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message board 2...

Name:   Cesar Torres
Email:   Ceasar1185@aol.com
Date:   August 15, 2004

To our fellow lovers (Gugmaeros), in the context of Anita's linguistic inventions, "mga hinug na manga na Samarmoans" (meaning those who love Samar and the lovely Samarenas or handsome Samarnons like Joe Avelino III), please allow me to sum up what we have done so far:

1.  We were organized on June 26, 2004.  By "organization", I mean this GugmaHanSamar@YahooGroups.com formally came into existence. We were working at Internet speed, that means, the speed of light, I think.  But even then we still had to deal with our slow fingers, with our intellectual uncertainties whether we should try our hand in English, or "Binenglish", or "Taglish", or "Klasikal Samarnon Binisaya", or in the case of Ruben Gerardo who is in Oslo, "Binengnor" (for Bisaya, English, and Norwegian). In addition, and this is very critical, we have to deal with our mortgages, with our credit card bills, with the beggings and pleas of our relatives, and with the measly salaries and wages we are receiving wherever we are. But despite our hesitations, I firmly believe we have done an excellent job so far.

2.  In my case, and in the case of others, we had to organize our thoughts into something meaningful so that we could avail of the offer of Ray Gaspay of Samar News.com to present our protestations of Gugma -- whether sincere or not as in all Gugma affairs -- in our Gugma Han Samar website.  This is done now but not over yet.  Thanks to Ray Gaspay, our website is there.  Please visit it.  Try out the links or the URLS or the webpages or whatever you call them. Ruben and I and Kezia and Ray are in the midst of a breakthrough also.  But this can wait.

3.  We needed to invite more people to join us in this Gugma Adventure.  We needed more Samarnons.  We represent the third largest island of the Philippines.  We know we are all over the world.  But at the moment for instance, out of 80 or so subscribers to this list,  there is only one who represents Northern Samar, Quint Lambino Doroquez.  Dr. Teddy Noble is 0.5 Nortehanon.  But we don't even know his interests, we don't know the extent of his Gugma.  We cannot blame him.  He married the prettiest girl in all the Philippines at that time.

4. From Eastern Samar, there is Dr. Bart Saucelo of Guiuan.  He is very active. There is Elma representing the "Kinis Clan" and who has gone back to the mudhole of the "kinis" (that means "alimango", that means something similar to the King Crabs which are dying of old age in Anita's Washington") in the mangrove swamps -- if there are mangrove swamps in Tennesee. There is Lilia Amasa of Borongan.  But after her father had been given that award of Outstanding Samar High Alumnus, she has not written anything here at all.  But she is probably busy.  And her hands are full.

5. To recapitulate, there are 1.5 representatives from Northern Samar and 3  from Eastern Samar (with one just lurking inside the screen).

6.  The rest of us are from the West.  But look at us!  Basey which is one of the biggest towns in all Samar, has only one representative here, Addi Batica. But he is the equivalent of more than 100 Basaynons! Calbayog, the only city in Samar has two representatives.  And they are not even transmitting from Calbayog.  Loudette is sending emails from New York and Joe is sending emails from Texas.  But I did receive 2 emails from Danny Cellum from Calbayog.

7.  Catbalogan have several listed in this list.  But it is only Jobal who is participating which is understandable.  After all he owns several Internet cafes.  Kezia is busy with whatever it is that she is doing.  And poor Christine emails us sporadically.  She tried to connect her computer in the Capitol by buying a modem from Jobal.  But since the officials of Samar are more interested in signing vouchers rather than computers because there may not be any money in computers, Christine had to unplug her private and personal modem from the government slow computer.  So she is back to thinking about Gugma Han Mga Samarmoans in her nightmares. And Charo and Dickson are lost in the hinterlands of Samar and Don Mabulay is running after the dynamite fishermen from Guintarcan and other places in Maqueda Bay.

8.  Some of us are our guests who do not necessarily give a hoot about "lazy"  Samarmoans who are only looking for a "good time" and fiestas. But they care about us because they are our fiends. In this category would be Dr. Solis in Salinas, Northern California and Gonz who swims with the Great Whites in Australia and Me Ann in a fantastic NGO, Atikha, in Laguna.

