MANILA, Philippines - Alden Richards marked his 23rd birthday by taking part in a build-a-home project in partnership with Habitat for Humanity, a non-profit organization that aims to build comfortable homes and create a sustainable community. He took part in the clearing operation and contributed in making the work progress a bit more efficient.
Last Jan. 12, Alden went to Habitat’s adopted community in Quezon City and expected to be part of the construction of houses. But he was assigned to clear out the debris from the site that hindered the walkway of the people.
“Sabi ko nga sa isang speaker namin, parang nabitin ako kasi yung ginawa kong task, simple lang eh. Yung debris ililipat lang from Area A to Area B,” the Kapuso star explained.
He was able to finish early, so he asked to help more in the construction process. He felt that he needed more things to accomplish.
“Nakakatuwa yung sabi nung speaker. It hit me, she made a point. It’s not how, o kung gaano kalaki yung tinrabaho mo, kung gaano kahirap, kung gaano ka napagod. It’s more on what you were able to do. You made a difference, you helped in your way, na kahit papano kung hindi ka tumulong malamang marami pang debris doon sa site na ‘yon na dinadaanan ng tao… It’s the amount of effort that you gave, and not how hard the task is,” shared Alden.
On the exact day of his birthday, Jan. 2, he did his usual routine of going to the gym, having lunch with friends and having dinner with his family. He planned his special day to be nothing grand because he designed this whole month to be a different kind of celebration.
“The moment I woke up last Jan. 2, parang sobrang positive lang. I was filled with positivity and I don’t know where it’s coming from. Perhaps, it’s because I’m contented with my life, and I’m very much happy with everything that’s happening. This, for me, is the most positive birthday celebration in the past few years,” the Kapuso prime actor happily noted.
This positivity encouraged him to see to it that helping charities will be an annual thing for his birthday. In fact, he is still looking for more outreach programs to take part in before he leaves for Europe for the International Film Festival Rotterdam.