Having less than a month to prepare for a city-wide charity event such as the Alay Lakad should have given me enough fodder to blog about. But to whimper and whine was not my cup of tea, at least for the time being — as working with the execom (the real one, which did most if not all of the leg work as well as decisions, and not them pseudo committee members whom I only recognize by name and whose only role in the credits list at the back of the program is to make it look “important”) has been a breeze. Besides, it left me very little time for my blogs.
In fact, working on it was a more than welcome diversion from the daily humdrum. Perhaps we were one in treating it as an exercise in event organizing, fund raising and the art of charming the powers-that-be (never mind the prospect of getting face to face with some you actually loathe being associated with). And the almost daily, short trips to the City Social Welfare and Development office were rewarded with good “biko” and light gossip. The ladies there knew what they were doing. It, too, got us JCI Misamis important linkages, and I can safely say it re-introduced our group back into the city’s esteemed socio-civic circle.
So all systems should have gone smoothly, with only very minor glitches, such as the coffee for the VIPs not being served on time because somebody forgot the water dispenser, and having to deal with the collective morning breath (it started after a comfortable delay from the planned 4:30 AM kickoff). Up until the mechanics for the Miss Alay Lakad search was explained.
Traditionally, the declared winner comes from the delegation with the biggest collection of money from sold tickets. With the system, the outcome has become as predictable as the morning sun, through the years. Which we, the hosting organization, found as rather unfair, if not boring. No wonder, participation to the event has been dwindling over time. The smaller computer colleges, who are just as generous, do not stand a chance with the compulsory participation in the bigger universities. And we had wanted to extend participation from groups other than schools. So the think tanks came up with a solution: disregard the tickets and get the muses to collect cash from within the venue. She who gathers the most amount wins.
All seemed to agree, except for one — for the simple reason that they were not informed of the change. Of which we intentionally did (or didn’t do?) because telling them earlier could (and will ) drastically affect contributions coming from the tickets. So explain we did, albeit awkwardly, as the guy, who represents an educational institution we have our highest respects on, was unnecessarily fuming mad from indignity and disenchantment.
We yielded, changing once again the rules: add the collection to the ticket sales and we have a winner. What made us change our minds? He actually, to our face, and within hearing range of not just a few students, threatened NOT to remit their delegation’s ticket collection. The gall! It was a bluff, obviously, but in doing so, he had impressed on us that he, or his institution (which I hope not), fails to grasp the very essence of the entire affair: CHARITY. Wholehearted, openhanded aid, without having to expect much in return, the honor of having the Miss Alay Lakad crown for the nth time included.
They won, anyway. And win they did in the other side events too. Am I proud? I should be, as without my JCI t-shirt, I categorically belong with them. But given this, I am not. This is my personal oipinion of course, and not of the JCI Misamis.
All in all, it was a success. According to the CSWD, we might surpass the recorded highest collection. More money means more projects for the city’s out-of-school youth, or more beneficiaries of the skills trainings on offer.
