An organization of young Filipinos is actively making a difference in the lives of children in depressed areas.

The Dynamic Teen Company (DTC) aims to uplift the lives of underprivileged children younger than themselves through education. Armed with only a pushcart full of books and other educational materials, DTC brings the classroom to children and educate in slum areas, dumpsites and even in the cemetery.

Formed in 1997 in Cavite by Efren Peñaflorida, its mission then was to keep the youth away from trouble and vices.

“Nakita namin yung pinaka-ugat ng problema na nanggagaling sa mga slum areas kung saan ginu-groom yung mga future gang members, gang leaders, so kaya nag-start kami noong 1999 na mag reach out sa mga bata sa slum area, para dun pa lang ma-guide na namin sila na di sila sumama sa mga ibang klaseng activities,” said Peñaflorida.

Born to tricycle driver Efren Sr. and housewife Lucila, Penaflorida grew up near the city’s dumpsite where he spent most of his younger years playing and swimming in the garbage beach.

Hardworking and intelligent, Penaflorida’s commitment is to improve the standard of public secondary education. For more than four years, he has been giving free tutorial classes to high school and college students.

Penaflorida exudes the qualities of an everyday hero. His life would seem ordinary, but the tasks he undertakes are extraordinary earning the respect of his peers and even parents whom he helped in the past.

There was a time when he skipped a class to convince a peer to abandon his attempt to kill himself. He also stood up against an abusive teacher and brought the complaint to the City Schools Division Superintendent to protect his classmates.

Penaflorida had his share of bad experiences while growing up near the slums. He had fallen prey to bullies and solvent kids in the area.

By the age of 16, he knew he had to do something to change all these. Together with some classmates, they started DTC.

Today, Penaflorida wants to address the growing issue of juvenile delinquents. He also wants to address moral, and the values of education of today’s youth.

Michael Advincula is a living example of the group’s positive work. The organization was able to help Advincula turn his life around for the better. Advincula used to be a thief and an Akyat Bahay gang member. Now, he is a full time volunteer and scholar of DTC.

“Nagbago po yung buhay ko dahil sa pagtutuok nila sa akin. Tinuro nila lahat ng pwede kong malaman, na dahil po doon nakita ko na kaya po pa lang tumulong at tulungan yung mga tulad ko po. Dati sa madilim na parte ng buhay, sila po nag-angat ng buhay ko,” said Advincula.

Hopeful

Meanwhile, DTC president Eman Bagual is full of hopes. Bagual grew up in a slum area and never thought that his life would finally have a purpose.

“Sabi ko siguro pati ako mayroon akong pagbabago pwedeng gawin. Kaya hinanap ko yung paraan kung paano po ako makakatulong at nakita ko yung paraan na ito sa Dynamic,” Bagual said.

Bagual is happy with the sense of fulfillment he derives from helping other children.

“Kung babalikan ko yung dati kong buhay, malayong gagawin ko ito. Pero ngayon, ang sarap po sa pakiramdan, kung dati isa akong taong pasaway sa lipunan, ngayon isa na po sa taong kahit papano po nakaktulong na ako sa kanila. Kaya yung fulfillment, yung joy pa na meron ako talagang yun po nararamdaman ko ngayon sa pag-tulong sa kanila,” he said.

Bayaning Pilipino

DTC’s good deeds were noticed. In fact, the group won the Gawad Geny Lopez Bayaning Pilipino award in 2007 for its mission of educating children through its mobile classrooms in depressed areas, cemeteries and even in dumpsites in Cavite.

A year and a half later, it’s their founder’s turn to be nominated as the first Filipino to be included in the international search, “CNN Heroes”. According to CNN’s website, CNN Heroes is a search for “people driven to exceptional achievement in service to others.”

Like Charice Pempengco and Arnel Pineda, CNN discovered DTC’s story through YouTube.

Last January, CNN, with award-winning producer Tim Shwartz visited the Philippines to do a feature on DTC and Peñaflorida.

Shwartz reportedly commented, “I knew your story was good. But now, I think it’s great.”

Peñaflorida will be featured on CNN’s Larry King Live Friday at 6 p.m. He was already interviewed by King Thursday morning via satellite with the help of ABS-CBN.

“Di ako makapaniwala na makapasok sa isang award giving-body na nagre-recognize sa mga kagaya ng mga batang nasa likod nito ngayon. Actually, ang mga totoong heroes dito ngayon itong mga teenager na walang kapaguran na tumutulong sa akin. Talagang collective effort ito sa gusto naming mangyari na maraming kaming matulungan,” he said.

According to Peñaflorida, DTC’s work is simple, and this can be done by other youth regardless of their economic background.

