Overview:

Mr. Edward Lacanilao (Zurriaga), Founder & CEO of Batang Star Philippines, Inc.

Batang Star Philippines’ Founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) is a former street child saved and rescued by God’s grace from the difficult street life, living and surviving on the streets for more than six years.

JOURNEY OF OUR FOUNDER’S LIFE: FROM STREET CHILD TO CUMLAUDE GRADUATE!

INTRODUCTION OF MY POOREST JOURNEY:

My name is Edward Lacanilao-Zurriaga, a former street kid, from General Santos City – Philippines, and I would like to share with you on how God had transformed me and used me for His glory.

At the beginning, my family then is complete. My biological parents Leopold and Lydia. When I was so young, we had a happy and middle income family. We live in a nice and most decent house in our village-compound. We always eat three times a day. Our house was very big traditional Filipino house in the village. Our neighbors are used to visit our house to purely watch television in our beautiful home.

In 1990, our own house and the other houses in the compound were destroyed and demolished by the government without my parents’ presence, for majority of the people in the compound were so busy at their respective workplaces and livelihoods.

This difficult circumstance was the beginning of chaos in our family, hard trials and daily fights in our family continue to occur, between my biological parents. That one day, our happy family was turned into broken family due to the big fight between our parents.

At the age of six (6), my parents abandoned me and fell to a terror elementary school teacher. That school teacher made me a young laborer in her house. After that sad experience, I escaped and stayed in different houses just to survive. And eventually, I became a street child in GenSan City. I slept on the streets and sidewalks. I became a street beggar, to the point that “one peso coin” is a dollar before my eyes. While living in the streets, I used to do the car washing and watching in exchange for money and/or food for survival. I used to sell plastic cellophanes and child laborer to throw garbages and spoiled wet market products at the city public market. I used to steal money and materials. I experienced so much badness, vices, street gangs riots, abuses and discriminations while I was in the streets. Undeniably, the life I had when I was in the street is with no value and no dignity for some people at the streets were used to shout at us, other people were used to reject us, others would look down on us, plenty of them were hating us and discriminated me.

MY STREET KID CHAPTER:

Forced to live on my own, I became a “street kid” relying on the streets and sidewalks for shelter and living. I washed cars and watched over single-motorcycles (bantay ng motor) and cars in exchange for money. I sold plastic cellophanes at the public market, threw garbage, and spoiled market products to earn some money. I ate leftover food and started stealing money and things for survival.

Once I was caught stealing biscuit in a mall for I was very, very hungry and the mall-store security guard hit me painfully.
Because of the way I look, passers-by would shout curse words on me and reject me.
It is much worse at night sleeping fearfully on the streets with no blanket in cold weather.
Most of the times, security guards would wake me up with their foot or stick to drive me out of their premise.
For 2-3 weeks, I never bathe and just live on with one set of clothes.
Some street kid gangsters would hurt me physically and steal by force my earnings. They are bigger than me and I am always prone to abuse and discrimination.

This was my life for nearly 6 years of begging and living on the streets.

DBC LIFE’S CENTERPOINT CHURCH CHAPTER:

In 1996, I heard from fellow street kid that a local church was giving out free food at the city plaza. Without hesitation, we went there immediately for we were very, very hungry. At the feeding outreach, I saw church-kids dressed up, well-groomed, and well-nourished. I have the desire to be like them. And so, I approached one of the volunteers and told him, “I want to be like them.” The volunteer brought me and the rest of the street children to the church compound.

