...the living heroes

Duterte: Every Filipino is a hero


Edith Regalado
Philippine Star
27 August 2019

DAVAO CITY, Philippines — President Duterte said there is no mistaking that every Filipino is a hero.

A family walks past a mural of hero and Katipunan founder Andres Bonifacio in Manila as the country celebrated National Heroes Day yesterday.

“I truly believe that every Filipino is a hero who can build on our vibrant legacy of fortitude and resilience,” the President said in his National Heroes Day statement yesterday.

Duterte called on Filipinos to reflect on the history and honor of those who sacrificed their lives and fought for the freedom and democratic ideals upon which the Philippines was founded.

“Let us make our forebears proud of our triumphs as a people by being everyday heroes who will reach out to those who are in need, especially to the ones neg-lected by society,” he said.

The President stressed that the collective sacrifice of the country’s forebears has made it possible for Filipinos to enjoy the blessings of liberty, and to continue strengthening the great nation they have left behind.

“We recognize their heroism not only by erection of statues in their honor but also by uplifting the welfare of the poor and marginalized for it is through our small deeds that their spirit of valor can live on,” he further said.

Citing the importance of solidarity in facing the future together, he encouraged everyone to “embody solidarity and sustain our momentum towards positive change not only for ourselves but for the succeeding generations as well.”

For her part, Vice President Leni Robredo stressed the importance of camaraderie, noting that no single leader could alone change the country for the better.

“Today, we remember the bravery of our heroes who sacrificed their lives for the freedom we enjoy now. Today, we remember not a single hero. Whether they were famous or not, have identities or not, we honor all those who made their contributions for the freedom of our country,” she said in Filipino.

She hopes the commemoration of National Heroes’ Day will serve as a reminder that no single hero can save the country from where it is now.

“The solutions to all our problems are not in the hands of one person and there’s no single leader that could give us a good life,” Robredo said.

“The Filipino is the hero of his fellow Filipino. You are the hero of your fellow countrymen and you have the power to make significant change on your country and on the life of other people,” she said.
Robredo also urged Filipinos to stand together for the country’s freedom, which their forefathers have died for. “In these times when we face threats against our democracy and sovereignty, let’s continue to stand firm for our freedom. It’s time for us to continue what they have started.”

Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano, who together with Vice Admiral Gaudencio Collado Jr., the Armed Forces of the Philippines vice chief of staff, led the wreath-laying ceremonies at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in the Libingan ng mga Bayani, urged Filipinos to “recommit ourselves to the choice to sacrifice and to love our country.”

“Their ultimate sacrifice will never be in vain. We, in our daily lives, learn to embody their courage in small deeds of heroism. And that will touch the lives of our countrymen, especially the poor and the marginalized,” Cayetano said in his speech.

He underscored that Philippine heroes are not limited to those who are honored in history, “but more so the overseas Filipino workers who have left their families in order to give their children a better future.”

AFP chief of staff Gen. Benjamin Madrigal Jr. also called on Filipinos to be heroes themselves by doing their part in serving and protecting the country and its people.

On Sunday, Philippine Army chief Lt. Gen. Macairog Alberto did his part in recognizing the living heroes by pinning the ranks and awards to soldiers who fought in battle and are still confined at the Army General Hospital.

Brig. Gen. Bernard Banac, spokesman for the Philippine National Police, said the country and the police force would never run out of heroes as he stressed that someone will always rise to the challenge to defend and protect.

It was a different take for Sen. Imee Marcos though as she asked if the holiday is not actually a misnomer.

“Here’s a historical fact that will shock most Filipinos. The reality is that, officially, we have no heroes. Little do most Filipinos know that ever since the Philippines gained independence, the government has never officially proclaimed who our national heroes really are even if it has been taught as early as grade school that the likes of Jose Rizal and Andres Bonifacio are among them,” she pointed out.

Marcos said that the Philippine National Heroes Committee officially recommended several people for the designation in 1995, including Jose Rizal, Andres Bonifacio, Emilio Aguinaldo, Apolinario Mabini, Marcelo H. del Pilar, Sultan Dipatuan Kudarat, Juan Luna, Melchora Aquino and Gabriela Silang.

However, the issue deteriorated into a debate involving regional interests and was never resolved. – With Helen Flores, Michael Punongbayan, Emmanuel Tupas, Cecille Suerte Felipe, Delon Porcalla, Rhodina Villanueva

...the modern hero

Fil-Am hero in Santa Monica shooting

 

By Steve Angeles,

ABS-CBN North America Bureau

06/12/2013

 

 

SANTA MONICA, California - With a memorial standing at the school entrance and library, classes resumed at Santa Monica City college just days after gunman John Zawahri killed five people in the surrounding area.

Thousands gathered at the school, joining the families of the victims in prayer.

Filipino American Marcel Kahn, the library worker who helped shelter eight other people as the gunman fired his way into the library, is still shaken up by the events.

"Honestly, it just saddens me that this happened, this whole thing happened. Really unexpected," he said.

News of the 22-year-old Filipino’s heroism went viral online after the Los Angeles Times snapped a picture of him.

"I only did what I could do and that was to follow my instinct. When that situation happens, you don’t know what you're going to do," he recalled.

Six people, including the gunman, died in what has been described as a 13-minute rampage, which started when Zawahri killed his father and brother and set their house on fire.

 

...the beauty queen's purpose

Dutch-Pinay beauty queen eager to help poor kids in PH

 

by Dheza Marie Aguilar

ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau

02/25/2013

AMSTERDAM - Former Ms. Netherlands 2006 Sheryl Lynn Paderes Baas believes that her crown and scepter are tools to help improve the lives of children in far-flung areas in the Philippines.

With the help of the Miss Netherlands Foundation, Baas started the Sheryl Lynn Foundation (SLF) at age 23, an organization focused on helping children through education. Her initial projects were done in the province of Leyte where her mother Susan Baas-Paderes was born.

 

In addition to sending school supplies and granting scholarships, SLF raised funds for construction of school facilities like toilets, stage and function areas in St. Fe Iton, Tagos, San Isidro, Tab-ang and other schools in Leyte. Their biggest project yet is a three-classroom building in Hitoog Elementary School where children used to have lessons in a small hut under a bamboo tree.

Inspired by her mother

Baas said that her mission was inspired by the story of her mother Susan, herself a product of a family where children have to help their parents earn money by peddling wood on the street, sometimes skipping school to be able to afford a meal.

