In observance of the Holy Week, the Philippine News Agency’s online news service will be off on March 29, Good Friday, and March 30, Black Saturday. Normal operations will resume on March 31, Easter Sunday.

— The Editors

RDC 6 awards volunteer for services to inmates

By Annabel Consuelo Petinglay

November 26, 2019, 5:13 pm

<p><strong>OUTSTANDING VOLUNTEER.</strong> Henedina N. Gregorius (3rd from left) receives the Regional Outstanding Volunteer award from Regional Development Council 6 chair and Antique Gov. Rhodora J. Cadiao and National Economic Development Authority Regional Dir. Ro-Ann Bacal (4th and 5th from left, respectively) Friday (Nov. 22, 2019). Gregorius serves as a volunteer at the prison facility in Barangay Nanga, Pototan, Iloilo since 2011. (<em>PNA photo by Annabel J. Petinglay)</em></p>

OUTSTANDING VOLUNTEER. Henedina N. Gregorius (3rd from left) receives the Regional Outstanding Volunteer award from Regional Development Council 6 chair and Antique Gov. Rhodora J. Cadiao and National Economic Development Authority Regional Dir. Ro-Ann Bacal (4th and 5th from left, respectively) Friday (Nov. 22, 2019). Gregorius serves as a volunteer at the prison facility in Barangay Nanga, Pototan, Iloilo since 2011. (PNA photo by Annabel J. Petinglay)

SAN JOSE DE BUENAVISTA, Antique -- An Ilongga was named one of the three awardees of the search for outstanding volunteers (SOV) given by the Philippine National Volunteer Service Coordinating Agency, an attached agency of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA).

Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Regional Office 6 (Western Visayas) planning officer Henedina N. Gregorius received her award under the individual adult category during the Regional Development Council (RDC) 6 meeting held in San Jose de Buenavista, Antique on November 22.

Gregorius had been serving as a volunteer at the prison facility in Barangay Nanga, Pototan, Iloilo since 2011.

In an interview Monday, she expressed elation to be one of the awardees.

Through the assistance of her friends here and abroad, she was able to conduct gift-giving activities to persons deprived of liberty (PDL) at the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) in Pototan, Iloilo province.

“I asked my friends to share their blessings with the inmates or persons deprived of liberty (PDL),” she said.

Every three months, the Central Philippine University of College of Pharmacy conducts a free medical mission for the PDLs.

As a product of volunteering, three inmates of the BJMP have become evangelists. They considered them as “cream of the crop” graduates from her jail ministry.

“In fact, there are already two of the inmates who are serving here in Antique as evangelists,” she said.

She said that as part of her volunteer work is to nurture the spiritual needs of the PDLs, thus, there were three of them who upon their release went back to school to become missionaries.

Meanwhile, the other RDC-6 awardees under the individual adult category were Pablito C. Gonzales who serves as a full-time lay missionary and a champion of the indigenous people and the underprivileged in Negros Occidental and Lourdes Y. Hofileña who had been instrumental in the establishment and continued development of the Shermanhill Elementary School in the remote Purok Silica, Barangay Baviera, Sagay City, Negros Occidental.

Three non-profit organizations were awarded under the organization's non-profit category. They included the Order of Asclepius of the West Visayas State University-College of Medicine in Iloilo city, World Vision Development Foundation, Inc. and the Camp Goducate Philippines, Inc.

The SOV as centerpiece activity of the National Volunteer Month every December pursuant to Presidential Proclamation 55, s. 1998 to recognize the exemplary performance and dedication of Filipino volunteers who are instrumental in building strong communities across the country. (PNA)



Comments