Singapore helps builds Gawad Kalinga homes: 40 years, 40 houses

ALAMINOS CITY, Philippines – Gawad Kalinga (GK)-Singapore will build 40 new houses in Barangay Lucap here, to help realize the city government’s vision for a slum-free Alaminos.

“I’m so happy to say that it’s the 40th year of bilateral relations between your country and mine, so we are pledging 40 houses from Singapore,” Aileen Ong, director of GK Hope Initiative Limited, said during the groundbreaking ceremony last month of the Hundred Islands GK Eco-Village. 

Ong, who came here to meet Mayor Hernani Braganza, said she fell in love with Alaminos. 

“We will find 40 families to bring to Alaminos and introduce to you. And we hope we will challenge another response of 40 houses from Filipino families who would like to match it,” she added.

Ong’s journey with GK and that of Singapore started in 2007 when she came to the Philippines for the first time and spent four days in a slum area.

She recalled that Singapore President SR Nathan during his state visit here visited Baseco, Tondo and presented a P1-million check from their Christian Brother School in Singapore.

Ong said this was the time she found her mission in life, adding that she fell in love with Filipino children. 

“I saw in their eyes the future of a region that is united in one spirit that we can build a legacy to pass on to future generations,” she said, adding that this is exactly what Singapore is trying to develop in its young people – nurturing global citizens.

She said in barely two years, Gawad Kalinga in Singapore has grown, gathered momentum and attracted the best because of GK’s belief in “the best for the less.”

Last month, the GK chapter of Singapore was incorporated formally as GK Hope Initiative (GK-HI).

“We came in friendship and are very excited with the plan of Mayor Braganza. We are very excited to be part of your dream and help you build this dream,” she said. 

Ong said this is only the beginning of a long journey, as many things are happening for the rest of the year. She said Alaminians will begin to see many students, including young people from Malaysia, coming to the Philippines and Alaminos to study and do immersion visits to various GK sites and be a partner in nation building. 

GK-Singapores’ pledge complemented the $50,000 donation of Baoa Forum of Asia through the Ramos Peace and Development Foundation (RPDEV) for the GK Eco-Village here late last year.

Braganza, for his part, welcomed the outpouring of support and assistance from GK-Singapore.

As an expression of his city’s gratitude, they will name an island in the Hundred Islands National Park for GK-Singapore.

Aside from new houses, GK Singapore and students from the Entreprenuerial School of Asia (ESA) are also expected to give other assistance to the beneficiaries of the eco-village. 

Alaminos-100, a non-government organization, was among the first to commit one GK house in the said area.

The mayor urged his citymates, especially the affluent families and entities, to help raise funds for 375 houses that need to be built in the 3.9-hectare eco-village. 

Aside from Ong and Braganza, other dignitaries who were at the ground-breaking ceremony were former President Fidel Ramos; Alexander Lim, First Secretary of the Singapore embassy in the Philippines; Jose Luis Oquiñena, GK national executive director; Joe Tale, GK executive chairman; former Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Elizea Gozon; Manny Casupang, GK provincial coordinator; executives of Holcim Phils., and students from Malaysia and the ESA.  

The city government has requested the DENR to give to the city public lands which can be used as GK eco-villages in the future, particularly in Barangay Sabangan.

Braganza also thanked the landowners who gave their land almost for free and the donors for the right of way.

For his part, Ramos said that GK and the city’s mission and motto are almost the same as that of his foundation, which is “caring, sharing and daring.”

“With our gathering today, please be reminded that we are responsible for each other,” the former president said.