Noli vows to be active GK volunteer

SINGAPORE – From “Kabayan” to “Tito Noli.”

Outgoing Vice President Noli de Castro will step down from power on June 30 but he vowed to carry on his advocacy to build decent homes for the poor as a private citizen by being an active Gawad Kalinga (GK) volunteer.

De Castro, who was the guest of honor at the opening ceremonies of the 2nd Global Gawad Kalinga Summit at the Ngee Ann Polytechnic Convention Center here, said he looks forward to being an active volunteer of GK as a private individual.

“I will continue to be a supporter of GK. As a private citizen now, I will be active in GK activities and programs. I have been supporting this movement for the past seven years and it’s been a learning and a rewarding experience for me,” De Castro said in his speech last Friday night.

“So now, you can all start calling me ‘Tito Noli,’” De Castro told the audience which included Singaporeans, in reference to the manner GK members address senior volunteers.

The Singaporean government, in partnership with schools like Ngee Ann Polytechnic and National University of Singapore’s Center for Social Entrepreneurship and Philanthropy, hosted and organized this year’s summit.

De Castro said what makes GK a remarkable organization is that it enjoins everyone to participate not just in building homes but also in building the nation.

“It is about partnerships,” he said.

In an earlier interview, De Castro said he would leave his position with dignity, knowing that he did his best as Vice President.

De Castro also chairs the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC) and the Home Development Mutual Fund (Pag-IBIG Fund).

In 2009 alone, the Pag-IBIG Fund provided loans amounting to P45.7 billion to some 47,000 members, De Castro said.

De Castro has been working with the GK movement for the last seven years.

He also reportedly intends to go back to his previous job as broadcaster when his term expires this week.

Meloto declines ‘housing czar’ post

Meanwhile, GK founder Antonio Meloto refused the Cabinet position that was offered to him by president-elect Benigno Aquino III, saying he can do more for the country as a private individual.

Meloto, a Ramon Magsaysay 2007 awardee, said the offer to become the country’s housing czar was made through Aquino’s sisters Ballsy and Pinky.

He said he can be more effective in helping the poor gain decent homes if he remains in the private sector.

“I can do more for the country by not being a Cabinet official... because other governments don’t trust our politicians,” Meloto told Filipino reporters here.

Founded in 1995, Gawad Kalinga is a non-profit organization that builds houses for poor communities in the Philippines and other developing countries. It also helps develop livelihood programs for the poor to support their everyday expenses.

To date, there are 2,000 GK communities all over the Philippines, and in Cambodia, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.

GK aims to uplift from poverty around five million families by 2024.