9.  As in all affairs of the heart, in all Gugma affairs, we can plot the intensity of our Gugma in a continuum.  Our Gugma can range from the "eyes-eyes only, do nothing, say nothing" at one end of the continuum, to the other end symbolized by Romeo and Juliet --dying for the sake of their Gugma.  For the girls, this might mean that they will offer everything they have (starting with tiao-tiao, then tilao-tilao, then being pregnant, then being "in despair", and then the stark sadness and reality of being a single mother). But as we know, the more dramatic and heart-rending dimension of any love affair, of our Gugma can be represented by those young Samarnon and Filipino youth who are being hunted by our government soldiers -- and vice versa of course -- and who expect to die at any moment.

10.  To continue with our Gugma Han Samar Continuum, and for those who are in this list and reading our passionate e-mails, we can situate ourselves along this continuum.  But we have to reflect every now and then, that it is the very nature of this medium, this cyberspace, this Internet, that we can only do so much.  I find that socialist saying very appropriate for us:  "From his according to his ability..." That means we cannot extract sunshine from a cloudy day, or water from a dry rock.

11. And for believers like Jobal who goes to Church every Sunday and lights a candle every night and for Mana Betty Duran who wants another reformation in the Catholic Church especially in the Philippines, the following lines from Pope Paul VI's "Populorom Progressio" are so relevant to us:  "We must make haste.  Too many people are suffering...The present state of affairs must be confronted boldly...Everyone must lend a ready hand to this task, particularly those who can do most by reason of their education, their office, or their authority."

12.  I can understand our impatience:  Gerri Hilvano-Hayes in Las Vegas, her mindset is probably used to a slot machine spewing out those clinking dollars from the slot machine when Gerri hits the Jackpot with "777"; my good friend Benny Cojuangco who is more than a brother to me and whose mindset is similar to Mana Betty Duran and to Ed Rediang in Saudi Arabia.  Benny has been urging me to "do something" for my destitute relatives in Solangan, in Catbalogan, because there is no more fish in Maqueda Bay, the resource that used to sustain life for those in Maqueda Bay.  And there is Ed Rediang who probably wants to go back to the Philippines and work there instead of being in that far away and hot place in Saudi Arabia where he has to bow and say:  "Salaam alaikum" 12 times a day.

13.  And Mana Betty Duran and Jobal are so impatient with that Foundation for Information Technology in Samar (FITS).  After all, Jobal (with Mana Betty's urging, and mine too) had that FITS organized in 2000. It is now 2004. And yet for one reason or another, FITS did not seem to fit anywhere, hahahahaha. It could not even make use of STAC's 10 old Mac computers now gathering dust in Samar Trade School nor the 20 computers in Villareal's National High School which are not being used by those hungry and malnourished Villahanon high school students who will not pass the UPCAT even if Kezia will tutor them for one year.

14.  And now Mana Betty wants FITS to fit in PESO, so that we can develop Samar into a Silicon Valley starting with Dr. Saucelo's housing project off San Juanico Bridge. And Mana Betty and Jobal are asking us if we will become stockholders in FITS if we have Pesos or Euros or Dollars. And Jobal and Benny and Gerri and Ed and Mana Betty and probably Mano Onding are intimating that we are only spewing useless bits and bytes at walang sumasalo (whether salong puet, or salong suso, or salong kuwan, guhit, hahahaha). And Mana Betty is asking Jobal to get in touch with someone from Trade who probably does not give a hoot about our list or about FITS and who does not have a computer and who does not want to go to Jobal's noisy Internet Cafes where there is no privacy. Otherwise, Mana Betty and Jobal might have a FIT!

15.  In the meantime, Mano Onding is awaiting the go-signal on his proposal in addition to the $200 I have pledged so that we can buy radio time, publish and print Talutang Han Gugma to change the lazy and dysfunctional psychology of the Samarmoans and Filipinos and to intensify the revolution (of the heart and the mind).

16.  The bottomline Mga Higugmaon and Mga Palangga is we need time.  And money. (Addi to show his Gugma has contributed $150, $100 to our computer and Internet expenses in Samar, and $50 as seed money for someone to get a computer. Again, remember, we have P10,000 in Catbalogan which is being used by someone who was in great need.) We need time to reach out.  It is so frustrating for instance that here we are, again spewing those bits and bytes of tilapia discussion and all of us were groping in the dark until Christine and Mana Betty said something about tilapias in the Philippines.  (I am excluding Anita's sources because the tilapias are American tilapias.) And now, Quint's story about the laziness of the tilapia who are only fond of breeding very fast like the Filipinos and the Samarmoans. We need experts in the areas that we are interested in and where we can help.  But we need to be cautious also.