“My mother told me stories about how she and her 12 siblings would only have one egg and a little bit of rice to share during a meal. A lot of people also told her that she should not go to school but work instead. But despite their poverty she persevered and finished her studies, went abroad, became successful and helped her family have a better life,” she said during an interview at her parent’s house in Capelle a/d Ijssel.

Even in the Netherlands, Baas said that her mother is also very helpful to other Filipinos, from her neighbors to the church and even to strangers who only wrote her letters. She grew up in this environment of kindness and giving.

Unfortunately her mother suffered a stroke that almost killed her and left her in a wheelchair. Baas believes that it’s her mother’s kindness and the prayers of those people she helped that aided her miraculous survival.

Children and education

The story of her mother’s rise from poverty opened Baas’ eyes to the importance of education especially to young children. During her regular trips to the Philippines since she was three, she had also been exposed to the difficulties experienced by families from poor provinces.

“I wanted to do something about that (poverty). During my reign as Miss Netherlands, I got involved in a lot of charitable projects and I had a dream for the future. I saw that this is already an opportunity and thought I can already start something meaningful now even though I was still young so I grabbed the opportunity.”

Now 27, she is currently the reigning Mrs. Holland Globe and recently represented the Netherlands in Mrs. World Pageant 2012 in California, USA where she won second place.

She also juggles a modeling career, her studies and taking care of her mother. But this did not stop her from the cause which is nearest to her heart. She holds regular charity events to raise funds for the Sheryl Lynn Foundation with the support of her fellow beauty queens in the Netherlands and contacts that she makes as part of her functions as a beauty queen.

“It may sound as a cliche but children are the future and it is true. The story of my mother only proved what education can do for a child. They are the most vulnerable people in any developing country.”

Even though her foundation is still small, Sheryl hopes that in the future, she can also extend help to other provinces in the Philippines. This is also the reason why she took up a course in Anthropology and will go to the Northern Philippines to research problems with water management and how it affects the lives of the people in these areas.

 

...the Filipina nurse in State of the Union address

Obama praises Filipina nurse in State of the Union address

 

abs-cbnnews.com

02/13/2013

 

 

First lady Michelle Obama is applauded by Menchu Sanchez (second from right) along with Dr. Jill Biden prior to U.S. President Barack Obama's State of the Union Speech on Capitol Hill in Washington, February 12, 2013. Photo by Jonathan Ernst, Reuters

MANILA, Philippines - US President Barack Obama praised a Filipina nurse, who is considered one of the heroes of the Hurricane Sandy disaster, in his State of the Union address before the joint session of Congress in Washington D.C., Tuesday evening (Wednesday morning, Manila time).

In his speech, Obama mentioned Menchu Sanchez, a nurse at New York University’s Langone Medical Center, as an example to all Americans.

"We were sent here to look out for our fellow Americans in the same way they look out for one another every single day, usually without fanfare all across the country. We should follow their example," he said.

"We should follow the example of a New York City nurse named Menchu Sanchez. When Hurricane Sandy plunged her hospital into darkness, she wasn't thinking about how her own home was faring.

Her mind was on the 20 precious newborns in her care and the rescue plan she devised that kept them all safe," the US president said.

Sanchez was seated between First Lady Michelle Obama and Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Joe Biden, during the State of the Union address.

When President Obama mentioned Sanchez, the First Lady was seen nudging Sanchez and smiling at her.

Sanchez was invited by Obama for her role in saving 20 at-risk infants during the Hurricane Sandy disaster that devastated large parts of New York and New Jersey last year.

She devised a plan to transport 20 at-risk infants at the Langone Medical Center to intensive care units around the city. She organized the nurses and doctors to carefully carry the babies down eight flights of stairs with only cell phones to light the way.

Even as her own home was flooding, Sanchez thought only of protecting the babies in her care, the White House said.

Sanchez was born, raised, and educated in the Philippines and she immigrated to the United States in the 1980s.
 
She has worked as a nurse in New York for more than 25 years, and has been at NYU since 2010.

Sanchez currently lives in New Jersey with her husband and two children, both of whom are in college. - With report from Rodney Jaleco, ABS-CBN News

 

...the street kid hero

Filipino street kid, 13, wins $130,000 peace prize

Agence France-Presse

Thursday, September 20th, 2012

Cris “Kesz” Valdez INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

THE HAGUE—A young Filipino who lived off a rubbish dump and slept in an open tomb has won a prestigious children’s award in the Netherlands for his work to improve the rights of his fellow street kids.

Cris “Kesz” Valdez, aged 13, was handed this year’s International Children’s Peace Prize at a glittering ceremony in The Hague on Wednesday, where he received a 100,000 euro ($130,000) prize.





Cris “Kesz” Valdez, 13, proudly accepts his prize from Nobel Peace Prize winner Bishop Desmond Tutu in ceremonies held in The Hague, the Netherlands, on Wednesday. AFP

 

Valdez was chosen from three finalists for the work of his “Championing Community Children” charity which raises funds to hand out gift parcels to needy children in Cavite City, about 30 kilometres (18 miles) south of the capital Manila.

“You are wonderful,” Nobel Peace laureate Desmond Tutu, who handed over this year’s prize, told Valdez at a press conference shortly after the ceremony, held in The Hague’s historic Knight’s Hall.

“My message to children around the world is not to lose hope” and to remember things like hygiene, said Valdez, who added that the prize would help him get an education and perhaps realize his dream of becoming a doctor.

Through his charity, Valdez has handed out more than 5,000 gifts to destitute children that included everyday articles like flip-flops, toys, sweets and clothes, said the KidsRights Foundation, the prize’s initiator.

In all, he has helped some 10,000 children in his area on health, hygiene and children’s rights, the foundation added.

Some 246,000 street children are, like Valdez was as a young child, subjected to abuse, violence and child labor in the Philippines, it said.

Asked about the prize money, KidsRights Foundation chairman Marc Dullaert said a committee was now to decide, together with Valdez, to which projects it would be donated.

Archbishop Tutu, the South African peace icon who won the 1984 Nobel Peace Prize is in the Netherlands for a nine-day visit.

...the "Heroes" protection

To protect Pinoy workers, recruitment agencies adopt Code of Ethics

ROUCHELLE DINGLASAN,

GMA News

August 15, 2012

To protect overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), at least 28 land- and sea-based recruitment agencies adopted Codes of Ethics, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said.

