Overview and Purpose of the Rizal-MacArthur Memorial Foundation

The name Rizal pertain to Dr. Jose P. Rizal the Filipino national hero and martyr, who was a doctor by profession and a writer by avocation. His martyrdom was established after the Spaniards condemned him to die by firing squad in a field known as Bagong Bayan, for two books he has written compelling the Filipinos to seek freedom from oppression; and MacArthur is from General Douglas MacArthur, who was not only from Wisconsin but whose heroism in the Philippines and the Pacific reveres him in the hearts and minds of many to this day. The RMMF has obtained the permission of General MacArthur's widow to use his name- a request that in itself is formidable, owing to the fact that it is not often granted.

The RMMF collects medical equipment, supplies, educational materials and myriad other articles for eventual shipment to the Philippines. These goods are stored at a Trustee's office basements at no cost. In between soliciting and collecting, the RMMF embarks on numerous fund raising efforts to raise money for crating and shipping. Containers travel overland to the west coast, and from there by cargo ship to the Philippines. Shipping is done every summer, with one or more containers, depending on donations and funds. Except for the cost of crating materials, volunteers and trustees do the packing and crating. There is no paid staff, and administrative costs are so low as to be almost insignificant. Moneys raised and donated therefore go directly into RMMF's projects. RMMF strives to reach people in barrios too poor to seek medical help - and too indigent to hope. A majority of these donations end up in hospitals, and clinics all over the Philippines. RMMF makes it possible for doctors, nurses and dentists to visit towns and non-urban centers on a regular basis. RMMF offers medicines and other supplies to these centers, civic organizations like the Rotary, Lions or the Jaycees, who are committed to charity work in slums and squatter areas, among the beggars and the homeless. It has extended assistance to families in areas that have been challenges to reach.

To accomplish this, the RMMF is assisted by a sister foundation in the Philippines, the Dr. Jose P. Rizal Memorial Foundation (RMF). The RMF has, other than help to prioritize and distribute the donations coming from the United States, established the Dr. Jose P. Rizal Memorial Hospital and Medical Research Center, in Bagong Bayan, Dasmarinas, Cavite. This hospital provides the medical needs of more than 50,000 squatters and their families forcibly relocated outside the greater Manila area. It is also the hospital affiliated with the De La Salle Medical School. This unique relationship has enabled both Foundations to do a more efficient job of bringing these limited yet valuable resources to the most deserving and under served sectors of the country. This relationship has enabled both Foundations to respond to calamities and natural disasters in the Philippines in a streamlined and competent manner.

In recent years, the RMMF has embarked on furthering its goals by going on Medical Missions, with its Trustees leading the way. Missions are now organized every two years. In 1998, 35 volunteers joined missions to the provinces of Leyte and Pangasinan, where the RMMF has built a I 00 bed emergency hospital. The mission in 2000 will visit Iloilo, Cavite and Pangasinan These medical missions enable participants not only to help people directly, but to share and teach the expertise they have been so fortunate to learn from the United States. It gives participants an opportunity to see and meet people face to face, a tremendously powerful force Into forging the commitment to continue this legacy into the future.

The RMMF receives support from a lot of individuals in Wisconsin, New York, California and Nevada. Organizations such as the Philippine Medical Association of Wisconsin (PMA-W), its auxiliary and the Philippine Association of Madison and Neighboring Areas (PAMANA) remembers the RMMF annually. Their contributions are highly valued and appreciated. But to continue the projects in the level that we have been doing in the past need additional funding and support. This year the RMMF will begin a fund raising effort that will enable it to continue into the next century. Please help if you can.

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