Touching people's lives


Touching people's lives
DIRECTLINE By Boy Abunda


KC Concepcion supports the search for Ten Accomplished Youth Organizations (TAYO).

I deeply admire KC Concepcion. I appreciate many things that she does as a young woman, and as a young citizen of the world. Currently the National Ambassador of the United Nations World Food Program, she is also giving her time and support to the Search for TAYO or the Ten Accomplished Youth Organizations. TAYO Awards has recently launched its seventh year search.

“The wonderful thing about TAYO is that they are working together, sama-sama, tulong-tulong. And being with them makes me really proud and inspired because the young people are doing so much for our country,” said KC.

TAYO, a yearly search for excellence that started in 2002, has become an inspirational vehicle to highlight the prowess and the concern for country displayed by the Filipino youth. The brainchild of Sen. Francis Pangilinan, TAYO was initiated to give recognition to youth groups who give their time and effort to make this world a better place to live in.

This year, TAYO Awards Foundation, Inc. announces its search for the 10 Accomplished Youth Organizations for 2009. Open to all youth groups — from student councils, barkadas, religious groups, volunteer groups, cause-oriented groups, etc. — and project entries can be anything. The deadline for submission of entries is on July 15.

As one of the judges of the previous TAYO Awards, KC acknowledged that she has personally become more inspired by the projects of the TAYO participants. “And I also get intimidated by the youth leaders. Sino ba naman ako para humarap sa inyo?” she revealed. “It helped that I spent years living abroad because I can appreciate my country more. And in my third year involvement in TAYO, I am really amazed at what the youth can do today. I’m really proud to be part of this generation.”

Commenting on how TAYO has evolved, Sen. Pangilinan explained, “The competition has become stiffer. The entries have become more creative, more colorful. Last year, over a 100 had joined and we anticipate the same number this year, if not more.” He also said that participants come from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.

Sen. Pangilinan is also vocal about how TAYO has kept him motivated, “I thank them for inspiring us, for giving us hope, for optimism.” Previous winners, he said, have shown the depth and grasp of how the youth can touch the lives of many. Citing examples, he noted: “A youth group from Jolo, they got an ambulance and built a rescue team around it — mga youth ito ha. Meron naman diyan sa Dapitan, a volunteer fire brigade, 25 below ang average fire fighters nila. And there’s one from Ilocos, management students — they were able to provide bookkeeping and accounting tips for a farmers’ organization and helped them discover an extra P70,000. The farmers didn’t know that they had an extra P70,000 but from correct bookkeeping, they discovered it.”

As for KC, she is overwhelmed by the things she witnesses in the course of her job as an ambassador and her other involvements, like in TAYO. “Everytime I go back to Mindanao, I hardly think about my work in showbiz. I want to participate not just through entertainment, but in getting a lot more people involved,” said KC.

“Hunger, unfortunately, is a tremendous challenge that continues to face our generation and is not going away until we do something about it and I’m thankful to TAYO that they gave me an opportunity to talk about this. It is the most basic need, kasi kung gutom naman ang estudyante paano siya papasok? Hunger kills more people than AIDS, malaria, and HIV combined.” Calling on the youth, KC stressed, “We can do more if we work together.”

Memories of MET’s grand dame

My dearest Tita Conching Sunico, grand dame of Manila’s 400 (when there were only 400) and of the Metropolitan Theater, will be honored in a concert tribute billed Mga Ginintuang Alaala ni Conching Sunico at ng MET on May 14 and 15 at the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo.

“The concert is a grand tribute to the brave journey of one woman and the Metropolitan Theater that she devoted her life to preserving it. Both Ms. Sunico and the Manila Metropolitan Theater have many things in common. They were cultural forces of their time defining the artistic climate of their eras. It was during her management as executive director that the Met enjoyed a brief resurgence of its glory. The concert takes a look at that brief, golden period when the arts once again flourished in Plaza Lawton. Through the participation of the artists that she loved and who loved her in return, the golden memories of Conching Sunico and the MET live again.

