WHEN this German by birth but Boholano by heart philanthropist turned 60 years old Tuesday, he made his birthday bash a fundraiser for his favorite charity, the Botika sa Katawhan. As early as when he distributed his invitation cards, Hans Schoof asked his guests to bring cash donations for the botika instead of gifts. “The donations will be accepted at the reception area,” the invitation read. Cocktails started at 5 p.m. at the impressive Schoof Mansion at the Hacienda Sierra del Mar in Barangay Laya in Baclayon town.

As the guests arrived, the donations poured in too. And when the counting was over, the money already breached the P382,000 mark. Schoof immediately topped this off to make P600,000. Apparently, the digit “6” was the number of the day. Assisted by comedian Leo Martinez, one of the celebrities from Manila he invited to entertain his guests on the big night, he turned over a giant facsimile check to Tagbilaran City “Deputy Mayor” Mariano Uy of Miravilla Seafood Restaurant. Uy works at the City Hall for one peso a year and represents Mayor Dan Lim in many functions – and as the need arises – the botika chairmanship included. City residents are recipients of free consultation, medical and dental services, Operation Tuli or circumcision as well as medicines with the physician's fees in surgeries waived during medical missions conducted by civic organizations and associations of Tagbilaranons based outside the city including abroad. Between missions however, the indigents have nowhere to go except to the social welfare office that cannot cope with their needs either, or to politicians whose assistance comes from limited endowment funds or from their own pockets, hence the botika was born.

To help sustain the project that turned only a year old on July 26, Schoof initiated the fundraising project that falls under the powers and functions of the botika's working members. Only four days after his huge fundraiser, Schoof already has plans of replicating it, this time to benefit the residents of Albur, the hometown of his wife of 20 years – the former Lani Jubac. He is mulling free medicines and a health station to dispense it. He said Lani is not just his wife; she is foremost a partner in implementing his projects. Lani readily rose to the occasion. She said she could not agree more.