“Ipagpapatuloy ko pa rin ang suporta ko sa adbokasiya ng KALAHI-CIDSS para naman maipakita ko sa susunod na henerasyon na kaya nating magsama-sama para sa kinabukasan nila. (I’ll just continue to support the advocacy of the KALAHI-CIDSS to show the next generation that we can be united to give them a bright future).” -Renato Carolino from Barangay Villa Boado, Talugtug, Nueva Ecija in his speech during the cycle 2 Criteria Setting Workshop held in Talugtug, Nueva Ecija.
“Ipagpapatuloy ko pa rin ang suporta ko sa adbokasiya ng KALAHI-CIDSS para naman maipakita ko sa susunod na henerasyon na kaya nating magsama-sama para sa kinabukasan nila. (I’ll just continue to support the advocacy of the KALAHI-CIDSS to show the next generation that we can be united to give them a bright future).” -Renato Carolino from Barangay Villa Boado, Talugtug, Nueva Ecija in his speech during the cycle 2 Criteria Setting Workshop held in Talugtug, Nueva Ecija.

Unlike other community volunteers who were accompanied by their colleagues during their presentation of ideal barangay, Renato Carolino from Barangay Villa Boado, Talugtug, Nueva Ecija went on stage with his son Piolo. At a tender age of 14, Piolo innocently held his father’s manila paper as his father started his speech.

Listeners can surely feel the conviction in every word of Renato’s speech. It was scorching 2 o’clock in the afternoon at Umali Gym and one would expect the audience to be heavy-eyed or distracted. However, this was not the case when Renato took over the stage. With his public-speaking skills, some may even think of him as an experienced politician, but he is not. He is a community volunteer of the Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan – Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (KALAHI-CIDSS) who is willingly giving his time and effort for a sole purpose – to give his child, Piolo, a better future.
“Para saan ba ang lahat ng ginagawa nating ito? Simple lang naman—para sa ating mga anak at sa susunod na henerasyon. Para hindi nila maranasan ang paghihirap na dinadanas natin (What is the reason of all these? It’s simple—for our children and the next generation. These are to prevent them from going through all the hardships that we have experienced),” Renato, 48, said in his speech.
In an interview, Renato said that being a community volunteer of the KALAHI-CIDSS is no joke. “Noong una, ayaw ng asawa ko. Wala rin akong oras kaya kung minsan, tumatakas lang ako sa trabaho (At first, my wife does not approve of this. I also don’t have a lot time that’s why sometimes; I have to escape from work).”
Renato has been an active community volunteer since 2014. Despite some of his fellow volunteers leaving when their sub-project was not prioritized in the first cycle, Renato still held his unwavering perseverance and continued his quest to give his child the comfort he never had.
Piolo, along with all the students from their barangay, walks for an hour to get to school every day. This is why his father proposed an access road as their sub-project. Sadly, their sub-project was not prioritized in the first cycle of project selection.
However, with a kind heart, Renato understood why their sub-project wasn’t chosen. “Alam naman naming na mas kailangan ng ibang barangay yung proposed [project] nila (We understand that some barangays have a more urgent need to accomplish their proposed sub-projects),” Renato said.

“Ipagpapatuloy ko pa rin ang suporta ko sa adbokasiya ng KALAHI-CIDSS. Para naman maipakita ko sa susunod na henerasyon na kaya nating magsama-sama para sa kinabukasan nila. (I’ll just continue to support the advocacy of the KALAHI-CIDSS to show the next generation that we can be united to give them a bright future).” ### (MA. DENNIELLE M. LOMBOY)

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