“Don’t be afraid to spread your wings!” said a petite, fair-skinned outstanding volunteer, Aljie M. Mercader, from Kadingilan, Bukidnon.

She shared that being a volunteer opened her eyes to a lot of possibilities, including spreading one’s wings and being confident.

“Importante mag volunteer kai isip usa ka (It is important to volunteer because, as a) volunteer, you can explore every day,” she said.

Through volunteering, Aljie realized that even though she was not able to finish her studies, she was able to express herself with the help of the government and that a simple person like her also adds value to the community.

“I love my barangay,” she said as to the reason why she volunteered. She saw that her barangay was the lowest ranked in all of Kadingilan town, the lowest in terms of how people see the barangay.

“Didto ko nakigbisog nga isip usa ka volunteer, dili lang gyud di mi ingon nga magpakahilom, nga kailangan gyud mi maningkamot nga mo voice out sa among tingog, makuha namo among tumong og tinguha [It was there that I pushed that, as a volunteer, it is not enough that we stay silent; we have to put effort into voicing our sentiments so that we achieve our goals and objectives],” she said.

Aljie is this year’s outstanding volunteer during the Regional Community Volunteers' Congress and Bayani Ka! Awards hosted by the Department of Social Welfare and Development through the KALAHI-CIDSS program.

“Emotional gyud ko ani pagkahibalo nko, emosyonal ko ani nga award kai naka ana ko, nga hala, mao na di ni akong naabot? Wala ko nag-expect [I was emotional when I learned this. I am emotional about this award because I thought to myself, What is this that I have already achieved? I did not expect],” she said.

Aljie only has the utmost gratitude to KALAHI-CIDSS.

“Tungod sa KALAHI-CIDSS na educate ko, na nurture akong knowledge. Na haw-as mi sa kalisod, dili lang ako kundili among komunidad [Because of Kalahi-CIDSS, I am educated, and my knowledge is nurtured. We are freed from poverty—not only me but our community],” she said. One thing she got from KALAHI-CIDSS was empowerment.

Before, she said her barangay was not united and did not care, but now she sees that even without KALAHI-CIDSS, they can stand on their own because they are now empowered through the projects provided to them. (JMOR/PIA-10)