Gordon supports call for Filipino volunteerism

Independent Senator Richard J. Gordon today expressed strong support to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's call for Filipino volunteerism, especially in this time of a worldwide economic crisis.

Gordon, also chairman of the Philippine National Red Cross, the country's largest and oldest humanitarian volunteer organization, ardently supported the President's call as he sought the passage of Senate Bill 144, also known as the Volunteer Act.

"I am pleased that no less than the President has called on our fellow Filipinos to rise up to the challenges our nation is facing today through the act of volunteerism," he said.

"The willingness to work for a cause and not just for compensation brings out the best in the Filipino, which must be encouraged and replicated, if the nation is to rise above its present slump," he added.

Gordon seconded Arroyo's call as the PNRC celebrates today its 62nd anniversary with a string of activities that include the distribution of 42 new ambulances and fire trucks, among others.

He also supported the President's order to create a National Service Corps that will enlist the services of the unemployed and underemployed skilled youth or college graduates who will be trained for community service with a modest stipend.

The program, patterned after the US Peace Corps, will be done in partnership with the Sangguniang Kabataan. Youth volunteers will undergo a two-year training on volunteer service focused on their contributions to education and community service programs.

Gordon, who led more than 8,000 volunteers in 1992 to establish the Subic Bay Freeport, said that the program would instill among the Filipino youth the spirit of volunteerism.

In fact, the senator authored SB 144, which encourages volunteerism by providing volunteers the protection from liability and allowing the grant of incentives.

The measure seeks to protect volunteers that they may not be held liable for an act or omission within their scope of duties on behalf of the organization, unless the act or omission of the volunteer constitutes fraud, gross negligence, or crime.

The bill also allows the grant of incentives to volunteers in the form of insurance for injury, sickness, disability, or death of the volunteer during his or her incumbency in a non-profit organization or government entity.

"The spirit of volunteerism reflects the ability of our people to put the interest of the community before their own, and the foresight and maturity to appreciate the value of short-term sacrifice for long-term gain," Gordon said.

"The positive experience of the people of Olongapo City regarding the conversion of the former Subic Naval Base into a self-sustaining industrial, commercial, financial and investment, tourism and recreation center is a sterling example of the feat that volunteerism can achieve," he added.

Gordon stressed that his proposal reflects the protection and importance that volunteers deserve for performing a service crucial to the development of the nation.