“We welcome this move from the overseas employment sector and we commend them for their commitment to safeguard the interest, not only of their industry, but also of our overseas Filipino workers,” Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said in a news release.

The 23 land-based recruitment agencies' associations and five sea-based manning agency groups signed their codes last Migrant Workers’ Day in June.

Philippine Overseas Employment Administration chief Hans Leo Cacdac said the land-based group pledged to observe what is best for the workers, the sector they represent, and their stakeholders.

Cacdac said the group also promised to uphold the highest principle of ethics and integrity.

He added that the manning sector stressed its adherence to the rule of law and committed to maintain the dignity and good reputation of the Philippine manning industry.

Land-based Groups

“The land-based groups’ Commitment to Ethical Conduct and Best Recruitment Practices put into writing their assurance to comply with all legal requirements, including local laws, and those of host countries as well as international standards,” the Labor department said.

By signing the Code, the recruiting agencies promised a full disclosure of all matters pertaining to the employment of the worker and non-discrimination of applicants because of political affiliation, religion, ethnicity, nationality, and gender, especially for household services workers.

The agencies likewise vowed to support the skills development of their recruits.

The land-based agencies seek to:

• Make the process of seeking overseas employment cost-effective;

• Eliminate the collection of placement fees;

• Comply with regulations on the recruitment of workers;

• Work actively with government agencies in addressing overseas employment issues, and

• Stop predatory recruitment.

Sea-based groups

By signing the Code, recruitment agencies seek to spare sea-based workers from “unlawful, dishonest, immoral, deceitful and predatory” conduct of recruitment.

The Code sought to prevent opportunities for exploitation of seafarers.

The other salient features of the Code include:

• The publication of all the cost that will be shouldered by the seafarers;

• Negotiating for the best terms and conditions of employment for the seafarers;

• Avoiding anything that may unjustifiably jeopardize seafarer’s current work or future work opportunities;

• Safeguarding the seafarer’s information, and

• Actively helping the cause of the seafarers.

The recruitment agencies

The land-based groups that signed the Code were:

1.    Associated Accredited Agencies for Cyprus

2.    Association for Professionalism in the Overseas Employment Inc.

3.    Association of Licensed Recruitment Agencies for Singapore Inc.

4.    Association of Manpower Agencies for Bahrain

5.    Association of Philippine Licensed Agencies for Technical Internship Program

6.    Coalition of Licensed Recruitment Agencies for Domestic and Service Workers

7.    Philippine Association of Agencies for Kuwait

8.    Federated Associations of Manpower Exporters, Inc.

9.    Society of Hong Kong Accredited Recruiters of the Philippines

10.Philippine Association of Agencies Accredited to Oman

11.Philippine Association of Manpower Agencies Deploying to Lebanon 

12.Philippine Association of Manpower Agencies for Jordan

13.Philippine Association of Manpower Agencies for Malaysia Affiliates, Inc.

14.Association of Service Contractors of the Philippines

15.Philippine Association of Manpower Agencies for Northern America

16.Philippine Association of Manpower Agencies for the United Arab Emirates

17.Philippine Association of Recruitment Agencies Deploying Artist, Inc.

18.Philippine Association of Service Exporters, Inc.

19.Pilipino Manpower Agencies for Taiwan

20.Philippine Recruitment Agencies Accredited to Saudi Arabia

21.Philippine Recruitment Agencies for Qatar

22.United Manpower Agencies for Israel Association, Inc.

23.Overseas Placement Association of the Philippines

Representing the five maritime associations in signing the Code were:

1.    Filipino Association for Mariners’ Employment, Inc.

2.    Filipino Shipowners’ Association, Inc.

3.    International Maritime Association of the Philippines

4.    Philippine Association of Manning Agencies and Shipmanagers, Inc.

5.    Philippine-Japan Manning Consultative

“The Joint Manning Group (JMG) manifested its adherence to the rules of law and to continue the development of the industry under a relationship of mutual respect, trustworthiness, and true brotherhood,” DOLE said.

...the honest Janitress rewarded

Honest Janitress Gets Cash Reward

 

Manila Bulletin 

Fri, May 18, 2012

MANILA, Philippines - The honest janitress who returned a plastic pouch full of foreign currency left behind at the Customs area at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport late last month received a cash reward for her good deed from a group of Filipino-Chinese philanthropists.

Jennifer Doroga, 32, contractual janitress of the Manila International Airport Authority received, the R50,000 cash reward from Manny Dy, honorary president of the Federation of Filipino Chinese Associations Foundation Inc.

Dy turned over the award to Doroga at the Board Room of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in the presence of MIAA Assistant General Manager MGen Vicente Guerzon (ret.) and NAIA Terminal Manager Dante Basanta.

Dy also said that the Board of the Federation decided to reward Doroga as a gesture of the association's gratitude for the exemplary honesty of the janitress.

Upon receiving the cash, Doroga broke into tears while she profusely thanked Dy and the other members of the Federation.

Doroga said she intend to use the money for her family's personal needs.

Gen. Guerzon for his part thanked the Federation for rewarding the honest deed of their employee.

To date, the money returned by Doroga is still in the custody of the airport Authority because no one has still come forward to claim it.

...the everyday hero

Cleaning Lady Returns Pouch With P1.2 Million

Manila Bulletin 

06 May 2012

''It would've been wrong to claim something that wasn't mine. That would not be good karma." - Mary Jennifer Doroga, NAIA Janitress 



MANILA, Philippines - Few people could have resisted such temptation.

In her hands, cleaning lady Mary Jennifer Doroga held an amount that could have made her an instant millionaire and answer for the medical needs of her ailing mother.


But as Doroga, 32, returned the pouch full of foreign denominations to the airport's lost and found section, her luck was farthest from her mind.

Instead, she worried for the pouch owner, who might have been listlessly searching for the lost bank notes - all P1.2 million worth of it.

''It would've been wrong to claim something that wasn't mine. That would not be good karma,'' Doroga said in Filipino.

She earned the admiration of airport officials, who are giving her a commendation today for her honesty.
Like most of her days, Thursday began rather ordinarily.

With a take home pay of P426 as a contractual janitress at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), she was thinking of rendering overtime work to add to her meager salary.

She needed the overtime to pay for the medical expenses of her mother, who's having knee and bowel movement problems. She had taken her to a hospital for a medical check-up and the bills are slowly mounting.