On the same day, when I entered Dadiangas Baptist Church (DBC), I saw hope and better future. Pastora Susan and other church volunteers brought me to the comfort room to take a bath. They gave me a branded soap, “Safeguard”, but it did not remove my thick grease attached to my skin. So, they bought new soap, the tide detergent bar. Yes, it removed all of the dirt on my skin. On same day, at night time, after we had our dinner, Pastora Susan Lapore called me and other street kids to gather in the big room for a moment before going to bed time. Later, Pastora Susan shared to us that she will give each one of us a gift by bestowing us a “peso coin”. She told us that, this one peso coin is her gift to us. That means it is for free. The peso coin would be ours for free, no one can ever take it away from us and it can change our life for the better whenever we decided to receive it, she added. And of course with our background as beggars, we were so excited to get that one-peso coin and attempted to get it from her hands. Finally, she told us, this one peso coin as a gift represents “the Lord Jesus Christ” who died on the cross for the cleansing of our sins and for our salvation and hope. This gift means to say, when I will receive Jesus Christ into my heart and life as Savior and Lord, I will have a free life. And, I will become God’s child forever and I would have the changed and better life from now on.

On that very day of 1996, I received Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. And, the church that conducted the “feeding outreach program” and adopted me and the rest of the street children is Dadiangas Baptist Church (DBC).

ADOPTED AND ROOTED IN DBC:

While staying in DBC, pastor now Rev. Andres “a.k.a. Andoy” Docena, Jr. (a graduate of City Harvest Church – Singapore’s School of Theology) and his wife Nilda, saw and learned about my plight. They brought me to their home and eventually fostered me for a time being until they managed to find a DBC family-member who was willing to adopt me. It was in 1999, that I found — or so should I say I was found by — Mommy Dang Zurriaga and Dadz Lemuel Zurriaga that became my adoptive family up to the present time. I am also deeply forever grateful with the real love and care I received from my adoptive-brothers: Kuya Kenneth, Kuya Kevin, Kirby and Kyla.

They put me to school and taught me the ways of the Lord Jesus Christ. I grew up loving and serving the Lord in DBC church ministries and eventually, became the Assistant Youth Pastor for the High School Ministry. I served the Lord in the Praise and Worship Team, I took part as the pioneering Ministry Head for Sunday’s Guests Welcome and Hosting Department, I joined church mission trips to Leyte, and I also served as Support Group (SG) Leader for the Singles and Working Adults Department.

I am forever grateful to Pastor Andoy and his family for taking care of me and helping me not only to survive—but to thrive! He became my spiritual father and mentor.

EDUCATION:

By the grace of God, I finished elementary and high school and obtained a bachelor’s degree of Science in Public Administration from Mindanao State University (MSU)—graduated Cum Laude. That is not all. I took my second degree of Masters’ Certification in Governance and Management (CGM) in the same university institution. Indeed, I did very well academically! All glory to God!

CAREER:

Thus, in my career life, the Lord has given me multiple work promotions and corporate professional growth! I started working at the lowest level as an office staff, until I progress and became an Assistant Vice-President for Human Resources (AVP-HR) in a multi-billion company. Moreover, I was given the opportunity to bring my church to share the gospel in my workplaces through a once a month “Corporate Worship Service” for employees. All glory to God!

HELPING THE STREET CHILDREN:

As a former street kid, it is my inner desire to help the homeless children. So, in 2012, I started walking and ministering to homeless kids on the streets of Metro Manila, Bacolod, Cebu City, Cagayan de Oro, Pagadian, Zamboanga City, Butuan City, and Iligan City. I do what I can to help them in my own little way.

FOUNDING BATANG STAR MINISTRY:

In 2014, I met Pastor Kenneth Sim when he came to minister in DBC. During fellowship, Pastor Kenneth asked me what my dream was. I answered him that I aspire that I can give back and serve the aggregate community in a bigger scope especially helping the street children, the needy tribal kids and those who are living in extreme poverty.

He challenged me to start doing something legitimate for the needy children— a Non-Government Organization (NGO) ministry to reach out to the street kids. But the problem is that I do not have the money to register an NGO. But Pastor Kenneth funded the start-up documents processing to registration and Batang Star Philippines Ministry Foundation was born in 2014! (Batang is a Filipino word means “Children”. Star means when the less fortunate kids are given the opportunity of being helped can become champions of hope and disciples for the lost ones.)