In the cast are Leo Tavarro Valdez, Chinggoy Alonzo, Ana Feleo, Rachelle Gerodias, Karla Gutierrez, Chinggay Lagdameo, Tony Mabesa, Metro Manila Community Orchestra, Ramon Obusan Folkloric Group, Beverly Salviejo, Chino Toledo, UP Concert Chorus, with the special participation of Ben Farrales. It is directed by Tony Mabesa and Floy Quintos. Script by Floy Quintos.

Its great to see public figures who has a lot of influence to the Philippines society to be involved in Philanthropic activities.

QC house refuge for single mothers

QC house refuge for single mothers

By Edson C. Tandoc Jr.
Philippine Daily Inquirer

Posted date: May 11, 2009

MANILA, Philippines—Sixteen-year-old Maria was all set to enter university when she discovered she was pregnant. It shattered her dream of becoming a teacher and broke her parents’ hearts.

Maria and her boyfriend were not ready to become parents or even to get married.

“I was angry at my boyfriend,” she recalls. “I was angry at myself.”

She also worried about what the neighbors would say when they see her pregnant and unmarried.

Maria sought refuge at the Nazareth Home in Quezon City, which is a shelter for pregnant teens and unwed mothers. Operated by the volunteer group Kaisahang Buhay Foundation (KBF), the halfway house hopes to protect mothers-to-be and their unborn children.
The home provides a place—free of charge—for women facing unexpected pregnancies and have run away from their families.

It also seeks to protect the children they may not want by providing alternatives to abortion and to the society-induced stigma attached to being a single mother.

“We want to protect the children so they do not suffer from what their mothers have done,” says KBF volunteer Maria Paula Molato, who supervises the home.

Safe haven

Nazareth Home is a haven for unmarried pregnant women. Most of the girls come from poor families who are not ready for marriage or motherhood.

It also provides refuge for rape victims, who the home would rather call “survivors of sexual abuse.”

The youngest girl admitted to the shelter is an 11-year-old who became pregnant after she was raped in Pampanga province three years ago.

Sometimes, married women who get pregnant while working abroad because of extramarital affairs stay at the halfway house because they are afraid to go home and face the consequences of their actions.

Nazareth Home also provides counseling and training to help pregnant teens “regain self-worth and self-esteem.” It tries to reconcile the girls with their families.

It also prepares them for motherhood, hoping that they would decide to keep their babies when they leave the shelter.

While the KBF can facilitate the adoption of babies born in the shelter, the KBF’s Molato says they try as much as possible to encourage the new mothers to bring their babies home with them.

Like a home

There are 12 girls living in the shelter. Two of them, including Maria, have just given birth. The shelter can accommodate up to 20 girls.

It looks and feels like a typical home: The two-story house has a sala, a kitchen where the girls can cook, a dining room with a large table, and three big bedrooms. Bringing together girls with similar problems will help them realize they are not alone, Molato says.

The shelter usually gets referrals from churches, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and other volunteer groups.

Full-time mother Jo Ann de Larrazabal is one of the volunteers at the shelter. She helps prepare the girls give birth “successfully and beautifully.”

De Larrazabal hopes to make the girls’ childbirth experience less traumatic so they would learn to value their babies more.

“It helps when they know what is going to happen,” she says. “It takes away the fear.”

De Larrazabal, 49, a fine arts graduate and mother of three children, says she started volunteering in the shelter in 1996.

At the beginning, the girls were subjected to harsh conditions and even verbal abuse when they were brought to the nearest government hospital to deliver their babies.

Birthing room

De Larrazabal decided to raise funds to put up a “birthing room” at the shelter.

In September 2006, the first baby was born in the birthing room—a simple room with a bed and a “birthing stool” where girls can give birth sitting down, which is the natural way, she says.

The shelter has a volunteer midwife during delivery.