But no amount of financial difficulty can deny one's innate honesty. She was not even expecting any reward for her honesty.

While attending to her assigned duties at the Customs arrival area at the NAIA Terminal 1 last April 26, Doroga chanced upon the clear plastic pouch bulky with foreign money.

Instinctively, she thought about the owner who had left behind the small fortune.

''It did not cross my mind to keep the money. I was concerned for the person who lost it,'' she said.

Without bothering to count how much was inside the pouch, Doroga quickly proceeded to the lost and found section to surrender the money.

When the foreign currency notes have been sorted out, it amounted to P1.2 million.

Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) General Manager Jose Angel Honrado described Doroga as one of the ''silent heroes in our midst.''

Amid the admiration and the accolade, Doroga said she was only doing what's right as taught by her parents.

Her sickly mother, who instilled in her the virtue of honesty, was only too happy for her when she told her about what happened, she said.

A janitorial service contractor, Doroga said financial difficulty had always been a problem for her family, like second skin.

But for someone who has simple joys and simple needs, monetary problems will always play second fiddle to her.

''All I want is to help my family with honey pay from honest work. That's my simple joy,'' she said in the vernacular.

In a way, Doroga said she is only paying it forward the goodness that other people have extended to her family.

She got employed at the NAIA with the help of MIAA finance division general manager Herminia Castillo, who her mother met in one church occasion. ''It was her who helped me find this job.''

She has not forgotten that simple act of kindness.

She may be a lowly janitress, but Doroga towers above all with her integrity and work ethics.

...the 2011 CNN Hero of the Year

Fil-Am midwife is named CNN Hero of the Year

abs-cbnNEWS.com

 12/12/2011

Robin Lim (L), a Filipino-American midwife, as been named 2011 CNN Hero of the Year.

MANILA, Philippines - Robin Lim, a Filipino-American midwife who helps poor women have healthy pregnancies and births in Indonesia, has been named 2011 CNN Hero of the Year.

In Sunday's star-studded ceremony at The Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, Lim received the CNN Hero of the Year 2011 award from Anderson Cooper.

"Today on our Earth, 981 mothers in the prime of their life will die -- and tomorrow again and yesterday. And I'm asking you to help change that. We don't even know how many babies are lost, but all of us can help change that," a tearful Lim said, as she accepted the honor.

Lim, who was born to an American soldier and a Filipino mother, decided to become a midwife after her younger sister died from pregnancy complications a few years ago.

She and her husband sold their house in Hawaii, and moved to Bali, Indonesia to "reinvent" their lives.
In Indonesia, Lim noted pregnant women are 300 times more likely to die in the next 12 months than women who are not pregnant.


Fondly called as "Ibu Robin" (Mother Robin), she has been running her free clinics Yayasan Bumi Sehat (Healthy Mother Earth) in Bali and Aceh with Indonesian midwives since 2003. The clinic provides free prenatal and birthing services for poor Indonesian women. Lim also provides training for young midwives.

Christy Turlington Burns, model and founder of Every Mother Counts, introduced Lim as one of the Top 10 CNN Heroes during the ceremony. She recalled having a life-threatening complication during her own pregnancy.

"My wish is that every mother all over the world has the same chance surviving childbirth I had. My friend Robin Lim shares that wish and she spends her days and nights making it so," Burns said.

With Lim being named CNN Hero of the Year, her non-profit Bumi Sehat Foundation will receive a $250,000 grant. This is in addition to the $50,000 already given to each of the Top 10 CNN Heroes.

The CNN Heroes awarding ceremony was attended by stars such as Jerry Seinfeld, Sofia Vergara, will.i.am., Miley Cyrus and Kid Rock.

CNN Heroes is a multi-platform campaign that "shines a spotlight on individuals who go to extraordinary lengths to serve others." This year, the campaign reportedly received over 10,000 submissions from more than 100 countries.

In 2009, Filipino Efren Peñaflorida, who started a "pushcart classroom" to bring education to poor children as an alternative to gang membership, was named CNN Hero of the Year. He was the first Filipino to win the award.

---

...the tribute

Viral OFW video leaves viewers in tears

INQUIRER.net

Saturday, December 3rd, 2011

 

MANILA, Philippines—Raymond Marc tries to fight off tears as he watches a short video on YouTube. He failed.

“Coke has made me cry,” he posts on his Facebook account after watching the 4:27-minute “tearjerker” video of Coca-Cola that is now going viral on the internet.

His Facebook friend, Albert Madrigal, admits to being touched, too, by the short film.

“I cried. I could feel the message of the ad,” said Madrigal, a former University of the Philippines Los Baños professor who now works in Italy.

The video features three overseas Filipino workers: Joe Marie Ballon, Leonie Villanueva, Joey Doble.

Like many of the 11 million Filipinos trying their luck abroad, the three are hardworking OFWs who battle loneliness overseas to give their families back home a better life.

Ballon, an X-ray technologist, has been working overseas  for five years. And for him being away from his family is the most difficult part.

Leonie Villanueva

“I haven’t been home in a long time because my father got sick. He’s almost blind now,” says Ballon.

“Instead of spending for the ticket home, I would rather send him money to buy medicine."

 

 

Villanueva, a caregiver, has for nine years been fighting off the strong urge to fly back home and be with her children.

“I can’t go home, no matter how much I want to. I have house amortization bills to pay every month and all my children are depending on me,” she says.

“Even when I’m sick, I would force myself to go to work,” she adds.

Doble, meanwhile, left their family home in Pampanga when his youngest son was just one year old. That was  11 years ago.

“It can get very sad. I’m all alone here,” says Doble.

But Coke, through its Coca-Cola Where Will Happiness Strike Next: The OFW Project, gives the three a Christmas gift that left them in tears, but happy.

Watch the video and you’ll understand why.

...the heroes of Fukushima

4 caregivers cited for Japan heroism

By ROY C. MABASA

October 28, 2011

Manila Bulletin

MANILA, Philippines — Four Filipino caregivers working at the Social Welfare Juridical Seihoukai in Komine-en, Shirakawa City, in the southern portion of Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, were chosen to receive the 2011 Bagong Bayani Award (New Heroes Award) for Community and Social Service by the Bagong Bayani Foundation in Manila.President Benigno Aquino III is expected to give the award to the four Filipino caregivers in fitting ceremonies at Malacañang on Dec. 1.

