Inspirational Views

By Karla Pastores

Three thousand people witnessed, in an awe-inspiring event, as a 28-year-old Filipino made his way up the stage at the prestigious Kodak Theater to receive the 2009 CNN Hero of the Year award.

Efren Peñaflorida started his kariton classroom, or pushcart classroom, 12 years ago to give the children in his hometown in Cavite a better and wiser alternative to gang membership. He was only 16 years old when he and his friends thought of the big idea to provide basic education to kids to get them off gangs and help create a better life for them. He and his team of young volunteers go around with a pushcart filled with books and supplies and teach other children basic reading and writing.

Little did he realize that starting the Dynamic Teen Company would earn him the distinction of being a true Filipino hero, with $100,000 to boot.

THEY BELIEVED

In grade school, we learned all about Filipino heroes.

First among them was our national hero Dr. Jose Rizal who believed that brains will get independence more than bolos. For his efforts at trying to educate the Filipinos, he was shot by the Spaniards.

Then there’s Andres Bonifacio, whose birthday we commemorated recently. Emilio Aguinaldo, Gregorio del Pilar, Gabriela Silang. Most of these heroes died fighting for what they believed in, died because of what they believed in. That was why we call them heroes.

NO SUPER POWERS HERE

In fantasy land, on the other hand, heroes are those who arrive in time to save someone in distress and finish off the villain. They serve as the protectors of the city and the enforcers of the law. In this world, no one dies but the bad guy.

But we live neither in fantasyland nor in the Spanish colonial period. In our world, the bad guys are usually not people, but apathy, poverty, and greed. And the heroes are not costumed figures with secret identities, or warriors brandishing guns and swords who need to die for their cause to triumph.

The modern-day Filipino hero has none of the trappings of fancy pants heroes that usually come with being superman. They don’t have radioactive powers or laser eyes; what they have are compassionate hearts and the will to change things for the better.

NOT YOUR ORDINARY CINDERELLA STORY

Reese Fernandez is one such hero. At 23, she serves as the president of Rags2Riches, an internationally acclaimed social enterprise that helps the women of the infamous Payatas garbage dump lead honorable lives. Rags2Riches has enabled these women to go from earning one measly peso a day from selling rags made from scraps of cloth to earning thousands a month selling designer bags made from the same materials, with the help of such notable designers like Rajo Laurel and Amina Aranaz-Alunan.

In addition to providing a decent livelihood for the Payatas families, Reese and her team of young Filipino heroes has also empowered and uplifted the spirits of the women, imbibing in them a sense of self-worth and dignity.

From poverty to prosperity, from obscurity to worldwide honor, the Philippines has reason to be proud of its young generation with Reese Fernandez and the entire Rags2Riches team.

HAPPINESS!

Aside from Rags2Riches, another social enterprise run by young Filipinos is Hapinoy, designed with the idea of empowering the smallest retail unit in the country.

Providing opportunities and management skills training to sari-sari store owners, Hapinoy has evolved to become a network of sari-sari stores to help these microentrepreneurs get the most out of their business, however small they may be.

Among the young movers behind this venture are Mark Ruiz and Bam Aquino. Because of their desire to help build a better Philippines for everyone, they decided to focus on the Filipino entrepreneurs we take for granted the most — sari-sari store owners.

Today, Hapinoy, “Ang Tindahan ng Haping Pinoy,” is expanding from Southern Luzon to other areas, building more communities, enriching more lives.

It is inevitable that modern day Filipino heroes will also have a say in what happens in Philippine politics. Through Youth Vote Philippines, the young generation is taking a more proactive role in the election process. With the highly anticipated presidential elections coming up next year, Youth Vote Philippines, composed of different youth organizations, have encouraged eligible Filipino citizens to register for the elections. Now, they are providing the electorate with the necessary information they need to be able to make an informed choice come May 2010, and elect a leader who will truly effect change and give the country the leadership that it deserves.

THE HERO IN YOU

Efren Peñaflorida got it right when he said that “each person has a hidden hero within, you just have to look inside you and search it in your heart, and be the hero to the next one in need.”

I look around me and see ordinary heroes in ordinary street clothes, helping an elderly woman carry her stuff, returning extra change to the cashier, treating the waiters and security guards with respect.

In the end, we all don’t have to have superpowers or be dead to be considered heroes. Every little right thing we do that contributes to the betterment of our country and our fellow Filipinos is heroic. Despite the bad news that we see and read about everyday, we can still be each other’s heroes and make a difference in the lives of those around us.

“So to each and every person inside this theater and for those who are watching at home, the hero in you is waiting to be unleashed. Serve, serve well, serve others above yourself and be happy to serve. As I always tell to my co-volunteers … you are the change that you dream, as I am the change that I dream, and collectively we are the change that this world needs to be,” proudly stated Efren Peñaflorida in his CNN Hero of the Year acceptance speech.

Here’s to heroes, to young blood, to a better nation!

The author was one of the founders of the Kaya Natin! Movement for Good Governance and Ethical Leadership. Comments are welcome at kai.pastores@yahoo.com

(story from Manila Bulletin)

 

Related posts:

1. Efren Penaflorida is CNN Hero of the Year!
2. Filipina socialpreneur is chosen Rolex Young Laureate
3. All Filipinos can be heroes, says CNN Hero ‘Kuya’ Efren
4. Fernandez wins Rolex Award for waste recycling business
5. VOTE for Efren as CNN’s Hero of the Year

 

 

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