17.  I appreciate Ed Rediang's and Bob Couttie's discussions on Deuterium to inform us, to educate us.  If I had not read Bot and Ed, I might have borrowed $2,000 because I am No. 4 in the list of supposedly 100 Deuterium Investors as disseminated by some people in the Internet.

18.  And of course, I appreciate our discussions on languages.  I have learned a lot of things:  Anita's Filipinism and her steadfast pride as a Filipino-American and  Ruben's experiences in the land of the Vikings. I have forwarded our discussions on languages to people who might have a final decision on this.  Including Bayan Muna and the "progressive" groups.

19.  Even if we have money to give out, we need to go slow.  I spent about P80,000 to buy an ABS-CBN Educational TV set which was donated to the Lamingao Elementary School.  The project moved at Internet speed with the help of Jobal and Chris Sulla in BBCS.  There was a turnover.  People from ABS-CBN in Manila went to Lamingao.  It was covered by TV.  They are even showing it here in America.  But has the community in Lamingao benefited from that donation? I don’t think so.  They have not told me.

20.  In 1997, the Samarenos of California spent more than $1,000 for a two-container vans of hospital and medical supplies for the Samar Provincial Hospital.  I spent about $2,000 of my own money.  I took a leave from my work for 3 days to inventory the supplies in Sacramento.  The Governor of Samar, a Regional Director of Health, a good friend of mine who was USEC at that time, could not get the two container vans of hospital and medical supplies from the Bureau of Customs. I don't know where they are now.. The 10 hospital beds alone, if sold to hospitals in Manila, would bring in P100,000, at a conservative estimate.

21.  We alumni of the Samar High School have been begging from all of us all over the world so that we could generate enough funds to send 42 pallets of books and school supplies to Samar High School.  We only needed $1,500.  Anita has even contributed.  Mana Betty has contributed $100.  We have generated more than $1,000.  And yet no one, absolutely no one from the Samar High school administrators ever got in touch with us about this Book Donation Project.

22.  We were able to solicit P27,500 for cash awards to two Outstanding Centennial Teachers in Samar High School and one Outstanding Centennial Administrative Staff Worker.  This was in April 2004.  It is almost the end of August 2004.  And yet we don't have any formal communication about the P27,500 and the awardees.

23.  I was able to generate more than P100,000 last year as cash awards to Outstanding Villahanons.  Only half of this donations was used. The rest of the money I have returned.  Some are still with us.  There are no committees or civic groups searching for the awardees, and there is no communication to us from Villareal.

24.  Finally, when I was younger and a starry-eyed torpesor in the UP, I used to dream of a "classless society".  But the behavioral psychologists and the political theorists would always caution that there might be a "classless society" but there can never be a "conflictless society". Indeed, this is a principle of the universe, of the cosmos:  "thesis-antithesis-synthesis" or "challenge and response", the never-ending cycle, the "dialectics" of life.  But it is in the way we manage our "dialectics" that distinguishes us from the barbarians and the fanatics.  I think we should reflect on this, especially in our cyberworld called: "Gugma Han Samar".

So mga Hinigugma, be patient.  And be gracious.

If the Samarmoans could endure the pain and the hunger and the misery and the insults and their lack of dignity for centuries starting when that incompetent Portuguese navigator landed in Dr. Saucelo's Homonhon in 1521, we can wait a little bit. Based on the foregoing, there is just so few of us and our resources are limited. In this list, we don't have time to be lazy.  People who are responsible for fulfilling our expectations are just so busy.  Besides, their situation is not like our situation in America or in Europe or in Australia.  There is so much food here, I don't have to cook for 5 days.  I can eat bahaw and tuyo and sardinas and corned beef.  I wake up, I turn on the computer, and there is no problem with fluctuating power. I go to my office, I don't have any problem with using a computer.  I have one of the most powerful computers in my office all over the State of California. I don't have any money, I borrow from my credit cards. Or I can phone Benny Cojuangco or Anita Sese.

