By Kristel Satumbaga
Triathlete Nikko Huelgas is making the most out of his time and resources during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic by conducting relief operations in Metro Manila and Northern Luzon.
As the new program director for Students’ Transformation and Enrichment for Truth (STET), the 28-year-old two-time Southeast Asian Games champion led the foundation in bringing essential goods to far flung areas and some poorest of the poor communities in Bulacan, Tarlac and Makati.
STET is a non-stock, non-profit national government organization offering programs on youth development and community building.
Huelgas also donated his allocation from his sponsors and was overwhelmed by what he saw.
“You can see in their eyes, the gratitude of simply acknowledging that they are not forgotten as Filipino people,” he said.
Apart from relief operations, Huelgas is also assisting the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ mobile kitchen for the past months.
They recently hosted feeding programs in certain barangays in San Juan City, Malabon, Mandaluyong and Marikina.
Though his training was limited and competitions postponed due to the global health crisis, Huelgas remains active as part of Philippine Olympic Committee’s five-member athletes’ commission.
They plan to hold an online conference to tackle their programs following the Philippine Sports Commission’s mandate to have each national sports associations submit general guidelines of their athletes’ training during quarantine.
“We are still in the process of getting the content done but hopefully by the end of the month, we are ready to announce our scheduled events,” he said.
