Environmental Portraits and Feature: Tomas Leonor of Step Juan

Tomas Leonor of Step Juan
Tomas Leonor of Step Juan (Olympus E-PL1, Lumix 20mm, f1.7, 1/30sec, ISO 200, Pin Hole Art Filter)

Challenged on how he can help a group of 60 children with cancer on a visit in Batangas, he did what little he could do – walk. Artist-Environmentalist, Tomas Leonor, has very little in possession so last year he decided to walk to generate awareness and funds for children with cancer. From Pagudpud, he walked about 475.5km to Matnog, Sorsogon in a period of 48days with only his rickshaw Karl (inspired by walking adventurer Karl Bushby) as companion.

For this year, 2011, Tomas will continue his walk in the Visayas region for Step Juan Bai, a 56 day journey picking up from where he left off at Allen Bicol to Boracay Aklan starting April 4, 2011.

This afternoon, I caught up with Tomas after his Presscon at Philippine Children’s Medical Center and had an informal chat about his Step Juan Bai project.

Why choose Philippine Children’s Medical Center (PMPC) as his beneficiary?

Tomas used to be a regular patient at PMPC when he was a child. “I was a sickly boy, always suffering from asthma,” he recalled “As a young kind, I always dreamed of exploring the outdoors, of going places. Now I am living that dream and I want to it as a means of helping sick children.

Preparing for the long walk.

Some say its easy to just walk but there’s a mental discipline and focus on continuously walking for days. Yes you could argue that you could run faster for 40km/day but how long can you sustain that in days? “I usually walk 10-20km per day as a daily exercise” said Tomas, whose also a semi vegetarian.

Tomas with his rickshaw Karl
Tomas with his rickshaw Karl

What’s with the rickshaw?

Karl, the rickshaw is his constant companion during his expedition. It was designed for him by Rodney Liwanag. Designed to withstand the elements, it contains his food, clothes, supplies and a tent. Though he admits that he only used his tent once last year since he was always invited to sleep in schools, health centers, police stations and even private houses.

“We Filipinos are very hospitable and generous. That’s one thing I’ve seen in my journey.”

So what’s the most memorable part of your journey last year?

“There’s too many!” He said. In Pasoquin, Ilocos, he accidentally sprained his ankle to avoid a speeding bus. Doctors advised him to rest for a week to lessen the swell but he continued on with the aid of a walking stick. After that, he became a cyborg waking up on the dot on the alarm every morning to continue his walk.

He recalled some moments when people would walk along with him for days. “I was welcomed warmly by the people of Tarlac and they walked with me for days”

So what’s the best part in all of this journey?

Originally Tomas only aimed for a P3000 to P10000 funds to raise for this project. However, he was surprised when the PNP (Philippine National Police) donated P1 million for the project.

Support and Donate to Step Juan visit
www.stepjuan.com

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