Never ordinary!

A grand social status is not a requirement to help those in need. The desire to say, help a street child out of his miserable life, really comes from the heart.

Being a janitor, jeepney driver, or a sidewalk vendor is never an excuse. Being ordinary is not a limit to create change. Didn’t Efren Peñaflorida Jr. proved it true when he won 2009 CNN’s Hero of the Year? After all he is just the son of a tricycle driver and a housewife and the local of the garbage-dump-site-slum-area in Cavite.

The hero

Peñaflorida, or Kuya F, said he himself was saved from the toils of poverty. “Kasi ako ‘yong unang tinulungan. Ako ‘yong pinag-aral [It’s because someone helped me in the beginning. I was sent to school,” Kuya F said in an interview.

Ever since, it has been his mission to give back the kindness he had received as a child. “It’s a calling to help children. It’s my way of paying it forward,” he added.

Kuya F continues to teach children from slum and deprived areas. And he is most recognized with this advocacy. It’s called “Kariton (Pushcart) Classroom.” Using a pushcart, Peñaflorida brought school and learning straight to children.

Kariton klasrum

Kariton Classroom started with Dynamic Teen Co. (DTC), Kuya F as the founder. DTC is a non-profit youth organization that encourages teens to make a difference in the society even in little ways.

Peñaflorida said that when DTC was formed in 1997, many people did not believe them, especially on how they teach children using only a pushcart. However, they were attested wrong when Peñaflorida won as Hero of the Year for CNN in November 2009.

When asked how he inspires children to love education, he shared that he immerses himself in the everyday lives of the children especially those from the slums.

Kuya F said, “When you expose yourself to their everyday lives, mas nakikita mo kung ano ang [you’ll see better what are their] needs nila. Nakikita mo yong dahilan kung bakit sila nawalan ng interes [You’ll find the reasons why they lose the interest]. And then from there you can start on thinking of ways of how you can help them and change their perspective.”

He dares to realize his dream using a pushcart a notch higher. DTC is finishing the construction of Kalingain Batang Mahirap Learning Center, a building in the image of a pushcart.

The center in Cavite City will give basic education to children. It has been DTC’s long-time goal to construct a learning center and Kuya F said that winning as Hero of the Year was a blessing and gave way for the project to materialize.

Kuya F said that the learning center is 80 percent complete and was supposed to be finished by August. However, they lacked of funds and were stopped. DTC needs another P3 million to finally finish the construction and make the center operational.

Donating to DTC for the construction of the kariton learning center already means making change in your own little ways that when united is sure to create something big to the lives of these children.

Peñaflorida said it best, “You are never too ordinary to be a hero.”

You can donate to help the completion of Kalingain Batang Mahirap Learning Center to Bank of the Philippine Islands, Cavite Caridad Branch, account name: DYNAMIC TEEN COMPANY-MAKING A DIFFERENCE INC. For peso donations the account number is 00-1273-1635-02. And for dollar donations the account number is 00-1274-0215-07

:)

Just a little

One moment, I was smiling, it was bordering on bliss and hope, of bliss and hope! The next moment, I was brooding. Then with a snap, it became a flood of doubts and fears, of doubts and fears!

Do I blame myself for being so silly? Do I always have to act like a child who is offered chocolates and candies? Do I stop the inability to control my feelings? What am I really? I tell you I'm crazy!

Paranoia kills me! How many times, how many times! Now I get mad at myself! Are those all excuses? I feel I've already lost battle. 

One day I'll get better at this. If only I'd like those who fall for me instead, then maybe it'll really get better.

Silent Observers

Intramuros is a Latin word that means “within the walls.”

Within these walls, lays remnants of time, preserved or ruined. The paved streets, the heritage churches and houses, the bastions and the puertas (entrances on the walls), Philippines own “Walled City.”

But besides the walls, the churches, the houses, and all the heritage establishments, there are the silent observers, standing proud and erect among us. They are the monuments, sculptured in the likeness of their human models. They tell their stories.

There are some 20 monuments inside Intramuros. Some date back to the Spanish regime. Others were built in the early 19th century when we were a colony of the United States.

Test of time

The more prominent monuments are those dating back from the 18^th century that stood the test of time and uphold the beauty of renaissance art.

Carlos IV Monument (1808)

A monument gilded by the goldsmiths of Santa Cruz and Ermita at a cost of only P3,000. It tells of the gratitude of Filipinos for King Charles IV for his introduction of smallpox vaccine in the country. In 1960 it was replaced by the modern Gomburza monument. It was only returned to its present site in front of the Manila Cathedral in 1981.

