Bench and Lucy Gomez launches "6200 Mission Possible"

It was not your typical charity event. Though it was put together for a very worthy cause, there were no tear-jerking appeals for help, no arm twisting for donations, no frenzied auctions.

Neither was it your typical fashion event, although the top fashion and lifestyle label in the Philippines was behind it.

Nor was it the usual celebrity gathering even as the brightest names in Philippine entertainment graced the occasion.

What it was, was simply a human event — as human as one can imagine, because it celebrated the best of the human spirit even through the most trying of times and the worst of disasters. Meaningful, memorable, inspiring, and most of all, empowering, the Bench 6200 Mission Possible, Rep. Lucy Torres-Gomez’s pet project, in cooperation with KIDS (Kabataan Iwas sa Droga sa tulong ng Sports) Foundation, was launched to heartwarming success this past weekend at the new Ayala Fairview Terraces mall in Quezon City, the beginning of what could be a whole new way of doing charity in the country.

Hope floats, wrote Lucy, as she described the project about a month ago. Her dream was simple: to provide each one of the 6,200 registered fishermen in her congressional district in Ormoc, Leyte, with a new fishing boat to replace the thousands they lost to Typhoon Yolanda’s fury. She called it Mission Possible, and, after jumpstarting it with a few boats from her own personal contribution, the employees of Bench turned over their Christmas party money to add to the humble fleet. Ben Chan, top honcho of Bench, along with his sister and brother-in-law, Nenita and Virgilio Lim, swiftly donated 200 more boats. Before long, Lucy had 1,200, from various individuals and organizations, with the number growing each day.

And through Ben Chan’s characteristic action-taking, he decided fortify the project by pledging P5 out of every P500 purchase at any Bench store from the 1st of February to the 30th of April, 2014, to the 6200 Mission Possible fund, this enjoining the greater public to take part in this noble endeavor.


“We are all in this together. We must boost the morale of the people of Ormoc, we must let them know that we are there for them, that they have not been abandoned,” said Ben Chan. This message was stated loud and clear at the launch, which flowed beautifully and symbolically. Hosted by Markki Stroem, the stage at the entrance of Ayala Fairview Terraces was fitted to appear as a giant wooden crateready for shipping. The program began with a short video showing scenes of the aftermath of Yolanda as Lucy surveyed the devastation. This was cut with footage of the actual boats being manufactured — bancas made of fibreglass instead of the usual wood, designed to last up to 20 years, as well as to be faster, lighter, and more durable. “We feel so much fulfillment as we do this,” said one of the project’s volunteers.

A heartfelt speech from Lucy; a moving rendition of Michael Jackson’s You Are Not Alone by Markki; touching spiels on responsibility, hope, opportunity, unity, passion, and commitment from Kim Chiu, Gerald Anderson, Robi Domingo, Ejay Falcon, Xian Lim, Sam Concepcion, Joseph Marco, David Chua, Miko Raval, basketball champions Jeric and Jeron Teng, and Enchong Dee, interspersed with some brilliant singing of the anthem Just Stand Up by Karylle and Lovi Poe, later joined by Rachelle Anne Go for the Beyonce hit Stand Up for Love, thrilled the starstruck audience at Fairview Terraces.

The program was topped off with a wonderful finale revealing the actual Bench fiberglass boat as it was carted onstage, reminiscent of the first iconic Bench TV commercial starring Richard Gomez as a sculler in 1989. Identical boats were simultaneously revealed in Ayala malls Glorietta 2 and Alabang Town Center.

Amid the deafening applause of a very enthusiastic crowd and the strains of Bob Dylan’s soul-stirring song Shelter from the Storm, Lucy and her husband Richard and their daughter Juliana, Ben Chan and his family, celebrity guests, and members of the media let sail numerous paper boats on a makeshift pool to symbolize their commitment to the mission.

“Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime,” goes the oft-repeated Chinese proverb. In giving people livelihood rather than dole outs, said Lucy, you give them dignity, you give them help that is both immediate and long-term. The boats were designed to be used as soon as they are received, and to be used for the rest of their lives.

Indeed, the 6200 Mission Possible launch was about empowerment. It was not about dependency, it did not focus on victimization, it was not about waiting for manna to fall from the sky. Mission Possible is about ACTION, which empowers not just the receiver, but the giver as well.

As we shall soon see when these boats dot the coastline of Ormoc in the very near future, empowerment will not just be in the hearts of those blessed fishermen, but in the hearts of those who took the concrete steps to make this dream a reality.

Like Bench and Lucy, you too can help make a difference. For P34,000, donors can sponsor a boat and name it after their company or loved ones. Each boat comes with a fiberglass hull, a Honda motor, and accessories such as a propeller, brass pipe, rudder, steel shaft, and cross-joint bolts, nuts, and rings. A team of artist volunteers add creativity to each piece with colorful designs that echo a unique story. With help from kind hearts, hope will float and devastated villages shall rise again. To learn more about how you can be part of this endeavor visit www.rebuildormoc.com.