MANILA, Philippines - Gabay Guro, the CSR arm of the PLDT-SMART Foundation, recently launched a moving new advocacy ad on TV, as a tribute to all Filipino coinciding with the celebration of the National Teachers Month last October.
The ad, which has already received 200,000 hits on YouTube and continues to gain comments on its Facebook page, is a product of consolidated efforts from like-minded individuals. PLDT leads the endeavor, along with its partners in media and advertising, uniting for the advocacy and moving towards the same objective for the teachers, and ultimately for the youth. A total of 113 actual teachers appeared in the spot, produced by Ace Saatchi & Saatchi and Filmex, and directed by Henry Frejas.
It begins in a small town with a mother handing her young, school-age child to his first teacher. Then, it shows the teacher handing him to the next teacher, and to the next, the landscape behind him changing as he goes, until he emerges as a doctor in the hallway of a hospital. On average, it tells us, it takes 200 teachers to take us to our dreams. How many have you thanked?
Gabay Guro chairperson Chaye Cabal-Revilla says, “Nobody has the capacity to reach all Filipino children, but one thing we can do is invest in the teachers who come in contact with them every day. It has a positive multiplier effect, with one great teacher impacting hundreds of students.”
“Gabay Guro is built on the belief that excellent professionals and citizens are shaped in large part by excellent teachers,” says Gary Dujali, Gabay Guro advocacy head. “We are in the business of helping teachers become excellent so they can maximize the influence they already have. There’s no telling how far the ripples will go.”
According to director Frejas, the video is a way for him to say thank you to the teachers who were key in helping him find his passion in filmmaking and directing.
The Ace Saatchi & Saatchi part of the team expressed similar sentiments. “Our agency believes in Gabay Guro,” says Gigi Garcia, VP for client services. “We have been working with them for several years now, and we have seen how the program has grown to accommodate more beneficiaries and scholars around the Philippines.”
“Being a teacher myself, I appreciate that there’s an organization that helps make teachers’ lives easier,” adds creative director Greg Martin III.
Now on its seventh year, Gabay Guro grows stronger in continuing its mission to “change the lives of those who changed ours” by supporting teachers and education students through broadbanding and computerization of schools, scholarships, training, livelihood programs and the Teacher’s Tribute as highlighted by the annual Grand Gathering.
Find out more about Gabay Guro by visiting www.gabayguro.com, following @gabayguro on Twitter and liking the official Gabay Guro page on Facebook: facebook.com/GabayGuro.