Smart helps spread spirit of volunteerism

MANILA, Philippines - Around 2,000 volunteers recently heeded the call to become everyday heroes by building homes and working on various community projects in Amlan, Negros Oriental, one of five sites of this year’s Gawad Kalinga (GK) Bayani Challenge.

To help spread the word, Smart Communications Inc. provided broadband services during the five-day event, upon the request of the Office of the President (OP), through the Presidential Communications Operations Group.

The activity was undertaken this year in partnership with the OP, through the Pilipinas Natin program, which seeks to mobilize volunteers for nation-building, said Bryan Gapasin, GK event head for Negros.

Gapasin said the activity seeks to motivate others, through photos and videos of the activities posted on the GK website. The idea is to show that anyone can be a hero.

The images show volunteers building houses, doing repairs in schools, planting mangroves, cleaning up coastal areas, tutoring pupils, and providing medical services.

Smart supervisor Lester Uy said they put up a dedicated line for the website updating and other Internet connection needs of organizers. This was also used to power President Aquino’s online forum through Skype with volunteers.

Smart also provided free Wi-Fi services at the town plaza, which enabled volunteers to share their experiences with family and friends through social media sites like Facebook and Twitter.

Robert Paul Madayag, who has been a volunteer for three years now, said it was through Facebook that he was introduced to GK, and he is optimistic that more will join the Bayani Challenge.

“Hopefully, we have inspired the people of Negros to sustain on their own the activities begun by GK,” added the 23-year-old from Makati City who belonged to one of eight teams that spruced up schools in Amlan.

GK executive director Luis Oquiñena, who helped other volunteers build houses in Barangay Tambohangin for typhoon “Sendong” victims, said the Bayani Challenge demonstrates that Filipinos working together and helping one another is just what the country needs.