MANILA, Philippines ? A few years ago, Father Gerard Deveza, dubbed ?The Healing Priest,? delivered a homily on how the privileged could use their wealth to benefit society. His audience: the affluent parishioners of Santuario de San Antonio in Forbes Park, Makati.

Sharing his experience in helping poor communities in Bicol, he asked for more funding to continue his cause.

In the audience was the billionaire, society doyenne and philanthropist Consuelo ?Chito? Madrigal Collantes, who was apparently moved by his speech. After the Mass, she sent her nurse to the priest in the sacristy.

When the priest explained his education program in Sorsogon, Collantes donated P1 million to build his school. Not even her most trusted nieces, shipping executive Susana ?Chuchu? Madrigal-Eduque and lawyer Gizela ?Ging? Gonzales-Montinola, were aware of their aunt?s contribution.

Anti-poverty thrust

That meeting paved the way for the establishment of the Consuelo Chito Madrigal Foundation (CCMF), whose anti-poverty thrust is carried out through its housing, microfinance, nutrition, education and scholarship programs.

The foundation was established in 1997, but Collantes? charity-giving started long before it, if informally. In her younger days, Collantes sent children of household help or seminarians to school. When they became successful in their careers, they would approach her in gratitude for her generosity. Collantes wouldn?t even remember the help she had extended.

In 2004, the CCMF became a reinvigorated organization.

?Tita Chito wanted it to be more focused. After succeeding in business, she had reached the stage in her life when giving back was her primary focus. She began contacting people she had faith in,? says Montinola.

The board now consists of Eduque, chairperson; Montinola, president; corporate secretary and lawyer Christopher Garcia, Siony Pacardo, and grandnephew Jonjon Rufino.

?Rather than building the foundation from the ground, we thought it would be quicker to help priests who had parishes and ideas for programs,? says Montinola.

Father Joel Tabora, president of Ateneo de Naga, and Fr. Wilmer Tria execute CCMF?s programs in Bicol, while Fr. José Mario Ladra serves Bulacan.

?It was the trust factor,? says Montinola of Collantes? anointed ones. ?All the money would go directly to the poor. There were no layers or agenda. She was doing it personally, not for any publicity.?

In most interviews, Collantes always expressed her vision of helping ?the poorest of the poor? and restoring their dignity not through dole-outs, but by teaching skills and providing the means to make them self-reliant.

She handpicked Socorro ?Corito? Bautista to be CCMF?s executive director. Bautista recalls: ?She wanted to elicit the good in each person by alleviating poverty, but imbued with Christian principles.?

A management contract with Bautista?s own Defending Family Values Foundation to run CCMF was forged. ?Everything we pay the foundation goes to her foundation, not her salary. This is where Tita Chito?s business mind is at work. It has the lowest administrative cost in the Philippines,? says Montinola. The services of the board of trustees and priests are voluntary.

Bautista designs, monitors and evaluates the programs and coordinates with the board. The foundation?s main thrust is to carry out the 10-year plan for Bicol, Bulacan, Sorsogon and the Payatas Demo Campus, a learning hub or a ?university for the poor.?

Fruits of service

In the past five years, the foundation has already seen the fruits of its service, with more than 25,000 beneficiaries.

When Eduque visited Bicol last April, Father Wilmer reported that CCMF has already helped 7,000 families ? not individuals ? through microfinancing and scholarships. Of the 40 scholars from poor families, some have become achievers, such as Reynaldo Avellana, Alfred Labiccasi, Glenn Paul Dacara and Julius Barcinas, all of whom are magna cum laude graduates of Ateneo de Naga.

In Bulacan, the graduates have found good jobs and now help support their families, such as Jennymar Ornedo who works at Manulife; Christina Adjie of the Department of Public Works and Highways; Globelle Manuel of Abbot Laboratories; and Jake Anthony Valenzuela, a finance officer at Unicef.

Students with full scholarships are given an incentive if they write a thesis on a business venture. If it gets good marks, CCMF?s microfinance arm lends P200,000. One such beneficiary is Danilo Dillo Jr., who now exports dried fish and boneless danggit to Texas through his relatives.

?Tita Chito felt a lot about working. As a businesswoman, she wanted the money to be used again and again. It was seed money, literally. It would come back for the purpose of being lent out. But over time, we realized that, in some cases like supplementary feeding, you can?t expect monetary returns,? says Montinola.

?But that is necessary,? adds Eduque. ?Kids won?t go to school if there is no feeding.?

CCMF has adopted schools and barangay for its nutritional program.

During Christmas, the beneficiary children from Bulacan who formed a choir would regale Collantes in a mini-concert in her home.

Unique program

Eduque points out that the foundation?s housing program is unique because of its size.

?There is no socialized housing. You purchase a 300-square meter lot and build a 60-sq m house. Since you own the land, it can augment your income. In that lot, there is sari-sari store, organic farming or bakery.?

The foundation donated a nine-hectare property in Bacon, Sorsogon, to provide housing for beneficiaries.

Eduque cites a school teacher who thanked her for the easy, 30-years-to-pay program. What the teacher saved on rent went to the organic farming in her lot. Her husband, who works in Saudi Arabia, plans to come home to help in the business.

A baker who once worked in a hotel also set up a bakery in his house. He now provides bread to neighboring communities.

In the dumpsite of Payatas, the CCMF offered its 7.5-hectare property as a learning and livelihood hub to cover children?s learning, nutrition, computers, teacher training, culinary courses and a multipurpose area. The Payatas CSR Demo Campus project will be launched this school year.

Although most of the funding comes from the late Collantes? endowment, Montinola says the foundation plans to move forward to work with partners.

?To grow, we want to collaborate with many people. There are ways of working that don?t involve money.?

For the Payatas learning hub, Bautista says Don Bosco will be in charge of the computer program, since it is a technical vocational site. St. Paul?s Manila will help make the curriculum for culinary courses. For teachers? training, the University of Asia and the Pacific will share its Masters in Values Education geared for public school teachers. Corporations such as Ayala Land have also assisted in land analysis, while DMCI will be the general contractor.

In the last few years of her life, Collantes brought urgency into the program.

?She would tell us to hurry up,? says Montinola. ?She knew her health was failing. Yet, she was happy to see that what she had hoped for was being realized.?

?She wanted people to be productive, and she instilled discipline,? adds Eduque. The CCMF, she says, embodies her late aunt?s legendary honesty and integrity.

?We will make sure that she will live through the foundation. Her memory will be kept alive.?