ACUATICO Beach Resort in Laiya, San Juan, Batangas, may be a famous high-end resort development in the beach haven of Laiya – it’s most in-demand with both foreign and local tourists belonging to the higher social bracket, and reservations for rooms have to be made way in advance – but it has a soft spot in its heart for the poor, as well.
Every year, when it lights up its Christmas tree, it does not only light up a Christmas tree but lights up stars for a cause. This year, it lights up stars for the benefit of the victims of Supertyphoon Yolanda in the lesser heard town of Giporlos in Eastern Samar. Typhoon Yolanda wreaked havoc on places that stood in its path of fury and the destruction that it caused had been so massive that those who felt its wrath are still in the process of recovery, rehabilitation and rebuilding. Help is pouring in from different sectors of society and from different parts of the world but mostly for the highly publicized places whipped by Typhoon Yolanda, such as Tacloban and Guian, Eastern Samar.
Giporlos has been mentioned only a few times, but it’s sone of the most devastated places in the country. Giporlos is a coastal town in Eastern Samar that subsists on fishing and coconut trees. Unfortunately, 100% of fishing boats have been destroyed by Typhoon Yolanda, and 98% of its coconut trees have not been able to withstand the storm. At the height of the typhoon, winds of about 350kph hit Giporlos, swirling around its residents like they were in a washing machine and elements as minute as sand hitting them like punches. Storm surges of up to 12 feet high hit the place, so its 8-feet-tall sea walls failed to hold them back.
Giporlos, under the leadership of its 25-year-old mayor, Mark Biong, had been steadfast in its disaster preparedness, which helped keep the casualty count during Typhoon Yolanda to a minimum, but it still caused massive destruction. It destroyed roads and left debris everywhere, there was not enough food and potable water for everyone and there were 12,700 people who needed to be fed. Diesel prices shot up to P250 per liter during the crisis period that followed the great devastation. The local government did its best in restoring road access so business may continue to flow and help can come in. Mayor Biong took it upon himself to salvage food and water for the people of Giporlos, but, still, it was three weeks of pure agony, and the difficulty of rising from the ‘tragedy’ continues.
Giporlos was not receiving enough attention – and help – from anywhere else.
By divine design, Acuatico Beach Resort, headed by its general manager Simonette Gusi, got wind of Giporlos’ situation. The Gusis, Noli and Simonette, heard about the plight of Giporlos from the event coordinator of Simonette’s recent 40th birthday celebration who was a friend of Mayor Mark Biong. So, Acuatico heeded Giporlos’ call for help and decided to take up the cause and do what it could to help raise funds to help in the rebuilding of Giporlos. The Gusi couple, along with Acuatico employees who decided to do away with their usual Christmas activities and instead donate to Giporlos, gave a substantial donation. But the effort to help did not stop there. Instead, Acuatico decided to adopt Giporlos for its Light Up a Star program for Christmas this year.
Last December 10, 2013, Acuatico held its annual lighting of the tree at the Oceana Restaurant of the plush beach resort. Gracing the Light Up a Star event was Giporlos Mayor Mark Biong himself, as well as Batangas’ provincial administrator Frank Ilustrado (representing San Juan, Batangas, Mayor Rodolfo Manalo) and Department of Tourism’s provincial tourism officer Emilie Katigbak.
The symbolic lighting of the tree officially launched the campaign to sell stars for Acuatico’s Christmas tre. Each star bought by supporters, friends or guests will go to a fund which will be turned over to Giporlos Mayor Mark Biong after the Christmas season.
“The destruction in Giporlos is so great that we have to continue to help. By lighting a few stars, we light hope in the darkness of destruction. With each other’s help, we can light up our lives again,” says Simonette Gusi.
“Giporlos is now on its second phase – rehabilitation and construction of the town to bring it back to normalcy. We are in the process of identifying lands where we can transfer residents of our coastal communities and provide shelter for them. We are now also in the process of creating livelihood programs for residents o Giporlos,” Mayor Biong says.
He adds: “No man is an island. We thought we were hopeless, but strangers are coming up to us and helping us. The star we are lighting tonight at Acuatico is the star of our people’s hope for a better future to come.”
Other guests of honor during the symbolic lighting of the tree included famous fashion designer Renee Salud, a native of San Juan, Batangas, his models and hair expert James Cooper. Serenading everyone with Christmas carols were members of the Our Lady of the Pillar Cathedral Choir of Cavite and Les Miserables. Also delighting the guests was a good buffet spread of sumptuous dishes prepared by Acuatico’s new executive chef, Richard Dancel.
My husband Raff and I were fortunate to be there and bear witness to the symbolic lighting of the tree. We were in the company of several other media persons. We stayed over at Acuatico that evening, roomed in a Terrazas Room that lined Acuatico’s famous infinity pool that looked out to the Sibuyan Sea. The Terrazas Room (there are four of them at Acuatico) is an attic-style second-floor room with an open balcony fronting the pool and a toilet/bath at the foot of the stairs. Other guests also stayed overnight and traveled back to Manila the next morning.
A merry, blessed and meaningful Christmas to everyone!
(Acuatico Beach Resort is located at Laiya, San Juan, Batangas. For inquiries or reservations, visit Acuatico’s Manila office at Unit 142, G/F, Mile Long Bldg., V.A. Rufino corner Amorsolo St., Makati City, or call 408-8383, 892-7577 to 79.)