Anda Monument (1871)

Located in the Anda Circle along Bonifacio Drive, this monument in memory of Governor General Simon de Anda was originally located in front of Fort Santiago. Simon de Anda fought against invading British troops. 

Legazpi-Urdaneta Monument (1891)

The conqueror of the Philippine archipelago and first Governor General of the Philippines, Miguel Lopez de Legazpi, and the first Augustinian monk to set foot in the country, Father Andres de Urdaneta, are honored in this monument. The monument signifies their expedition and arrival. Legazpi carries in his right hand the Spanish flag and holds in his left a rolled-up document symbolizing possession of the city of Manila, while Urdaneta raises on his right hand a crucifix and holds a Bible with his left hand.

Queen Isabel II Monument (1860)

The most traveled monument. The statue was unveiled at Arroceros now Liwasang Bonifacio in 1860, then it was transferred to Malate Church in 1898 until 1970 when it was blown down by Typhoon Yoling. It has been in Puerta Isabel or the Isabel Gate in Intramuros since 1975.

Benavides Monument (1891)

A monument made in Paris by Tony Noel in 1889 and inaugurated in 1891 in the Philippines. This statue of Archbishop Miguel de Benavides of the Dominican Order stands in the spot where it faces the old site of the original University of Santo Tomas inside Intramuros. 

In memoriam

These monuments mark certain events in Philippine history. They remind us of the lives lost in war, tragedies, etc.

Memorare-Manila 1945 Monument

The monument serves as memorial to the hundred-thousands lives of Filipino men, women and children that perished during the World War II Battle in Manila in 1945. The woman in the middle is purposefully oversized because she represents the Motherland. The baby she caries represents hope.

Squadron 201 Monument

Squadron 201, was a group of fighter planes from the Mexican Air Force, that joined the Philippines in resisting Japanese forces during World War II. This monument recognizes the courage of some 35 officers and 300 cadets. This was the only time the Mexican military fought outside its own territory.

Laging Handa Monument

A monument created by the Colegio de San Juan de Letran to remember the three Letran Boy Scouts who died in a plane crash on July 1963 on their way to the Eleventh World Jamboree. A total of 24 boy scouts perished and a monument representing all 24 is in Timog Avenue.

Filipino heroes

Jose Rizal Monument inside Fort Santiago

Fort Santiago is where Rizal was imprisoned prior to his execution. A lifesize Rizal is shown writing perhaps his Mi Ultimo Adios.

Monument to Filipino icons Ninoy and Cory Aquino

The first monument to commemorate late President Corazon “Cory” Aquino stands beside her martyred husband’s—late Sen. Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr.—monument. The Cory monument is sculpted by the same man who sculpted the first Ninoy monument in Tarlac, Ed Castrillo. Originally, the Cory monument had straight hair, but her son, who was to become President Benigno Aquino 3rd made a comment to Castrillo that his “mom had curly hair.”

President Diosdado Macapagal

Gat Antonio de Jesus Villegas
Gat Andres Bonifacio, Gat Antonio de Jesus Villegas and President Diosdado Macapagal monuments

All three monuments are located inside the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila.

Juan Luna Monument

The monument is a gift from the Philippine-Italian Association to the City of Manila.

Jose P. Laurel Monument

The monument was inaugurated March 9, 1991 at the Lyceum of the Philippines. 

Others

Monument of Jose Marti of Cuba

A monument in reciprocity of Jose Rizal’s monument in Cuba. Jose Marti, also a national hero, is known for his anti-imperialism and internationalism. 

Monument of President Adolfo Lopez Mateos of Mexico

This statue of a sitting Lopez Mateos looks like our own late President Manuel L. Quezon. The Mexican government donated the monument during the 42nd anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Philippines and Mexico. President Mateos visited our country in 1962.

Hidalgo Monument

Another gift from the Mexican government, the hero Father Miguel Hidalgo’s monument celebrates the foundation of Philippine-Mexican friendship. 

Monument of King Philip II

It is a bronze statue erected in honor of Philip II, King of Spain, during the centennial celebration of the independence of the Philippines in 1998. The statue was unveiled by the Spanish monarch Queen Sophia. 

Note: Photos by Jamie Marie Elona, a friend and colleague at work. Thanks girl! Original story published at The Manila Times.