ALAMINOS CITY – Four Irish youths had beautiful memories of Alaminos City, especially the Hundred Islands National Park (HINP), when they came for a visit last July 30.

The four – Brian McCabe, Jennifer Walsh, Aoife Gortmally and Mairead Curran – were part of the 16-man volunteer group sent to the country by SERVE, a non-government organization based in Ireland, to see for themselves the broader aspect of development works in other parts of the world.

SERVE, founded by Irish adults and Redemptorists, implements worthy projects all over the world that address youth poverty and activities seeking to empower defenseless and deprived sectors in the communities for them to become change agents.

Mayor Hernani Braganza accompanied the four in their tour of the city’s pilot projects and programs.

The visitors saw the Alaminos City Recovery Center in barangay Cayucay, the Stimulated and Therapeutic Activity Center and Crisis Intervention Center, the Sasso Breeding Farm in barangay Bolaney, Goat Commercialization Project in barangay Poblacion, and the High Value Vegetable Farm in barangay Bued.

They capped their tour with an adventure trip to the Hundred Islands, particularly the Quezon and Governor’s Islands, where they enjoyed kayaking, bird watching, snorkeling and taking souvenir photos at the Pinoy Big Brother’s House, wooden bridge and President Manuel Quezon’s monument.

Roy Ty, director of Center for Community Work and People’s Development who accompanied the four Irish youth, said the visitors fully enjoyed their brief stay here.

The four vowed to return to see what assistance they could extend, said Ty, who is also with ‘Akap Bata’, based in Manila, one of the beneficiaries of SERVE in 2005.

The Philippines is one of the countries that will receive financial support from SERVE
this year. The others are Thailand, India, Brazil, South Africa and Mozambique.

Projects that will be funded include slum community development, water systems, relief programs, support to school children and construction of rehabilitation centers.