Philippine Ambassador to Japan Manuel M. Lopez commended Filipino caregivers Gemma F. Juanay, Juliet C. Tobay, Sandra S. Otacan and Mercedes Joie G. Aquino for the recognition bestowed on them.
According to Lopez, despite imminent danger from the nuclear accident that struck Japan last March, the four Filipinos chose to remain in their jobs and continued to provide care and companionship to their Japanese elderly patients.

The four Filipino caregivers are working in the institution for the elderly located in Fukushima Prefecture, some distance away from a no-go zone declared by the Japanese government as an aftermath of the East Japan earthquake and the devastation wrought by the tsunami last March 11.

Lopez said this was not the first time that the four Filipino caregivers were given recognition.

He said they were also bestowed recognition and honor by the Japanese people through the kind words and rewards that have been expressed and heartily given them, including the attention that local media has provided which, he said, serve as true testaments to their heroism.

In fact, last May 11, the four Filipinos were invited to a Thanksgiving Dinner hosted by the Japan Foreign Minister at the Iikura House in Tokyo.

The Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) in Tokyo headed by Labor Attaché Clifford A. Paragua has nominated the four caregivers for the 2011 Bagong Bayani Award after they showed utmost compassion, even downplaying the significant personal risks they faced at that time, to ensure the safety and survival of their patients.

The award is part of the national search for the Philippines’ outstanding and exemplary overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).

The award seeks to recognize and pay tribute to OFWs for their significant efforts in fostering goodwill among peoples of the world, enhancing and promoting the image of the Filipino as a competent, responsible and dignified worker, and for greatly contributing to the socio-economic development of their communities and the Philippines as a whole.

...the midwife hero

Fil-Am midwife Robin Lim among Top 10 CNN heroes

ROSE-AN JESSICA DIOQUINO, GMA News
10/13/2011



A Filipino-American midwife — Robin Lim — has made it to the Top 10 of this year’s "CNN Heroes" for providing free maternal healthcare to thousands of poor women in Indonesia.

According to CNN, Lim, whose mother is a Filipino-Chinese, put up “birthing sanctuaries" for Indonesians in need of maternal and general health care.

In her “Meet the Hero" interview, Lim said it is common in Indonesia to hold babies in the hospital until the bills have been paid.

Lim, 54, said mothers should only worry about delivering their babies safely and not about how they should pay the hospital where they gave birth.

With average families in Indonesia earning only $8 a day, many cannot afford birthing services in hospitals, which can cost between $70 and $700. Thus, the country holds high maternal and infant mortality rates.

Lim, along with nine other “ordinary" citizens who have made differences in their communities, will all receive a $50, 000 grant and will be honored at an “All-Star Tribute" on December 11.

They are vying for online votes to become the fifth CNN Hero of the Year, which comes with an additional $250, 000. Voting is open until Dec. 7.

In 2009, Filipino Efren Peñaflorida was named CNN Hero of the Year for his Kariton classroom project, which brought the classrooms to children in the streets.

‘Calling’

Known in the area by the local term “Ibu" or mother, Lim began helping pregnant Indonesian women and their babies in 1994, when she and her brood of eight were still settling into the village of Nyuh Kuning near Bali.

The author and midwife easily made a home in the Asian country, having been raised in the Philippines while her father was stationed in Indonesia with the US military.

“When two baby owls fell out of a coconut tree and into my care, the villagers took it as an omen that I should become their new midwife," Lim told the online magazine, STEPS.

While it was unexpected, Lim— who first assisted local midwives in home-based childbirths— decided to return to the US to get a professional certification.

She told STEPS that she took the turn of events as a “calling" to follow in the footsteps of her maternal grandmother, Vicenta Munar Lim, who served as “healer and baby catcher for her people" in Baguio, even after the second World War.

Lim said she owes her values from her “Nanang" Vicenta and her Filipino-Chinese mother, who both taught her the gift of kindness to self and to others.

“My grandmother taught me to be a peaceful warrior. She gave me permission at a very young age to always follow my heart. That’s been my life’s greatest gift," she said.

‘With respect and kindness’

With the Balinese community and their friends rallying behind them, Lim and her husband put up the first clinic of Yayasan Bumi Sehat (Health Mother Earth Foundation) in 2003.

The tsunami tragedy a year later led to the establishment of a smaller clinic in Aceh.

These “birthing sanctuaries"—which also offers general medical services—work on a 24-hour basis and has collectively assisted in 5, 000 births.

Bumi Sehat has earned its share of foreigners and Indonesian celebrities—who all donate for the foundation— but Lim told CNN that about 80 percent of patients who come in express their gratitude with “a few mangoes."

“Rock star or prostitute, everyone gets treated [like a] VIP at Bumi Sehat... with kindness and respect," she said.

‘Reinvent their lives’

Before moving to Bali, Lim was a respected author with two books on maternal matters and a novel titled “Butterfly People." She lived in Hawaii with her husband and their eight children.

However, Lim was “just crushed" by the deaths of three special women in her life, including her sister, who succumbed to a complication that also killed the baby she was carrying.

“But I decided not to get angry. I decided to become part of the solution. If I could help even one family prevent the loss of a mother or a child, I would do that. I would dedicate might life to it," she told CNN.

Lim and her husband sold their house and the whole family trooped to Bali to “reinvent their lives." - with Gayna Kumar, VVP, GMA News

...the "Amerikana"

Fil-Am moves back to work for PH gov't

 

by Cathy Rose A. Garcia,

abs-cbnNEWS.com

10/04/2011

 

 

MANILA, Philippines – While some Filipinos would do anything to migrate to the United States, Eileen Aparis left a comfortable life in Seattle to move back to the Philippines.

 

 

“Going back to the Philippines was the most irrational thing I could have done. I had a good job, a house, a car and friends,” she told abs-cbnNEWS.com in an interview last week.

Born in Ormoc, Leyte, Aparis was only 8 years old when her family migrated to the US in 1985. She spent most of her life in Seattle, got her MBA in New York and has been working with communities and immigrant refugees from Somalia, Ethiopia and Vietnam.

Aparis had a passion for international development and a desire to reconnect with her roots and do something for the Philippines. She was inspired by the Aquino administration’s commitment to good government, especially since the late former President Corazon Aquino was her hero.

“I thought what have I done for my country? I haven't done anything… So I said, I’m going to check it out, like a sabbatical, but I decided to take the plunge and see what's really going on because of all the issues I see on TV. I thought: ‘I want to be a part of this’. If I want to see change, I have to do it,” she said.

