Support the Pinoy bid for CNN Hero of the Year
MANILA, Philippines - When you think of heroes, chances are you imagine someone bigger than life, with superpowers, lots of gadgets, maybe a snazzy cape. Recently though, we’ve been awakened to the fact that there are heroes in everyday life, the quiet unheralded workers, who with their faith and enterprising spirit, bring about the most profound change in their communities.
Efren Penaflorida, 28, is one such hero. And his cause — bringing education to out-of-school children — is bigger than life. Efren leads the 10,000-strong Dynamic Teen Company, a team of volunteers that has spent the last 12 years teaching basic reading and writing to 1,500 children in slum areas, by way of a kariton klasrum, a small fleet of pushcarts bearing books, pencils and other materials. These traveling classrooms espouse not only literacy, but also basic hygiene and values formation to uplift the lives of street children and out-of-school youth.
Globe Tattoo Broadband, the prepaid Internet brand of leading Philippine telco Globe Telecom, today joins CNN to rally in support of educator Efren Penaflorida. Globe Tattoo Broadband is providing 3G broadband internet connections at the SM Mall of Asia Music Hall, to enable more Pinoys to cast their votes onsite and bring Efren closer to the title CNN Hero of the Year.
Special celebrity guests like TM endorser Dingdong Dantes, Bam Aquino and KC Concepcion have thrown their support behind Efren. Event attendees will also hear stirring testimonials from many of the children whom DTC has educated and whose lives have been forever changed.
At a time when our country is battered by forces beyond our control, Efren is a beacon of hope for all Filipinos. He represents our collective ability to rise above circumstances, to not allow limits to define us or stop us from doing what we believe is best, to make great things happen, something that innovation leader Globe is devoted to keep doing.
Globe’s recent Bangon Pinoy program aimed to help typhoon-stricken families and businesses to rebuild their communities, and to rehabilitate the telco’s mobile and broadband networks to restore service immediately to affected subscribers. As for Globe Tattoo Broadband, the brand is determined to make its own history with its groundbreaking offers, ranging from converged text and call services and value-for-money loading promos to artistic USB designs not available from any other telco.
Globe’s head of broadband & landline Mari Litonjua said, “Efren represents something so critical to our society today: Vision, and a triumph against immense odds. He shows us that with vision, you can make a real difference. At Globe, we believe we all have that power to make a difference, and the Internet is the great equalizer that enables each of us to reach our dreams, whatever they may be. Globe Tattoo Broadband is proud to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with CNN, helping to power the votes to support Efren’s bid for CNN Hero of the Year.”
