Friday, October 30, 2009
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Pinoy kids sell their toys, raise P22K for typhoon victims
Article posted October 24, 2009 - 11:11 AM
Despite their young age, Filipino children in China managed to raise P22,807 for victims of cyclones Ondoy (Ketsana) and Pepeng (Parma) by selling used toys and belongings.The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said the Filipino children and their foreign friends held the "international fun and food fair" at Beijing's South Cathedral.“I commend these children for this simple but wonderful gesture. Their donation will certainly go a long way for the typhoon victims," Philippine Ambassador Sonia Brady said on the DFA website.Citing a report from the Philippine Embassy in Beijing, the DFA said the sale of old toys, books and DVDs last October 18 raised 3,304 renminbi (US$485).Last week, a Mexican student made a similar gesture of generosity to Filipino flood victims iwhen he donated P2,451 right out of his "alkansiya" (piggy bank). [See: Mexican 5th grader donates to flood victims]Songs of HopeOn the other hand, Beijing-based Filipino artists and musicians, who staged a three-hour concert to raise funds for typhoon victims in the Philippines.Brady said the Philippine Embassy in Beijing arranged the “Songs of Hope: Joining Hands for the Typhoon Victims in the Philippines" charity event also last October 18 at Salsa Caribe music lounge in Beijing. in partnership with the Filipino community.“The aftermath of the devastating typhoons and floods has prompted us to organize the charity concert," Brady said.She said the charity concert raised almost 60,000 renminbi (US$8,888 or P417,958).Brady said the proceeds will be donated to Gawad Kalinga and Caritas for their rehabilitation and reconstruction projects for the typhoon victims.The Embassy organized the concert attended by almost 500 people, in cooperation with the Couples for Christ Beijing and the Pinoy Overseas Photographers in Beijing, who donated some of their best photos of China for the charity event.Four Beijing-based Filipino bands and a husband-and-wife dancing team performed during the concert for free.Before the performance, the audience stood in silent tribute to the victims of the typhoons.
Despite their young age, Filipino children in China managed to raise P22,807 for victims of cyclones Ondoy (Ketsana) and Pepeng (Parma) by selling used toys and belongings.The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said the Filipino children and their foreign friends held the "international fun and food fair" at Beijing's South Cathedral.“I commend these children for this simple but wonderful gesture. Their donation will certainly go a long way for the typhoon victims," Philippine Ambassador Sonia Brady said on the DFA website.Citing a report from the Philippine Embassy in Beijing, the DFA said the sale of old toys, books and DVDs last October 18 raised 3,304 renminbi (US$485).Last week, a Mexican student made a similar gesture of generosity to Filipino flood victims iwhen he donated P2,451 right out of his "alkansiya" (piggy bank). [See: Mexican 5th grader donates to flood victims]Songs of HopeOn the other hand, Beijing-based Filipino artists and musicians, who staged a three-hour concert to raise funds for typhoon victims in the Philippines.Brady said the Philippine Embassy in Beijing arranged the “Songs of Hope: Joining Hands for the Typhoon Victims in the Philippines" charity event also last October 18 at Salsa Caribe music lounge in Beijing. in partnership with the Filipino community.“The aftermath of the devastating typhoons and floods has prompted us to organize the charity concert," Brady said.She said the charity concert raised almost 60,000 renminbi (US$8,888 or P417,958).Brady said the proceeds will be donated to Gawad Kalinga and Caritas for their rehabilitation and reconstruction projects for the typhoon victims.The Embassy organized the concert attended by almost 500 people, in cooperation with the Couples for Christ Beijing and the Pinoy Overseas Photographers in Beijing, who donated some of their best photos of China for the charity event.Four Beijing-based Filipino bands and a husband-and-wife dancing team performed during the concert for free.Before the performance, the audience stood in silent tribute to the victims of the typhoons.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Monday, October 19, 2009
Creative public transpo now floats in City streets
Creative public transpo now floats in City streets
Disaster can also be the mother of invention. It only takes a pressing situation, no matter how dire and tragic it is, for an average Pinoy to turn into MacGyver - one who can whip out something out of Discarded household objects in order to survive.Pinagbuhatan in Barangay in Makati, where flood waters have been slow to Subside, enterprising Pinoys have fashioned crudely-made rafts out of almost anything that floats: plastic pipes, styrofoam, airbeds. These makeshift rafts take stranded residents from their flooded houses to drier areas, Enabling them to go to work despite the seemingly hopeless circumstances.
For Sonny, a 19-year-old engineering student, it all started with a common predicament. Knowing that many in his community needed transportation through filthy brown water, he and his 13-year-old brother Jessie set up their bike to make that a pedicab would bring commuters to commercial areas outside the village for a fee.For Sonny - as well as for the countless others who saw business opportunities in these trying times - business is good. Sonny said he gets about seven passengers a day within a 6 pm to 6 p.m. working period. The prices, ranging from P75 to P150 for a two-to three-kilometer ride, can be steep for some. But many are willing to pay so they can stay dry, keep their jobs and continue to put food on the table.
Disaster can also be the mother of invention. It only takes a pressing situation, no matter how dire and tragic it is, for an average Pinoy to turn into MacGyver - one who can whip out something out of Discarded household objects in order to survive.Pinagbuhatan in Barangay in Makati, where flood waters have been slow to Subside, enterprising Pinoys have fashioned crudely-made rafts out of almost anything that floats: plastic pipes, styrofoam, airbeds. These makeshift rafts take stranded residents from their flooded houses to drier areas, Enabling them to go to work despite the seemingly hopeless circumstances.
For Sonny, a 19-year-old engineering student, it all started with a common predicament. Knowing that many in his community needed transportation through filthy brown water, he and his 13-year-old brother Jessie set up their bike to make that a pedicab would bring commuters to commercial areas outside the village for a fee.For Sonny - as well as for the countless others who saw business opportunities in these trying times - business is good. Sonny said he gets about seven passengers a day within a 6 pm to 6 p.m. working period. The prices, ranging from P75 to P150 for a two-to three-kilometer ride, can be steep for some. But many are willing to pay so they can stay dry, keep their jobs and continue to put food on the table.
