AHWEL PAZ
SABI nga, give credit where credit is due.
Nais naming ipaangkin ang espasyong ito sa isang kasamahan sa pamamahayag particularly on the airwaves bagama’t magkaiba kami ng himpilan ng radyong pinaglilingkuran.
Mabibilang pa lang sa daliri ang mga taon mula nang makilala ng inyong lingkod si (Papa) Ahwel Paz. An omnipresent companion to Jobert Sucaldito, isang hapon ‘yon sa makeup room ng ABS-CBN una namin siyang nakilala many years ago.
Nasundan ‘yon ng mangilan-ngilang events sa network kung saan Ahwel would serve as a welcoming host to press attendees. He was not among the colorful names in print media, but he’d treat every showbiz pen-pusher with genuine warmth, candor and respect.
Isa na kami roon, “Kuya Ronnie” kung tawagin niya kami.
More than a year ago when we discovered the deeper side of Ahwel. That time, ilang taon na pala niyang pinamamahalaan ang libreng medical mission para sa kanyang mga kabaro.
While most, if not all of us choose to host our birthday parties on a grand scale (na hindi naman masama),
Ahwel—like a few celebrities that we know—would rather waive the festive calendar date to give way to a more meaningful agenda.
Agenda or activity man ang maaaring itawag sa taun-taong medical mission niya, to us, it’s living up to an advocacy on how to take care of one’s health.
With the nature of our work as entertainment media practitioners, tulad din ito ng anumang trabaho where we’re married to stress. A caboodle of it.
Inevitable as it actually is, nariyan ang proyekto ni Ahwel—now on its fifth year—billed as “I Love My Family M4” (Medical Mission for the Members of the Media).
Encompassing ito para sa mga kapatid namin sa hanapbuhay, nasa print o broadcast media man including online. Year in, year out ay isinasagawa ang M4 sa pakikipagtulungan sa Delos Santos Medical Center.
Oo nga naman, the project title is but appropriate. Karamihan kundi man bawat isa sa amin ang tumatayong poste—that has to be sturdy enough—ng aming mga pamilya. And if we don’t give a hoot about our health, paano na lang ang aming mga mahal sa buhay?
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Honking his horn for him, isa si Ahwel na mga principal na tumugon sa pangangailangan ng kaibigan at kasamahang si Richard Pinlac when the latter suffered a massive stroke last year. Ahwel stood by Richard and his family until he got discharged from the DLSMC.
For sure, abut-abot pa rin ang pasasalamat ng pamilya ni Richard, hindi lang kay Ahwel kundi maging sa lahat ng umagapay sa kanila.
Sa ikalimang taon ng M4, gaganapin ang medical mission ni Ahwel this Sunday, mula ala-sais ng umaga hanggang tanghali where members of the media can avail of free medical, laboratory and diagnostic services.
Kabilang dito ang comprehensive physical examination para sa complete blood count (CBC), urinalysis, glucose (FBS), uric acid, lipid profile, chest x-ray at ECG. Maaari ring magpakonsulta sa mga dalubhasa sa ENT, cardio, OB-gyne at urology.
Meron ding libreng refraction kung saan ang unang 50 member ng media ay pagkakalooban ng reading glasses mula sa Ideal Vision.
Speaking of which, ang M4 ay literal na ideal vision—at mission—ni Papa Ahwel Paz. Happy birthday sa ‘yo, kapatid!
The entire entertainment media just so loves you!