New brand of politics seen in young social innovators

MANILA, Philippines - There is an emergence of young social innovators and entrepreneurs in the country which is ushering a new era in politics, according to Gawad Kalinga founder and 2012 Skoll awardee for Social Entrepreneur of the Year Tony Meloto.

“There are a lot of things to be hopeful about. This is our moment of grace, as it is P-Noy’s. This is about claiming our destiny as the next miracle of Asia according to forecasts from HSBC, Morgan Stanley, Bloomberg and many economic indicators. It will not happen if we do not replace old politics of power with the new politics of caring for the poor and raise a new generation of political leaders who will be heroes for God and country,” Meloto said in an interview with The STAR recently.

“There is hope for the Philippines because of honest and competent leadership from the top and a groundswell of initiatives from social innovators.”

Meloto said he is amazed that there are a lot of young people now who are devoting their life to become social entrepreneurs in a bid to uplift the lives of poor people.

“I am particularly inspired by a growing number of young patriots who I know will make good leaders for the Filipino people,” Meloto said.

Social engineers

He praised Reese Fernandez who founded Rags2Riches, a social enterprise company that helps mothers in slum areas earn a living by recycling scrap materials to make classy bags, with the help of top Filipino fashion designers.

Fernandez helps the mothers sell directly to retailers so they will have more profit. She is redefining high fashion not as luxurious folly but as an extravagant love for the lowly.

Meanwhile, Meloto pointed to Mari Oquinena, the moving spirit behind the annual Bayani Challenge of Gawad Kalinga, as another social engineer worth watching.

Oquinena mobilized recently 10,000 volunteers for a weeklong celebration of Filipino heroism by building homes and farms for victims of disasters and conflict and rehabilitating public schools in Iligan, Cagayan de Oro, Masbate, Negros Oriental and Mindoro Occidental.

The plan is to have 100,000 volunteers in 30 provinces next year under the Pilipinas Natin campaign of the Office of the President where he is now undersecretary for special concerns. 

“Political leadership is about inspiring ordinary citizens to be heroes because no nation will rise without sacrifice,” Meloto added.

He also cited MicroVentures Inc. president Bam Aquino who pioneered Hapinoy, a lending program for micro-entrepreneurs who want to put up or expand their small sari-sari stores.

“Bam Aquino of Hapinoy is showing how political pedigree and educational degree can be harnessed effectively to help mothers put up their micro-enterprises or their own sari-sari stores. This eagle is using his entrepreneurial talent and management skills not to fly abroad or amass wealth for himself but to make a difference for our people,” said Meloto.

Aquino is a summa cum laude graduate of the Ateneo de Manila University. He also became president of the school’s student council.

Meloto said these young people are going out of their comfort zones to create livelihood and sustainability for the poor.

“It is comforting to know that many of today’s young people, counting the best and the brightest among them, are devoting their time and deciding to stay in the Philippines in their amazing commitment to improve the plight of the exploited and the abandoned,” Meloto said.

Meloto further cited four young social entrepreneurs he met recently who are all making a difference in the lives of the less fortunate at a time when they should be climbing the corporate ladder or pursuing their own ambitions: Jason Gonzales, Lian Braganza, Dino Austria and Xilca Alvarez.

Gonzalez is a councilor in Iloilo City and the head of the GK Center for Social Innovation in the province. He is busy organizing conventions to gather the social entrepreneurs in the country and recently had a summit for 800 of them in his city.

Braganza, on the other hand, is the 24-year-old son of Alaminos, Pangasinan Mayor Hernani Braganza who talks to expatriates and migrants to invest in the country not just as a tourist destination but a productivity center for world-class Filipino products, with ingredients and materials grown in the fertile countryside.

Austria, meanwhile, is president of the association of law students in the country. Meloto believes in his honesty and integrity and is hopeful that he will be a leader who will not cheat or could be bought.

Alvarez is the daughter of former senator Heherson Alvarez, who decided to stop working as a public counsel and become a social entrepreneur for the poor. She has learned from experience that it is poverty that drives many of the poor to jail.