Friday, October 16, 2009
Mexican 5th grader donates to flood victims
A donation of P2,451 may not be much, but victims of tropical cyclones "Ondoy" (Ketsana) and "Pepeng" (Parma) will find it meaningful since it came from a fifth-grade student from Mexico.Young Alejandro Luna Flores told Philippine Ambassador to Mexico Alejandro Ortigas III he took the money right out of his "alkansiya" (piggy bank)."(Flores called Ortigas) to express sympathy for the victims of typhoons 'Ondoy' and 'Pepeng' and to hand over a donation of $410 Mexican pesos (approximately P2,451 Philippine pesos) for Filipino children who are victims of the calamities," the Department of Foreign Affairs said, citing a report from Ortigas.The DFA said Alejandro, accompanied by his lawyer parents and his six-month-old brother, took the amount straight from his piggy bank during their meeting Oct. 9.It said Alejandro developed an interest about the Philippines during a summer class and started collecting items about the Philippines, including P2 bills.Alejandro told Ortigas in a letter that he is interested in Philippine history, and that the Chocolate Hills in Bohol are among his favorite tourist destinations."The young boy said he hopes to visit the Philippines someday," the DFA said.Ortigas said he intends to ask a friend in a chocolate and cookies business to match 100 times Alejandro's donation, so it can benefit more Filipino children.During his call on Ortigas, Alejandro presented the Philippine Embassy a rooster art work in blown glass, a product of the State of Hidalgo.His father explained the rooster symbolizes the cockfighting influence of the Philippines to Mexico.In turn, Ambassador Ortigas gave Alejandro a Philippine table flag and other mementos.• Prayers from CubaIn Havana, Cuba, the International Christian Church (ICC) worship service last October 11 offered prayers for the victims of "Ondoy" and "Pepeng."In his message to the ICC congregation, Philippine Ambassador MacArthur Corsino said that every calamity bears a challenge and a lesson to turn to God and grow in spirit.“It is in times of greatest fear, pain and suffering that we realize our nothingness and turn to God," he said.Prayers were also offered for victims of the earthquake in Indonesia, the tsunamis in the Samoan and Tonga Islands and flood victims in other parts of Asia.Clothing from the UAEIn the United Arab Emirates, donations continued to pour in for Philippine flood victims,including new designer clothes from a clothing firm, which donated some P568,000 worth of products.A report on UAE-based Khaleej Times (www.khaleejtimes.com) said the “Marks and Spencer" there donated new clothes worth 45,000 dirhams (P568,533) for the victims.The Al Ghurair Group of Companies also donated 100 boxes of food and clothing was sent through DHL.This was aside from some Dh800,000 (P10,107,269) that Filipinos based in the UAE raised for the victims following a series of fund-raisers and community events.Of the amount raised by the Filipino community, Dh104,650.81 (P1.322 million) cash had been remitted to various government agencies, foundations and institutions in Manila.Some Dh500,000 (P6.317 million) was raised in a “Lakbay Buhay" (Walk for Life) at Safa Park last Friday, Dh19,461 (P245,871) from “Jeans for a Cause" from Crowne Plaze Hotel and Dh184,000 (P2.325 million) from the United International Private School.Lucille Ong, president of the Philippine Business Council, said the “Lakbay Buhay" collections were immediately turned over to the Red Crescent Dubai after the event.Philippine Consul General Benito Valeriano said they will continue to collect and send donations to the Philippines.Meanwhile, Robert Ramos, chairman of the Filipino Community Organizing Committee, said more than 25 volunteers of various nationalities from volunteer units in Dubai helped the group load three trucks of relief goods from Lahbab Dubai.“We almost filled up the 40-foot container with 50 jumbo boxes and 250 boxes of various sizes," Ramos said.These donations included 678 boxes collected on Monday at Reef Mall, in-kind donations from the Samaya and Ramee hotel chains.Checks from ChicagoIn Chicago, the Quezonian Foundation Inc. (QFI) and Pagbilawin Foundation Inc. donated two checks for the flood victims.The DFA said QFI and the Quezon Association of the Midwest (QAM) donated US$1,000 while PFI donated $2,000.Both checks were made payable to the Philippine National Red Cross. -
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Philippine call center to employ blind people only
Next week, the Philippines will open its first ever call center that only employs blind persons, a milestone in the struggle of disabled people to cross the digital divide.
With eight training rooms and three desks dedicated for outbound calls, the call center facility will be equipped with adaptive hardware and software customized to the needs and abilities of the blind.
Six totally blind, low vision and sighted graduates are currently being trained as trainors in Taipei, Taiwan, the headquarters of the the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Digital Opportunity Center (ADOC).
ADOC provided funds for the facility, a project of the Adaptive Technology for Rehabilitation, Integration, and Empowerment of the Visually Impaired (ATRIEV) Inc.
The six trainors all came from ATRIEV, an organization that pioneered computer training for the blind in the country, the Resources for the Blind, National Council on Disability Affairs, Philippine National School for the Blind, and the Department of Education.
The facility’s customized outbound call center software and refreshable Braille display as hardware will allow totally blind individuals to provide customer assistance while listening to the client on the phone and reading the responses in Braille.
With the technology, the blind will hopefully gain the same speed and efficiency as the sighted call center agent, ATRIEV said.
ATRIEV has provided IT-related training for the blind for the last 15 years, with the use of a screen reader – a software application that translates text to speech – and a screen magnification software.
ATRIEV also provides on-the-job training in voicemail transcription to its qualified IT-related training graduates, in partnership with Gallop IT Solutions, a local transcription company.
The launching ceremony for the project will be held on October 20 ATRIEV’s Training Center for the Blind in Quezon City.
The project is expected to be presented at the APEC Conference to be held in Singapore in November 2009.
With eight training rooms and three desks dedicated for outbound calls, the call center facility will be equipped with adaptive hardware and software customized to the needs and abilities of the blind.
Six totally blind, low vision and sighted graduates are currently being trained as trainors in Taipei, Taiwan, the headquarters of the the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Digital Opportunity Center (ADOC).
ADOC provided funds for the facility, a project of the Adaptive Technology for Rehabilitation, Integration, and Empowerment of the Visually Impaired (ATRIEV) Inc.
The six trainors all came from ATRIEV, an organization that pioneered computer training for the blind in the country, the Resources for the Blind, National Council on Disability Affairs, Philippine National School for the Blind, and the Department of Education.
The facility’s customized outbound call center software and refreshable Braille display as hardware will allow totally blind individuals to provide customer assistance while listening to the client on the phone and reading the responses in Braille.