Much to the incredulity of her parents and friends (“They thought it was craziest, weirdest thing ever,” she recalled), Aparis moved back to Manila in November 2010.

With the help of her mentor in Seattle, she got in touch with Secretary Imelda Nicolas, chairperson of the government's Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO). Soon she found herself volunteering at the CFO, and later, working as a consultant on an anti-trafficking project.

The CFO was organizing the Global Summit of Filipinos in the Diaspora and Aparis suggested to Nicolas the inclusion of second and third-generation Filipinos from overseas.

Nicolas was impressed enough with Aparis’ dedication that she was tasked to head the CFO's Youth Leaders in the Diaspora (YouLeaD) project. YouLeaD was created by the CFO as a framework on how the next generation of Filipinos overseas can contribute to the country’s growth.

Aparis said she is working to strengthen the current Lakbay-Aral program, a two-week cultural immersion program for Filipino youth overseas to learn about Philippine culture and history. The CFO is trying to partner with organizations such as the United Nations Youth Association of the Philippines and Science Forum for  Lakbay-Aral.

“It would be great to have a study abroad program that will connect with universities like UP, Ateneo, LaSalle. We can coordinate and recruit young people that would be studying through the UP, Ateneo and LaSalle school systems. It will be cultural immersion but with migration and development as a focus,” she said.

Being an ‘Amerikana’ in Manila

Many second and third generation Filipino-Americans would like to become more involved in the Philippines, Aparis said, especially since they see so much possibility here.

“We realize that culture and identity is important. This is our country… I'm not just American but I'm also Filipino,” she said.

“How do we know where we are going, if we don't know who we are? We're trying to claim it back… There is a great need here for help. Let's make this better because we see our families and their state has not changed. Even the streets, it hasn't changed. And it has to be better than this. We've got to create a difference,” she added.

As a Filipino in the US, Aparis had to deal with discrimination and name-calling but she was still surprised at having to deal with the same thing in the Philippines.

“I'm not called a Filipino, I'm called ‘Amerikana.’ It hurts and nobody gets that. They don't know how much pride we have being a Filipino abroad. We represent the Philippines... People make fun of my accent and I'm trying so hard. Nakakaintindi ako (ng Filipino), pero Bisaya kasi,” she said.

But she has learned to quickly adapt to a different, some would say more laid-back, culture in the workplace, as well as adjust to the horrendous Manila traffic.

“I wrote on Facebook: ‘Gone are the days when I jump into my car to go to a meeting.’ Now it’s MRT, LRT, jeepney, tricycle,” Aparis laughed. “It’s definitely a wake-up call. I'm adjusting."

...the champions on a mission

Dragon boat champs join rescuers

By Dona Z. Pazzibugan, Niña Calleja
Philippine Daily Inquirer

Monday, October 3rd, 2011

The world champion dragon boat racing team, using the same vessel that earned them international renown, has joined military forces mobilized to rescue or bring relief to villagers trapped in heavily flooded parts of Bulacan and Pampanga.

The 20-member Philippine Dragon Boat Federation Team, dubbed the “Pinoy Dragon Warriors,” participated in the humanitarian missions on Sunday in response to a call from the Army chief, Lieutenant General Arturo Ortiz, for soldiers to join in the rescue effort.

They used the very same dragon boat they rode to five golds and two silvers and set two world records at the world championships held in Florida in August, according to the team manager, Army Major Harold Cabunoc.

Since the boat can accommodate only 20 people, team captain Sergeant Usman Anterola said that for every trip, the boat carried eight paddlers who ferried 10 villagers at a time.

There are 11 soldiers in the team, mostly from the Philippine Army, based at its headquarters in Fort Bonifacio. The rest are either members of the Coast Guard or civilians.

Cabunoc explained that the team practiced for six hours every day for more international competitions this year even without support from the Philippine Olympic Committee and the Philippine Sports Commission.

Payback time
Another team dispatched to the disaster zone in Bulacan at the weekend was made up of victims of Tropical Storm “Ondoy” in Marikina City two years ago, according to Marikina Vice Mayor Jose Fabian Cadiz.

“The city mayor, upon seeing the news about the floods on Friday morning, instructed our Rescue 161 to go to Bulacan and offer whatever help we can give,” Cadiz told the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

The city sent two motorboats, an ambulance, search-in-water equipment, outboard motors, generation sets, and other first-aid kits recently purchased in preparation for an Ondoy-type disaster. More than 100 of the nearly 500 lives Ondoy claimed came from Marikina.

In dispatching the 15-member team, Mayor Del de Guzman admitted that the city has yet to recover from the losses of properties and lives, but said, “Now, it’s our turn to help.”

Caught unprepared
Ronald Mejia, officer in charge of Marikina’s Rescue 161 and team leader in the two-day Bulacan rescue operations, said the floods in the coastal towns were “very much similar to Ondoy.”

Although the roof-high floodwaters reminded him of Ondoy, Mejia was able to spot the difference.
He said the flood that entered their homes in Marikina City came with mud while the floodwaters in Bulacan were crystal clear as it directly came from the dams.

“In Marikina, the floods were gone after a few hours. In Bulacan, it was taking several days for the floods to subside,” he added.

Mejia said that when his team arrived in Paombong town in Bulacan, people came rushing to them and asked them to rescue relatives marooned in their flooded homes.

The team managed to save more than a hundred lives, including a pregnant woman standing on her house’s roof.

“It was the first time they experienced huge floods so they were really shocked and caught unprepared,” Mejia said.

...the Pinoy heroes in Canada

2 Pinoys named Asian Heroes in Canada

 

by Marieton Pacheco,

ABS-CBN North America News Bureau

 09/22/2011

 

CANADA – A Filipino entrepreneur and a Filipino-Canadian nurse were among the 6 awardees of the 2nd Asian Heroes award in Canada.

 

Felicisimo Gorospe, chairman emeritus of the VGent Group of Companies, was recognized as the Asian Hero from the Philippines. 

 

Born to a poor family in Ilocos Sur, Gorospe has succeeded as an entrepreneur.

 

He helps send hundreds of poor children to school through his company, VGent Foundation. 

 

Since 2009, the foundation supports at least 100 scholars annually and vows to do so for the next 100 years

 

“I'm preparing the trust fund so that even if we will no longer be around, the earnings from the trust fund will be sufficient to continue the project,” he said.

