Candies from the sky

One afternoon last May, Italians Aboard a helicopter repeatedly circled a dumpsite over tondo, Manila near Manila Bay, where thousands of urban poor people live, and showered with candies the kids who awaited then at the community square. Mr. Stefano Palmaran, an italian businessman who trained to fly the helicopter while in the Philippines had provided the helicopter ride. Accompanying him and pointing the way to the dumpsite community were Italian priests ked by Fr. Giovanni of Tondo's San Pablo Parish. The Italians and some of their friends from the European Commission had pitched in for the candies they distributed to the kids.

The dumpsite is frequently referred to as the new SM in Tondo. But its not another supermall but another version of Smokey Mountain, that icon of Philippine poverty that the government has supposedly expunged off manila bay years ago. The dumpsite cum urban poor community is smoking and alive once more in Tondo, Manila

This community forms a sizeabke chunk of the parishioners of Tondo's Catholic Church, the San Pablo parish. Every sunday and during special days like Easter or CHirstmas, the Italian priests from the Canossian Fathers navigate the rough and dusty dirtroad leading to SM, and here, oblivious to the stench of the smoking dumpsite, they celebrate mass in the square at the middle of the urban poor's shanties.

On that particular May afternoon though, many of the communtiy's children had gone out into the square not for the mass but to await the priests, the candies and the helicopter. They ran to greet the approaching machine and had fun scrambling to catch candies thrown from the air, But about half of the goodies fell down the smoking garbage dump where hopefully, other kids gathering anything of value from the garbage had also managed to catch some.

Stefano Palmaran has long been thinking of flying a helicopter and using it to inspire poor kids to dream of flying one as well someday. Somehow, candies pouring from the sky also came into his thoughts. When he met Fr. Giovanni of San Pablo PArish and learned of his growing programs and services for Tondo parishioners, the candy-throwing event aboard a helicopter became reality.And they might repeat it some Christmastime.

But for the italian canossian priests the helicopter flying and candy throwing were just exciting bonuses. Fr. Giovanni and Fr. Adriano have more long-term and substantial projects benefiting Tondo CHildren. For 15 years now, Fr. Giovanni has been at the forefront of implementing a scholarship program, funded mainly by supporters or donors based in Italy. More than 753 students from tondo have graduated from college and went on to have successful careers and gainful employment as a result of the scholarship program.

In the future, said Fr. Giovanni, they'll build a bigger church in Tondo. Their present one cant accomodate all its churchgoers, and it also gets inundated at times. The priest said they are also going to build a gym for young people and start programs for rehabilitating victims of drug addiction.