With the technology, the blind will hopefully gain the same speed and efficiency as the sighted call center agent, ATRIEV said.
ATRIEV has provided IT-related training for the blind for the last 15 years, with the use of a screen reader – a software application that translates text to speech – and a screen magnification software.
ATRIEV also provides on-the-job training in voicemail transcription to its qualified IT-related training graduates, in partnership with Gallop IT Solutions, a local transcription company.
The launching ceremony for the project will be held on October 20 ATRIEV’s Training Center for the Blind in Quezon City.
The project is expected to be presented at the APEC Conference to be held in Singapore in November 2009.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Amid 'The Great Flood,' the kindness of strangers
MARK MERUEÑAS, GMANews.TVArticle posted October 01, 2009 - 04:20 AM
The genius Isaac Newton was more than correct when he posited: for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. This was true, even, when what we can now consider “The Great Flood" of Luzon rampaged through the country’s National Capital Region and the neighboring provinces of Rizal, Laguna, and Cavite.A multitude of flood victims were stranded, driven out of their homes or trapped in them. But in a robust reaction, countless other people rose to the occasion and tried to save lives and shelter the lost and helpless, like me. Drive-inIt was already rainy last Saturday morning as I was commuting from my house in Marikina to cover an event at the University of the Philippines Diliman in Quezon City. But while along Katipunan Avenue, I ran into snail-paced traffic in front of the Ateneo de Manila University caused by a flooded portion of the thoroughfare.After accepting the fact that I could not reach UP on time, I decided to brave the rains and head back to our place and just work from home. But when I reached Aurora Boulevard for my expected ride back to Marikina, the sorry sight that greeted me were stranded commuters already filling up the street.
As I was about to take the last option of just walking my way home, a blue pickup suddenly pulled over. The helpful driver offered me and other stranded commuters a free ride back to Marikina.Thanking Mang Carlito, the driver, we hopped in and got going. But as we neared the Marikina River, traffic had built up after scores of vehicles apparently choked up the Marikina Bridge in the rush to get across.We had no choice but to go all the way back to Katipunan and seek another route to Marikina. Mang Carlito figured that we could reach the city proper via the bridge across Tumana River. But the river would have dangerously swelled by that time. So we were left with no other option but to take the Marcos Highway route.From the highway, we inched our way through the narrow streets of a neighborhood in San Roque Village near the southern edge of the city. We soon got stuck in snarled traffic, the floodwaters slowly rising around us.To plod through water or notAs we waited patiently for the traffic to move, one of our co-passengers read out a text message that sent her into panic: “Ma, ang taas na ng tubig sa bahay. Tumawag na kayo ng rescue (Ma, the water is getting too high. Please call for rescue now)." The text she read out were from her kids, who were alone in their house in San Mateo, Rizal – another badly-flooded area.“Kuya, bababa na ako. Hindi ko na ‘to kaya. Nakatigil tayo dito habang ang mga anak ko nandun sa bahay (Sir, I have to get off now. I can no longer stand it, stuck here while my kids are alone in the house)," the woman exclaimed as she reached for the van’s door.But seeing as the flood water outside the van was waist-high, her companions stopped her and tried to calm her. “Mas delikado kapag bumaba tayo dito. Lumaki na ang tubig, paano kung mahulog ka pa sa manhole (It’s more dangerous if we get off here. The water’s swollen, what if you fall into a manhole)?" another woman said.
The distressed mother returned to her seat. As we continued to wait in standstill traffic, she took out a rosary and began reciting a prayer.After a few more minutes, flood water began to seep into the van. All of us, including the driver, had to get out of the vehicle. We saw that other motorists and passengers were doing the same, stepping into the flood and leaving their prized cars behind.We started our long march through the floods, with the dawning realization that we were still a few kilometers away from our destination – the city proper.Struggling through the flood, we saw surreal images swirl around us: Motorcycle drivers fighting the current to save their only means of transportation. A young mother with an umbrella in one hand, and clutching her son in the other. A group of middle-aged women carefully wading in the water, hand in hand.As for myself, I waded briskly but with caution, staying in the middle of the road and off the sidewalks. “Sa kalsada siguradong walang butas, sa gilid baka meron. Sa gilid baka meron," I repeatedly uttered like a mantra. It was a lesson I learned from my parents as a child, about sidewalks being more likely to have open manholes.RefugeIt was already 2 p.m. The rains simply wouldn’t stop. The flood was rising much faster, my plodding through it more perilous. But worse, I was lost. San Roque was a corner of Marikina I had never been to.And so I approached the very first resident I saw – a woman gleefully taking photos outside their house and, curiously, amused at the raging flood waters.
“Saan po ba ang papunta sa bayan (Where’s the way to the city proper)?" I hesitantly asked her. I was asking for directions in my own home city! I couldn’t believe it.“Ah, doon po ang papunta sa bayan. Pero naku, mas malalim daw po ang tubig doon," cautioned the woman, who gave her name as Cindy – a 36-year-old mother.I was unprepared for her next words: “Halika. Pumasok po muna kayo dito sa amin. Kain muna… Kung tumaas pa itong tubig, dito na muna kayo matulog sa amin." (Please come inside our place. Have something to eat. If the water continues to rise, you can sleep here for the night.)It was a line straight out of a dramatic film. Here was a woman who was willing to offer her home to a total stranger like me. Technically, I was being rescued.Humbled by the gesture, I obliged and went inside their two-story house. We ate lunch and Cindy offered her brother’s clean clothes for me to wear.Afterwards, we started moving appliances from the first floor to the second floor. We took everything we could carry: TV sets, microwave oven, groceries, gas stove, cooking gas tank.As for the refrigerator and sofa set, we simply gave up. They were too heavy to be carried up. Later, we would find both as flotsam in muddy flood water that had breached the ground floor.We went up to the second-floor terrace and, from there, watched as more stranded people battled the raging waters that now ruled the streets. At one point, we heard loud screams as three people were swept away by the strong current. We never found out what happened to them.From afar, we spotted a little girl desperately hanging onto his father, her arms around his neck. Cindy called to them, signaling for them to come over. She waded across the flooded first floor and rushed to open the gate for Dinio and his daughter.
