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Philippines, 22 Dec 2024 |
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Z GORRES FUND RAISING NETS $10,000 By Rod Mijares PhilBoxing.com Thu, 04 Feb 2010  Z “The Dream” Gorres may no longer have the chance to be a world boxing champion that his former and current promoters, Rudy Salud and Antonio L. Aldeguer, respectively, saw in him but the tragic outcome of his win against Colombian Luis Melendez championed the Filipinos into his side when it matters most. Dr. Benito Calderon, a handsome and soft spoken current president of the Philippine Medical Association of Nevada (PMAN) with a St. Theresa heart came immediately to Gorres aid on the very first day he was taken to the hospital for emergency brain surgery. He worked tireless 24/7 and coordinated with the University Medical Center’s concerned departments, surgeons, doctors, anesthesiologists, nurses and physical therapists to ensure that Z Gorres health and safety were always taken care of. Dr. Calderon teamed-up with Frank Slaughter, a University of Nevada Las Vegas boxing coach; with his colleagues at the Philippine Medical Association of Nevada; and the Philippine Nurses Association of Nevada headed by its president, Christy Sampal. They rallied the other Filipino organizations in Las Vegas in promoting Z Gorres fund-raising dinner event last Saturday, January 30, 2010 at Salo-Salo Grill & Restaurant’s function hall. Frank Slaughter was introduced and he talked of the Z Gorres bill which he is pushing through the Nevada legislation that will raise the health insurance coverage of any boxer or MMA fighter who fights in Nevada from $50,000.00 to $1M. This will ensure that every fighter is well-covered and protected for their hospital expenses, if an emergency occurs. Tony Martin, ALA Promotions Las Vegas based trainer, talked to the attendees that he has known Z Gorres when he was still a kid who grew up a fine, discipline and skilled boxer. He encouraged them to dig deeper into their pockets and give generously for Z Gorres as he gave and sacrificed a lot to bring honor for his country in pursuit of a world championship. One of the highlights of the event was an overseas call from Philippine Senator Lito Lapid who confirmed to Dr. Calderon that he will provide Z Gorres with a livelihood assistance program. Datches, Z Gorres’ wife who was not present when Senator Lapid visited Z Gorres in the hospital, thanked the senator for his help over the phone. “I am happy with the outpouring of support from the various organizations that attended the fund-raising and from various individuals who came and give generously out of their kind hearts. I think there were about 150-200 people who came and showed they care. "It shows wherever we Filipinos are, we possess that Bayanihan spirit and we were united in helping others who are in dire needs. A lot of them (the attendees) were congratulating us for a well-organized and successful fund-raising event not to mention that it took the planning committee barely two weeks to prepare,” Dr. Calderon said with humble pride. The Filipino-American organizations that showed their support included the Philippine American Lions Club of Las Vegas (PALC-LV) represented by Rex Velasquez and his family; the Philippine Bisayan Society of Nevada (PBSN) represented by its vice-president, Bob Balazo; the National Federation of Filipino-American Associations (NAFFAA) represented by its immediate Nevada State Chairman, Wilfredo “Jing” Espiritu (who incidentally is running for Nevada’s State Assembly in November, 2010) and the Noy-Mar Group represented by Dr. Farida Chua and Luz Micabalo and the Philippine American Charity Foundation (PACF) represented by Dr. Mike and Luz Sapin-Micabalo Also represented were Bikolnon Association of Las Vegas (BALV), University of Santo Tomas Alumni group and the University of the Philippines Alumni Association of Nevada (UPAAN-LV). Nurses from the Mountain View Hospital and the University Medical Center Hospital also attended the event and so with a great number of individuals or groups that came in support and admiration of Z Gorres. They were Will A. Vicuna of Golden Real Estate & Investments, Luis Resurreccion of Philippine Airlines and Atty. Vissia Calderon, an immigration lawyer who assisted in extending Z Gorres’ visa. Of course, the tandem of Ramon and Mimi Lim, the owners of Salo-Salo Restaurant, were also there and assisted Dr. Calderon as hosts to the fund-raising event in welcoming their kababayan (countrymen) to this worthy cause. There were also some Americans and an Indian diplomat in attendance. Cornelius Boza Edwards, a former WBC Super Featherweight boxing champion who eventually lost his title to Filipino Rolando Navarette in 1981 and now a boxing trainer at Mayweather gym, was also present. Also, lending his support is Filipino top welterweight Mark Melligen who will be fighting at the Pinoy Power 3 at Las Vegas Hilton on February 13, 2010 and ALA Gym’s Las Vegas trainer, Tony Martin and his family. Richard Legazpi who open his parent’s house where Z Gorres and Datches stay was also present along with Yora Velasco. Las Vegas-based songbird Rizza Narvaez, Jo Awayan and Angel Rivero provided entertainment to the attendees and rendered a number of songs. Dr. Vic Bonuel regaled the audience with his one-liner jokes and his rendition of "Bayan Ko" on the piano and a medley of Pilipino popular. Not to be outdone, The Rascals, a group of handsome and pretty Filipino-American teen-agers headed by its team captain Eisha Mijares (this writer’s son), performed hip-hop dances to the delight of the crowd. Cielo Martines, the wife of PMAN Vice-President Dr. Robert Martinez, and whose public service always reign in her heart and did not stop after she relinquished her position as the Philippine Honorary Consul of New Orleans held a raffle during the event with the help of Terri Taguba, the wife of previous PMAN president Dr. Emmanuel Taguba. Later, Ms. Martinez presented Z Gorres with the money raised from the event. Z Gorres in a still hoarse voice thank Dr. Calderon, the organizers and everybody who supported him. Dr. Calderon said he supports other fund-raising events that are planned for Z Gorres (this is in reference to NAFFAA’s previous president Jing Espiritu’s suggestion that a fund-raising event/Post fight party be held after the Pinoy Power 3 boxing event on February 13, 2010). “The fund-raising last Saturday was only the start and also a way of informing our countrymen and others who are touched by Z Gorres’ plight the existence of our website, www.ZGorres.info where they can donate funds for Z Gorres and his family,” Dr. Calderon added. About $4,000.00 was raised during the event and another $6,000.00 was donated through the website, www.ZGorres.info and direct donation from Dr. Calderon’s patients at West Charleston Medical Clinic, according to Sophie, Dr. Benito Calderon’s wife. A portion of the donation will be paid to the University Medical Center. The fund-raising event was well-covered by the media and represented by ABS-CBN’s Bev Llorente, Robert Macabagdal from Asian Journal and Zen Laluna from Balita Newspaper. Meanwhile, Z Gorres already undertook about a week and a half of comprehensive rehabilitation at Dr. Maria Rica Gaerlan’s clinic with Ramon Lasao as his physical therapist. Datches said that Gorres is not coughing that much anymore, did not get easily tired after each session and they were working on his balance. Top photo: Ms. Cielo Martinez presenting Z Gorres with the money raised from the event together with the Philippine Medical Association of Nevada. 
Las Vegas-based trainer Tony Martin gesturing that he has known Z Gorres since he was a kid and he grew up to be a fine and skilled boxer as he speaks to the audience during the Fund-Raising activity for Z Gorres. 
Gorres' wife Datches (R) thanks Sen. Lito Lapid over the phone. 
Las Vegas-based teen-age Fil-Am entertainers 'The Rascals' performs during the Z Gorres fund-raising. 
The fund-raising attendees pose with Gorres for a group photo. Photos by Rod Mijares. Click here to view a list of other articles written by Rod Mijares.  |
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