CHILD Haus is a halfway home for children with cancer from the provinces who are seeking treatment in Metro Manila hospitals. In CHILD Haus, they get wholistic support like food, shelter, therapy and even livelihood training for their parents.

MANILA, Philippines — Six months from now, will these children with cancer still have a roof over their heads?

This is the dilemma being faced right now by the people behind CHILD Haus, a halfway home for children seeking treatment for cancer. Six months are all the administrators of CHILD Haus being given before they pack their bags and leave the premises which they have been occupying for the past seven years. Threats of cutting off electricity and water supplies to the facility are also imminent.

CHILD Haus is being evicted by the new administrators of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO), headed by its chairman Margie P. Juico. Ironically, the halfway home subsists on the Php1.2 million endowment fund from PCSO.

Not an orphanage
CHILD Haus is neither an orphanage nor a hospital. It is a halfway home established to provide temporary housing to pediatric cancer patients who are from the province and are seeking treatment in Manila. They can stay up to 120 days, depending on the length of treatment that doctors recommend.

The two-storey dormitory-type CHILD Haus has 120 beds for child patients. There are toilets and baths, a central kitchen, laundry area, a mess hall, a library, a prayer room, an entertainment room, and a playground. There is a day care center where a teacher handles classes for the patients. Two nurses, a play therapist, a social worker, and a doctor are always in the premises. Volunteer dentists and students regularly come to serve. Parents who are sidetracked by their children’s illness are not left idle either as livelihood and skills training program for parents are given, skills that they can take with them when they go back to the provinces.

The facility is located inside the Quezon Institute compound along E. Rodriguez ave., in Quezon City, center to the 11 Metro Manila hospital-program partners such as the Philippine General Hospital (PGH), East Avenue Medical Center, Philippine Children’s Medical Center, Jose Reyes Memorial Medical Center, Philippine Children’s Medical Center, Rizal Medical Center, V Luna Medical Center, Philippine Heart Center and the National Kidney and Transplant Institute.

CHILD Haus is the brainchild of hairdresser-philanthropist Ricky Reyes who came up with the idea when, in one of his regular visits to the pediatric cancer ward of the PGH, he came across mothers and children sleeping along the corridors. It turned out that these were children undergoing chemotherapy treatment who hailed from the provinces and had nowhere to stay in Metro Manila.

It is a scary fact, Ricky added, that thousands die of cancer in the provinces. “Either di sila makaluwas kasi walang pera o kung meron man, wala namang matirahan dito sa Maynila,’’ Ricky explained.

It is a startling reality that caring for a child who is afflicted with cancer is very stressful for both the child and the parents. It requires commitment of the parents to bring their child for treatment for at least once a year. Expenses for diagnostic and therapeutic modalities are restricting especially to the poor.

These patients need to go to Manila for consultation and treatment because with the necessary facilities and equipment for cancer treatment in the rural areas. This treatment would mean admission to a hospital every 21 to 28 days, for at least six treatment cycles. A majority of these patients may be treated on an out-patient basis, but more on a frequent treatment schedule such as daily/ weekly/ bi-weekly, for at least three to six consecutive months.

Along with PCSO’s grant, CHILD Haus survives on donations. Ricky has in fact labeled himself a “professional beggar’’ as he relies on the goodness of the heart of his friends to share their blessings with the children in CHILD Haus.

Why the eviction?
CHILD Haus occupies one of the three buildings which PCSO rented, at R2.4 million a month, from the Philippine Tuberculosis Society Inc. (PTSI), owner of the 6.5 hectare lot which also hosts the Quezon Institute.

In 1997, PCSO signed a 50-year lease agreement with PTSI, a contract which according to sources, had been pre-terminated by the PCSO’s new administration, even with 37 more years to go. As a result, the 1,200 employees of PCSO had to move to its new headquarters in PICC at the CCP Complex.

A couple of months ago, Ricky Reyes received a letter from Ms. Juico’s office requesting them to vacate the premises. Among the reasons given was that the building housing CHILD Haus was no longer structurally sound.

