Monday, September 17, 2007

RSC endorses qualifiers for Nat’l Search for Outstanding Volunteer

Cebu, Philippines (17 September)—The Regional Screening Committee (RSC) of the Philippine National Volunteer Service Coordinating Agency (PNVSCA) endorses today two qualifiers; Enrique Felisario from the individual category and Albert Schweitzer Familienwork Foundation Phils., Inc (ASFFPI), group category to the national level for the Search for Outstanding Volunteer (SOV) this year.

The Search for Outstanding Volunteer (SOV) is an annual search for individuals and groups that have provided voluntary service in the Philippines. It aims to highlight and recognize the exemplary performance and dedication to service of Filipino volunteers in building strong communities across the country through volunteerism.

The RSC and its validating team went on site validation, interviewed the nominees and rated them based on the PNVSCA-SOV guidelines and criteria that include qualities for 25 pts; performance 40 pts and impact of volunteer assistance, 35pts.

Nominees were pre-screened at the regional levels to shortlist a maximum of 3 nominees for the national level based on documents submitted and selection criteria.

The Regional Screening Committee shall then select one regional qualifier each for individual (Youth and adult) and group categories and these are submitted to the national screening committee. Each regional qualifier must have a rating of at least 85% to qualify for the national award.

Qualifiers’ profiles

Enrique “Erick” Felisario qualifier for the individual youth category is currently a volunteer worker for more than six (6) years now at the Youth Zone, a project of the Cebu Remedios Aids Foundation, Inc. that is situated at the Collonade mall in Colon, Cebu City.

Instead of playing, the young Erick has been a volunteer since he was 12 years old helping in any community activity thus, volunteerism comes naturally for him. He used all his free class hours daily and even weekends to assist in the various activities and advocacies of the Youth Zone that are focusing on youth programs on reproductive health, HIV/AIDS/STI, Gender Sensitivity and Sexuality.

As a volunteer, he has served in the depressed barangays of Cebu City and in schools through capacitating and empowering the youth, specifically the Out-of-School Youth (OSY) via training, briefing, seminars and IEC activities on reproductive health and family/population management; HIV/AIDS and STI as well as responsible parenthood.

Through his active volunteerism, he has received 8 awards and recognitions one of which is the 2006 Outstanding Cebuano Youth Leader for various activities in line with his services and assistance to the OSY and students in Cebu City, working closely with government agencies, other NGOs and private sectors.

Albert Schweitzer Familienwerk Foundation Phils., Inc. (ASFFPI) for the group category on the other hand is a local chapter of Albert Schweitzer-Germany that focuses on helping children that are abandoned by providing shelter and other basic needs for survival, protection, development and participation.

It office is located at 710 Trinity Plaza, Escario St., Cebu City while its training center and half-way home for children are situated Cordova town.

The organization’s hopes to create a world that is free from violence, abuse and exploitation by building strong families with solid spiritual values and beliefs; to provide for a package of social interventions and other services to children, women, families, elderly and the differently-able persons.

The organization has consistently assisted abandoned children by providing the shelter at its Children’s Haven at Cordova; send them to school and assist in the adoption proceedings of children who have no families.

It has also devised module program advocacies on the rights of women, children, youth, PWDs and the elderly; training on family strengthening, child rearing and abuse prevention; prepared a training module on the cycle of criminality, domestic violence prevention, problem solving and decision-making and anger management.

Recently, ASFFPI has trained an inter-agency team network throughout the country on the cycle of domestic violence; counseling to victims of violence as well as the perpetrators of domestic violence.

The Regional Screening Committee in Cebu is composed if the regional directors of NEDA-7, PIA-7, CSC-7 and 2 private sector representatives (one from UPCollege-Cebu and one from the Mag-uugmad Foundation).

It can be recalled that the Search for Outstanding Volunteers that is open to all individuals of Filipino citizenship and Filipino volunteer organizations or local chapters of organizations of foreign volunteer organizations that are currently providing volunteer assistance in the country.

The national volunteer award is a recognition conferred on outstanding volunteer individuals and organizations that are chosen from among the regional qualifiers.

The regional qualifiers shall receive certificates of recognition while national awardees shall receive trophies and recipients of the Volunteer Lifetime Achievement Award shall receive medals and certificates of recognition. Awarding of winners will be done sometime in December 2007. (PIA-Cebu/MBCN)

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