The second batch of rescued victims entered Cindy’s abode. When night fell, over dinner, we shared both sinigang and accounts of "The Flood" – both horrific and heroic – like we were old friends exchanging stories.“I’m 36 now, and it has never flooded like this in our street. At first I was amused by it all, taking photos of flood scenes. But when the water crept into our house, I realized this is something grim," Cindy said. It was a stark confirmation of what authorities would later say was the worst flooding in Metro Manila in decades.At around 10 p.m. the rains stopped. All that could be heard was the car alarm from Cindy’s half-submerged vehicle in the garage. We could not turn off the alarm because her car keys were missing.We were all asleep by midnight. The morning afterThe morning after, we woke up to a bright sunny sky. The floods had finally subsided, leaving the houses and streets in total disarray: topsy-turvy cars that had crashed into each other, mud-coated sofa seats, ruined washing machines.But the worst feeling was to see residents with that unforgettable look in their faces: a mixture of horror and anguish. One woman, who was trapped in her workplace the entire night, rushed from the street to their house where she had left her one-month-old baby the day before.We wanted to help every distraught victim we met. But we realized that we too – including Cindy herself – were victims as well, waiting to be rescued. At that point, I realized too that my cell phone was turned off the whole time. My family had probably gone without sleep all night, desperately waiting for my call if not arrival.I bid Cindy and all the other accidental occupants of the house, telling them I would forever be grateful for their noble deeds. Dinio kindly offered me a ride back home. And so, as I returned to my family’s warm embrace, I thought about all the Cindys, all the Dinios, all the Mang Carlitos of the world. All of them, in their countless numbers, who were more than willing to go out of their way and extend a helping hand. Even the woman co-passenger who left the van because she was rightfully worried about her children.That day, I had one thought for all the brave men and women who risked their lives for others in that great flood. That for each of their noble actions, there would be an equally noble reaction. For each of them, I hope Newton’s law will forever hold true. - Illustrations by Analyn Perez, GMANews.TV
All Rights Reserved. 2006 © GMA Network Inc.
The genius Isaac Newton was more than correct when he posited: for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. This was true, even, when what we can now consider “The Great Flood" of Luzon rampaged through the country’s National Capital Region and the neighboring provinces of Rizal, Laguna, and Cavite.A multitude of flood victims were stranded, driven out of their homes or trapped in them. But in a robust reaction, countless other people rose to the occasion and tried to save lives and shelter the lost and helpless, like me. Drive-inIt was already rainy last Saturday morning as I was commuting from my house in Marikina to cover an event at the University of the Philippines Diliman in Quezon City. But while along Katipunan Avenue, I ran into snail-paced traffic in front of the Ateneo de Manila University caused by a flooded portion of the thoroughfare.After accepting the fact that I could not reach UP on time, I decided to brave the rains and head back to our place and just work from home. But when I reached Aurora Boulevard for my expected ride back to Marikina, the sorry sight that greeted me were stranded commuters already filling up the street.
As I was about to take the last option of just walking my way home, a blue pickup suddenly pulled over. The helpful driver offered me and other stranded commuters a free ride back to Marikina.Thanking Mang Carlito, the driver, we hopped in and got going. But as we neared the Marikina River, traffic had built up after scores of vehicles apparently choked up the Marikina Bridge in the rush to get across.We had no choice but to go all the way back to Katipunan and seek another route to Marikina. Mang Carlito figured that we could reach the city proper via the bridge across Tumana River. But the river would have dangerously swelled by that time. So we were left with no other option but to take the Marcos Highway route.From the highway, we inched our way through the narrow streets of a neighborhood in San Roque Village near the southern edge of the city. We soon got stuck in snarled traffic, the floodwaters slowly rising around us.To plod through water or notAs we waited patiently for the traffic to move, one of our co-passengers read out a text message that sent her into panic: “Ma, ang taas na ng tubig sa bahay. Tumawag na kayo ng rescue (Ma, the water is getting too high. Please call for rescue now)." The text she read out were from her kids, who were alone in their house in San Mateo, Rizal – another badly-flooded area.“Kuya, bababa na ako. Hindi ko na ‘to kaya. Nakatigil tayo dito habang ang mga anak ko nandun sa bahay (Sir, I have to get off now. I can no longer stand it, stuck here while my kids are alone in the house)," the woman exclaimed as she reached for the van’s door.But seeing as the flood water outside the van was waist-high, her companions stopped her and tried to calm her. “Mas delikado kapag bumaba tayo dito. Lumaki na ang tubig, paano kung mahulog ka pa sa manhole (It’s more dangerous if we get off here. The water’s swollen, what if you fall into a manhole)?" another woman said.
The distressed mother returned to her seat. As we continued to wait in standstill traffic, she took out a rosary and began reciting a prayer.After a few more minutes, flood water began to seep into the van. All of us, including the driver, had to get out of the vehicle. We saw that other motorists and passengers were doing the same, stepping into the flood and leaving their prized cars behind.We started our long march through the floods, with the dawning realization that we were still a few kilometers away from our destination – the city proper.Struggling through the flood, we saw surreal images swirl around us: Motorcycle drivers fighting the current to save their only means of transportation. A young mother with an umbrella in one hand, and clutching her son in the other. A group of middle-aged women carefully wading in the water, hand in hand.As for myself, I waded briskly but with caution, staying in the middle of the road and off the sidewalks. “Sa kalsada siguradong walang butas, sa gilid baka meron. Sa gilid baka meron," I repeatedly uttered like a mantra. It was a lesson I learned from my parents as a child, about sidewalks being more likely to have open manholes.RefugeIt was already 2 p.m. The rains simply wouldn’t stop. The flood was rising much faster, my plodding through it more perilous. But worse, I was lost. San Roque was a corner of Marikina I had never been to.And so I approached the very first resident I saw – a woman gleefully taking photos outside their house and, curiously, amused at the raging flood waters.
