Everytime I attend any Gawad Kalinga meetings, conferences or expositions outside of Iligan City, our GK Iliganon volunteers are always praised for their pioneering spirits here in Mindanao and in their countless heroic deeds in helping our poorest of the poor. I think that until today Iligan City remains to be the only city in the country with more than 20 GK sites while other major cities have still to open one.
What I admire most of our own, true blooded Iliganon GK volunteers is there humility, the ability to bring clear joy to our needy brothers through true Christian service. Whether they have done great or small, little things to the various homepartners of the GK sites, it remains to be out of the generosity of their hearts. They remain unknown to the eye of the general public but what they have building is a God fearing and a peace community. Not a project but a community of families that will last generations and generations to come whether through the buildings, generosity or values. This in any way is of total opposite to some petty politicians where sometimes a dole out eating contests of lugaw is being publicized in all local radio stations in the City. Here, I could sense the big difference between the two: crystal clear between of a true service and a showy egoistic service.
With Gawad Kalinga you will become a living witness to a true Christian service of helping raising the dignity of our fellow Filipino brothers. We may be in need too but with Gawad Kalinga we walk the essence of loving our neighbors as ourselves.
And I’m very proud to say that Iligan is truly blessed because we are full of Gawad Kalinga volunteers who have built communities here and outside of the City. In fact we have known friends in the Gawad Kalinga who pioneered in opening the Gawad Kalinga in some of the most dangerous places in Mindanao. The Iliganons with their brave and pioneering hearts believe that they are sent by God and protected by their patron, St. Michael, have no fear in venturing the Christian services to the most difficult places in Mindanao.
I believe that despite the many crisis besieging the City today, our City remains in the loving and protecting hands of God because of so many reasons, and one those is His brave Iliganon Gawad Kalinga volunteers. God will continue to protect this City because the family, homes and friends of these volunteers are here in the City while they are out there building a God fearing communities.
If you want to know who are these heroic volunteers from Iligan City, may I invite you to volunteer in any Gawad Kalinga sites in Iligan City. You will see them there, all smiling.
Gawad Kalinga spreads the spirit of positive change and transformation not only in the Philippines, but all over the world. It has served as an inspiration for other charitable organizations to intensify their efforts towards massive volunteerism and to execute programs to alleviate the living conditions of the poor.
ReplyDeleteWe are inviting all GK SAGIP Volunteers and those who would want to be involved in the children's program.
GK SAGIP will be having its annual GK SAGIP CONGRESS on August 29,2009 at the College of St Benilde Theatre from 1:00 - 8:00 pm. Registration fee is P50 per head.
Gawad Kalinga - Homes, Hope, and Humanity for All