PACQUIAO FOUNDATION GIVES SCHOOL SUPPLIES TO 10,000 INDIGENT KIDS
By Aquiles Z. Zonio
PhilBoxing.com
Wed, 03 Jun 2015
Glan, SARANGANI ? ?This is really a big help to us parents. We would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to Congressman Manny Pacquiao and his family for giving us free school supplies,? said the 26-year old mother Meli Claire Ferarin of Glan Padidu village in Glan town, this province.
Ferarin, with her two elementary school kids in tow, joined the long queue of parents who waited for the distribution of free school supplies and meal packs at the municipal gymnasium here Tuesday morning.
?Due to lack of budget, I was not able to buy the school supplies of my children. You know, sending our kids to school has been the family?s top priority. We believe that earning a college degree would somehow prepare them for the tough challenge ahead,? Ferarin said in vernacular.
Ferarin?s children were among the 10,000 indigent recipients of Emmanuel & Jinkee?s Heart Foundation?s ?Balik Eskwelang Handog? project this school year.
The foundation, owned by Congressman Manny and Vice Governor Jinkee Pacquiao, tapped the local office of the Department of Education (DepEd) and the provincial government in selecting poor school kids from various public elementary schools all throughout the province to become beneficiaries of the project.
No less than the celebrity couple led in the distribution which kicked off last Monday in the towns of Maitum and Kiamba.
Romeo Reyes, Sr., operations manager of EJHF, revealed that the total number of beneficiaries were equally apportioned among the towns of Maitum, Kiamba, Maasim, Glan, Malapatan, Alabel & Malungon.
?There were 1,500 recipients in every municipality, except for Maitum where there were only 1,000 beneficiaries. Maitum is smaller compared with other towns in terms of population,? Reyes said.
Reyes added that the foundation, which got its Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) registration just last year, was planning to continue this project every school year to help poor elementary school children in the province.
Reyes claimed that for ?Balik Eskwelang Handog? project alone, the Pacquiao couple spent around P2 million out of their own personal funds.
Pacquiao?s passion in helping poor children was borne out of his sad experience during his boyhood when his family was still wallowing in poverty.
?Education is very important especially in helping my constituents overcome poverty. During my elementary days, I went to school without crayons, paper, pencil, etc. It was hard. Now, I am doing my best to help poor children so they may not experience what I had gone through during my time,? Pacquiao said.
During the distribution in the towns of Glan and Malapatan on Tuesday, Pacquiao family was in full force.
Even the vice governor?s family ? mother, sisters, nephews and nieces ? joined in the distribution.
The local officials, teachers and even parents and students were impressed and delighted seeing Pacquiao?s two sons ? Jimuel Emmanuel, Jr. & Michael Stephen ? personally handing out school supplies and meal packs to elementary school kids in Glan and Malapatan.
The Pinoy boxing legend thanked his wife for having been supportive to his plans and projects and for rearing their children to become God-fearing, humble and respectful.
?I?m very thankful to God for having a dutiful and loving wife. I give her all the credit for the good upbringing of our children. I?m always busy and most of the time I?m away from the family,? the boxer-lawmaker said.
The Pinoy boxing hero expressed delight and appreciation over the attitude being shown by his two sons.
?That?s what we call serving God by serving people. We teach them to be God-fearing and how to be humble and respectful to people. Now, we involve them in the distribution of school supplies so they would experience even at the young age how does it feel to serve others. It?s part of their training to become good and responsible citizens of this country,? Pacquiao said.
He said seeing his sons taking part in serving the people makes him proud as a father and as public servant.
Photo: Vice Governor Jinkee Pacquiao gives school supplies to elementary pupils Monday, June 1, at Kiamba Civic Center. The school supplies came from Emmanuel and Jinkee?s Heart Foundation, Inc. benefiting different elementary schools with more or less 1,500 pupils from Grade 1 to 6. (Ruel D. Ampatin/KIAMBA INFOR CENTER)
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Aquiles Z. Zonio.
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