“Saan po ba ang papunta sa bayan (Where’s the way to the city proper)?" I hesitantly asked her. I was asking for directions in my own home city! I couldn’t believe it.“Ah, doon po ang papunta sa bayan. Pero naku, mas malalim daw po ang tubig doon," cautioned the woman, who gave her name as Cindy – a 36-year-old mother.I was unprepared for her next words: “Halika. Pumasok po muna kayo dito sa amin. Kain muna… Kung tumaas pa itong tubig, dito na muna kayo matulog sa amin." (Please come inside our place. Have something to eat. If the water continues to rise, you can sleep here for the night.)It was a line straight out of a dramatic film. Here was a woman who was willing to offer her home to a total stranger like me. Technically, I was being rescued.Humbled by the gesture, I obliged and went inside their two-story house. We ate lunch and Cindy offered her brother’s clean clothes for me to wear.Afterwards, we started moving appliances from the first floor to the second floor. We took everything we could carry: TV sets, microwave oven, groceries, gas stove, cooking gas tank.As for the refrigerator and sofa set, we simply gave up. They were too heavy to be carried up. Later, we would find both as flotsam in muddy flood water that had breached the ground floor.We went up to the second-floor terrace and, from there, watched as more stranded people battled the raging waters that now ruled the streets. At one point, we heard loud screams as three people were swept away by the strong current. We never found out what happened to them.From afar, we spotted a little girl desperately hanging onto his father, her arms around his neck. Cindy called to them, signaling for them to come over. She waded across the flooded first floor and rushed to open the gate for Dinio and his daughter.
The second batch of rescued victims entered Cindy’s abode. When night fell, over dinner, we shared both sinigang and accounts of "The Flood" – both horrific and heroic – like we were old friends exchanging stories.“I’m 36 now, and it has never flooded like this in our street. At first I was amused by it all, taking photos of flood scenes. But when the water crept into our house, I realized this is something grim," Cindy said. It was a stark confirmation of what authorities would later say was the worst flooding in Metro Manila in decades.At around 10 p.m. the rains stopped. All that could be heard was the car alarm from Cindy’s half-submerged vehicle in the garage. We could not turn off the alarm because her car keys were missing.We were all asleep by midnight. The morning afterThe morning after, we woke up to a bright sunny sky. The floods had finally subsided, leaving the houses and streets in total disarray: topsy-turvy cars that had crashed into each other, mud-coated sofa seats, ruined washing machines.But the worst feeling was to see residents with that unforgettable look in their faces: a mixture of horror and anguish. One woman, who was trapped in her workplace the entire night, rushed from the street to their house where she had left her one-month-old baby the day before.We wanted to help every distraught victim we met. But we realized that we too – including Cindy herself – were victims as well, waiting to be rescued. At that point, I realized too that my cell phone was turned off the whole time. My family had probably gone without sleep all night, desperately waiting for my call if not arrival.I bid Cindy and all the other accidental occupants of the house, telling them I would forever be grateful for their noble deeds. Dinio kindly offered me a ride back home. And so, as I returned to my family’s warm embrace, I thought about all the Cindys, all the Dinios, all the Mang Carlitos of the world. All of them, in their countless numbers, who were more than willing to go out of their way and extend a helping hand. Even the woman co-passenger who left the van because she was rightfully worried about her children.That day, I had one thought for all the brave men and women who risked their lives for others in that great flood. That for each of their noble actions, there would be an equally noble reaction. For each of them, I hope Newton’s law will forever hold true. - Illustrations by Analyn Perez, GMANews.TV
All Rights Reserved. 2006 © GMA Network Inc.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Friday, October 9, 2009
YOUTH ON THE MOVE
MANILA – Tropical storm Ondoy brought out the worst floods in Metro Manila and neighboring areas, but it brought out the best in the Filipino youth.Volunteers passing boxes of relief goods at the Ateneo de Manila University's relief operations center for the victims of tropical storm Ondoy (international code name Ketsana), September 27, 2009. (Published with permission from Kevin Tatco)
Students in Enderun Colleges [12], an international management school, cheered when the administration canceled their Monday to Wednesday classes after tropical typhoon Ondoy hit Manila on September 26.
But instead of wasting their time, majority of the students chose to work in the school kitchens, whipping up meals to feed thousands of typhoon victims.
Unlike other relief drives, Enderun accepted donations of raw ingredients, which students transformed into hot cooked meals for numerous Ondoy victims.
"Enderun is acting as a central kitchen preparing hot meals that are directly picked up...We won't stop cooking as long as you keep sending!" Ancie Pamintuan wrote on the school's group wall in social networking site Facebook.
The concept of sending out cooked meals instead of collecting canned and packaged goods came from the students the day after Ondoy caused the worst flooding in the nation's capital, Ma. Andrea Raebay, marketing executive of Enderun Colleges, told abs-cbnNEWS.com last Wednesday.
Once word got out, students were thrilled, and many offered their services. Meals depended on the raw ingredients donated by fellow students and other citizens. These were usually spaghetti, corned beef, and pancit canton.
At the end of its 3-day run, Enderun was able to send out 14,000 packed meals that have been picked up by various organizations such as the Philippine Army, the Taguig City government, and the Philippine National Red Cross.
"Once the victim gets the food, they want it prepared na. It is really better if it’s cooked meals so victims don't have to cook or open the canned goods," Raebay added.
Youth on the move
Aside from Enderun, numerous colleges and universities around Metro Manila also organized donation drives among students and alumnae as early as Sunday. And these movements were mostly initiated by the students.
In the University of the Philippines, donation efforts were consolidated through the Sagip Isko [13] (Save the Scholar), which included giving out donations to the communities near Diliman in Quezon City.
“The UP Diliman community consolidated all efforts from its colleges and student organizations in helping out the different communities around the campus…[and] conducting assistance for stranded, flooded, missing, and sick UP Diliman students and employees,” UP students said in a press release.
According to Harvey Keh, director of Youth Leadership and Social Entrepreneurship [14] at the Ateneo de Manila University School of Government, youth participation is a sign that the youth are "slowly but surely becoming more aware" of their roles in the society. (Read: Volunteerism in the age of Facebook, Twitter [15])
"Young Filipinos are idealistic. They're looking for ways to help in their own little ways," Keh told abs-cbnNEWS.com in a phone interview.
Through Ondoy, the youth was able to show their sense of sympathy for the victims, which, in some cases, included fellow classmates.
Other students also helped out because they volunteered with their friends. “Many wanted to volunteer because their barkadas are there. Helping becomes fun, it becomes a way of bonding with friends,” Keh explained.
Technology in time of disaster
Aside from taking care of virtual farms, sharing homemade personal videos, and posting non-sensical everyday one-liners, students found better uses of social networking sites during Ondoy: gathering volunteers and donations.
Throughout the duration of Ondoy and the few days that followed, Keh said the youth actively helped out because of 2 mediums: Internet and television. (Read: Facebook, Twitter to the rescue in 'Ondoy' disaster [16])
Blogger Ederic Eder affirmed the usefulness of social networking sites during Ondoy. While the rain poured lavishly on Metro Manila and some nearby provinces, Eder was online, receiving updates from other users.
