BY: RIZALIE A. CALIBO
SIQUIJOR, March 14 (PIA) --
Mysiquijor.com administrator Gary Harrison or ‘Siquijor Gary’ as the
islanders fondly call him has been in and out Siquijor, the small island in the
Philippines he proudly calls his ‘home’, for nearly two and a half
decades now.
“I felt something here..pardon me…but
something magical. There was something here on the island that kept calling me
back each and every year,” says Gary as he presents the cash donation of
Pph51,000 for the renovation of Solangon Chapel in San Juan, Siquijor, the
amount he solicited from generous donors from different walks of life through
my.siquijor.com.
But the solicitation or the donation
is just one of the many ways of showing his respect and gratitude
to the people for allowing him to enjoy life on the island for 24 years.
Over and above it was his vision to
bring positive change on the lives of the islanders that he pursued with his
creation of a website named “mysiquijor.com” in 2002.
Mysiquijor.com, he is convinced, would
help him realize his aspiration as it portrays his affection and
appreciation for the island and his long commitment to show Siquijor’s
natural beauty to the world.
But when asked about promoting the
island, Siquijor Gary responded by saying: “I don’t have to sell it..only to
show it. The island sells itself.”
“It is my vision that through the use
of appropriate promotion there will be an increase in responsible tourism
(Ecotourism), environmental awareness, and investment,” he said.
While recognizing the island’s many
natural treasures such as the waterfalls, the beaches, the convent, etc. Gary
also realized that the island’s most important resource is its people.
“It is my belief that the real
magic of Siquijor lives within the inhabitants of the island. The kind and
gentle hands, warm smiles, along with the welcoming hearts have always made
this a truly magical paradise,” he quipped.
With it, he included in his vision for
the website his desire to have a positive impact on Siquijor’s medical
capabilities, educational system, employment rate and in the preservation of
its culture.
And over the past 12 years
Mysiquijor.com, indeed, has made several donations of medical equipment to the
Provincial Hospital, the restoration of St Francis of Assisi Church and school
supplies to the selected elementary schools, among others.
Along with them are the promotion of
local businesses and foreign investments, and the provision of assistance to
thousands of tourists, apart from the “gifts” he personally bring and present
every time he comes home to the island.
Gary thanked all the generous donors:
Linda Rumple Tieben, Scott Kim, Tom Ashton, Mike Eudy, Craig Norburry, Steve
&Eileen Lyon, Coral Cay Resort, Samantha White, Craig & Ellen Lego, Tim
& Rhea Larsen, D' Barkads, The Bruce & himself . “A couple of them are
my old classmates and have never been to the Philippines and probably never
will,” he said while giving a brief background of the donors and the
amount they gave for Siquijor.
“Let me say that it is not the size of
the donation that matters…no donation is too small. I am sure that the smallest
donation was given with the same amount of heart as the largest,” he said.
In closing, he challenged everyone,
domestic or foreign, to reach into their pockets and give with their hearts to
finish the chapel and move on to another project. This he said as he is aware
that the donation given will not be enough to complete the project.
Above all, he thanked the people of Siquijor and assure them that
even though his eyes are old and tired, his vision for mysiquijor.com and the
island remains very strong and clear. (mbcn/rac/PIA7-Siquijor)