A CANDIDATE’S DIARY, DAY 10: A LITTLE ANGEL NAMED BEA

In 2006, provincial worker Loloy Balane of Santa Filomena, Makilala came to my office with his sister to seek help for her little girl named Bea Mamallas whose face was badly deformed by the meningocele which grew right in the bridge of her nose.

The meningocele, as big a man’s fist, upon examination by local doctors damaged Bea’s young skull and a surgery which would take out the ugly mass of flesh on her face will have to be followed up by a delicate process of facial reconstruction.

I was told that the delicate facial reconstrucdtion work would have to be done by a team of experts in the United States.

I then instructed my staff to reach out to a group of medical missionaries and explore the possibility of bringing Bea and her mother to the US for the operation.

Through the United Church of Christ of the Philippines’ Operation Smile, we were able to link up with a group of doctors based in Hawaii who were willing to do the operation for free.

Travel papers and the US visa were then worked out and Bea and her mother travelled to Hawaii where she was operated on. They stayed for two months in Hawaii until such time that the young girl was fit enough to travel.

Monday afternoon, April 8, I visited Sta. Filomena, Makilala again after so many years. The hanging bridge which was built when I was Governor was still there and the power lines which were established during my term provided the village with electricity.

Nothing much has changed in the village but there was something noticeable in the group of people who braved the drizzle to listen to me.

I saw a little girl intently looking at me and smiling. There was a scar in her forehead. It was Bea Mamallas.

Now 11 years old, Bea has grown to be a good looking girl. The traces of the scalpels which took out the meningocele from the bridge of her nose are still visible but otherwise she was a picture of a happy young woman.

When I invited her to stand beside me in front of the crowd, Bea said “thank you” and told me that she wanted to go to college to take up Hotel and Restaurant Management (HRM).

“Can I be your scholar?” she asked me. I told her yes and she let out a very sweet smile.

As she walked back to her mother who was in the crowd of people with many umbrellas, I silently asked myself: “What would have happened to this young girl had her life not been touched by people who loved her?”

The doctors in Hawaii, my staff who facilitated the travel and the people who helped raise money for her travel are the angels in this girl’s life who opened up a brighter future for her.

I thanked God for people who are overflowing with Love and Generosity.

On my way out of Sta. Filomena, I also arranged a visit to eye expert Dr. Ed Soriano of an elderly supporter who is almost blind because of glaucoma.

Maybe the little help that I will provide will help her appreciate the beauty of the world again.

Another life touched and maybe another beautiful facebook post many years from now.

(Photo caption: Bea Mamallas, now 11, is shown in this picture with me, her mother and Makilala council candidate Joy Ceniza.)