“Malayang tumanggap, bukas palad magbigay!” (Freely we receive, freely we give). These words from the Gospel (Mt 10: 8) have defined the spirit of Bukas Palad Foundation of the Philippines, Inc. (commonly known to many simply as Bukas Palad), and continue to be a constant guide in everything that is done in its name as it journeys towards its 40th founding anniversary.

In 1982, Servant of God Chiara Lubich, foundress of the Focolare Movement, visited the Philippines for the first time. As she witnessed the grinding and widespread poverty in the country, a desire was born in her heart, which became a call to address the social problems besetting our people. Well aware of the situation and making their own Chiara’s desire, a group of Gen (the youth of the Focolare Movement) in Manila decided to roll up their sleeves. They looked into their cabinets and brought together the clothes they could sell. They had set up a rummage sale in a small parking lot of the Inocencio residence in Tramo Street, Pasay City. Bukas Palad’s initial fund was PHP 2,500. The operating force behind Bukas Palad was the radical love of the youth who accepted the challenge of the Gospel to love one’s neighbor, becoming more and more a tangible expression of it.

As time went by, these young people wanted to respond more concretely to the needs of others. One day, a man came to us, asking for help because he was suffering from tuberculosis. This paved the way for Bukas Palad to begin helping a patient with tuberculosis by making the patient’s daily medicine available without pay. Eventually, an institution contacted Bukas Palad to help fund the treatment. Fast forward to 2008, the Department of Health and the Tropical Disease Foundation, Inc. recognized the Bukas Palad as the first Non-Governmental Organization MDR-TB¹ Treatment Site.

More programs were created and implemented as the needs of the poor were identified. In 1994, Bukas Palad inaugurated its housing project that aimed not only to be a shelter but also a community modeled after the first Christians who lived a life of communion.

A livelihood program sustains the miscellaneous overhead expenses, the salaries of some staff, and supports tuberculosis patients and malnourished children, and provides mothers with knowledge and skills to earn a living to supplement their family income.

The Primary Health Care Program safeguards the health of family beneficiaries of Bukas Palad with focus on preventive healthcare. Generous medical doctors from a renowned hospital regularly extend their services to indigent members of the community. A nutrition plan was also created after noticing a lot of undernourished children in the neighborhood. The Bukas Palad Learning Center (BPLC) was established to offer affordable quality education to children with parents as partners of the teachers in facilitating their children’s growth and development.

The School of Life is a program that focuses on out-of-school youth, parents, and other adult members of the community to prepare them for vocational courses or training. Support-at-a-Distance (SAAD) is an educational assistance program for children of indigent families to complete their bachelor’s degree through the financial support of local and international benefactors. This program aims to help marginalized families rise above material poverty.

Meanwhile, at the heart of these programs is the spiritual and human formation that aims at an integral and holistic development of its beneficiaries.

The spirit of Bukas Palad eventually spread to various parts of the country, giving birth to other centers bearing the same name, Bukas Palad (BP) in La Union, Tagaytay, Cebu, and Davao.

True enough, the culture of communion that Bukas Palad promotes is contagious! Almost 40 years after its founding, it has evolved into the formally recognized non-governmental organization it is now, serving hundreds of beneficiaries all over Metro Manila and hundreds more in different parts of the Philippines. There is still much work to do, and it is brought ahead by the courageous men and women who passionately offer themselves, their services and their time, to this work of God.

Gio Francisco and Asela Arago

¹ Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis treatment