News Features
In the city, Reburiano said Tayo regularly gets around 20 to 25 entries every year out of the 250 entries it gets.
Two youth organizations in the city have so far gained recognition from said event: Kaakbay (Kapansanan Akibat sa Kaunlaran ng Bayan) and the Watershed Youth Management Council.
"The TAYO Awards was very instrumental in shaping what KAAKBAY it is today. It opened new doors and opportunities for us and this recognition and appreciation for what we have been doing through the years inspire us to continue providing rehabilitation services for the differently-abled."
- Mike Velilla, KAAKBAY Executive Director
Mr. Velilla together with TAYO winners being interviewed by Ms. Pinky Webb at ABS-CBN News Channel (ANC).
A mission to heal
Youth group gives out free physical therapy sessions to Davao's needy
It all started with a sudden surge of volunteerism.
Michael Velilla, a licensed physical therapist from Davao Doctors College in the year 2000 thought of a way to give back to his community. With willing friends from Ateneo Davao High School and fellow physical therapy graduates, he formed a group with the help of the San Lorenzo Ruiz Foundation. Their objective was to make physical therapy available for the needy.
With a small garage space located in the parish church, Velilla and his group started the Kapansanan ay Akibat sa Kaunlaran ng Bayan (Kaakbay). For months the volunteers had to make do with a cramped space, limited manpower, and inadequate equipment. But the much-needed help soon came.
Other licensed physical therapists began volunteering, followed by interns from Cagayan Capitol College and the Davao Doctors' College. Soon after, the Embassy of New Zealand donated the rehabilitation center with basic physical therapy equipment. Kaakbay has drawn so much support from concerned groups that it is now affiliated with Bantay Bata 163 Davao, where the volunteers also extend services to wards with mobility problems.
In two years, Kaakbay has already conducted 2,500 free sessions. From the church garage, it is now stationed in the parish's old office and is given free water and electricity.
But needs kept coming. Their new workstation is still too small for the youth group's dream of putting up a real center, where supplies are complete and coordination with other groups may be held.
Aside from their free physical therapy sessions, Kaakbay also holds school symposia and gives scoliosis screenings to detect early signs of the said condition among children. The 16 licensed physical therapists and five interns of Kaakbay are also part of the working committee of Kamp Pag-Asa, a 10-day summer camp for children with disabilities in Mindanao.
Despite the difficulties, Kaakbay's efforts were not left unnoticed. In a ceremony held recently in Malacañang Palace, the group was named as one of Ten Accomplished Youth Organizations (TAYO) for its community leadership and public service vision.
A project of the Philippine Jaycees and Sen. Francis Pangilinan, the TAYO Awards were established to recognize, reward, and acknowledge contributions made by groups of young Filipinos for society progress.
Aside from a trophy, Kaakbay was awarded with a cash prize enough to carry out its goals. "We can finally find a permanent place for our center," Velilla said.
After the awards, Kaakbay is back to work–off to helping people with disabilities in Davao City.
Philippine Star
What future leaders are doing today
GOTCHA by Jarius Bondoc
Publish Date: [Wednesday, April 30, 2003]
Why would cyclists be cleaning up seashores, or newly-hired bank tellers be teaching composting? Why would jobless physical therapists be offering free clinics, or engineering students be tutoring math and English? Because they’re young, that’s why. Because they’re idealistic and energetic. Most of all, because they’re preparing a future that they soon will inherit.
But when judges in the recent search for Ten Accomplished Youth Organizations (TAYO) asked them why they’re into such noble activities, the finalists didn’t perorate on lofty dreams. "Wala lang" was the usual unassuming reply, to which they’d laugh at themselves. "Wala kaming magawa kung tag-ulan," giggled Earl Sison of the Hundred Islands Cycling Club. "We couldn’t bike, so we thought of mobilizing other youths in west Pangasinan to plant mangrove trees and sweep the coasts and caves." Yet they’ve been at it for three years, spending time and own money to keep the islands and hiking trails clean and ready for the annual influx of tourists.
