Rawmags Social Entrepreneurship in person with Maia Magpantay

will support the chosen recipients of this year’s Social Entrepreneurship project.

Maia paints in oil using a palette knife, ‘a process that enables me to create figurative forms with precisely drawn lines, roughening strokes of festive hues and vibrant coloration to express art. To celebrate the colourful life given by the Great One, to glorify the Lord with the gift He has entrusted to me and share this enthusiasm with my fellowman, is indeed a path I find worth pursuing.’

Becky shared the backdrop of Rawmags Social Entrepreneurship saying, ’’It was the idea of Betsy von Atzigen, Rawmags Editor in Chief, for Euro-Filipinos to contribute towards the education of less fortunate kababayans in the Philippines - to ‘pay forward’ and share blessings.’’

Text and images by Luz Bergersen

It was a timely occasion for Rawmags Social Entrepreneurship Lead Becky Torres and Marizel Arambulo, both bankers and committed Rawmags volunteers, meet up with visiting Oslo-based Rawmags Editor Luz Bergersen and acclaimed Filipina paletteknife artist Maia Magpantay.

We met and exchanged views at popular dining place Mary Grace at Uptown Mall, Bonifacio Global City in Taguig, Manila.

On its secondth year, the Rawmags Social Entrepreneurship Team selected two new beneficiaries namely the Dugtong-Dunong sa Pagsulong Scholarship and Educational Program, and the Yellow Boat of Hope Foundation, which both share the common mission of providing support for the education of Filipino children coming from low income families.

Artist Maia Magpantay donated two exquisite stylized cubist paintings, whose proceeds

‘I was introduced to Betsy in August 2020 by Maris, a common friend and high school classmate, as Betsy was looking for an article on Vigan in Ilocos Sur. It so happened that Maris and I reconnected when we celebrated our high school golden jubilee.

Our classmates went to Vigan as our town of destination. We were 36 seniors all together. We rode the kalesa to tour Vigan in Calle Crisologo Heritage Street and around the town plaza. I planned and arranged this trip from transport and reservations, to hotel bookings, Vigan food selection and tourist places to visit. The visit inspired a travel article I wrote ‘My Vigan - Returning to One’s Roots’.

Check out ‘My Vigan’ in Rawmags October 2020 https://www.rawmags.com/

Betsy knew that Marizel (whom I introduced to her) and I were bankers, so she asked us to develop the guidelines for a simple social entrepreneurship program to be launched in February 2021 for Roots & Wings’ 12th Anniversary. That is how Marizel and I got involved in this volunteer outreach program.’

NO OTHER PLACE LIKE Jerusalem ISRAEL

It is no coincidence that this year’s Christian Easter, Jewish Passover and Muslim Ramadan are simultaneously happening in Jerusalem. Neither was it a coincidence to find myself again and of all seasons, in this historic city nestled on a plateau, surrounded by the Judean hills, and tossed between the Mediterranean and the Dead Sea.

It is one of the oldest cities in the world and rightly appointed so as a holy city - home to three Abrahamic faiths namely Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

Ramadan started the week friends and I got there. On Palm Sunday, people were carrying full sized palm branches, drumbeating and singing while passing through palm-lined streets. It made me feel a sense of joy and harmony amid an important festivity among the locals and visitors alike, regardless of faith and religion.

Our guide walked us along the four uneven quarters of the city – the Armenian, Jewish, Muslim, and Christian. Like before, I was spellbound by its encompassing beauty and historicity. The streets inside and just outside the walls were lined with young men and women in uniform, making sure the city was safe for this unique threefold celebration.

At the harbour in Jaffa near Tel Aviv, the blue sea and the azure sky met in agreement. Jerusalem felt more significant, reliving the place where Jesus preached, died, and was resurrected. It is indeed the holiest of all sites. There is no other place like Jerusalem.