Volunteerism

It was about midnight in New Jersey when I saw the first posting of a historic event on FaceBook. I was so moved by the development that I couldn?t sleep till almost daybreak. It was my moment to savor alone the coming true of a wish, not yet in the fullness of it, but enough to see the light at the end of a tunnel shine brightly through the darkness. In that one moment, it was as though ten years of personal effort became all worth it.

A co-advocate and volunteer in the work known as Gawad Kalinga had sent through FaceBook the news that House Bill 3474 had been filed the day before. House Bill 4374 will not be any less dramatic as the RH Bill, but it definitely will produce a sharp contrast in any drama that ensues. Entitled Volunteerism for Nation Building, or VBN, is as literal as it sounds. The filing of the bill is a virtual recognition and appreciation of the work of Gawad Kalinga. It also is the signal that poverty has found a David to take it down.