US-based relatives led by Dr. Felipe Manalo (married to my mom's younger–okay Auntie B–way younger, sister Monita) have been coming to these shores on a somewhat regular basis since the 1990s to visit but also to conduct medical missions.
Until this year, I have never joined these missions. Although my participation has been increasing through they years from merely doing driving duties in and around Manila to actually donating logistics.
Mission sites were invariably places where there were relatives present who were willing to do some advanced party coordination as well as line up logistics on site. Having said this, we were all careful about having the mission dragged into some enterprising politician's efforts to ingratiate himself/herself into his constituents good graces. This I agree with. The number and prominence of relatives who are currently in elected office notwithstanding, apparently Dr Manalo and myself share an aversion for a calling infested with millionaire crocodiles who, by mere association, do an injustice to the most vicious, ornery, and rapacious members of crocodilus porosus.
This year, the main mission will return for a third time–but not in consecutive years, to Candelaria, Zambales, a small town 250 kms (160 mi) out of Manila whose principal sources of income outside of agricultural produce like mangoes, rice, and some vegetables, are pension, allotment, or remittance checks from some US military service sent to a retiree, or by a close relative. Truth be told, the people of Candelaria are invariably fans of the stars and stripes and will probably bleed in red, white, and blue when cut.
I was initially in charge of organizing the transportation. I initially estimated the requirement to be about one small Toyota Revo SUV and my mid-sized Ford Explorer. But when the Manalos (Dr & Mrs plus daughter Anna) and two American volunteers flew in with six balikbayan boxes I decided that one more vehicle was needed for the trip in. And so there were three with the addition of a borrowed Toyota Previa minivan.
Note for future missions:
Get an advanced idea of how much materiél will have to be moved so you don't have to scramble for wheels or have too much wheels too.
The drive in was largely uneventful. The initial billet at Candelaria's Dawal Resort was better than I expected.