Eder follows 593 people in his Twitter account [17], and this is being followed by more than 1,000 users like student leaders and fellow bloggers.
“Through the tweets, I was able to know which parts of Manila are flooded. Twitter is very useful and easy to use, especially to those who have access to the Internet,” he told abs-cbnNEWS.com in a phone interview.
Aside from road updates, blogging helped consolidate donation drives and volunteer efforts. Users just go online to get updates from different schools and universities around Manila, said Eder.
Nationalism overflow
The groundswell of volunteerism can also be due to a sense of nationalism that was “rekindled” among Filipinos after former President Corazon Aquino died August 1.
“I’d like to think that there’s a momentum, a massive feel of nationalism brought about by a series of events that started with Cory’s death,” Keh explained.
He added that the sense of nationalism was further boosted by Senator Benigno Aquino III’s decision to run as president as standard-bearer of the Liberal Party.
Could the same momentum drive the youth to actively participate in the national elections next year?
Keh is optimistic since even before the typhoon came, many of his students posted in their social networking sites that they have registered and are excited to vote in the 2010 elections.
“They are aware that their futures are at stake, and the Internet becomes a way to inspire them, to move them to campaign for better leaders,” Keh said.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Imagine a World Without Filipinos
The Middle East's Leading English Language Daily
Monday 16 June 2008 (12 Jumada al-Thani 1429)
The Middle East's Leading English Language Daily
Monday 16 June 2008 (12 Jumada al-Thani 1429)
Imagine a world without Filipinos Abdullah Al-Maghlooth Al-Watan, almaghlooth@alwatan.com.sa —
Muhammad Al-Maghrabi became handicapped and shut down his flower and gifts shop business in Jeddah after his Filipino workers insisted on leaving and returning home. He says: “When they left, I felt as if I had lost my arms. I was so sad that I lost my appetite.”
Al-Maghrabi then flew to Manila to look for two other Filipino workers to replace the ones who had left. Previously, he had tried workers of different nationalities but they did not impress him. “There is no comparison between Filipinos and others,” he says. Whenever I see Filipinos working in the Kingdom, I wonder what our life would be without them.
Saudi Arabia has the largest number of Filipino workers — 1,019,577 — outside the Philippines. In 2006 alone, the Kingdom recruited more than 223,000 workers from the Philippines and their numbers are still increasing. Filipinos not only play an important and effective role in the Kingdom, they also perform different jobs in countries across the world, including working as sailors. They are known for their professionalism and the quality of their work.
Nobody here can think of a life without Filipinos, who make up around 20 percent of the world’s seafarers. There are 1.2 million Filipino sailors.
So if Filipinos decided one day to stop working or go on strike for any reason, who would transport oil, food and heavy equipment across the world? We can only imagine the disaster that would happen.
What makes Filipinos unique is their ability to speak very good English and the technical training they receive in the early stages of their education. There are several specialized training institutes in the Philippines, including those specializing in engineering and road maintenance. This training background makes them highly competent in these vital areas.
When speaking about the Philippines, we should not forget Filipino nurses. They are some 23 percent of the world’s total number of nurses. The Philippines is home to over 190 accredited nursing colleges and institutes, from which some 9,000 nurses graduate each year. Many of them work abroad in countries such as the US, the UK, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Singapore.
Cathy Ann, a 35-year-old Filipino nurse who has been working in the Kingdom for the last five years and before that in Singapore, said she does not feel homesick abroad because “I am surrounded by my compatriots everywhere.” Ann thinks that early training allows Filipinos to excel in nursing and other vocations. She started learning this profession at the age of four as her aunt, a nurse, used to take her to hospital and ask her to watch the work. “She used to kiss me whenever I learned a new thing. At the age of 11, I could do a lot. I began doing things like measuring my grandfather’s blood pressure and giving my mother her insulin injections,” she said.
This type of early education system is lacking in the Kingdom. Many of our children reach the university stage without learning anything except boredom.
The Philippines, which you can barely see on the map, is a very effective country thanks to its people. It has the ability to influence the entire world economy.
We should pay respect to Filipino workers, not only by employing them but also by learning from their valuable experiences.
We should learn and educate our children on how to operate and maintain ships and oil tankers, as well as planning and nursing and how to achieve perfection in our work. This is a must so that we do not become like Muhammad Al-Maghrabi who lost his interest and appetite when Filipino workers left his flower shop.
We have to remember that we are very much dependent on the Filipinos around us. We could die a slow death if they chose to leave us.
Copyright: Arab News © 2003 All rights reserved. Site designed by: arabix
Monday 16 June 2008 (12 Jumada al-Thani 1429)
The Middle East's Leading English Language Daily
Monday 16 June 2008 (12 Jumada al-Thani 1429)
Imagine a world without Filipinos Abdullah Al-Maghlooth Al-Watan, almaghlooth@alwatan.com.sa —
Muhammad Al-Maghrabi became handicapped and shut down his flower and gifts shop business in Jeddah after his Filipino workers insisted on leaving and returning home. He says: “When they left, I felt as if I had lost my arms. I was so sad that I lost my appetite.”
Al-Maghrabi then flew to Manila to look for two other Filipino workers to replace the ones who had left. Previously, he had tried workers of different nationalities but they did not impress him. “There is no comparison between Filipinos and others,” he says. Whenever I see Filipinos working in the Kingdom, I wonder what our life would be without them.
Saudi Arabia has the largest number of Filipino workers — 1,019,577 — outside the Philippines. In 2006 alone, the Kingdom recruited more than 223,000 workers from the Philippines and their numbers are still increasing. Filipinos not only play an important and effective role in the Kingdom, they also perform different jobs in countries across the world, including working as sailors. They are known for their professionalism and the quality of their work.
Nobody here can think of a life without Filipinos, who make up around 20 percent of the world’s seafarers. There are 1.2 million Filipino sailors.
So if Filipinos decided one day to stop working or go on strike for any reason, who would transport oil, food and heavy equipment across the world? We can only imagine the disaster that would happen.
What makes Filipinos unique is their ability to speak very good English and the technical training they receive in the early stages of their education. There are several specialized training institutes in the Philippines, including those specializing in engineering and road maintenance. This training background makes them highly competent in these vital areas.
