Why did I name the foundation after my (Lola) Grandmother?
Luisa aka Lola Lusing, showed me many possibilities on how to conduct my life. Her big house in Manila was always bustling with people. There were relatives staying over from the provinces, afternoon card games of panguengue, Peace Corps from Africa, etc..
My grandmother was the second Bahai in the Philippines. The Iranian students who came to learn English and to spread the Bahai Faith stayed in her home before they went to their respective provinces. The influx of the young Iranians went on for many years until the rise of the Ayatollah.
Coming from the province, Lola Lusing took my cousins and I to study and be exposed to the big city. Throughout the years, I met the four nurses she sponsored. Marian, who is one of the foundation’s Board of Directors was the youngest.
Through all these events, my grandmother’s other visitor was a man with sleek hair, wearing cheap polyester, long sleeves shirts in the hot and humid Filipino weather. My cousin and I would stare at this sleaze bag with disgust all over our faces. This was when I was in high school! Lola graciously invited him into her home just like the rest of the guests.
“Yes, Mrs. Gomez … When I was a child, my father handed me the map to Yamashita’s treasures. President Marcos took most of it but he does not know about this cave. We need money to excavate it. You will get a big share if you help us finance the excavation.”
In the kitchen, Mila, the caretaker grumbled and exclaimed. “You do not trust somebody with “chikenish” eyes like him.”
The sleazebag was the first charlatan I’ve met and it was at my grandmother’s house. The lessons I’ve learned from just being with her has guided me through my endeavors. The strict adherence to the legalities of the foundation by the Board of Directors and me, and the constant vigilance of the donors who will always be informed of the the foundation’s activities, will make sure The Luisa M. Gomez Foundation Inc. will run smoothly as it is intended.
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