In the afternoon of September 23, 2017, dozens of families came together and became one big family. It was an event organized by E.Q.U.I.P in Holistic Development and Care Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization founded by a group of residents living in Bonifacio Global City.
Speakers
The event had four distinguished speakers, each sharing their valuable expertise to families of BGC gratuitously.
Ms Armie Lita Candado of BESC reminded residents of BGC city rules, such as street parking. She also informed residents of the free venues available to  community events.
Dr. Camille Sta Cruz, a specialist in emergency medicine at Makati Medical Center, gave lesson and demonstrations on first aid for babies and children. A broad range of topics were covered, such as treatment for cuts, burns and wounds, dealing with choking, bee and jelly fish stings, how to do CPR and so on. The topics and demonstrations were so interesting that some children volunteered to take part in the demonstrations.
Presenting School in a Backpack, a movement to take kids outside of classrooms to learn, was Owie dela Cruz. Ms dela Cruz, a homeschooler and mother to two kids, talked about the benefits of bringing children to learn in outdoor environments.
Mr. Emilio “Bong” C. Macasaet, a marketing expert, gave advice on parenting Millenials, i.e. people born between 1980 and 2000. He is a father of three millenial sons, so he had a lot of experience to share.
SPEAKERS: From left to right, Ms. Owie dela Cruz, Ms. Armie Candado, Mr. Emilio Macasaet, and Dr. Camille Sta. Cruz.
All Hands on Deck
It was an event organized by families of BGC for families of BGC. Members contributed to every aspect of the event, such as food, assistance in securing venue, contacts with speakers, and publicity of the event. A few even dedicated a full day to provide service at the event.
IN PHOTO: food was prepared by participating families. INSET LEFT: a token of appreciation was presented to one of the speakers, Dr. Camille Sta. Cruz by two founders of E.Q.U.I.P@BGC. INSET RIGHT: Candid Coffee, was one of the home based businesses at the event.
Fun Time for Kids
Since it was a family event, there were activities for children. Staff of Naethan’s Library of Learning were at hand to help kids play board games or do some doodling. There was a cooking workshop where kids got a chance to actually make a Japanese noodle dish. Some of the children even enjoyed taking part in the talks!
IN PHOTO: Assistants from Naethan’s Library of Learning assisted in activities for the children. INSET LEFT: A resident conducted a cooking demo with some children. INSET RIGHT: Some children were interested in the talks.
Mobile Community Center
One founder of E.Q.U.I.P in Holistic Development and Care Foundation Inc., Ms. Pauline Tan, gave the concluding remarks of the event. She explained that the event was the first event organized under its Mobile Community Center project. It demonstrated how a permanent community center would be used, if one were actually built. She also laid out a proposal on how a permanent community center could be sustained by contributions from members.
By all account, the event was a great success. It was organized and executed by BGC families, and attended by even more BGC families.  Everyone benefitted from the very informative and enlightening talks by the resource persons, and all enjoyed the camaraderie of each other who share the same wonderful neighborhood of Bonifacio Global City.
In addition to the residents who contributed time and resources, the event benefitted greatly by the generosity of its sponsors: Ayala Premier, Robinsons Land, Ergo Home, Kiehl’s, and Naethan’s Library of Learning. TheFortCity.com is one of the media partners of the event.
