PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Palawan --Vice President Leni Robredo’s stories of hope traveling photo gallery gave the spotlight here Friday morning to 23 personal tales of courage and optimism of Palaweños.
Labeled “Istorya ng Pag-asa” or INP (Stories of Hope), the itinerant photo exhibit was unveiled by Robredo herself on the Upper Ground Floor of SM City Puerto Princesa.
It features the narratives of Palaweños whose previous struggles in life became source of inspiration for them to succeed in various fields.
“Hope is really a very powerful thing. This is what we can use to fight the darkness that seems to shroud many of us today. This started because we realized too many are angry today, too many are incensed, so we said why don’t we change the negative with stories that are positive,” Robredo said.
Among the stories of hope featured were the stories of Lawyer Grizelda Mayo-Anda, the founder and executive director of the Environmental Legal Assistance Center (ELAC); Bobby Castro of the Palawan Pawnshop and money remittance center; Cuyunon folk songwriter Fe Tria Fernandez; the Brooke’s Point Public Elementary and Secondary Teachers Multi-Purpose Cooperative; pineapple farmer Virginia Dureza; local artist Jonathan Benitez; restaurateur Eric Yayen, owner of Ka Inato; nurse Rochelle Viray, and the late Palawan governor Salvador Socrates, among others.
“While I was reading their stories, it’s like crying and laughing – a mixture of happiness and sadness. But in the end, you will smile because all of them succeeded. All of them went through hardships, but all of them also succeeded,” the Vice President said.
ELAC’s Anda is included in the list of INP champions due to her more than 25 years of experience in defending the environment and assisting the indigenous peoples (IPs), not only in Palawan but in the whole country.
Palawan Pawnshop’s Castro is also highlighted because of his commitment and generosity as a successful businessman to provide scholarships to deserving students in the province.
“At his young age, Bobby already knows how to handle business, so he started a small one with the help of his family. But when he decided not to depend on them anymore, he started his own and he didn’t expect it will turn out to be one of the biggest chains of pawnshops today,” she said.
Posthumous recognition was also given to Socrates, the former governor of Palawan, who died in a plane crash in 2000 in Cagayancillo.
His humble beginnings as the longest-serving governor of Palawan for 21 years, according to Robredo, were in total contrast to the years he had worked as a janitor to earn a college degree.
All 23 Palaweños received plaques of recognition from Vice President Robredo, which she said, are the attestation of their triumphs against poverty, and their unselfish dedication to serving other people in the communities despite hardships. (PNA)
