PAGBILAO, QUEZON -- A POLITICIAN?s daughter, 28-year-old Shierre Ann Portes-Palicpic, shuns the public eye.

Despite being a private person, she has a compassionate heart for her less privileged town mates.

Last December, she accepted the Inquirer?s invitation to loyal readers to submit wishes closest to their hearts.

Palicpic?s fervent wish? A free medical mission for her poor town mates.

She was one of 22 Inquirer letter-writers chosen to have their wishes granted during the newspaper?s 22nd anniversary last December.

Last Friday, the Inquirer in partnership with United Laboratories Inc. (Unilab) brought to this town a medical team that attended to more than 250 indigent patients from different villages who cannot afford to see a physician for their ailments.

The mass medical consultation was held inside the covered basketball court near the Pagbilao municipal hall.

Lack of funds

Emiliano Mesa, 59, brought along his two sick grandchildren, Kyla Glorioso, 4, and her one-year-old brother John Gil. The kids were suffering from severe asthma, from cough and a cold and diarrhea.

?They have been sick for several days. But their parents can?t afford to bring them to a doctor because they lack money for the consultation fee and to buy medicines,? he said.

?Although, our town has been classified as a first-class municipality, there are still lots of poor sick people, especially in the rural areas. The local government officials have been attending to the problem but they can only do so much because of budgetary constraints,? Palicpic told the Inquirer.

Runs in the family

Dr. Nathaniel Merene, Pagbilao chief health officer, said they have been doing everything to attend to the health problems of the less privileged town folks. But they could not provide all the required medicines to every patient.

Palicpic is the daughter of Pagbilao town Mayor Venus Portes. Her father, Romar, held the local chief executive post for three terms.

?Every year, there is always a medical mission in our town sponsored by our overseas town mates and the Pagbilao Medical Association. I promised myself that someday I would also initiate a similar program for our people,? Palicpic said.

Noble wish

Edna Garcia from the Inquirer executive office said Palicpic is the only letter sender who wished for a medical mission for her poor town mates.

Mayor Portes said her daughter could have wished to stroll on the beaches of Boracay or visit other beautiful places but she was more concerned for her town mates.

?This medical mission is Shierre Ann?s ?gift of love? to Pagbilaoins,? the proud mother said in the program to honor the Inquirer and Unilab.

Team members

Members of the medical team were: Merene, Pagbilao chief health officer, his wife Ella, Dr. Maribel Libranda-Nosce and Gay Rosalyn Guinto, both from the Mt. Carmel General Hospital in nearby Lucena City and Teresita Merjudio, a private medical practitioner from Pagbilao.

Palicpic?s youngest sister Katrina, cousins Aileen and Delfin Mallari III, all fresh nursing course graduates from the Sacred Heart College, also volunteered to help.

Edril Napallet, Unilab district sales manager-consumer health products for Southern Tagalog and Bicol regions, said the company donated several boxes of assorted over-the-counter drugs for children and adults for the Pagbilao medical mission.

?We always feel that we are blessed every time we?re given an opportunity to participate in a public service project like this,? Napallet told the Inquirer.

Thank you

After the free consultation, Palicpic treated her town mates to cups of steaming chicken arroz caldo and Spanish bread.

She and husband Ian also led in the distribution of free Inquirer T-shirts and a pack of Unilab multivitamins to the beneficiaries of the medical consultation.

Palicpic thanked the two main sponsors of the medical mission.

?This is an honor and a very special privilege for my poor town mates. We?re more than lucky to be the recipient of this noble project,? she said.