But quick to refute this is Manuel Morato, who served PCSO for 12 years, first as a chairman during the Ramos administration, and then as director during the Arroyo government. In a phone interview, Morato says the reason given by Ms. Juico is farthest from the truth.

“That building was fixed in 1997 by the Philippine National Construction Corp. as per Malacanang’s order. Their opinion was that only a few areas needed repair but definitely need not be demolished,’’ Morato explained.

Furthermore, Morato says, last year, there was a consultancy firm that checked the main building where the PCSO office was, but not the building where CHILD Haus is. That said firm reported that 50 percent of the PCSO office had defect.

‘“We debunked this report because according to structural engineers whom we talked to, the consultancy firm used the latest edition of the National Structural Code of the Philippines (NCSP) which is not really applicable to old and historical structures like the PCSO, the Malacañang Palace, the Post Office building built in 1911, or UST which was built in the 1600s. The new NCSP applies only to new buildings,’’ said Morato.

Designed by National Artist Juan Nakpil, the PCSO building was built in 1938 and stands on solid adobe foundation, Morato adds.

Amid all these, many suspect that there is a deeper reason for this controversial move by the PCSO, and that CHILD Haus may just be a collateral damage. In fact, some employees have already alleged that some giant developers are interested in acquiring the 6.5 hectare property, and in transforming it into a commercial venture.

Six-month extension
Ricky Reyes could only heave a sigh of relief upon learning that Nini Quezon-Avanceña, the chair of PTSI, has granted CHILD Haus six more months to stay in the premises.

“She came to CHILD Haus and told me that she would personally look for a new place for us to transfer,’’ Ricky said.

Last Thursday, Ricky said Juico suggested that CHILD Haus be moved to the basement of East Avenue Hospital in Quezon City. But Ricky politely rejected the idea mainly because the place will not at all be conducive to healing of the sick children.

Furthermore, children with cancer should not be “immunocompromised’’ because of their illness. Doctors say they must be housed in well-kept, clean and well-ventilated place, so that their immune system could be protected.

Morato echoed this sentiment. ‘’Children with cancer cannot stay in such an environment because their immune system is down, and may contact some infection. Furthermore, their parents may not be able to stay with them in the hospital for long and that will affect the health of the children,’’ Morato said.

Another suggestion is the V. Luna Hospital where a building may be used temporarily. But Ricky said they could only use it for three months, and is thus not feasible.

A viable option would be for CHILD Haus to continue renting from PTSI without having to depend on PCSO’s P100,000 subsidy a month. Through donations, Ricky has made tremendous improvement and repairs on the building and to leave it would be such a waste.

The parents and children in CHILD Haus are just thankful for this reprieve given by Mrs. Avanceña. One mother from Tarlac is however pessimistic about all these, worrying about the survival of her three year-old son.

“Saan kami titira kapag nandito kami sa Maynila. Ang mga kamag-anak naman namin nasa squatters’ area din, at baka lalong magkasakit ang anak ko. Dito, malinis ang kapaligiran, may playground, nakakapaglaro ang mga bata at nakakakain nang maayos. Ang iniisip na lang namin ay yung schedule ng chemo, pero pag wala na ang CHILD Haus, babalik na naman kami sa corridor ng hospital,’’ lamented the mother who refused to be identified.

Amid this burning issue, Ricky just continues to focus on what he has set out to do – to help these children with cancer.

“I always tell people who visit CHILD Haus that these children are the real survivors. Ito ang mga tunay na matatapang, dahil heto sila, maliliit pero lumalaban. Walang mga bahay, walang pera, may kanser pero heto, nag bre-break dance pa!’’ Ricky stated.

Yearly, during its anniversary, Child Haus organizes a photo session with the children and their benefactors. And every year, Ricky delivers the same inspiring line to them.

“I tell them, hoy mga bata, dapat sa susunod na picture taking, kailangan nakauwi na kayo at magaling na kayo ha. They will all agree in unison, with so much hope, especially the parents. The fact that they all want to get well and that we helped them get that attitude already makes all our effort worth it,’’ Ricky said.