Gawad Kalinga pushes for politics of caring

MANILA, Philippines - Gawad Kalinga (GK) recently held its first Builders Night that “aims to nurture love of country and present a vision of hope” and at the same time, empower and inspire GK volunteers to the work of building homes for the poor.

GK founder Tony Meloto said the Builders night is the first of monthly meetings that will gather volunteers and friends of GK to talk about a range of topics on nation building and poverty eradication.

The theme that night centered on Kalinga politics or the politics of caring.

“These are critical times that present historic opportunities for a lasting change. We hope to gather monthly our next generation of decision makers, inspiring speakers, sharing stories and news, building friendships as we build a nation,” Meloto told hundreds of GK volunteers at the NBC tent in Taguig.

Next month, the next GK Builders Night will be held at the Rockwell tent and discuss Bayanihan Economics or the business of sharing.

At the event, outgoing vice-president Noli de Castro discussed servant leadership.

“Kalinga Politics means not caring about politics… It’s about putting people first,” he told the audience.

Dean Alex Brillantes of the University of the Philippines NCPAG also presented their work on the GK Builders Institute and the “Kalinga Bills.”

The Kalinga Bills are omnibus legislation that will help facilitate GK work all over the country.

“The Kalinga Bills will provide the enabling framework for sustainability of poverty reduction,” he said.

Brillantes stressed that GK should be a partnership where government, business and civil society must come together to uplift the lives of the poor.

“GK is a converging point for partnership. Partnership is the key. We must work with the LGUs and use GK as a Filipino indigenous model to eradicate poverty,” he said.

He also introduced the volunteer bill drafters who are working on the Kalinga bills that night.

Taguig City Mayor Freddy Tinga also graced the event and shared his testimony on practicing “Kalinga Politics” in his city.

“We are all in the same boat. For us, it’s less for self and more for others. GK is about building bridges not walls,” he said.

The beneficiaries also took time out to thank GK and partners that night.

GK Kapitbahayan president Elsa Arboleda thanked partners for the “transformation that GK has brought in our lives at GK Pinagsama in Taguig.”

“We assure you that we will work hard and persevere,” she told the audience.

A video of the GK All85 initiative was also played showing graduates of various high school batches ‘85 who are helping build homes for the less fortunate.

Various GK teams manned the nine booths that were all over the NBC Tent which presented different GK programs and initiatives, highlighting the different ways to help and be involved in GK through its holistic programs: Green Kalinga (environment), GK Kalusugan (health), GK Bayan Anihan (food sufficiency), GK Child and Youth Development, GK CommBuild (community empowerment), and GK Community Infrastructure, GK Mabuhay (tourism and culture), GK Builders Institute, GKonomics (social entrepreneurship).

GK’s partner for the event, Globe Telecoms led by president Ernest Cu also gave his full support and reiterated his company’s continued support for Gawad Kalinga.

GK Builders Night Core team member led by Rose Cabrera said the Builders Night will be held in other key cities in the Philippines.

“The road to a prosperous Philippines by 2024 will be a little bit easier and much more fun and friendship-filled. It is indeed a very good harbinger of things to come,” she said.