GK will always be apolitical, says Southern Leyte GK head

Maasin City (10 December) -- Since this work for the poor started here in this city and province in 2002 it has seen the elections of 2004 and 2007, and a third will be next year's, but through it all the Gawad Kalinga (GK) has been neutral in terms of partisan political color.

Dr. Jerome Paler, the provincial CFC-GK Coordinator for Southern Leyte province, made this point clear today during the weekly DYSL Kapihan sa PIA at the PIA office here where he was the guest, interacting with some members of the local media.

He, however, admitted that in its massive community undertaking for nation building, GK has partnered, among others, with all political leaders and politicians who are more than willing to help, since GK's goals and objectives virtually jibe well with these leaders' vision of providing roofs over heads among their many constituents, in particular the poorest ones.

Paler disclosed that as of now there are 35 GK villages all throughout Southern Leyte involving a thousand plus families -- and still counting, since GK has sustained its momentum and still remains as a labor of love in progress.

This year the latest addition to this list are four new GK communities, one each in Maasin, Malitbog, Saint Bernard, and Anahawan.

Over the years, the GK concept has evolved not just on building shelter but on other aspects of decent living, wherein the Kapitbahayan, or the organization of GK homeowners, were already into food productivity and livelihood schemes, Paler said.

In fact, the latest tie-up of GK and the City local government unit of Maasin has been centered on Bayan Anihan, or the agricultural production program, among many other thrusts, and this will be seen into practice on Sunday, December 13, with the City-led GK Build at Josefina II Village in barangay Combado, Paler added.

Young students from various private and public schools in the city will also join this Build, and will share whatever their expertise to the residents of the Josefina II GK Village, aside from building houses.

GK also has a close tie-up with the Southern Leyte State University (SLSU) in Sogod, where a Bayan Anihan training has been scheduled to be held December 11 and 12.

People living in GK communities already knew who readily extended them help to uplift their situation, and so GK as an institution will not intervene on this matter, Paler also said. (By BONG PEDALINO, PIA-Southern Leyte)

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