Slow But Steady Growth

In the Philippines years ago, there were reports of AA Loners--usually Americans who came to work here, stayed awhile, and left. In the 1950s, there was also reportedly an AA group in Angeles City near Clark Air Base with American and some Filipino members, but it died out. In March 1974 Jane R., a recovering alcoholic from New York and a member of AA, came to Manila for a few months. There were no Manila contacts listed in the International Directory at that time, but she nevertheless found two alcoholics with rather shaky sobriety who were meeting twice a week. With the help of Sister Janet Bielman, the nonalcoholic chaplain at Makati Medical Center, meetings were started at the chaplain's office in the hospital (which continue to this day).