[Philippines] Gawad Kalinga 777: People power against poverty

from The News Today

By Janice V. Busil

"Before when friends used to ask me if the Philippines still had hope I would say yes but I couldn't explain why. Now I am happy I can say: The Philippines has hope because there is Gawad Kalinga."
- Former President Corazon Aquino

Poverty has been a massive issue in a third-world country like ours. It is for this reason why Gawad Kalinga (GK), a program on poverty alleviation towards nation building, was born. Founded last 2001, GK was able to build almost 8,000 homes as of October 2004 in 330 sites all over the country. GK777 envisions to construct 700,000 homes in 7,000 communities within seven years. Through sponsorships from corporate partners such as SMART, McDonalds, Red Ribbon, Philips, the Catholic Church, Ateneo, and UNILAB, GK has reached 650 places in the Philippines. The seven villages for Muslims in the ARMM region, from plains of General Santos to the mountains of Kidapawan reaching further to the Liguasan marsh, stand as a huge symbol of unity despite the differences in beliefs and traditions.

In Iloilo, Gawad Kalinga is on its second year now. There are two existing sites in Iloilo City - the Jubilee GK Village in Buntatala, Jaro and the Uswag SMART Amazing Village in Barangay Sooc, Mandurriao. The Jubilee GK Village is supported by the Archdiocese of Jaro with the help from the Association of the Religious Women in Iloilo, Couples for Christ, the Philippine National Police and its corporate partner - ABS-CBN Iloilo. The beneficiaries of this project are the church workers and cathechists who are living in the slum areas.

The Uswag SMART Amazing Village, on the other hand, was made possible by the SMART Telecommunications Company in partnership with the Local Government Unit and the City of Iloilo. The families of the street children and the poorest of the poor benefit from the said project. Screening is done by the Gawad Kalinga Management Board. In order to be qualified, the family should really be in need with a monthly income of P3,000.00 and having several children to feed.

Future sites will soon rise in different municipalities. A similar village will be constucted in Barotac Viejo as sponsored by the Local Government Unit headed by Mayor Raul Tupas. Another GK project will be put established in Dumagas in cooperation with the Archdiocese of Jaro. An existing Immaculate Conception Village in the municipality of Concepcion is currently undergoing development.

The starter house erects in an 80-square-meter lot. It has a floor area of 20 to 25 square meters with toilet and kitchen. The remaining space is alotted for livelihood puposes. Everyday, the recipients help build the houses together with the volunteers. They must offer a 470 hours of 'sweat equity.' The house and lot are given to the families for free. Gawad Kalinga merely depends on the bayanihan system.

Last February 25, 2006, participants from different schools, the PNP-Iloilo, ABS-CBN Iloilo, and the members of the Couples for Christ worked together to clean up the 16,600-square-meter lot where 114 houses will be constructed in Buntatala, Jaro. They call this selfless activity as 'People Power against poverty thru Gawad Kalinga.'

"There is still hope for our country through bayanihan," says Mr. Peter Tiu, Chairperson of the Partners Management Group Gawad Kalinga. He presented the two houses testifying the unselfish acts of the Ilonggos. The houses were brightly painted and well-landscaped to eradicate the slum mentality of the recipients as well as to teach a high standard of living for the poor. Students from the Central Philippine University, Colegio de Sagrado Corazon de Jesus, Colegio de San Jose, West Visayas State University, St. Paul School Barotac Nuevo, Dominican College of Iloilo, Holy Rosary Academy, and Agelicum School of Iloilo offered their help and shared their time. People, who were called as 'Heroes', were digging and clearing the area as they listen to the music playing. There were volunteers who patiently waited for medical emergencies that may arise. The picture was overwhelming. GK was never wrong in choosing its battlecry: Less for ourselves, more for others, enough for everyone. It was Filipinos uplifting its fellowmen.

The activity lasted for half a day. The participants then marched from Jaro to the Iloilo Provincial Capitol, the local counterpart of Quezon City Circle. A mass that was officiated by Bishop Angel Lagdameo served as the final activity for that day.

Once again, Ilonggos proved that we can bring back the dignity of the Filipinos if we only unite. Let's set our luxury aside and forget greed for a while. Let us all help push Philippines out of its poverty-striken state.

For more inquiries, log on to http://www.gawadkalinga.org. If you are a Smart subcriber, you can text your way to progress. Just type GAWAD REG (YOUR NAME) and send to 386. Ilonggos can contribute to GK too. Just look for Mr. Peter Tiu at these numbers: 3292790 / 3207662 or +639189072106.

Is this the kind of country you want your children to inherit? Sure, your answer is a big NO. Wake up Filipinos! It's not the omega yet. This is just the beginning of a long journey to progress. So, reach out.