August 6, 2025
Nearly 30 years later, he’s still grateful for his second life
By Joy Rojas
Now 29, Lloyd Andrew Mañalac was only 1 at the time of his surgery, so except for the prominent scars on his upper torso and lower abdomen, he has no memory of the life-saving procedure. But his father Edmund does, and with each retelling of how the strangers in blue and white were instrumental in saving his son, he relives the feelings of struggle, hope, and gratitude.
The second of six children, Lloyd was born with Hirschsprung’s disease, described by mayo.com as a congenital condition that affects the large intestine (colon), causing problems with passing stool. Missing nerves in the muscles of the colon create blockages in the bowel, resulting in a bloated belly, vomiting, constipation, and gas that can be uncomfortable for a baby. Left untreated, it could lead to nutritional deficiencies, developmental delays, and life-threatening enterocolitis (intestinal infection).
Surgery was necessary, but not possible as Edmund barely made enough as a security guard for a bank. Also, the hospitals near Barangay San Manuel, Tarlac City, where the Mañalac family resides, didn’t have the facilities or specialists. What local doctors did was create an opening in Lloyd’s abdomen, allowing stool to pass from the intestine into a colostomy bag that protrudes from the hole.
When the bags ran out, they used gauze. At night, upon arriving home from work, Edmund dutifully washed the soiled gauze and disinfected it in hot water before reattaching it to his son. “It’s hard when you have a sick child,” he says. “I think of him every time I’m on duty.”
In 1997, Edmund was at work when a client in the bank mention that Tzu Chi Foundation was conducting a medical mission in their area. Edmund asked his boss if he could take off early, but by the time he arrived with Lloyd at the medical mission, it had reached its cut-off two hours earlier.
The father pleaded and showed a written endorsement from the owner of a local business. Long story short, he was accommodated by two Tzu Chi volunteers who had baby Lloyd checked by doctors. A schedule for his surgery at the Chinese General Hospital in Manila was set.
“If I’m not mistaken, surgery lasted eight hours,” says Edmund. “I laughed when he came out of the operating room because he was lying with his leg crossed. As if nothing happened. ‘My baby is strong,’ I told myself.”
Indeed. Tall and lean, Lloyd runs and goes on long bike rides. He is also a talented artist adept at charcoal and pencil sketches. And while he didn’t finish college as a Tzu Chi scholar, he made sure his younger siblings did by supporting their education through his earnings at a local printing shop.
Growing up, he listened to stories about the Tzu Chi Foundation from his parents, and looked forward to the day he could thank them himself.
He has had numerous opportunities to do so. When he was around 5, his parents brought him to the Bayanihan Institute in Tarlac City where he met with Tzu Chi volunteers who were gathered there at the time. In 2016, he went to Manila to join the annual 3-in-1 celebration of Buddha Day, Mother’s Day, and Tzu Chi Day.
So inspired is he of the unconditional generosity and help he received from Tzu Chi, he drew a pencil sketch of its founder, Dharma Master Cheng Yen.
Nearly 30 years after their lives crossed paths, the affinity between Tzu Chi and the Mañalac family continues. In a home visit in Tarlac on August 3, Tzu Chi Philippines’ first CEO Linda Chua and volunteer Ruby Ang were happy to know that Lloyd was doing well for himself.
But they also discovered that his father Edmund can no longer see on his right eye. It’s the result, he says, of a vessel that popped while he was an Overseas Filipino Worker in Doha, Qatar. The plan is to have him checked at the Tzu Chi Eye Center in Sta. Mesa, Manila.
No wonder Edmund continues to keep the original Tzu Chi receipt and surgery card of his son—now fragile from constant folding and unfolding—tucked in his wallet. The very sight of them reminds him of the goodness and blessings that abound.
As for Lloyd, no amount of thanks can express how he truly feels. “They are a such a big help to us, especially to me,” he says of Tzu Chi volunteers. “They gave me my second life.”
Tzu Chi Philippines’ first CEO Linda Chua (first from right) led a home visit at the Mañalac family’s residence in Barangay San Manuel, Tarlac City, on August 3. Together with volunteer Ruby Ang (first from left), she checked on beneficiary Lloyd Andrew Mañalac (second from left), who underwent surgery to correct Hirschsprung’s disease when he was baby. Dad Edmund and sister Fatima (third and fourth from left) welcomed volunteers into their home.
Even after Lloyd Mañalac’s surgery, Tzu Chi continued to extend assistance to him. For school year 2016-2017, he was granted a Tzu Chi scholarship at Tarlac State University. And while he didn’t finish his course in education, he made sure his siblings completed their studies by supporting their schooling with his salary as an employee of a printing shop.
Lloyd Mañalac as a baby, post-surgery
The scars on Lloyd Mañalac’s lower abdomen and upper torso are daily reminders of the life-saving surgery that was facilitated by Tzu Chi volunteers.
Lloyd’s sister Fatima Mañalac graduated cum laude from her course in elementary education at Tarlac State University. Tzu Chi Philippines’ first CEO Linda Chua and Tzu Chi volunteer Ruby Ang (center and right) hold up handmade tulips created and sold by Fatima.
At this home visit, volunteers discovered that Edmund Mañalac has no vision on his right eye. It’s the result, he says, of a vessel that popped while he was an Overseas Filipino Worker in Doha, Qatar. Plans for him to consult with doctors at the Tzu Chi Eye Center in Sta. Mesa, Manila, are underway.
Nearly 30 years after his son’s surgery, Edmund Mañalac keeps a tattered Tzu Chi receipt and surgery card in his wallet to remind him of the goodness and blessings that abound.
Inspired by and grateful for the unconditional generosity of Tzu Chi, Lloyd Mañalac made a pencil sketch of Tzu Chi founder Dharma Master Cheng Yen in 2015.