ISABELA CITY – Philippine Information Agency Director General Jose Mari Oquiñena has
asked some 130 young people of Basilan to bet on time and be a “heart” in order to contribute to
nation-building.
The PIA chief spoke before the youth
on separate occasions Sunday at a forum held late morning and during the
Kalinga Night, the second day of the nationwide Bayani Challenge 2013 in
Basilan.
He explained the need for every
Filipino to offer time, talent, and passion to change lives without fear.
“Let us not compromise our dreams
because of fear,” he stressed, saying that nothing can happen if one is
enveloped with fear.
Oquiñena also challenged the youth
to accept that one is a Filipino and one’s being a Filipino. He is saddened by
the fact that young people assume personalities and races like imitating the
looks and ways of Koreans and Americans other than themselves.
“We need to appreciate who we are
and what we are, the beauty and the talents that we possess as Filipinos,” he
said.
He added that aside from life and
money, “sometimes we also bet on forgiveness and let go of the past.” He also
urged the youth to inspire their fellow youth to do something like what they
are doing now, volunteering for Bayani Challenge.
In the afternoon DG Oquinena led the
ceremonial groundbreaking at Pamucalin build site in Lantawan Municipality,
together with Basilan Gov. Jum Akbar, 104th Brigade Commander Col.
Carlito Galvez (PA), Provincial Board member Yusop Alano, Provincial
Administrator Tahira Sansawi-Ismael, Gawad Kalinga Area Coordinator Dan
Bercasio, and some local government executives and officials.
In her message, Gov. Akbar expressed
her deepest appreciation and gratitude to Gawad Kalinga and the volunteers for
the chance to be gifted with the project.
“I see how our young people are
interested and willing to help and participate in this project. Because I saw
the moon shining already at sunset, there is a big hope that our dreams will
come true,” she said.
Akbar said that this is one story
that young people of today can share to future generations. She assured GK and
the donors of the projects that the people of Basilan will take care of the
gifts given them and prayed that more houses will be built in the days ahead.
For his part DG Oquiñena bared that
Basilan has a special place in President Aquino’s administration as manifested
by the presence of the President’s exclusive radio-television Malacañang crew
who would document the events to show to the entire country of the unique
Bayanihan spirit here.
He asked the volunteers and local
government officials to tell those who will benefit from the project to take
care of the houses that will be given to them because so many people have
invested their hearts and passion to build the houses.
He said the 30 houses were the first
of the many more houses to be built in Basilan. He did not cite figures,
however.
“Am not promising how many more, but
in my experience, when the first houses were done right, more projects are
possible. But when done wrongly, nothing could follow,” he said.
“But I feel, what we have done here,
because of the convergence, everything would be more than right,” he pointed
out.