When Feeling Weighs More Than Seeing
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By Louie-An M. Pilapil
I tend to be complacent about life, believing that things will turn out the way they will without my doing anything about them. Whether I like it or not, every single event that happens to me is bound to happen. What the heck is taking charge of one's destiny for?
Why treat life as a conundrum when it is actually simple, believe you me. Just lie back and enjoy the show -- life is one great movie with fate at the helm. If fate wills that I remain obscure and never get to become the person that I want to be, then so be it. Who am I to argue? If I'm to be struck by some debilitating disease, I'll surely be angry. But what can I do?
So imagine my delight when I met people who have been dealt a raw deal by fate and yet have managed to rise above it, working for equal, if not a better, place in society. These are the blind massage specialists of Visually Impaired Brotherhood for Excellent Services (VIBES).
I came across this organization about three years ago through their devoted client, my own mother. Their masseurs usually got around through referrals by other satisfied customers. A visually impaired masseur comes with a helper.
VIBES has an austere clinic at Quezon Memorial Circle, Elliptical Road, Quezon City, consisting of two air-conditioned cubicles, each furnished with a small bed. VIBES President Dante Tiosan, himself visually impaired, made clear, "Hindi na kami tinatawag na bulag ngayon (We are not called blind anymore."
VIBES started as nothing more than a great idea. Eight visually impaired people, who first met at a government-sponsored training program, talked about utilizing the skills they acquired. Without capital and a venue, they were, in more ways than one, in darkest limbo.
Initial funds came from caroling, Tiosan said. With the money they earned from this in December 1991, they started to offer massage services. In 1992, they were able to rent a room in Pasay City, and they turned this into a booking office, accepting appointments through the telephone. The masseurs went to the customers' houses, a practice still being done today.
The initial VIBES membership of eight persons rose to over 60. There are booking offices and massage branches in: Cubao, Quezon City; Las Pi–as, Metro Manila; San Pedro, Laguna; Tanauan, Batangas; Antipolo and Cainta, Rizal; and one in Boracay, Aklan.
In 1992, VIBES registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission as a non-stock, non-profit organization of the visually impaired. They received awards such as the 1994 Health and Management Information System bronze medal from the Department of Health for outstanding self-help livelihood group for traditional medicine and the Rizal Commercial Banking Corp.'s 1996 Sikap Award for Best Livelihood Project for the Handicapped.
Jose Hernandez, VIBES vice president and co-founder, said, "Sabi nila, kapag nawala ang isang sense mo, nagko-compensate ang iba (They say, if one of your senses doesn't function, the others compensate for it)."
He added that among the visually impaired, "built-in na sa blind ang marunong mag-visualize. Kung minsan, nakakapa pa lang 'yung katawan, alam na nila 'yung sakit (Blind people have a built-in capacity to visualize. Sometimes all they have to do is touch the person's body and they'll know what is ailing that person)."
The masseurs do not only rely on their senses alone. They also undergo monthly training to upgrade their skills. Tiosan also said, "Ine-encourage namin silang magtipid, mag-ipon, magkaroon ng disiplina sa paghawak ng pera (We encourage them to save up and be disciplined when it comes to handling money)."
VIBES encourages members to invest in other businesses or to put up their own massage centers. Towards this end VIBES established its second livelihood project, the VIBES Multi-purpose Cooperative, to give members access to credit.
"Kasi minsan nangangailangan sila ng pambili ng kung ano. Wala silang matatakbuhan. Ang organisasyon naman walang sapat na pera para doon. Tinayo namin 'yung coop para 'yung pera, ipinagsasama namin para makatulong sa isa't isa (Sometimes they need money to buy things and they have no one to run to. The organization doesn't have that much money so we decided to pool our resources and put up the coop to help each other)," Hernandez said.
The cooperative markets its own VIBES compact powder detergent, papaya herbal soap and assorted food products.
Tiosan noted that VIBES is hampered by such problems as discrimination and lack of funds. Sometimes a big chunk of the masseurs' earnings go to taxi fare alone, especially if the client lives far. Operation costs have gone up, prompting them to close their Makati branch.
Despite these, Tiosan has not lost his sense of humor. He said, "Ang insurance companies ayaw kaming tanggapin. High risk daw kami. Kahit saang diyaryo ka magbasa, wala pang nababalitang bulag na nasagasaan (Insurance companies won't accept us. They say we're high risk. Read any newspaper, there is no report of a blind person who has been run over.)"
In their free time, the masseurs play chess, their favorite game, crack jokes, or join government-sponsored sports events. They might not be able to see each other, but they feel one another's presence and consider their station more fortunate than those who roam the streets.
"Dumadami ang naglilimos na bulag. Wala kasing programa sa employment. Umikot ka sa mga otel, walang empleyadong bulag. Kung lahat ng building, health club, tennis club, may bulag na masahista, isang babae at isang lalake, magkakatrabaho kaming lahat. Hindi kayang sustentuhan ng gobyerno ang mga disabled (A lot of blind people resort to begging. There is no employment program. If you do the rounds of hotels, you'll find no blind employee. If all buildings, health clubs, tennis clubs have masseurs and masseuses, we'll all have jobs. The government is unable to support the disabled.)"
I felt a bit ashamed of myself for my former attitude of waiting for things to happen. People make things happen. I walked away feeling that I'm capable of anything if I put my mind to it, just like these visually impaired individuals. Indeed, sometimes feeling is more important than seeing.
Louie-An M. Pilapil, a communication arts graduate of the University of the Philippines Los Baños, works for a communication services outfit in Pasig City.
