By Argyll Cyrus B. Geducos and Zea Capistrano
President Duterte is appointing 2009 CNN “Hero of the Year” Efren Peñaflorida as one of the new commissioners of the Presidential Commission on Urban Poor.
Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said Duterte announced his decision to appoint the civic worker and education on pushcart proponent during the Christmas party he hosted for the media in Davao City Friday.
Roque said the President ordered Special Assistant to the President Christopher “Bong” Go to look for Peñaflorida for his appointment.
“He said he wants to appoint ‘yung galing sa hirap…’yung teacher na may kariton na CNN awardee. He asked SAP to look for him,” Roque said.
Roque said that nothing is certain yet as Peñaflorida has yet to respond to the offer of the President. “Nothing is certain at this point. Everything has to go through a process. The other party has yet to give a response,” Roque said.
“Both parties also need to personally discuss and thresh out expectations to the job and or position,” he added.
The PCUP was created through an executive order in 1986 as the government’s “direct link” to the urban poor and aid in the formulation of policies to address their needs.
Peñaflorida is a Filipino teacher and development worker who grew up in the slums of Cavite. He offers education to youth in unconventional locations like cemeteries and trash dumps through his wooden pushcart or the “Kariton Klasrum” program which he and his team of Dynamic Teen Company volunteers started in 2007.
In 2009, international news organization CNN named Peñaflorida as the CNN Hero of the Year. He bested out nine other contenders from different countries after obtaining the highest number of votes during a seven-week period.
In his acceptance speech, Peñaflorida said the planet is filled with heroes in different forms and that everyone is a hero and can be a hero to another person.
“We are one great tapestry. Each person has a hidden hero within, you just have to look inside you and search it in your heart, and be the hero to the next one in need,” Peñaflorida said.
“So to each and every person inside this theater and for those who are watching at home, the hero in you is waiting to be unleashed. Serve, serve well, serve others above yourself and be happy to serve,” he added.
Aside from Peñaflorida, Duterte said he also wants to appoint five farmers from Davao City to the PCUP, citing their simple lifestyle, productiveness, and being able to avoid unnecessary overseas trips.
Duterte asked his staff and some members of the media to recommend people who fit the criteria and invite them to Malacañang to enable him to talk to them personally.
The President has asked Go to give Peñaflorida and the other would-be commissioners allowance to buy themselves barong, the national Filipino attire, so they can enter Malacañang.
