Now it's EDSA cleanup power

A few weeks ago, I undertook the cleanup of the tenement house in Quirino. My people had been having a tough time getting these people to attend seminars and do cleanups — and in the meantime garbage beside their building continued to accumulate and the estero near them continued to decline. The tenement house is important to me because it is the source of estero de Paco.

 So I decided to take the offensive — and try a kamikaze approach. I organized 100 students from Concordia College near the Estero, 10 military men and my people. Jollibee donated 800 hamburgers — and I was able to get donations of cleaning products and implements from Handyman through Robina Gokongwei. Plantex generously donated 200 gallons of organic cleaning fluid — plus the use of their sprayers to take away the stench of the place. I figured out that if their habitat continued to smell, I would not be able to get them to keep the outside clean.

 I woke up really early, meditated, and could feel massive support from the Divine. The day was going to come out well. And it did. It was full of joy. I was assigned the most difficult building. I went floor by floor, knocked on their doors — introduced myself and told them the military and students were helping to clean their surroundings — could they help? I usually got a shocked look, but they invariably came and helped. The children were great; they filled the place with their energy.

 But what amused me — as I saw the nuns talking, the students cleaning and the military people helping — was the realization that, hey, wasn’t this like the EDSA team all over again? The nuns, the military, the students, the people, all working together. And in the end, when I had the people in the tenement house give flowers to the students and the military in thanks for helping make their place more livable — one of the top brass said he was close to tears.

 Yes, the Pasig River Project is mammoth; and yes, it is difficult. But the process of transformation is also one of joy. And moments like this — when hearts unite, and when one can see the light at the end of the tunnel — make it all worthwhile.

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Contact regina_lopez@abs-cbn.com or visit http://www.abs-cbnfoundation.com.