In celebration of National Heroes’ Day on Monday, Senator Alan Peter Cayetano hailed ten modern-day Filipino heroes for going above and beyond the call of duty and gave each P10,000 as part of his flagship Sampung Libong Pag-asa program.
“Meron po tayong sampu sa ating mga kababayan na maituturing na mga bayani. Hindi po sila y’ung nasa history books, makikita sa TV, o mababasa sa dyaryo, kundi sa pang araw-araw na gawain,” Cayetano said during the program’s live feed on his Facebook page on August 29, 2022.
“Sila po ay pinili natin because in their own right ay tumulong sa iba despite na sila ay nangangailangan. These people inspire me na ituloy ang Sampung Libong Pag-Asa program,” he added.
The 10 beneficiaries commended are from the cities of Valenzuela and Manila and come from all walks of life.
The five heroes commended from Valenzuela City are Josephine Lagarde (Red Cross volunteer), Jomar Rodolfo (traffic enforcer), Jayar Diosaban (construction worker), Enrico Bañu (Ark Riders officer), and Marlo Urrutia (basketball coach).
The other five heroes from the City of Manila are Arlyn Cruz (carinderia helper), Leonora Novida (former OFW), Jimson Tapang (volunteer firefighter), Ria Maderazo (from TODA), and Albert Punzalan (messenger).
Their acts of bayanihan include sacrificially volunteering in their barangays, going the extra mile to help others through their profession, and returning lost money, among others.
“Let’s also honor our modern-day heroes tulad ng mga OFWs, mga front-liners, at yung mga nagbuwis ng kanilang buhay para siguraduhin na may safe and comfortable tayo na buhay. Let’s make this day meaningful because we really need heroes and we need to do our part,” Cayetano said.
With the awarding of P10,000 to the heroic individuals, Cayetano stressed that the Sampung Libong Pag-Asa is not a dole-out program and that he will seek a dialogue with Department Secretaries about it.
“Nagagamit po ang 10K ayuda sa pagpapagamot, y’ung iba sa pagkain ng tatlong beses sa isang araw, at para sa kanilang maliliit na negosyo. Kapag sila po ay may kabuhayan, trabaho, at negosyo, sarili na po nila ang inaasahan nila,” Cayetano said
