Why Not Think Bigger?

Bangon MaraWe V 1.00

Okay, so the original concept was a cozy benefit concert at a posh venue. Initially, I proposed to have the event at 19 East in Muntinlupa. Get four or five bands; charge 500 Pesos at the gate; get someone to sponsor the food and beverage for the artists and volunteers. Solved! No sweat, and 60 big ones (at least) raised for Marawi.

It seems Jamar would like to organize something grand. So, we came up with a bigger idea. Why not do it in Amoranto; or maybe The Circuit? The venue in Quezon City may be a more realistic proposal to the one in Makati. The Circuit is just to posh, and the proximity from the Blue Pitch doesn't sit well with the Mancunian Red Devil in me. Then, names of different bands went flying. I was thinking: Holy feces! I will definitely need Andy's help if this is going to push through.

But, at this point, we still haven't decided on who will receive the donations. I made clear from the onset that I wouldn't want to lay a single finger on any cash donations. I would really prefer that the money goes straight to a beneficiary Non-Government Organization; ideally, a group already engaged in Marawi. And my brother knew just the person we needed to talk to.

Enter Ms. Hernandez

I asked my brother, Medwin for some ideas on who we should approach in order to get the goods; especially the money delivered properly to the people who need them the most. Without batting an eyelash, he said: Nini Hernandez! I've heard him mention that name before. I just couldn't remember when. It was time to schedule a meeting.

On the 4th of July, Jamar and I went to SM Aura to meet with Nini. The lady has several badges working for the Philippine Red Cross in the past, like the crisis situations in Basilan. She has also volunteered with several NGOs in the past, and organized events for them. This girl is definitely what the doctor prescribed.

Nini concurred with Jamar's idea of organizing a big event. She even floated the idea of staging it at the coliseum in Cubao. Yup. The Big Dome itself. Now, in order to fill that place up, we will need more than a handful of prformers. And, they need to be at least averagely famous.

And so, the adventure to organize the version 2.0 of Bangon MaraWe starts. We will need all the luck and support in the world to pull this through.