“Here, the women feel valued and cared for,” De Larrazabal says. “The best benefit is that the baby bonds with the mother.”

Foster care

Sixty-five girls had given birth in the birthing room. De Larrazabal says many if not most of the mothers brought their babies home instead of giving them up for adoption.

Maria gave birth in the same room on April 6. She was given the option of keeping her month-old daughter, or relinquishing her for adoption.

There is a third option which the shelter calls “foster care.” A family takes care of the baby for six months. In that period of time, the mother can decide whether to keep her baby.

The KBF, which operates the shelter, is licensed and accredited by the DSWD to offer adoption.

Maria finally left Nazareth Home on Friday afternoon.

She was picked up by her parents, who had also undergone counseling sessions at the shelter. She got a warm welcome from her family.

“I used to be very angry,” Maria said. “But the anger in my heart disappeared the moment I saw my baby girl.”

Of course, she brought her baby home.
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Raising a kid by yourself is tough, its great to see there is an institution that understands and supports teenage mothers, rather than berates them. This is just a good contribution to the Philippines society

Binay lauds BDO employees for volunteer work in Makati-GK project

MANILA, May 4 (PNA) - Makati Mayor Jejomar C. Binay on Sunday lauded employees of Banco de Oro (BDO) who have volunteered to render community service at the Makati-Gawad Kalinga (GK) Community Development Project located in San Jose del Monte, Bulacan for 10 Saturdays.

Binay said around 35 to 50 BDO employees have participated every Saturday in building 28 houses sponsored by the BDO Foundation in a portion of the 3.2-hectare property acquired by the city government in Brgy. Kay Pian in the said city starting May 2.

“The city government and the people of Makati are truly grateful to the volunteers from BDO for their willingness to help build homes for homeless families. Their selfless act will go a long way in the realization of our dream of a livable and sustainable community for our less fortunate residents,” Binay said.

BDO Foundation is by far the biggest donor with its P2.8 million donation to the project, dubbed “Dreamlandville.”


Source:http://positivenewsmedia.net/

Meanwhile, Binay said the BDO Foundation has set the groundbreaking ceremony for the BDO-GK Community within Dreamlandville for May 16.

Binay will lead other city officials and representatives of GK and the BDO Foundation in the ceremony.

He also reiterated his appeal to members of the business community, civic organizations and philanthropic individuals to support the said project through donations. (PNA)

www.akomismo.org

Amidst the celebration of Pacquiao’s fight, I am even more exhilarated by a 1 minute video I first saw during the fight.

First, here’s the clip. Second (after the clip), let me tell you how I feel and what I think about this whole campaign.

What is AKO MISMO?

From what I’ve seen and read, AKO MISMO is a campaign.

It’s a campaign for Filipinos to take action towards helping the Philippines rise and move forward.

It’s a campaign to help instill the awareness in Pinoys to take action instead of complain or blame.

We each have a role in making our country great! Not just somebody else’s role.

It’s MY role! It’s OUR role to make the Philippines a great country!

(read what the www.akomismo.org website says about the campaign).

AKO MISMO - my own thoughts, my own words.

JM and I share the same feeling about seeing this video. Nakaka-pangilabot!

Frankly, the first time I saw the ad, I was half-expecting to see an endorsement for another politician.

Pero dehins, men!

This ad was about us Filipinos taking-charge! This campaign is about us Filipinos taking responsibility for our beloved country and doing our share, each in our own way.

In an exchange of messages via Facebook, JM and I reminisced about our NAMFREL volunteer days.

That role of helping our country, that’s the feeling I’m feeling now!

And it’s so exciting finding out that hundreds of thousands of Filipinos are taking a stand and making a commitment to help our country.

