National Heroes Build

In November 1995, the Philippine government closed down "Smoky Mountain," because it was a "symbol of poverty", and opened a new garbage dump at Payatas in Quezon City.
Payatas dump is not a "symbol of poverty" . The Payatas dump is hell on earth.

On November 30, 2003
Gawad Kalinga celebrated "National Heroes Day" by building new houses and improving homes and grounds in GK communities. One of of these communites is in Payatas.

Tony Meloto inspects the construction work in Payatas two days before the Heroes Build. 

As many as 213 GK sites all over the country joined the GK Heroes Build and about 2,000 families would become the proud owners of these new GK houses. Some were not able to raise enough money to build new houses so they instead went into painting, landscaping, or path walk improvement. About 50,000 volunteers were reported to have joined this national event which is celebrated twice a year, that began June 2002.

Ben Nebres, SJ, President of Ateneo University, and his "kids" form a line to pass gravel to the area where the Blue Eagle houses were being built. The rich and the influential building houses for the poor begins the process of rebuilding the lives of the disadvantaged and the healing of estranged societal relationships.

The National Build events dramatize the efforts of GK caretakers and partners to become change agents and leaders in the transformation process that lies at the core of Gawad Kalinga. The dramatization is necessary to raise the crucial interest of the Filipino public, to show that there is an option for meaningful and sustainable change, and to give glimpses of the massiveness of what can become if more people would join the work. The cameramen covered the event live on IBC 13 from 4 - 6 pm.

Volunteers prepare the lot for a GK house.

Volunteers and GK residents pass hollow blocks
from their pile on to higher ground
where the houses are being built.

The gravel and hollow blocks went to the lowest part where houses were being built by the students.

This is Leo Rialp, TV and stage director and a member of The Ambivalent Crowd who did a reunion after 30 years just so they could perform at the GK777 concert. They donated their talent fees to GK, and this is one house that was built from that money. Their presence and participation in building the houses that they pay for make it even more meaningful to the beneficiary family and to the national GK movement of healing relationships. Always the artist, Leo distinguishes their house by painting musical notes on one wall.

As Leo paints, the children watch and have fun posing for Boy Montelibano. Looking on is Gerry, the wife of Frank Padilla, the executive director of CFC.

Luis Oquiñena and Issa Cuevas-Santos, leaders of the next generation. Though much younger than we, these two young people are already GK leaders, the direct subordinates of the GK director and to whom we report in his absence. The other youngsters are from the Ateneo University helping build the first Blue Eagle Village.

On this site will rise a mini-plaza where a once congested village will have their own promenade with nice pavers. There might even be a coffee house that will, perhaps, be called "Bistro Payatas".

At the end of the day, Father Nebres turns over the symbolic house key to a recipient GK family, one of more than a hundred that ateneo is committed to help in Payatas 13.

Another happy recipient of the symbolic key.

The Payatas dump, now called "the second Smoky Mountain", consists of two garbage dumps where 3,500 houeholds eke out a living from what "recyclables" they can get out of the mountains of garbage. Children who should be in school go to the dumps to help increase the family income, which is never enough.

The GK community in Payatas is some distance from the garbage, but the image of suffering humanity is never far away. It will always be there until the GK spirit is instilled in all hearts. Call the GK now, better still, join GK.