Ariel Salamanes of Cagayan de Oro, too, chuckled that he and fellow-employees at the Bank of PI weren’t much for drinking or bowling after work. To have something to do, they formed the Save Mother Earth Club and lectured public school pupils on trash segregation and recycling. They took them on a "basura tour" of the city dump, then taught them how to fashion handbags out of discarded juice packs. The kids in turn taught their parents the craft. Pretty soon it became a major livelihood in three lower-class barangays that also learned how to compost kitchen leavings. The club is now in demand for similar lectures in nearby towns.
Eight other groups of 15- to 30-year-olds showed what tomorrow’s leaders are doing today. Aside from the Pangasinan and Cagayan de Oro clubs, three other awardees are into environment work. It’s but natural; the youth instinctively wouldn’t want to inherit a barren wasteland. They won’t say it in those terms, though; they just need something to do – for the good of all, in their own big-little way.
My Zoo Volunteer Group was formed in Makati in 2000 to teach tots about sharing the planet with other creatures. Members brought their pet turtles, snakes, birds and small mammals to schools in Metro Manila and Southern Luzon for lectures on conservation. The impact on children was such that they started organizing their own pet shows and photo exhibits on Philippine wildlife.
San Mateo, Rizal’s SAVE ME (Students’ Action Vital to Environment and Mother Earth) also focused on school tots, whom it led in tree-planting and community cleanups. The difference: the children were from the big city, brought to the countryside for eye-opening interactions with rural youths. The sure-fire ice-breakers were book donations.
Muntinlupa’s Peacemaker Club is a tough act to follow. Members noticed that garbage trucks refused to enter the slums of the city. Garbage was piling up right beside shanties. So they went from one blighted purok to another, teaching the poor folk composting and recycling. Eventually they transformed the slums into sanitation-conscious and environment-friendly zones. The Rotaract of Muntinlupa tied up with them to replicate the success stories in other communities.
Three of the ten TAYO awardees in the search held by the National Youth Commission, the Philippine Jaycees and the Office of Sen. Francis Pangilinan focused on community health.
Davao City’s Kaakbay (Kapansanan Akibat sa Kaunlaran ng Bayan gives free treatment to indigents who suffer stroke. Composed of physical therapists and PT undergrads, Kaakbay borrowed a room at the parish church which it converted into a clinic two years ago. Members have since given 2,500 free sessions. Michael Velilla said some of them used to dream of a thriving practice abroad, but later realized their calling is to serve at home. Many of them don’t have steady jobs. But their work has so inspired city colleges to affiliate their PT students with the club.
The Rodeo Club at Benguet State University in La Trinidad started with lectures on rabies and free shots for dogs whose owners can’t afford it. As word spread of its work, donations flowed in. It raised enough funds to give away cattle to poor Igorot communities. The cattle multiplied, so the club found itself holding rodeos for deworming, dehorning, branding and training in animal handling.
The Kabataang Gabay sa Positibong Pamumuhay took on a big job in Iloilo City: teaching HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention. It targetted youths under 18 who spend most of their time in the streets: corner-store gangs, tricycle drivers, out-of-school children. Using the peer approach in which fellow-youths talk to the audience, it was able to wean young sex workers from the flesh trade. It also provided counselling and referred youths to the proper government agencies for help.
Two awardees are into education. The University of the Philippines-Industrial Engineering Club noted the hefty fees charged by review classes for high school grads who are to take college entrance axams. It launched its own science, math and English review courses – for free – in 16 Quezon City public schools. Plus mock exams, tips, counselling on degree options, and information on scholarship opportunities. All the participants in last year’s Saturday classes passed their entrance tests; a third went to U.P.
The Ateneo Debate Society is probably running out of college teams to beat. But then, members are so fired up with the idea of critical thinking that they decided to train students in a dozen Metro Manila high schools the art of debating. They sponsor inter-school competitions to instill issue-awareness and analytical argumentation.