 

Phoebe Carantes, meantime, is a Canadian with Filipino roots. A registered nurse with the Fraser Health Institute BC, Carantes let go of a lucrative career to volunteer for healthcare services to war-torn Afghanistan where is she being recognized as an Asian Hero.

 

“If I would have the opportunity to give back to this country and also to serve our men and women in uniform in Afghanistan, I will do it anytime,” she said.

 

Organizers behind the award say they hope to help the heroes not just through recognition, but more so through funding for their causes. Successful individuals from different fields make up the team behind Canada's version of Asian Heroes.

...the hero in us

Editorial

The Hero in Every Filipino

August 17, 2011

Manila Bulletin

MANILA, Philippines — Hero worship is often called “looking up to someone,’’ and as children, we looked up to those people like our parents, who were probably our first heroes. In ancient times, heroes were considered extraordinary, and performed astonishing deeds, far beyond the capabilities of the average person.

 

Heroes are brave, compassionate, committed to change, and prove that a good deed can help uplift a million lives. Through their words, actions, and good deeds heroes make a difference worth celebrating.

Drawing inspiration from simple people whose lives were made remarkable by their generosity in spirit, innovation, service, and concern for others, the alumni of the Ten Outstanding Students of the Philippines created Bayanibolusyon, a digital movement to unleash the Bayani (Hero) in every Filipino, especially among the youth.

 

The project seeks to be an inspiration to many who may have lost hope and aims to educate Filipinos that no act is too small or big, and that all Filipinos have the capacity to do their bit to make a positive impact on the lives of others.

The program has four elements: The Bagong Bayani which highlights the success of Pinoys who have set a model by walking the extra mile; the Bayanihan which focuses on organizations portraying the bayanihan or community spirit; the EDGE (Every Day Great Examples) which features Filipinos from various walks of life who have made contributions to their communities; and the Bayanitaktakan, a social platform which serves as a forum to engage every member to speak up, get heard, and be counted through wall posts and mouse clicks.

The Internet and the Web have made it possible for our fingers to change the world. A technological tool that has also made it viable for the world to instantly connect, it has become a means where service can be done, inspiration can be shared, and where Filipinos can affirm their potentials, and motivate others to lead, learn, and serve for the benefit of present and future generations.

Bayanibolusyon has big dreams for the Philippines and aspires for way of life that gives a chance for every Filipino to leave their constructive footprints that can change our lives forever. MABUHAY!

...the seamen's hero

Filipino seamen’s hero is a girl

Philippine Daily Inquirer

9:34 pm | Sunday, August 7th, 2011

 

 

Marissa Oca

MANILA, Philippines—Filipino seafarers are the most in demand in the world, accounting for 30 percent of about 1.2 million seamen abroad—from cruise liners to oil rigs. Dubbed “crewing capital of the world,” the Philippines has emerged as the world’s biggest supplier of international ship crew.

International manning principals have called Filipino seamen their “preferred choice” because of their outstanding qualities: Technical knowledge, flexibility, reliability, trustworthiness, hard work, and their command of the English language.

During the first quarter of 2011 seafarers have contributed $627.3 million to Philippine coffers. Last year, they brought $3.8 billion in remittances.

With a growing global requirement projected to grow at 50 percent in the next 10 years, and an aging international pool to boot, career prospects for Filipino maritime professionals are certainly bright.

With a lucrative seafaring industry it has then become imperative for maritime professionals to unite to protect their social, legal, moral rights both on the domestic and international fronts.

For 50 years, the late master mariner Gregorio S. Oca fought for seafarers’ protection through the Associated Marine Officers’ Union of the Philippines (AMOSUP), which he established in 1960. The largest organization binding maritime professionals, AMOSUP offers a wide spectrum of programs that include maritime education training, family dental and hospitalization, welfare and mutual benefit plans, and housing.

Earlier, his brother, labor leader Roberto S. Oca Jr., formed the Philippine Transport General Workers Organization (PTGWO) in 1951. By 1960, Gregorio, concerned with the plight of the licensed crew of several shipping lines, had constituted AMOSUP, with PTGWO as mother organization.

Today, Gregorio’s life’s work is being continued by his daughter Marissa, the current administrator of AMOSUP’s community development programs. Marissa’s early exposure to her father’s deeds planted the seeds in her young mind. Providing support are her brothers Conrado, president of AMOSUP, and Pedro Miguel, president of NAESS Philippines Incorporated.

“My exposure with AMOSUP began in high school when my father asked me to help out in AMOSUP’s 50-bed hospital, the Roberto S. Oca Worker’s Clinic which serviced seafarers and dock workers and their families,” recounts Marissa.

The said hospital would later become the 100-bed Seamen’s Hospital in Intramuros, Manila. This was followed by other hospital openings in the provinces: Cebu in 1997, Iloilo in 2005, and the Gig Oca Robles Seamen’s Foundation Hospital in Davao in 2008.

Fully immersed in hospital work after earning her economics degree from the University of California in Sta. Barbara, Marissa later enrolled at the University of the Philippines for a master’s degree in hospital administration.

Human cost

In the report “The Human Cost of Somali Piracy,” it was underscored that despite the many gains achieved by seafarers, problems continue to escalate globally as mariners are being subjected to increasing violence at sea including physical and psychological abuse—even torture.

Published by the Oceans Beyond Piracy, an organization dedicated to achieving a long-term, sustainable solution to piracy, the report stated that in 2010 alone, more than 4,000 seafarers were attacked—some vessels and crew multiple times.

“And this is a very critical issue that needs to be addressed because we have a lot of Filipino seafarers out there whose lives are on the line.  Certainly there is a need to impose additional safety measures. In extreme cases they suffer from significant psychological or physical abuse; worse, torture,” reveals Marissa.

In fact, as of May, 2011, there were 79 Filipino seafarers on board nine vessels still in captivity.

To address this escalating problem, the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) last year imposed an additional requirement for departing seafarers to undergo a one-day defense training against sea pirates before boarding foreign sea vessels.

For its part, AMOSUP provides psychosocial counseling and support services to seafarers and families who were victims of abduction.

“This is a most difficult ordeal not only for seafarers but also for their next-of-kins who go through tough psychological torment. Our community development programs include activities that promote mental and psychological well-being of seafarers’ families,” she explains.

Making something out of a loss

Marissa is one who always puts the family first ahead of anyone else, be it for the seafarers that she deals with regularly, and more so with herself.