All star cast

Ely Buendia, Charise Pempengco, Maxine Magalona (and truly and strongly I feel Francis M is in there too!), Mon Fernandez, Efren (Kuya F, behind a kariton school ), Luis Manzano, a priest, a muslim lady, a medical technician, Angel Locsin, Arnel Pineda, a women’s rights advocate, a Pinoy Hollywood director, and more …

These are the people who captured and communicated, in this video, the commitment for our country! Ang galing! Ang galing!

The www.akomismo.org website

I visited the website just an hour ago. And I am overwhelmed! In a span of 7 hours, they’ve gathered 14,000 commitments on the wall of commitments from thousands of Filipinos.

My first commitment was to spread the word through my blog - www.akomismo.org . And I’m doing it right now!

Source:www.edwinsoriano.com

The Jeepney

What is a Street Paper?

"The Jeepney Magazine" is a Filipino publication produced by the Urban Opportunities for Change, Foundation Inc.

The Jeepney Magazine has two main goals:
  1. The first is the presentation of the stories and hearts of the Filipino poor. It is our intent to communicate the needs, struggles and more importantly, the victories in the midst of those struggles, of homeless people, to an audience that can make change happen.
  2. The second is the provision of jobs, with dignity, meeting or exceeding the Philippine minimum wage. The provision of jobs, is modeled by the over two hundred autonomous street papers in the world today. The vendors of these papers receive fifty to ninety percent of the papers cover price.

Where can You Find The Jeepney?


Buy Jeepney at:
  • Ayala's Glorietta 3 (2 weeks each month in 2009)
  • Robinson's Metro East (April 16-31 2009)
  • Robinson's Galleria (future dates to be determined Feb 1-15 2009)
  • Eastwood (April 1-12 2009)
  • University of the Philippines
  • Faith Academy International School (Antipolo) (Tuesday and Thursday mornings)
  • Mocha Blends - Cainta Branch on Ortigas Extension
  • Greenhills Shopping Center (Corner of Connecticut and Missouri)
  • Lasalle Greenhills (look for Coach Marlon Maro)
  • Intramuros - 2 Jeepney vendors
  • Manila - near UST
  • Manila - Ermita
  • Katipunan Avenue near Ateneo
  • Masinag - corner of Sumalong and Marcos - Traditional Vendor
  • Trinoma Mall (May 18-31)
  • PowerPlant Malls (pending)
  • Help Place Vendors in safe and thriving locations. If you are connected to any establish-
  • ment mentioned above, please email us. -bill@thejeepney.com 


Source: http://www.thejeepney.com/what_is.html

Poor Cebu folk get medical help

Poor Cebu folk get medical help 
By Patricia Esteves Updated May 04, 2009 12:00 AM

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A volunteer doctor of the Bukas Loob sa Diyos attends to a young patient during the group’s medical mission in Barangay Guba, Cebu City.

CEBU CITY, Philippines – Mang Mariano, a 60-year-old farmer living in the hinterlands of Barangay Guba here, has been suffering from persistent cough and joint pains for a few months. He has been ignoring his illness but he does not have money to pay for the medical bill at the municipal hospital.

Mang Mariano is not the only the sick one in his neighborhood; many children and adults are also ailing, but do not seek any treatment because their families are too poor to afford it.

When he learned that the Bukas Loob sa Diyos (BLD, meaning “open in spirit to God”), a Catholic organization founded in Manila, would conduct a four-day medical mission in Barangay Guba, a few meters from where he lives, his heart leapt with joy and he thanked God. For a time, he had lost hope that he would get help because he and his neighbors live in the uplands where life is just really difficult, and besides, he had no stable job.

But today is different. Upon seeing the smiling members of BLD-US, Mang Mariano and his neighbors flocked to the area and were very happy. He was also both surprised and glad to see his neighbors in Guba and adjoining mountain barangays form a long queue and converge in makeshift tents for medical consultations with doctors from the United States.

The 160 BLD volunteers, who were just too happy to help, were organized into different teams. Some were in charge of registration, while others took care of the flow of patients, supplies, and medicine distribution.