We don't want to waste our time and our resources.  I don't want to spend another P80,000 for an ABS-CBN-ETV for nothing.  I don't want Mana Betty to hassle me with help so that STAC can donate those 10 Mac computers which are useless in SSPC.  I don't want to spend $2,000 of my own money, $1,000 from the Samarenos of California, and be absent from work for 3 days so that we can ship two container vans of hospital and medical supplies to Samar which will end up only in the corrupt Bureau of Customs. I don't want to beg around for money so that we can ship books from the Books for the Barrios to an uncaring Samar High School. These and many more, should make us a little more patient, and a little wiser.  But always mindful that:  "Kon diri kita hino man?  Kon diri yana? San-o pa?"

But despite our white-hot anger and our emotions and our railings directed at the heavens for our misery, we should hark to the  timeless lines of the Ecclesiastes:  "A time to wait, a time to act; a time to love and a time not to love; a time to kill, and a time to be killed; a time to be born, a time to die." But at the right time, hopefully.

But of course we will not forget that "Ten thousand years is too long.  Seize the day.  Seize the hour!" But at the right time, again hopefully.

AND THE IMPORTANT THING MGA PALANGGA IS FOR US TO PICK UP THE SLACK WHERE WE CAN, BUT ALWAYS MINDFUL THAT WE NEED TO LINK ARMS AND NOT JUST GO OFF ON A TANGENT AS A RANDOM FACTOR!

Mga Hinigugma, to you I dedicate the following:

Desiderata

Go placidly amid the noise and the haste,
and remember what peace there may in silence.
As far as possible, without surrender,
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly,
and listen to others,
even to the dull and ignorant;
they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons;
they are vexatious to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain or bitter,
for always there will be
greater and lesser persons than yourself.

Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career
however humble;
it is a real possession in the
changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs,
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you
to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals,
and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself.
Especially do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love,
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment,
it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit
to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.

And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.
Therefore, be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be.
And whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life,
keep peace in your soul.
With all its sham,
drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy.

by Max Ehrmann
©1927 by Max Ehrmann, all rights reserved. © renewed 1954 by Bertha Ehrmann.
Reprinted by permission Robert L. Bell.

Name:  Marianito J. Hernandez
Address:   222 Blackhawk Terrace, Bensenville, Illinois 60106, USA
Email:    nitoy4491@yahoo.com
Date:   8/14/2004

REVELATION OF THE GLORY OF THE PHILIPPINES

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my Savior. For he has looked upon the lowliness of his servant; behold from now on his word and praise will be in my mouth. The Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. His mercy is from age to age to those who fear him. He has show might with his arm, dispersed the arrogant of heart and mind. He has thrown down the rulers from their thrones but lifted up the lowly. The hungry he has filled with good things; the rich he has sent away empty. Blessed be the Lord, the God of all creation, for he has visited and brought redemption to his people. To give his people knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of God; by which the daybreak from on high visited us. To shine on those who sit in darkness and in shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace. Blessed be the Lord, God of all creation, God of all generation; blessed be his holy and glorious name, exalted and praise worthy above all forever. He anointed me to proclaim the glory of the Philippines.

But you are "a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own, so that you may announce the praises" of him who called you out from darkness into his wonderful light. Rise up in splendor! Philippines my Philippines, my native land; herald of good news, herald of grad tidings. Your light has come, the glory of the Lord shines upon you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick clouds cover the peoples; but upon you the Lord shines, and over you appears his glory. Nations shall walk by your light, and kings by your shining radiance. Raise your eyes and look about; they all gather and come to you: Your sons come from afar, and your daughters in the arms of their nurses. Then you shall be radiant of what you see, your heart shall throb and overflow, for the riches of the sea shall be emptied out before you. All the vessels of the sea are assembled, to bring your children from afar with their silver and gold, in the name of the Lord, your God, the Mighty one on High, who has glorified you.

