MANILA — Efren is tall for his age. At 8 years old, he towers over his classmates at a local elementary school, a 20-minute walk away from his house in Payatas.
His dream, of course, is to play for the NBA. So he practices at the court, a no more than a narrow road with a discarded basketball hoop nailed to plywood and mounted on a wooden pole, across his house.
He plays until his only pair of slippers, which cost his mother PHP20, snaps. He plays until his mother hits him in frustration with one of those same slippers because it will take another month or two before she can afford to buy Efren another pair. He plays until he’s barefoot, jumping to score some hoops, hoping, dreaming and believing that he will be an NBA player.
Two streets away from Efren’s house, Tatay Leo prepares for another day of walking. About 6 hours and 18 minutes of walking. He knows every minute of that walk. He’s counted it with every step.
He endures walking from his house to the two construction sites he’s working at by counting the seconds until his destination. Everyday, the soles of his slippers thin out as the bottoms of his feet thicken with calluses.
On June 23, at the Ynares Center, Antipolo City, Efren and Tatay Leo will be two of the recipients of a new pair of shoes from a collaborative initiative of some of the biggest companies in the country.
In an unprecedented show of solidarity, Puregold Price Club, Inc., San Miguel Co., Cherry Mobile, Robinsons Land Corporation, Family Mart, Robinsons Malls, Megawide Construction Co., Phoenix Petroleum Philippines, Inc., 2GO Group of Companies, World Balance, and several other interested groups and private individuals have teamed up to launch “Sapatos ni SAP, Tsinelas ka Swap”.
Drawing inspiration from the practice of Special Assistant to the President (SAP) Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go of giving his own shoes to victims of fire and other calamities, the advocacy will reach out to indigents across the nation to give them not just shoes, but a new spring in their steps.
“Simpleng bagay lang ang pagbibigay ng sapatos, pero sa pamamagitan nito, gusto nating makatulong sa pag-angat sa pagkatao ng bawat Pilipino (Giving shoes is a simple thing. But through this, we can help lift every Filipino),” Go said.
The Ynares Center is expected to be filled with about 7,000 people from all walks of life, who will be treated to dance and musical performances, and comedic acts preceding the official launch.
There will also be a “3-pointer ng Bayan” competition as part of the administration’s public information drive against drugs, corruption, and criminality.
The highlight of the event will be the distribution of shoes to the initial 100 indigent students by the representatives of the private companies.
Apart from Antipolo City Mayor Casimiro “Jun” Ynares III and other local government officials, Secretary Bong Go is also expected to grace the event. (PR)