When she lost her 17-year old son Ambrosio Gregorio “Gig” Oca Robles IV after a tragic accident, Marissa’s deep and joyful appreciation for her departed son became the wellspring of many inspired actions.

Among them is a reading advocacy for the families of seafarers. “I would always read to my children at bedtime every night. When they grew, I found myself soliciting books for the library that supported a school in the Seamen’s Village, which my father founded. After Gig passed on, this simple desire to promote reading literacy would transform into an advocacy,” Marissa explains. She also spearheaded the creation of the Gig and Amazing Sampaguita Foundation, Inc., (GASFI).

“At any one time, when there are at least 230,000 Filipino seafarers on ships worldwide, there are one million children with their family members left at home. It is in the context of the one-parent family or the distant parent setup that we wish to advocate reading as bonding time at seafarer families’ homes,” explains Marissa.

GASFI has so far printed 10 children’s books targeted for seafarer families; and given away for free. The stories were culled from works written by authors who won in a story-writing contest GASFI launched last year.

Seafarers’ welfare

Underscoring the need to strengthen the bond between seafarers and family members amid difficult issues such as coping with loneliness, homesickness and “burn-out,” Marissa organized the 1st International Seafarer Family Convention (ISFC) 2011 at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC), Pasay City.

With theme “The Bonds of Families, the Success of the World,” the two-day conference and exhibit was the first in the industry, and became the biggest gathering of maritime industry professionals and stakeholders.

“There are many issues being dealt by seafarer families left behind by parents who have to be away for long periods of time. We should all be aware that not only the family, but also the government, ship owners, employers, NGOs, and many others have a stake in keeping the families of seafarers together,” explains Marissa.

The Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE), through the support of local government units, has created more seafarers’ help desks in the different regions to allow services to become more accessible. It has also continued to implement schemes for a rationalized distribution of scholarship slots for the deserving children of seafarers throughout the country, and increase the number of family welfare officers and counselors, who are responsible for conducting regular family visitations.

...the 2009 CNN hero's dream

Efren Penaflorida realizes dream to build a learning center building

By ALEX VALENTIN BROSAS

June 21, 2011

Manila Bulletin

Even with the completion of a learning center building, Efren Penaflorida will continue his 'kariton' education to encourage more children to study

MANILA, Philippines – The 2009 CNN Hero of the Year Efren Penaflorida scores another feat by realizing his dream to build a learning center for street children.


Called Karbil or Kariton Building, the learning center is nearing completion in Cavite City. Its facilities will be used for direct tutorial for 150 street children. Operated by the Dynamic Teen Company, of which Efren is the founder, it has an activity area, classrooms and a library complete with laptops donated for the learning center.


Efren acknowledges the enormous blessing brought about by his being named CNN Hero of the Year in 2009.


“Tumagos ‘yung dumating na blessing. Aside from that ‘yung passion ng mga volunteers mas lalong nag-fire up,” he said on “Showbiz News Ngayon,” June 20.


He also credited some celebrities who helped him with his cause, like sportscaster TJ Manotoc.


“Si Bianca (Gonzalez) supportive siya pagdating doon sa encouragement, sa mga volunteers. Fineature kami ni Bianca sa 'Y-Speak' dati, eh. Wala pang CNN noon. Nakakatuwa nga siya, eh. Tapos hanggang ngayon naaalala pa niya pa rin kami. Nagpunta din dito si Karylle. Nagtulak din ‘yun. Si Gerald (Anderson) nagtulak din siya,” he shared.


He is utterly grateful for these celebrities as “’yung presence nila kasi dito sa ginagawa namin is ano, eh.
Iba’ng impact noon sa mga estudyante namin sa kalye. Kumbaga, nae-encourage ‘yung mga bata. ‘Yung love for learning mas parang napu-fuel up pa.”


Clarence Baptista, computer teacher at the learning center, shared that, “Nagtuturo po kami ng mga basic typing po. Tinuturuan po namin kung paano gumamit ng computer, kung ano ang tama po.”

With the new building, Clarence added, “Hindi na po limited ‘yung time niya (Efren) para turuan po ang mga bata.”


Even with the existence of a learning center, Efren and his group will continue with their concept of “kariton” education.


“‘Yung kariton class room, kumbaga, it’s an idea which evolved. Nangarap kami na someday magkaroon sana kami ng learning center, ng place para doon naming i-gather ‘yung mga bata and then we’re working on our dreams.”

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...the hero (tribute to Pinay OFW in Hong Kong)

Hong Kong OFW dies to save boy

abs-cbnNEWS.com

06/17/2011

MANILA, Philippines - An overseas Filipino worker (OFW) died in Hong Kong after saving the life of her 6-year-old ward, the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) said.

Juanita Agustin Limbago and the boy under her care were knocked down by a tour bus in Hong Kong last June 10, according to an OWWA report.

"Without regard for her own safety, Juanita turned her back to the bus and used her arm to protect the boy. Both were pinned down but the boy got out of the unfortunate incident with only slight wounds," the agency said in a press statement.

Limbago's remains were brought home Friday. Her husband, Edwin, received her remains at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

She was working in Hong Kong for less than three months before she she was killed.

Her family will receive P220,000 in death and burial benefits from OWWA, according to the agency.

...the hotel booking site that helps

Hotel ‘pencil project’ benefits underprivileged kids

By Shielo Mendoza, Yahoo! Southeast Asia

The Inbox – Tue, May 31, 2011

AP Photo/Pat Roque

An online hotel booking site organized a digital signature campaign which aims to help provide basic education to underprivileged children.

For every signature they collect, hotelwithheart.com (HWH) will donate a pencil to the children being taught by the Dynamic Teen Company (DTC).

DTC is a group of concerned young people with a mission to help children with no access to education. It was founded in August 1997 by four teenagers from Cavite National High School. Efren Penaflorida, who went on to be named CNN Hero of the Year in 2009, was one of DTC's founders.

"We can measure statistics of children without the means of basic education, we can measure poverty, we can measure the rising crime rate, and we can even measure the cost of ignorance. But can we truly measure the potential of a child? By providing these children with the materials wherein they can continue to learn, we are offering them a brighter future," said HWH director Dr. Rudy Sabater.

HWH hopes to gather 10,000 pencils from this project, which will run for a month starting June 1 to 30. To support this campaign, visit the HWH Facebook fanpage.