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Over the past four days, I've been called a scheister, a good dad, a shameless, spineless individual, an opportunist, and a bad example to my kids. While I have my 15 minutes of
fame, I will take the opportunity to tell everyone my story. We've been making emblems since the 1890's, back when Spaniards roamed the country, and up until last Saturday when a
huge fire consumed both our home and livelihood. I walked out of the blaze with nothing but the clothes on my back, and 2,000 pesos in my wallet. I lost my dog that night, my loyal
companion for 6 years.
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For every 100 guys that are genuinely helpful, there will always be that one nay-sayer. "Scammer!" shouts one guy. Why help someone who collects sports cars, for crying out loud?
The truth is, I set aside some money for my kids early on. This I did before I splurged on my passion -- cars. Trust fund for my eldest, a nice condo unit along Macapagal, and some
money in the bank. I am financially informed, and I could, if I wanted to, just pack up and leave with what I have put aside for myself, and abandon the 120 guys that depend on us. But
no. I will not do that. My father will not do that. None of us will. I have a million pesos in donations, and a little more from my own stash. Proceeds from the sale of my cars will likewise go to the rebuild effort.
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I am already at 1/3 of my target, and with your help, can collect the full $50,000 needed to rehabilitate some of our machines and try to operate the company on limp mode. An opportunist, you
say? This is our opportunity to shut down a business that hasn't made us any real money in years. I'm 38 years old, able-bodied despite being blind in one eye, married to a wonderful
wife who's equally qualified to work, and have very little reason to pour my life's savings back into a company that has struggled to survive since before my time. It costs far less money
to shut a business down than to restart one. To close, I only hope that should a fate such as mine befall you, good guys like Angie Mead King, Marc Soong, and the Top Gear crew will
be there to help you out. I am now poor, but have never been richer in terms of friends
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