Too bad the TAYO awards were limited to only ten clubs, which won P50,000 each from Mirant Philippines. Ten others that made it to the finals were equally inspiring. Perhaps, they’ll get it next year.
Mirant, incidentally, operates in Sual, Pangasinan, one of the cleanest coal-fired electricity generating plants in Asia. It, too, is involved in community education and sanitation. But that’s another story altogether.
KAPANSANAN AY AKIBAT SA KAUNLARAN NG BAYAN (KAAKBAY)
Davao City
WALKING THE PATH OF TRUE SERVICE
It was in 2000 when Michael Velilla, while undergoing his Master’s Degree in Community Health, decided to give back to the community.
A licensed physical therapist from Davao Doctor’s College, Michael Velilla together with fellow physical therapy graduates, linked with the San Lorenzo Ruiz Foundation and got the approval of the parish priest to set up the Kapansanan ay Akibat sa Kaunlaran ng Bayan (KAAKBAY) and house it in the church’s garage.
WHEN PASSION MEETS NEED
“In a study made by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in 1997, only 2 –3% of the country’s population has access to the service of a rehabilitation team,” Michael shares. “With the high cost of health care services, particularly that of physical therapy KAAKBAY Rehabilitation Center was born, to address this scenario, albeit only at the community level.”
After a short time, other licensed Physical Therapists volunteered their services, followed by interns from Cagayan Capitol College and the Davao Doctor’s College.
“Being physical therapists in the in the first place, we have this undying passion for our profession,” Michael admits. “Despite the low demand for our profession abroad, we still want to broaden our clinical skills and, at the same time, promote the value of physical therapy in a society where it is only beginning to evolve.”
With the mission of giving the disable in their community access to physical therapy services, Michael Velilla has given to his community an organization that is proving to be of real valuable service to the people.
THE GROWTH OF A PUBLIC SERVICE ORGANIZATION
“The formation of the KAAKBAY Rehabilitation Center is both an evolution and a revolution,” Michael recounts.
“Before this volunteer organization was incorporated, most of the members were into private practice and were managing their own clinics. Having evolved from various stages, the present KAAKBAY Rehabilitation Center is actually a product of both inspiration and perspiration.
“Our primary vision is to provide marginalized sectors access to our services. As such, we are trying to revolutionize face of physical therapy in the Philippine.”
Other groups have caught on to this vision as well, and have begun supporting KAAKBAY’s efforts. These include KAAKBAY’s former mother-NGO, the San Lorenzo Ruiz Socio-Economic Development (SALORSED) Foundation; the New Zealand Embassy; as well as various physical therapy and caregiver schools.”
“When the KAAKBAY Rehabilitation Center was conceptualized, the group shared the same vision, mission and goals. Having the same ideals, every members contributed to the building of the institutions. Client-wise, the people in the depressed communities began to realize the important role that physical therapists play in the rehabilitation of people with physical disabilities. Through information dissemination, our patients started pouring in, and since then, more than 3,000 physical therapy treatment services and related medical services have been extended.”
To meet the growing demand of their evolving clientele, KAAKBAY has enlisted the help of 16 licensed Physical Therapy volunteers and five interns, helping indigent persons with disabilities in Davao City.
BUILDING LARGER DREAMS FOR GREATER SERVICE
KAAKBAY is grateful for having been awarded during the TAYO search. For one, the cash award given by the National Youth Commission and the Office of Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan will help the organization find a permanent place to stay – as the parish’s old office (and KAAKBAY’s current home base) is needed for other church activities.
Michael says, “We’d like to put up a permanent center, complete with the supplies we need. And also, to carry out our programs – including livelihood and vocational programs – in different communities”.
Isn’t it part of their dream to earn steady and healthy incomes, as their colleagues have been doing?
“While most of our colleagues are now earning incomes from their non-physical therapy work, what holds us back is our commitment to make a difference in the lives of others through practicing our profession. Although fat bank accounts and stock shares are things that we can never talk about at this moment in our lives, we have always believed that there is a time for everything, and that what matters to us is the joy that “the now” gives”.