When speaking about the Philippines, we should not forget Filipino nurses. They are some 23 percent of the world’s total number of nurses. The Philippines is home to over 190 accredited nursing colleges and institutes, from which some 9,000 nurses graduate each year. Many of them work abroad in countries such as the US, the UK, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Singapore.
Cathy Ann, a 35-year-old Filipino nurse who has been working in the Kingdom for the last five years and before that in Singapore, said she does not feel homesick abroad because “I am surrounded by my compatriots everywhere.” Ann thinks that early training allows Filipinos to excel in nursing and other vocations. She started learning this profession at the age of four as her aunt, a nurse, used to take her to hospital and ask her to watch the work. “She used to kiss me whenever I learned a new thing. At the age of 11, I could do a lot. I began doing things like measuring my grandfather’s blood pressure and giving my mother her insulin injections,” she said.
This type of early education system is lacking in the Kingdom. Many of our children reach the university stage without learning anything except boredom.
The Philippines, which you can barely see on the map, is a very effective country thanks to its people. It has the ability to influence the entire world economy.
We should pay respect to Filipino workers, not only by employing them but also by learning from their valuable experiences.
We should learn and educate our children on how to operate and maintain ships and oil tankers, as well as planning and nursing and how to achieve perfection in our work. This is a must so that we do not become like Muhammad Al-Maghrabi who lost his interest and appetite when Filipino workers left his flower shop.
We have to remember that we are very much dependent on the Filipinos around us. We could die a slow death if they chose to leave us.
Copyright: Arab News © 2003 All rights reserved. Site designed by: arabix
Monday, October 5, 2009
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Who is Efren Penaflorida?
Who is Efren Peñaflorida?He is the founder of Dynamic Teen Company (DTC), an organization training young children to become responsible, systematic and principled.He is one of the nominees of Global Youth Awards 2008 in the Humanos category. He is also cited as one of the 2009 CNN Heroes.
F! was born to Efren Peñaflorida Sr. and Lucila Geronimo. A middle child of a tricycle driver and a housewife, F! grew up near the city’s open dumpster where he plays, and swims in the garbage beach when he was very young.He was featured in a World Vision, USA documentary about kids living in the worst conditions. Despite of these conditions, F! showed responsibility when their family started a noodle micro business to help make both ends meet.
An intelligent student in elementary, he was given scholarship assistance by World Vision Phils.A very studious and industrious F! was given several class honors and awards in elementary and high school. He was awarded highest honor for Associate in Computer Technology of San Sebastian College- Recoletos Batch 2000.
For several years, he’s a regular viajero of fish crackers from Baclaran to Cavite and sells these in school to be able to help his family. It has been his commitment to improve the standard of public secondary education.He has been conducting free tutorial classes to more than 50 high school and college students for more than four years already. He is currently enrolled at Cavite State University, pursuing Secondary Education as a second course to be able for him to make more difference in the lives of other youth in the near future.
AWARDS RECEIVED
Regional Winner, Outstanding Volunteer AwardsNEDA – 2008, Calamba, Laguna
Outstanding Caviteño in Republic Service2008, Independence Day Celebration, Cavite
Finalist for Global Youth Awards2008, Southhampton, UK
Official Nominee for Right Livelihood Award Foundation2005, Stockholm, Sweden
Gawad Geny Lopez Jr. Bayaning Pilipino Regional Winner2004, ABS-CBN Studio 1, Quezon City
Golden Anahaw Awardee as Outstanding Community Servant2004, CAVITE STATE UNIVERSITY (CAVITE CITY CAMPUS), CvSU Campus, Cavite City
Role Model Awardee2004, City Gov’t Award for CAVITE CITY WEEK, City Hall, Cavite City
Most Outstanding VBS Staff1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003 , Club 8586 Center, Cavite City
Excellent Member Awardee1997, LDES Multi-Purpose Hall, Club 8586 INC. Cavite City
Model Sunday School Student Award 1995, 1996, 1997, Club 8586 Center, Cavite City
F! was born to Efren Peñaflorida Sr. and Lucila Geronimo. A middle child of a tricycle driver and a housewife, F! grew up near the city’s open dumpster where he plays, and swims in the garbage beach when he was very young.He was featured in a World Vision, USA documentary about kids living in the worst conditions. Despite of these conditions, F! showed responsibility when their family started a noodle micro business to help make both ends meet.
An intelligent student in elementary, he was given scholarship assistance by World Vision Phils.A very studious and industrious F! was given several class honors and awards in elementary and high school. He was awarded highest honor for Associate in Computer Technology of San Sebastian College- Recoletos Batch 2000.
For several years, he’s a regular viajero of fish crackers from Baclaran to Cavite and sells these in school to be able to help his family. It has been his commitment to improve the standard of public secondary education.He has been conducting free tutorial classes to more than 50 high school and college students for more than four years already. He is currently enrolled at Cavite State University, pursuing Secondary Education as a second course to be able for him to make more difference in the lives of other youth in the near future.
AWARDS RECEIVED
Regional Winner, Outstanding Volunteer AwardsNEDA – 2008, Calamba, Laguna
Outstanding Caviteño in Republic Service2008, Independence Day Celebration, Cavite
Finalist for Global Youth Awards2008, Southhampton, UK
Official Nominee for Right Livelihood Award Foundation2005, Stockholm, Sweden
Gawad Geny Lopez Jr. Bayaning Pilipino Regional Winner2004, ABS-CBN Studio 1, Quezon City
Golden Anahaw Awardee as Outstanding Community Servant2004, CAVITE STATE UNIVERSITY (CAVITE CITY CAMPUS), CvSU Campus, Cavite City
Role Model Awardee2004, City Gov’t Award for CAVITE CITY WEEK, City Hall, Cavite City
Most Outstanding VBS Staff1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003 , Club 8586 Center, Cavite City
Excellent Member Awardee1997, LDES Multi-Purpose Hall, Club 8586 INC. Cavite City
Model Sunday School Student Award 1995, 1996, 1997, Club 8586 Center, Cavite City
VOTE FOR THIS YOUNG EXCEPTIONAL YOUNG PINOY.
Voting is now open for the CNN HERO OF THE YEAR! Go to -http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/cnn.heroes/index.html
Voting is now open for the CNN HERO OF THE YEAR! Go to -http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/cnn.heroes/index.html
CAVITE CITY, Philippines (CNN) -- At 16, Rhandolf Fajardo reflects on his former life as a gang member.
