Former Sexy Actor Turned Producer-Director Leads Movement To Pay Tribute To Heroes Of Haiyan/Yolanda

CARLO MACEDA won the Mossimo Bikini Contest and later on became a sexy actor in films like “Sukdulan” with Katya Santos and “Bugbog Sarado” with Maui Taylor for Viva. He also did “Mano Po” and “So Happy Together” for Regal. He later on put up his own company, OnCam Productions, and produced advocacy films like “Nars” with Jennylyn Mercado and historical films like “Sisa” with Jodi Sta. Maria and the current “Gabriela” with Cindy Patrimonio. He is now married to Derlyn and they have two kids.

Carlo is from Tacloban and Ormoc, Leyte, and he’s now spearheading a thanksgiving concert, “Handumanan” (a Visayan word meaning tribute) that aims to honor all the volunteers and heroes all over the world who helped out the people of Leyte after the catastrophe that was Typhoon Haiyan or Yolanda. This will be held on Friday, November 7, from 4 PM onwards at the Quezon City Memorial Circle. This is a free concert a day before the first anniversary of Typhoon Haiyan or Yolanda, so everybody can come and watch.

“So many generous souls volunteered to help, including CNN’s Anderson Cooper and even the King of Sweden,” says Carlo. “And dapat lang ipakita natin sa kanila, at sa buong mundo, na marunong tayong tumanaw ng utang na loob.”

Carlo is doing this with the Haiyan Disater Governance Initiative, a movement composed of survivors, family and friends of survivors that was formed last month and aims to ensure that such disasters will not happen again. They will gather and institutionalize all the lessons learned from the most devastating tropical storm that hit the country. They also deplore the fact that up to now, there is still no master plan for the rehabilitation of the devastated areas and hope such faux pas as donations rotting in boats because of government bureaucracy will be avoided in the future.

They also aim to bring more public awareness about the horrors of climate change that Carlo says “demand new paradigms in managing disasters, both in government and the volunteers who are willing to help.” Helping out in their endeavours are Rehabilitation Czar Ping Lacson, Tacloban City Adm. Atty. Tecson Lim and others. If you want to help the movement or the concert, you can contact them at Handumanan.Tribute@yahoo.com or call Haiyan Disasater Governance Initiative (HDGI) at 959-8291 or 0905-255-5905.

The partial list of performers who’ll do a show at the thanksgiving concert include Karla Estrada and Kitchie Nadal (both from Leyte), South Border, Imago, Banda ni Kleggy, Gracenote, Mayonnaise, Phylum and Myrus Bands, with international artist Steve Steadman. Celebrities who want to contribute and be part of the concert can contact HDGI. They’re also compiling heroic and inspiring stories of courage and compassion that happened before, during and after the typhoon which will be put in a book. If you have an interesting story to tell, please contact them.