Several doctors and dentists from the country and all over the United States, including Hawaii, joyfully took care of the medical, dental and surgical needs of the community. At the end of the four-day mission, over 6,300 residents received much needed medical care.

Spreading God’s love

The BLD members’ resolve to come home and serve in a remote community in Cebu was not dampened despite the economic slowdown in the US.

Dr. Bong Encarnacion, a BLD volunteer based in New Jersey, said the mission is an annual event, part of the BLD’s commitment to let their impoverished kababayan feel they are loved and have not been neglected by God even in these most dire times.

“The mission is about willingness to accept God’s call to care for the poor. One can spend his entire life studying to know God but all that effort is wasted if that person does not know or has not felt God’s love. We are all poor in a way but we have felt God’s love and we just want to share it through our mission work,” he added.

Sharing blessings

“The BLD community worldwide strives to reach out to those in need, sharing their blessings and continuously loving them,” said BLD’s medical mission coordinator Nong Bustos.

“Despite the economic crisis, the BLD-US groups are here to help the poor and make them feel that they have not been forgotten,” he said.

“It’s our willingness to come down from our comfort zones to make the poor see and feel God’s love and grace through us,” he added.

Bustos said they have been doing medical missions and other outreach activities for many years now as part of their commitment to reach out to the less fortunate and give thanks to God.

“We realize that undertaking the mission may not change their lives physically or materially, but we trust it will help change their outlook in life,” Encarnacion said.

“We pray that the little we do for them may give them hope and that gift of hope enables us to serve so willingly and gratefully,” he added.

From just a small community in Manila, members of the BLD community now live all over the world.

Source:http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=463875&publicationSubCategoryId=130


VSO in Mongolia

Sunday, 3 May 2009

Improving Capacity

In April Nyamka, my counterpart in Chingletei, was away on a volunteer project management course in the Philippines. The course was organised by the VSO office there and was open to people involved in National Volunteering who worked with partner organisations of VSO. The course was in English and the organisors demanded a high standard of English from particpants.

The course was perfect for Nyamka and would help in developing his skills and improving the project. However, his English needed some improvement and the course was fast approaching. It took a lot of work to inprove his English to a standard so he could particpate effectively, but he was keen and his English improved substantially.

On the last day of his course he had to write a plan and present it to his group. He emailed me the plan for my comments, and I was so pleased (and somewhat relieved, as I recommended him for the course) to see a good plan in English! Part of my objectives is to improve the capacity of my counterparts and I feel as though I have made real progress in that area.

Ceasefire for a day for Pacquiao

Ceasefire for a day for Pacquiao 
By Jaime Laude Updated May 03, 2009 12:00 AM

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A fan of Manny Pacquiao tries on a jacket with the boxing champ’s name on the back at a shop in Taguig. Jonjon Vicencio

MANILA, Philippines - It’s P-Day – as in Pacquiao Day – and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) is expecting, just like in the past, that key threat groups will observe an undeclared truce to enable their fighters to watch Filipino boxing sensation Manny Pacquiao and British slugger Ricky Hatton square off in the ring in Las Vegas.

The AFP is setting up a wide screen at the Camp Aguinaldo gym to give soldiers and their families a chance to watch for free the highly anticipated fight.

Gen. Alexander Yano, who recently retired and was subsequently appointed ambassador to Brunei, will be cheering for Pacquiao at the AFP Theater.

“The whole AFP under the leadership of Gen. (Victor) Ibrado supports its very own M/Sgt Manny Pacquiao in his fight against Ricky Hatton,” said incoming AFP Public Information Office chief Lt. Col. Romeo Brawner Jr.

“Win or lose, Pacquiao, the highest enlisted personnel reservist in the Army with the rank of master sergeant, will remain the soldiers’ hero,” Brawner said.

But he said soldiers who are assigned to counter-insurgency operations as well as those involved in barangay-based security have been reminded not to lower their guard against any lawless groups who might take advantage of today’s fight.