“There are times when we just sit back and think of the life that we could have had outside if we were not in KAAKBAY. But every time these moments come, the memories and faces of people whom we have had the chance of serving makes us smile and say to ourselves, ‘Tomorrow will be another fine day’”.
“After being awarded as one of the TAYO, we will still continue with our cause of providing equal access to physical rehabilitation for the poor. With the recent recognition given us, we are inspired to excel in our profession. At the same time, we inspire our other colleagues to make a difference in the lives of others”.
Passion, determination and commitment are evident when Michael Velilla speaks. He and his friends founded KAAKBAY when they could not find employment, but still wanted to pursue their vocation. Now, three years later, the flames of service burn even more brightly in them, even when the prospects of financial security are slim.
He concludes with this quote: “When there is service, there is hope. And when there is hope, there is love, and such love shall walk the miles for us as we continue to be of service to humanity – not only is it the best work for life, but above all, it is life itself.”
Tuesday, December 31, 2002
Volunteerism during hard times
ONE of biggest questions in life is probably what is one's purpose here on earth, the role one plays in the great scheme of life.
Each one is called to play a specific part in the struggle to make this world a better place. This may have been the reason that prompted seven young physical therapists to form a charitable institution that aims to provide physical therapy services to the marginalized sector of the community.
Albeit young and impressionable, these young professionals recognized the need to give back to the community what it had given them. They conceived the idea of providing equal access to physical therapy services through the spirit of volunteerism.
Armed with skills, determination and compassion, they proceeded in creating an organization that would render physical therapy services closer to the masses afflicted with human diseases having them impaired, handicapped or disabled. Thus, KAAKBAY or Kapansanan ay Akibat sa Kaunlaran ng Bayan was formed in September of 2000.
KAAKBAY started as the health arm of the San Lorenzo Ruiz Socio-Economic Development Foundation (SALORSEDFI) before it was registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission as a non-stock, non-profit, social development organization based in San Lorenzo Ruiz Parish Compound, Talomo District in Davao City.
KAAKBAY was initially composed of these seven young physical therapists, a physiatrist and other health professionals who volunteered their services to the physically challenged individuals who cannot afford the services of a rehabilitation team.
The group started rendering physical therapy services at the garage of the San Lorenzo Parish as its makeshift clinic. They also held an information campaign by going around the different communities distributing pamphlets and educating the people about different disabilities that could be treated by physical therapy.
The treatment area was later transferred to the old dilapidated church to accommodate the increasing number of patients until finally moving to a modest building lent by the San Lorenzo Parish while the organization cannot yet afford a place of its own.
Through the initiative of its members, the organization was able to secure a grant from the New Zealand Embassy for the purchase of basic physical therapy modalities to better equip the center, and just recently, a Multicab to transport the physical therapists to the different communities of Talomo.
Soon after, donations from different individuals and institutions have made the KAAKBAY Physical Therapy Center at par with their local counterparts.
Recognizing its significant contribution to the marginalized populace in need of its services, Kaakbay was endorsed by Davao Archbishop Msgr. Fernando Capalla. And to further expand its potential in helping the differently-abled, linkages with other organizations was formed. KAAKBAY now has ties with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Maharlika Charity Foundation Inc., ABS-CBN Foundation-Bantay Bata 163, Alexian Brothers, Autism Society of Davao and Davao City Council Welfare for the Disabled Persons. Recently Kaakbay was accepted as member organization of the premier volunteerism portal of the Philippines -- ivolunteer.ph
Last September 12, KAAKBAY celebrated its second year of existence since it first saw light from the nurturing hearts and minds of the seven original members, some of whom have already moved on to other paths in search of greener pastures, but never abandoning the dreams and ideals of the group by keeping it alive with their continuous flow of support.
The torch once held by the founding members is now being passed on to a new batch of therapists who responded to the call of service to humanity and selfless dedication. Today, KAAKBAY volunteers have more than doubled and are also eager to make a difference in the society.
