Hearts for Arthur

With Christmas fast approaching, I’m sure some companies and businessmen will be giving out Christmas gifts in the form of a card or personal letter telling the recipient that instead of a real gift, your name has been included in a list of donors that have contributed to planting trees in the Sierra Madre or to an orphanage. To be honest, my wife and I have done that at least once because it does save you the time and effort of having to find and buy gifts while still staying on a sensible budget.

But this year may I suggest to anyone planning to do the same, to spend or donate the money to a real person with a real financial need. There is a big difference between handing over a check to a distraught wife or frightened daughter with a father in ICU compared to turning over a check to some director of a tree planting facility. If Jesus Christ came to save human beings, we should at least do the same by extending our Christmas offering to Real People with Real Needs.

About two and a half month ago, our immediate family faced a grim situation with my mother being in the ICU for three weeks. Her medical condition, the prospects of losing her and the reality of a mountain of medical bills were enough to drive me to tears as I sat alone in my kitchen praying and lifting the burden to God. Needless to say so many people came to our aid both for moral support, prayers and financial support, especially from people we least expected and never even called on. Their help was worth ten times in gold.

Last Christmas, someone gifted me with a bottle of wine listed at $4,000! I tried to return the bottle, but my effort was declined. So I sold the bottle and donated the money to Real Life Foundation, which sends kids to school as well as supervises their family and their spiritual growth. When my friend received the letter of appreciation for “his donation,” he was surprised and so happy that he donated another half a million!

Whether you are a CEO, COO, or just someone trying to find a practical and logical way to simplify gift giving for Christmas 2017, try looking for a Real Person in Real Need, learn their story, give them the funds or buy them the equipment, medicine or their Real Need and then tell their story and how the money that would have been spent out of tradition and gifts was instead used to make a difference and life changing act. That’s your very own “Christmas Story.”

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By now word has gotten around that Art Manuntag – the Frank Sinatra / Tony Bennett of the Philippines had a heart attack while performing at a concert in Baguio City. Art remains confined at the Notre Dame Hospital and I’ve asked permission from Kathryn Manuntag if I may “copy paste” the update posted by their daughter Jacque Murielle:

“To our family and friends,

You may have already heard that my father was rushed to the hospital last Saturday. I hope you all understand why we haven’t been sharing updates on social media. First and foremost our priority is to be present for my dad at this critical time. If you know him well, you’d know that he is very clingy especially to my mom.

We believe that in this situation, we need to maintain closeness and assure him that we are always just here for him. He may be in a coma, but we know that he is still with us. We know that he is fighting, and we’re doing our part to support him.

The past few days have been surreal, but we’ve been powering through. Currently he is in ICU. As mentioned in some posts and articles, he suffered from heart failure and had to be revived three times. He lost oxygen for a while which may have affected his other body organs. So far, we know that his kidney is weak. He’s already had one dialysis (treatment), and is scheduled for another one before lunch (Tuesday 14 Nov). We don’t know yet if there are any other damages, but rest assured that he is being closely monitored.

As of the moment, his vital signs are good. As of yesterday, he has an active eye reflex and is responsive to pain stimuli. These means that his brain stem is intact. He also has shown small movements with his head, legs and arms. From today on, I’ll do my best to keep you posted regarding his condition. Despite the hard, cold facts, I hope that we all keep a positive outlook on this situation, and trust God’s goodness.

It’s a little inconvenient to be far from home, but it’s a blessing to be in a cool and serene environment. We deeply appreciate the presence of those who have dropped by. If you cannot make the drive up to here to Baguio, we love you just the same. We are truly grateful for each and every one of you who have been continually saying a prayer for my dad. Please pray for his doctors and nurses as well, that they may treat him to the best of their abilities. Aside from the personal prayers, our family has been praying the Divine Mercy Chaplet. We believe in the power of communal prayer so please join us in intercession at 8 p.m. daily.

Thank you and Thank You J”

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In connection with the above situation, I just learned that a fundraiser is being organized to help Art Manuntag and family. Through the initiative of Dr. George Sarakinis, Cory Quirino, Lilybeth Garcia and Frenzy group, are organizing a benefit concert on Nov. 28, Tuesday, 6 p.m. at the former Hard Rock Café, which is now Johnny Be Good Bar in Glorietta, Makati. Only P1,000 entrance with food plus one drink. A donation box will be placed at the entrance. For check donations, please pay to: Kathryn Manuntag. Cash donations can be directly deposited to Kathryn Alma S Manuntag – BDO Kamagong Branch SA#00001701700616.

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Email: [email protected]