12/12/2023
Golden Blind Masseurs - 25 Years and counting. Dec. 18, 1998 - Dec. 18, 2023. Daghang Salamat sa inyong walay puas na suporta.
HISTORY OF GOLDEN BLIND MASSEURS:
As far back as 1988, Richard Nixon A. Baban (Finalist – 2008 Apolinario Mabini Awards for providing livelihood to the PWDs) was a patron of the blind masseurs. Wherever his trips take him as a medical representative, he would seek for blind masseurs to provide for what he considers as “therapeutic relaxation”. This fondness for the services of the blind masseurs went on through the years. He has befriended many blind masseurs, having been an avid customer of the several VIBES (Visually Impaired Brotherhood for Excellent Services) massage clinics in the Metro Manila area. He would also call for masseurs at the Colonade to service him whenever he was in Cebu or whether he would be in Dumaguete, Dipolog, Davao, Iligan, Butuan, Bukidnon or Ozamiz.
The idea of establishing a blind massage clinic in Zamboanga City was first introduced to him in the early 1990’s by the late Mesias Alaban. Manong Mesing’s proposal was for a partnership between the blind masseurs and Nixon, so that the former would not have to peddle their services house to house. It has been a sad experience for many of the blind persons to be mistaken for beggars whenever they went to offer their services to prospective clients. And so on many instances, they would get alms instead of being patronize for their services. Unfortunately, this plan did not materialize because in 1992, Nixon got promoted to manage Meadjohnson for North and Western Mindanao, and so was relocated to Cagayan de Oro City.
In his new work assignment, the usual craving for massage from the visually impaired never relented. He has found a new friend in Mr. Manuel B. Villanueva,Jr., a DSWD massage trainer and DOH licensed masseur. For several years, Manong Jun would service him at least twice a week in his home at Hillside Macasandig. It was during one of the regular rituals with Manong Jun that the idea was once brought up to open a blind massage clinic. On October 14 1998, in a meeting at McDonalds Divisoria in Cagayan de Oro City, Manong Jun along with three other blind masseurs namely Pedro Popera (deceased), Purisimo Abaco (deceased) and Teclo Rara, Jr., discussed the plan which led to the subsequent realization of a dream known today as Golden Blind Masseurs.
The arrangement agreed upon by the “plotters” during that historic meeting at McDonald’s was for a fifty-fifty share in the gross revenues. The blind masseurs will get a clean share of half the service rate charged to all its customers. While Nixon as the capitalist, will get the other half but will shoulder all the operational overheads. For the first six years, Nixon has provided for free lodging, uniforms, lubricants and other important needs such as medical assistance.
And so was born – GOLDEN BLIND SHIATSU SERVICES in December 18, 1998. The change to its present name - GOLDEN BLIND MASSEURS was approved by the Department of Trade and Industry on May 3, 2005. Now on its twenty fifth years of service to the good people of North Mindanao, it has grown to be a landmark and an “institution” in Cagayan de Oro City. Public conveyances will bring anyone to its portal even without mention of its location. Its marketing tagline, “Basta Masahe – Golden Blind” has become a social media cliché among the Kagay-anons. Many of its former masseurs have become independent and have successfully established their own blind massage outfits in the region. Golden Blind Masseurs is proud to have employed over 100 visually impaired persons throughout the years. It continuously serves as a catalyst to a booming industry having inspired the proliferation of many blind massage facilities as far as Bukidnon, Butuan and Davao City (NCCC Mall).
To date, over a hundred Visually Impaired Persons in Mindanao are brought back to the mainstream of our society as active partakers in nation building. This is the GOLDEN BLIND MASSEURS’ LEGACY.