Efren Peñaflorida's Dynamic Teen Company offers Filipino youth an alternative to gangs through education.
1 of 2
"My gang mates were the most influential thing in my life," says Fajardo, who joined a gang when he was in sixth grade. "We were pressured to join."
He's not alone. In the Philippines, teenage membership in urban gangs has surged to an estimated 130,000 in the past 10 years, according to the Preda Foundation, a local human rights charity.
"I thought I'd get stuck in that situation and that my life would never improve," recalls Fajardo. "I would probably be in jail right now, most likely a drug addict -- if I hadn't met Efren."
Efren Peñaflorida, 28, also was bullied by gangs in high school. Today, he offers Filipino youth an alternative to gang membership through education. Vote now for the CNN Hero of the Year
"Gang members are groomed in the slums as early as 9 years old," says Peñaflorida. "They are all victims of poverty."
For the past 12 years, Peñaflorida and his team of teen volunteers have taught basic reading and writing to children living on the streets. Their main tool: A pushcart classroom.
Stocked with books, pens, tables and chairs, his Dynamic Teen Company recreates a school setting in unconventional locations such as the cemetery and municipal trash dump.
Peñaflorida knows firsthand the adversity faced by these children. Born into a poor family, he lived in a shanty near the city dump site. But he says he refused to allow his circumstances to define his future.
"Instead of being discouraged, I promised myself that I would pursue education," he recalls. "I will strive hard; I will do my best."
In high school, Peñaflorida faced a new set of challenges. Gang activity was rampant; they terrorized the student body, vandalized the school and inducted members by forcing them to rape young girls, he says.
"I felt the social discrimination. I was afraid to walk down the street."
Peñaflorida remembers standing up to a gang leader, refusing to join his gang. That confrontation proved fateful. At 16, he and his friends "got the idea to divert teenagers like us to be productive," he says.
He created the Dynamic Teen Company to offer his classmates an outlet to lift up themselves and their community. For Peñaflorida, that meant returning to the slums of his childhood to give kids the education he felt they deserved.
"They need education to be successful in life. It's just giving them what others gave to me," he says.
Today, children ranging from ages 2 to 14 flock to the pushcart every Saturday to learn reading, writing, arithmetic and English from Peñaflorida and his trained teen volunteers. "Our volunteers serve as an inspiration to other children," he says.
The group also runs a hygiene clinic, where children can get a bath and learn how to brush their teeth.
Since 1997, an estimated 10,000 members have helped teach more than 1,500 children living in the slums. The organization supports its efforts by making and selling crafts and collecting items to recycle.
Through his group, Peñaflorida has successfully mentored former gang members, addicts and dropouts, seeing potential where others see problems.
"Before, I really didn't care for my life," says Michael Advincula, who started doing drugs when he was 7. "But then Efren patiently dug me from where I was buried. It was Efren who pushed me to get my life together." Today, Advincula is a senior in high school and one of the group's volunteers.
Peñaflorida hopes to expand the pushcart to other areas, giving more children the chance to learn and stay out of gangs.
"I always tell my volunteers that you are the change that you dream and I am the change that I dream. And collectively we are the change that this world needs to be."
Efren Peñaflorida's Dynamic Teen Company offers Filipino youth an alternative to gangs through education.
1 of 2
"My gang mates were the most influential thing in my life," says Fajardo, who joined a gang when he was in sixth grade. "We were pressured to join."
He's not alone. In the Philippines, teenage membership in urban gangs has surged to an estimated 130,000 in the past 10 years, according to the Preda Foundation, a local human rights charity.
"I thought I'd get stuck in that situation and that my life would never improve," recalls Fajardo. "I would probably be in jail right now, most likely a drug addict -- if I hadn't met Efren."
Efren Peñaflorida, 28, also was bullied by gangs in high school. Today, he offers Filipino youth an alternative to gang membership through education. Vote now for the CNN Hero of the Year
"Gang members are groomed in the slums as early as 9 years old," says Peñaflorida. "They are all victims of poverty."
For the past 12 years, Peñaflorida and his team of teen volunteers have taught basic reading and writing to children living on the streets. Their main tool: A pushcart classroom.
Stocked with books, pens, tables and chairs, his Dynamic Teen Company recreates a school setting in unconventional locations such as the cemetery and municipal trash dump.
Peñaflorida knows firsthand the adversity faced by these children. Born into a poor family, he lived in a shanty near the city dump site. But he says he refused to allow his circumstances to define his future.
"Instead of being discouraged, I promised myself that I would pursue education," he recalls. "I will strive hard; I will do my best."
In high school, Peñaflorida faced a new set of challenges. Gang activity was rampant; they terrorized the student body, vandalized the school and inducted members by forcing them to rape young girls, he says.
"I felt the social discrimination. I was afraid to walk down the street."
Peñaflorida remembers standing up to a gang leader, refusing to join his gang. That confrontation proved fateful. At 16, he and his friends "got the idea to divert teenagers like us to be productive," he says.
He created the Dynamic Teen Company to offer his classmates an outlet to lift up themselves and their community. For Peñaflorida, that meant returning to the slums of his childhood to give kids the education he felt they deserved.
"They need education to be successful in life. It's just giving them what others gave to me," he says.
Today, children ranging from ages 2 to 14 flock to the pushcart every Saturday to learn reading, writing, arithmetic and English from Peñaflorida and his trained teen volunteers. "Our volunteers serve as an inspiration to other children," he says.
The group also runs a hygiene clinic, where children can get a bath and learn how to brush their teeth.
Since 1997, an estimated 10,000 members have helped teach more than 1,500 children living in the slums. The organization supports its efforts by making and selling crafts and collecting items to recycle.
Through his group, Peñaflorida has successfully mentored former gang members, addicts and dropouts, seeing potential where others see problems.
"Before, I really didn't care for my life," says Michael Advincula, who started doing drugs when he was 7. "But then Efren patiently dug me from where I was buried. It was Efren who pushed me to get my life together." Today, Advincula is a senior in high school and one of the group's volunteers.
Peñaflorida hopes to expand the pushcart to other areas, giving more children the chance to learn and stay out of gangs.
"I always tell my volunteers that you are the change that you dream and I am the change that I dream. And collectively we are the change that this world needs to be."
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