“Based on our intelligence reports in the past, the enemies (Moro Islamic Liberation Front, New People’s Army and even the Abu Sayyaf) have also set aside their weapons to cheer for Pacquiao,” Brawner said.

Marines as well as Philippine National Police-Special Action Force (PNP-SAF) troopers running after the Abu Sayyaf holding Italian Red Cross volunteer Eugenio Vagni have set up two wide screens inside the Marine headquarters at Camp Teodolfo Bautista in Sulu and at an undisclosed place outside the camp.

Joint Task Force Comet commander Maj. Gen. Juancho Sabban has allowed civilians and MILF fighters to watch the fight as part of the task force’s non-combat military operations.

But the military operations against MILF commander Ameril Ombra Kato and his men in Central Mindanao will still continue despite the expected slowdown of lawless activities in the region.

Maj. Jonathan Ponce, spokesman of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, said the primary concern of the soldiers now is the neutralization of Kato and his men.

However, he said troops based in various military headquarters can watch the fight for free on the big screens or on their television sets.

PNP chief Director General Jesus Verzosa said the battle between the world’s two most popular boxers is expected to bring peace to the entire country even for only a few hours.

But he also cautioned those who are going to see the fight in movie houses to be wary of the presence of pickpockets and snatchers.

Outpouring of support

Meanwhile, Education Secretary Jesli Lapus said the Department of Education is regarding Pacquiao as one of their own since he is their goodwill ambassador for their out-of-school programs.

According to Lapus, Pacquiao is involved in the agency’s Alternative Learning System (ALS) where one of the programs was the administering of Accreditation and Equivalency (A&E) Examinations to those who want to get a high school diploma but failed to obtain formal education.

Pacquiao had taken the A&E exams in 2007 and passed, earning a high school diploma, which he used as ticket to his still unfinished college education.

“We wish DepEd’s Ambassador for Out-of-School Youth Programs, Manny Pacquiao, another rousing victory in his fight,” Lapus said.

For his part, Caloocan Bishop Deogracias Iñiquez, chairman of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines-Public Affairs Committee, said he is not a Pacquiao “fanatic” but will join the Filipino people in praying for his victory.”

“It will be good for the country,” Iñiguez said. – With Rainier Allan Ronda and Evelyn Macairan


Update on the Red Cross Volunteers held Captive


Sulu island not haven for terrorists - RP military


 




As far as the Philippine military is concerned, the southern Philippine province of Sulu is not a haven for terrorists, contrary to what the US government claims in an official report.

Navy spokesman Lt. Col. Edgard Arevalo noted that the military is now “in the process" of defeating the Abu Sayyaf, the al Qaeda-linked terrorist group operating in the said island province.

“The situation now is that there are still remnants of the Abu Sayyaf in Sulu, but we are in the process of defeating this terrorist group, the ASG. But if we say safe haven, it is as if we are helpless in to curb the terror that the Abu Sayyaf Group member brings," said Arevalo, who is also the military spokesman for Sulu operations.

The Abu Sayyaf in Sulu is still holding Eugenio Vagni, an Italian volunteer from the International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC). He together with two other ICRC workers were kidnapped last January 15 after inspecting a water sanitation project in Patikul town.

In its Country Reports on Terrorism for 2008 dated last April 30 , the US State Department said Southeast Asia has a safe haven area for terrorists, composed of the Suluwesi Sea and the Sulu Archipelago.

The US report said the Philippine government’s control in Southern Philippines is “weak", citing the rugged terrain, weak rule of law, poverty and resentment of the Muslim minority of the government’s policies.

Arevalo said the military has made significant gains in its campaign to defeat the Abu Sayyaf, noting that only “remnants" of the group are currently operating in Sulu.

“We cannot say that we are helpless, we cannot say that Sulu is a safe haven. It just so happens that as of now, there are still remnants of the Abu Sayyaf but we have made significant gains already," he said. - GMANews.TV