World Vision former sponsored child leads outreach activity in Aeta community in Zambales
Last March 6, 2021, a team from the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) led by Commodore Armand Balilo joined by actor and Lieutenant Commander Gerald Anderson of the PCG Auxiliary, recently conducted an outreach activity in Zambales, reaching out to about 300 families living in an Aeta community also known as the Lupang Pangako Resettlement Area in Barangay San Agustin.
Lupang Pangako used to be a massive project assisted by child-focused agency World Vision through its relief, child sponsorship and community-based programs in the aftermath of the devastating Mt. Pinatubo eruption in 1991 which displaced over 20,000 Aeta highlanders in the Central Luzon province.
“Even though it has been three decades since the volcano erupted, its impact to those permanently displaced remains until today. But what is good is that blessings continue to pour,” shared Cmdre Balilo, also the spokesperson for PCG.
Cmdre Balilo also said that many institutions like PCG Public Affairs, PCG Logistics Systems Command, PCG Station Subic, and World Vision Development Foundation Inc., and supportive individuals such as Lt. Cmdr Anderson who generously spent his birthday for the activity and contributed to the initiative.
The visited Aeta families who have been challenged by the current Covid-19 pandemic, received basic food and non-food commodities such as rice, canned goods, and hygiene supplies among others. The visited Aeta community was also prayed over by World Vision team which also distributed Christian literatures including Bibles and other faith-based materials for spiritual nurture.
A heart for the most vulnerable children
Balilo, a former sponsored child of World Vision, shared that children especially the most vulnerable have a soft spot in his heart.
“I remember years back when I learned that a family was willing to support me as a child. It was a gift that made a lot of difference both for myself and for my whole family,” said Cmdre Balilo.
“Now that I am able to pay it forward, I make sure that others can also experience the joy of serving children in whatever way they can,” he added.
World Vision National Director Rommel V. Fuerte said the organization is proud of what former sponsored children like Cmdre Balilo have done to give back and help many other children.
“It is amazing how God uses each of us to become instruments in transforming lives of children,” Fuerte shared.
World Vision, for almost 65 years, has been promoting child sponsorship and implementing community-based programs to promote sustainability, empower communities, and help improve lives of children and families for the better.
In 2020, World Vision has directly served over 254,000 children in 31 Area Programs (APs) in the Philippines through various interventions and advocacies promoting education, health and nutrition, WASH, child protection, emergency response, disaster resilience, and livelihood development.
