Raising GK funds a fiesta of sorts for Pinoys in Texas

It’s a festive, sunny Saturday morning at the house of Gawad Kalinga advocate Jojo Manlongat in Fort Bend County in Texas. Here, several of Manlongat’s friends and their families gather to raise funds for GK beneficiaries in ingenious ways.

GK volunteers count pennies, dimes, nickels, quarters, paper bills and checks from a specially designed time capsule or alkansya (piggy bank) that they donated themselves. Not far behind is a group of housewives peddling used items to passersby. The garage has turned into a food outlet of sorts with mouth-watering dishes.

The fund raising event, a typical get-together on a weekend, turned into a fiesta of sorts for Filipino-Americans in Texas who have all embraced the GK vision.

Leading the charge is Manlongat, known as “GK Jo” to friends, a 47-year-old engineer from Baguio who migrated in the US  and now works in a reputable company.

Ever since hearing about the GK movement two years ago, Manlongat and his friends from Fort Bend County have not stopped organizing garage sales, casino trips, dinner dances and other money-generating activities, to raise awareness and money for the group’s project for GK.

In a year’s time, Manlongat’s group had more than $27,000 in the bank that ballooned to $55,000 from all the charities and fundraisers they had organized. From the proceeds, Manlongat and his group were able to donate 30 homes to a GK Village in Tumawini, Isabela called Texas Fort Bend Village.

After the GK village was completed, their next plan was to raise money for the development of the livelihood center, GK Sibol pre-school facility and community center.

Re-inventing the alkansya

Manlongat first heard about GK through Dylan Wilk, the famous Briton who gave up his wealth to join GK.

Inspired by GK’s work, Manlongat thought of designing a time capsule fashioned from a piggy bank that he would distribute to his friends who want to help the poor in the Philippines through the GK movement.

Manlongat made a stylish and functional piggy bank made of Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) measuring 2.5 in diameter and 20 inches long, capped on both ends and outfitted with a string for a strap. After making some 300 capsules, he challenged his friends to put their loose change in the capsules and fill it for one year.

After a year, he gathered all his friends at his home and together they all counted the money they saved up for Gawad Kalinga.

He said his desire for his kababayans to have a good life and good opportunities like the one he has inspired him to raise funds for GK.

“Our dream is to see poor  Pinoys be given the opportunity and the chance to have a better life, to be given an opportunity that they will be someday be like us, to have a chance. That is our inspiration,” Manlongat said.

In the US, Manlongat attests that a lot of affluent and middle class Filipinos like to help the poor here in the Philippines but are wary of just giving to any organization because of corruption. In GK, they found a perfect vehicle to help and give back.

 “With GK, they are assured that the money goes straight to building the homes of the poor and much more,” he said.

“In GK, there is a mechanism, everything is transparent, and that’s why a lot of Filipinos in the US donate and raise funds for GK. I think GK will be a lifetime cause for us. Because of GK, I have become a better person,” Manlongat said.