Foreigners shall rebuild your walls, and their kings shall be your attendants; though I struck you in my wrath, yet in my good will I have shown you mercy. Your gates shall stand open constantly; day and night they shall not be closed but shall admit to you the wealth of nations, to bring beauty to my sanctuary, and glory to the place where I set my feet. The children of your oppressors shall come, bowing low before you; all those who despised you shall fall prostrate at your feet. They shall call you "City of the Lord." A light to shine to the nations and the world. Once you were forsaken, hated and unvisited, now I will make you the pride of the ages, a joy to generation after generation. You shall suck the milk of nations, and be nursed at royal breasts; you shall know that I, the Lord, Am your savior, your redeemer, the Mighty One on High. No longer shall violence be heard of in your land, or plunder and ruin within your boundaries. You shall call your walls "Salvation" and your gates "Praise." No longer shall your sun go down, or your moon withdraw, for the Lord will be your light forever, and the days of your mourning shall be at an end. Your people shall all be just, they shall always posses the land, they, the bud of my planting, my handiwork to show my glory. I, the Lord, will swiftly accomplish these things when their time comes.

There is a miracle unfolding in the Philippines that is rebuilding our nation and restoring the faith of the Filipino in himself. Building peaceful and Productive GAWAD KALINGA (GK) Communities for the poorest of the poor in the Philippines and throughout the world.
>From shanties to colorful homes, from sickness to health, from the streets to caring classrooms, from poverty to self-reliance, from a people in despair to a people full of hope. There is a new spirit of hope upon our nation! GK777 aims to lift the Philippines out of the third world by building 700,000 homes for the poor in 7,000 communities in 7 years, at the same time reinstating the pride of the Filipino by restoring the spirit of bayanihan that the Philippines is known for. GK777 is the concrete manifestation of this spirit - being a hero to our fellowmen by uniting towards one goal: NO MORE SLUMS!

Peaceful and Productive Communities

Each GK village is composed of 30 to 100 families considered poorest of the poor. Through the heroism of our volunters (who work on-site for 3-5 years) and the poor themselves, the slum is transforrmed into a clean, beautiful, peaceful community and the poor are transformed into productive and self-sufficient citizens. The vices disappear and in most GK communities, after only a few months there is already ZERO CRIME!

GK'S PROGRAMS

Shelter - Only by bringing 1st world standard of excelence to the poor can our whole country rise out of the 3rd world. This is why GK homes are brightly colored and landscaped with a toilet and kitchen area. These simple homes bring hope and new life to the poor and motivate them to work for a better life. A gift of just $1000 will build a GK home and help break the cycle of poverty so that future generations will never live in slums again.

Health - Simply by transforming the home and environment into a clean, dry and hygienic place, most of the health problems in a community disappear. To augment this, we also build clinics, run medical missions and train residents in hygiene, first aid and primary healthcare.

Education - Through our "SIBOL" (ages 3-6) and "SAGIP" (ages 7-13) programs, we provide quality education with a values-based curriculum. Our sponsorship packages provide education, sports and creative activities, field trips, birthday and Christmas celebrations, uniforms, books and hygiene kits. Child sponsorship alone will only ever give poor children third world opportunities but combined with GK's other programs, we give them a real chance of a successful and happy life. Our SIGA program (ages 13+) provides a new lease of life to out of school youth by allowing them to learn new skills, attend workshops and livelihood training rather than waste their time in gangs or begging.

Livelihood - If we love the poor we should try to make them unpoor! Through GK's values formation programs, vices disappear and people become productive and willing to work. We have successful programs in microfinance, agriculture, food sufficiency and livelihood training from caregiving to computer skills and more. Within 3 years, most residents in GK sites are working.

Community Empowerment - After undergoing values formation frograms, our residents form a "Kapitbahayan" neighborhood association and elect their own officials to ensure peace and order, cleanliness and strong spirit of community in the village. One example of servant leadership is that the president they elect is the last person to have his house built. Unfortunately, it is often the poor who elect corrupt officials. Through GK, they learn the qualities to look for in their leaders and they are able to become leaders themselves.

NATION BUILDING IN ACTION

No More Slums! - Reversing Urban Migration: GK is nationwide and our most beautiful sites are in the provinces. We are already beginning to take small numbers of the poor back to the provinces by providing land and livelihood. Whichever province you come from, GK is probably already building there and you or your Filipino Association can help restore the place that nurtured you and perhaps, in your heart, still feels like home.

Highway of Peace: There have been a lot of peace talks about Mindanao. It is time we built some peaceful communities! GK is starting with the "Highway of Peace"' 7 villages for Muslims in the ARMM ares from General Santos to Kidapawan and around the Uguasan marsh. MILF rebels have built side by side with the government soldiers for the first time for decades and we are proving that peace is possible and Muslims and Christians can live in harmony if they are given a helping hand. Admiral Tagumpay Jardeniano say "If there was GK in every barangay there would be no more war in our country."

