could put my name on the artesian wells. I declined because I felt my life would be in danger should Abu Sayaf found my name as a donor, just kidding. Actually, I wanted to be anonymous. Menchit also asked funding to help the people of Bukidnon who were suffering from malnutrition. Our foundation supplied powdered milk and canned goods which lasted for 6 months. It was Menchit's nature to think only of others, while forgetting her own welfare. I kept reminding her to take care of herself. She contracted Dengue fever, which almost killed her. In 2010, I nominated her for the "Outstanding Alumni Award". To my surprise, she nominated the same thing for me. She did not know that I already received this award the previous year. The paperwork has been slow, and hopefully, she will get this long-deserved award posthumously in 2012. When I looked at Menchit, she had no make-up, no expensive clothes and belongings but looked neat and professional. What I saw was her intelligence, her soul, and a heart that was second to Mother Theresa. I could hardly believe that there are still people like Menchit who walked this earth - a saint no less. May the angels in heaven hold and keep you, Ging.