The fund-raising concert of Bacoleña songstress Token Lizares for badly-burned woman from Hinobaan, Thelma Panes, was a hit and raised total of P103,000 raised for her medicines and hospitalization expenses.

Part of the amount was the P13,400 contributed by those who flocked to her show Saturday night at Saltimboca Music Bar in Bacolod City where Thelma herself, thanked the people who have helped her seek treatment.

Praise God for this, even though we only had 10 days of preparation, Token, who had Niza Limjap and Jimmer Monserrate and Paolo Maghari as guest performers, said.

The audience included Msgr. Victorino Rivas, vicar general of the Diocese of Bacolod, and nuns from the Daughters of St. Paul and St. Vincent's Home for the Aged.

The group from the DAILY STAR, which co-presented the show, was led by editor-in-chief Ninfa Leonardia.

The crew of ABS-CBN Bacolod, which had also reported Thelma's case, also covered the event.

Thelma came with her sister, Ester, and Violeta Lopez-Gonzaga of the Seacreast Foundation who assisted her, along with the International Care Ministries, to be able to undergo a series of operations at the East Avenue Medical Center in Quezon City.

Being a charity case, Thelma's operations and other hospitalization costs, which totalled P147,000, were shouldered by the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office, P100,00, and the hospital, P46,000.

Thelma paid only P1,000.

The funds raised from Token's concert and the other benefactors will be used for Thelma's future operations. She will return to the East Avenue Medical Center three months from now.

Thelma, 32, underwent surgery twice - on Sept. 27 on her face, neck and right arm and on Nov. 18, on her chest. The first operation enabled her to regain her normal vision and the movement of her right arm.

As soon as her story was first published by the DAILY STAR on Sept. 14, a total of P39,100 in donations were received for her treatment.

Token was moved into holding a fund-raising concert for Thelma after reading her story.

The night of May 14, 2004, Thelma, a mother of three, noticed someone standing outside her store and went outside to check. Before she realized what happened, her body was on fire.

She said that a jealous neighbor, Rose Aqui, threw muriatic acid and gasoline on her face and tossed a burning candle at her.

Before the incident, Thelma was earning a livelihood from her sari-sari store frequented by workers of the mining site in Hinobaan.

Thelma had to fend for herself and her three children after her husband went to Manila to find a job. He never heard from him since he left in 2002 but he later surfaced when he learned what happened to Thelma.

Their three children are now staying with their paternal grandparents in Dancalan, Ilog.

The Manila-based PAL Foundation, headed by executive director Menchu Sarmiento, also helped Thelma while she was at the hospital.

PAL sponsored her trip back to Bacolod on Dec. 6.

Sarmiento had also secured helped from Los Angeles-based Filipina Loi Herrera who gave Thelma the P7,000 donated by her friends in the United States.

A Fil-Am neonatologist and her physician boyfriend also sent two boxes of Duoderm non-stick bandages worth P40,000 and personal care products that were brought by PAL to the Philippines for free.

SEEKING JUSTICE

Thelma said that she is willing to forgive her assailant, Rose Aqui, who is facing a frustrated murder charge before the Regional Trial Court in Kabankalan City.

However, she is bent on seeking justice.

Lopez-Gonzaga said Thelma's search for justice is as important as the need for her to undergo medical treatment. She added that Marsha Cordero, a lawyer, has offered her services as Thelma's legal counsel.*NLG

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