Fast forward to today, Batang Star is now on its 10th year! Throughout the years, we were able to do many wonders to help the lost, poorest and the needy children and their families with all our donors, sponsors, partners and volunteers:

From 2014 to date, we had ministered to about 60,000+ children and their families who are victims of disaster and emergency situations, shared with them God’s love, provided psychosocial support services (PSS), mental health intervention and distribution of safe drinking water and food essentials;
About 6,000+ street children had been reached out to share God’s Word and Value Formation;
We also conducted 10 years of monthly feeding outreaches to reach-out the street children, poorest of the poor kids and needy Indigenous People’s (IP) children through “feeding and food giving” and to share the gospel of Christ;
More than just feeding them, we also started to bring them to school. We have enrolled 500 street children to elementary and high school. And right now, we have many schooling street child-students enrolled to college with a course in Criminology, Accountancy, and other degrees;
Natural disaster is common in the Philippines, and we provided a total of 53 humanitarian crises responses to disasters to various parts of the Philippines. Disasters namely—armed-conflict, super typhoons, fire, floodings, landslide, covid19 pandemic, and many others;
Then in 2022, we renovated 3 classrooms, constructed 1 multi-purpose hall kinder classroom building at the far-flung, unreached, and unserved Indigenous People’s (IP) at Blaan tribe in Mindanao, and constructed street children-home in GenSan City, and rebuilt-constructed a Catholic Church after the fire disaster in Saeg, GenSan City;
We expanded Batang Star Ministry from GenSan City to Metro Manila, Luzon Island and Visayas Region;
Batang Star has accepted, engaged, ministered and gave an avenue of opportunity on volunteering services to around 800+ Volunteers in the entire country;
Batang Star is able to work, collaborate and link with various 200+ donors, sponsors, partners, stakeholders and supporters; and,
Batang Star other hundreds of completed and done interventions, in this presentation, we have only presented the major ones by God’s grace.

As Batang Star turned 10 years on 7^th of January 2024, I am forever grateful to the Lord God for all these achievements and milestones—for it speaks of precious lives of extremely poor children and lead them to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. It is very fulfilling to see the transformation of these children by God’s grace.

Indeed, it was very hard at the beginning as I do not have enough money, and not enough time as I have to work from Monday to Saturday. But God knows the deepest desire of our heart and so He made a way to promote me—but not to add more work—but to get extra salary without working on Saturdays, so that I have time to do my passion for the street children.

Eventually in 2020, God called me to serve Him full time operating Batang Star Ministry by faith and fully trusting God. For me, the greatest ministry is outside the four walls of the church where the needy children, the less fortunate tribal kids, and the lost youth-at-risks are. I truly believe that God has called me to minister to the poorest or poor outside the church and facilitate them to be integrated in the local church for their continuing spiritual growth, journey. and discipleship. There is plenty to do—the journey is in progress—to make a difference in this society.

Should you and your organization be willing to commit to be involved and donate in Batang Star’s outreaches ministries for street children, needy IP-tribal kids and children victims of disasters and calamities in one way or another, please feel free to approach any Batang Star volunteer and/or contact us or visit our Facebook page—Batang Star Philippines, Inc. We are most happy to share with you for our street children and tribal kids outreaches programs.

Lastly, I want to thank my spiritual father Pastor Andoy Docena and Pastor Kenneth for believing in me! And of course, I am forever grateful to our Lord Jesus Christ for rescuing me from danger and broken life on the streets and loving and turning me into who I am now. God made me a champion of hope to our community—from being a street child beggar to a fulfilled Christian Cum Laude professional, all for HIS glory alone!

Hallelujah! Thank you and may the Lord bless you all!

Finally, she told us, this one peso coin as a gift represents “the Lord Jesus Christ” who died on the cross for the cleansing of our sins and for our salvation and hope. This gift means to say, when I will receive Jesus Christ into my heart and life as Savior and Lord, I will have a free life. And, I will become God’s child forever and I would have the changed and better life from now on.