Efren Peñaflorida: CNN Hero of the Year

CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute
Hosted by Anderson Cooper. Kodak Theater, Hollywood, California.

2009 TOP 10 HEROES:
(Source: http://edition.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/11/16/cnnheroes.tribute.show/index.html)

1. Brad Blauser
Brad Blauser is providing hope and mobility to disabled children and their families in Iraq. Since 2005, his Wheelchairs for Iraqi Kids program has distributed nearly 650 free pediatric wheelchairs to children in need.

2. Roy Foster
Army veteran Roy Foster started Stand Down House to help veterans struggling with addiction and homelessness in Florida. Since 2000, his program has provided life-changing services to nearly 900 veterans.

3. Doc Hendley
Bartender Doc Hendley is providing clean water to communities worldwide. Through creative fundraising, his nonprofit Wine to Water has brought sustainable water systems to 25,000 people in five countries.

4. Andrea Ivory
Breast cancer survivor Andrea Ivory is bringing early detection to the doorsteps of uninsured women. With mobile mammography vans, her group has provided more than 500 free screenings in Miami, Florida.

5. Betty Makoni
Zimbabwe native Betty Makoni founded the Girl Child Network to provide a haven for young victims of sexual abuse. The organization has rescued more than 35,000 girls since 2001.

6. Jorge Munoz
School bus driver Jorge Munoz is helping hungry New Yorkers make it through tough times. Since 2004, he has handed out more than 70,000 meals from his mobile soup kitchen in Queens -- for free.

7. Efren Peñaflorida
Efren Peñaflorida gives Filipino youth an alternative to gang membership through education. His Dynamic Teen Company's 10,000 members have taught basic reading and writing to 1,500 kids living in the slums.

8. Budi Soehardi
Budi Soehardi founded a children's home in one of the poorest areas of Indonesia. Today, Roslin Orphanage in West Timor provides food, shelter and education to more than 45 children.

9. Derrick Tabb
Derrick Tabb started The Roots of Music to give young people an alternative to New Orleans' streets. His music education program provides free tutoring, instruments and music instruction to more than 100 students.

10. Jordan Thomas
Jordan Thomas, 20, of Chattanooga, Tennessee, lost both of his legs in a boating accident in 2005. Since then, his Jordan Thomas Foundation has raised more than $400,000 to provide prosthetics for children in need.

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When Efren Peñaflorida came home to the Philippines, the whole nation was in jubilation. Two success stories in a row have captured Filipinos but also international onlookers. Should not the Filipino be proud? There's Manny Pacman Pacquiao the here comes Efren Peñaflorida! Both heroes in their own right!

Riding on the tide of a chanting population, President Gloria Arroyo awarded Efren the Order of Sikatuna. With wide smiles, many appreciated the gesture of the President to reward Efren's heroism. Thereafter, Efren also received a hero's welcome in his home province, Cavite.

Noteworthy. Inspiring. Heroic. These are but some of the adjectives we can draw to characterize Efren's feat as a "push-cart" teacher. I, for one, am hands down towards Kuya Ef's benevolence and kindheartedness. May the good Lord bless him a thousand fold; may Jesus enlarge his coast; may the merciful Heaven have mercy on his dear soul. Sana may mga umusbong pang katulad ni Kuya Efren.

However, this Filipino achievement brings out many issues that this blogger thinks need immediate action. Think of me as postmodernist if you want, perhaps a skeptic even, but I am convinced that beneath the surface of all these, lie a plethora of dilemmas that drag the Filipino consciousness down to unthinkable levels...

SHOULD GLORIA ARROYO BE HAPPY OR SHOULD SHE BE APOLOGETIC?

IS THE "CNN HERO" AWARD A RECOGNITION OF UNPARALLELLED FEAT OR IT IS A CONDEMNATION FOR THE POOR STATE OF PHILIPPINE EDUCATION?

IS EFREN PEÑAFLORIDA THE HERO OF THE COUNTRY OR IS HE THE HERO ONLY FOR THE KIDS HE AND HIS CO-VOLUNTEERS TEACH?

OBSERVATIONS:
1. Foreigners recognize Filipino achievements first; the Philippine government just echoes by also awarding merits thereafter. (Magaling talagang gumaya ang mga Pinoy, ganun ba yun?)

2. Palaging huli sa action ang gobyerno at nangunguna ang private sector. Tigilan na ang mga salita. Lumakad at gumawa para ang mga tao'y maniwala!