Through DTC, Peñaflorida hopes to inspire the youth and other organizations to be heroes by doing something good for the country. TJ Manotoc, ABS-CBN New

U-K based Pinoy nurse a hero for saving a life

Filipino nurse Ed Torres saved the life of a fellow passenger on a flight back from Mexico to Manchester in Britain.

The 30 year-old, a nurse at Stepping Hills Hospital in Stockport became an instant hero for helping save the life of Darren Smith on flight TOM 161 from Mexico, Cancun going back to Manchester.

While the plane was travelling 30,000 feet high, Smith suffered cardiac arrest, and with the help of the flight crew, Torres and Sharon Slater, a former nurse from Cumbria, attended to Smith to keep him alive.

“My first reaction, I was scared. Kasi first time nangyari sa akin yun,” Torres said. Ed and Slater used an aircraft defibrillator to “restart” Smith’s heart. They stayed with him until the plane landed in Azores.

Torres went back to work at the Stepping Hills Hospital in Stockport after the incident. However, he kept wondering if Smith survived. He had no idea that Smith was recovering in the same hospital.

He and Smith were given the chance to personally meet. During their reunion, BBC News reported that Smith thanked him for giving him another shot at life.

“I have been in the UK since 2002 as a nurse then just got a new job here at Stepping Hill Hospital,” Torres said.

Responding to the incident may have been an everyday routine for Torres, his family back home, meanwhile, praised his good deed and is very proud him.

“Nabigla kami nang mabalitaan namin. Di namin akalain. Natutuwa kami,” said his sister Jocelyn from Novaliches, Caloocan.

According to Jocelyn, their parents are not yet aware of Torres’s heroic action as reported by the international media.

“Hindi pa alam ng mga magulang namin kasi nasa probinsiya sila,” said Jocelyn. Their parents live in Camiling, Tarlac province.

“Proud kami na ganun kalakas loob niya. Mabait po siya at mapagbigay,” said Jocelyn when asked to described her brother. “Niloloko nga namin na hero ka na ngayon.”

For his part, Torres had this to say: “I am so happy because I made my family, my friends, and the Philippines proud.”

The kindness of ‘Mang Mel’

By Anna Valmero

Meliton Zamora or “Mang Mel” has been the university’s janitor for four decades. But after he retired, he was informed that he would only get about 90 centavos as retirement pay for 171 days.

He also revealed that he has been guarantor for several UP student loans.

UP students apply for loans at the Student Loan Board of the University to pay tuition fees. But to get that, they would need a UP employee as guarantor. The guarantor pays for the loans if the students fail to do so.

Filipino blogger Garcia was among the students who benefited from Mang Mel’s kindness. Last December, Garcia visited Mang Mel’s house near UP Diliman and was surprised to find the sad plight of the retired janitor.

Garcia learned that some students were not able to pay their loans, which Mang Mel was guarantor. Thus those debts were deducted from his retirement pay.

Garcia eventually called on other students who failed to pay their loan to help Mang Mel. This call later turned into a concert, where proceeds were given to Mang Mel.

“Hindi naman ako nagsisi na tumulong ako noon, basta sa akin ang mahalaga makatulong ako sa mga estudyante [I do not regret that I've helped students by being guarantor. What's important is that I've helped them],” said Mang Mel with glimmer of hope in his eyes. credits, a bulk of also affected his retirement pay.

But the story doesn’t end there. Mang Mel said there are discrepancies in the computation of his leave.

        I want to die in this unique way,im with my only love and reminiscin our sweet and good memories when suddenly a thunder storm strikes me.

       I chose that way because i want to die with my love one when we were reminiscing aour memories and and thunderstorm strikes me beacause i dont want to hurt many times, no many person will be sacrifice because im ill and I will going to die and also i want god kill me not others atleast is natural and a surprise.

XEROX MACHINE- they always copy the answers of their seatmates even though it is wrong or correct. You will see their necks are stretching to copy for an answer.

HEADTURNERS- they are the most beautiful men and women in the campus. When God shower beauty the mother catch it all.

YOUNG SECURITY GUARDS- they are always on the gate to come-out although it is not the right time to go away in the school.

ATHLETICS-who always play Sipa and Chinese garter on the whole period. They want to join the Olympics.

PARLORIST-when you saw their bags you can see only one notebook and full of makeup, they want to build a parlor.

SCHOLARS- their teachers said they are scholars, because they are lazy, always absent in the class and make their teachers mad at them.

ALIENS-these are the people whom you see in the bleachers and on the oval, in short they are EMO.

PDA-they are sweet everyday, and the ants want to bite them.

ASTONISHING-they are the people who always make a war inside the school; all of the people come to them and see what they are doing.

GIANTS -they are the people who bring an award to our school in academics. They always hold their books anywhere they go and they are quite type of people.