Save the Poor, Save the Environment! By building communities for squatters in mangrove areas such as in Isabel, Leyte or Silay, Negros and providing sustainable livelihood such as raising mud crabs, we are able to turn the poor from destroyers of the mangroves into guardians and protectors of them! This breakthrough model was designed by Filipinos and can be replicated all over the world.

Partnership in Nation Building: GK is not a work of charity, it is a mission of nation building and a crusade for all Filipinos. Thus, it involves every sector of society. Historically, the private sector has often complained about government but has not been able to do much to help. Through GK777, every sector of society can participate and many organizations have already sponsored and built their own villages, e.g. McDonalds, SMART, the Catholic Church, Ateneo de Manila, UST and many more.

Uniting the Filipino Worldwide: Villages through the Philippines have already been built by Filipinos and Filipino organizations living in many countries such as the USA, Canada, Australia, France, New Zealand, Switzerland, Germany, Saudi Arabia and more. Imagine building a beautiful village in the province where you come from that will be named after you or your organization and that will fly the flags of the Philippines and the country where you now live.

I LIVE IN THE USA, WHY SHOULD I CARE?

Wherever we go, we will always be haunted by the stigma of coming from a 3rd world country whilst the Philippines remain poor. Our children do not deserve a heritage of garbage, corruption and poverty. Gawad Kalinga was started by Filipinos for the sake of our children because when the Philippines rises they will be able to be proud of who they are. And by becoming bayanis (heroes) in our response to this challenge, our children can become proud of us. GK777 is rebuilding our motherland and building the Filipino dream. We will show the world how a nation can be rebuild by loving&sharing.

"Leaving isn't always a matter of choice. It's coming back that is. In a few years, I may take advantage of whatever opportunities come my way. But I will come home. I'm a Filipino and I'll always be one. It isn't about geography, it isn't about boundaries. It's about giving back to the country that shaped me. And that's more important to me than seeing snow outside my window on a bright Christmas morning." - Patricia Evangelista, Filipina, winner of the International Public Speaking Competition, London 2004.

"Even if we have adopted North America as our 2nd home, we cannot close our eyes to the suffering of our people whom we have left behind. Our country is like a drowning person. It needs the help of its sons and daughters who have the ability to help." - Ed Millan, Filipino, USA

The Philippines is the country that nurtured and suckled us, that formed and watered us and when we became productive, we left. Nobody blames us for leaving the Philippines. We left because we were victims of a system we couldn't change but through rebuilding our nation, we and all our children shall one day be proud to call ourselves...Filipino.

The Filipino is worth dying for. But he is also worth LIVING for. Let us link arms in Bayanihan, rebuild our nation and regain the respect of the whole world.

IMAGINE a Philippines where there are no more slums. Imagine a Philippines where every street is beautiful and peaceful. Where Filipinos are brothers to one another in bayanihan and corruption is a thing of the past. Where the potential of the poor as nurtured through productivity instead of being wasted on vices and crime. Imagine a world where every Filipino can hold his head high, where no Filipino will feel 2nd class... no matter which country he lives in because his motherland is a country he can be proud of. This is our vision. Our people have lived in humiliation for long enough. The Filipino hero has been reborn and our country is beginning to transform.

For those who will not forget their roots - help rebuild your country. Be part of GK777! Building 700,000 homes in 7,000 peaceful communities in 7 years.

" If we pray and unite, there will be no more slums in our country the Philippines. GK777 is the inspiration behind the housing program of the government for next 6 years." 
- President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo

"The Philippines has hope because there is Gawad Kalinga"
- Former President Cory Aquino

"Gawad Kalinga is unique because of your stewardship of the poor. What makes it succeed where others fail is faith and patriotism" 
- Dr. Teck Ghee Lim, Head of Poverty Alleviation, United Nations ESCAP

"GK invites us to a future of hope by caring to be our brother's keeper. What seems little to you makes all the difference: new life and new hope. Give and feel the joy of giving life and hope."
- Fr. Bienvenido Nebres, President, Ateneo de Manila University

Kasali ako dyan, (http://www.cfcglobal.org)

Marjah - God is my refuge!