Pag-asa Island in the West Philippine Sea is 277 kilometers west of the Palawan mainland and is part of the municipality of Kalayaan. It can only be reached by boat or small plane which lands on a small airstrip of the island.

Some 80 families live in Pag-asa which has 107 soldiers securing them and 10 teachers attending to some 83 students.

On 20 April, Metrobank Foundation Inc. (MBFI) and One Meralco Foundation (OMF) reached out to the 222 residents of Pag-asa bringing medicines and solar power panels.

MBFI volunteers and members of the Police Officers Responsible for Organizing, Transforming and Empowering Communities (PROTECT) conducted the outreach to celebrate the anniversary of the foundation’s Guro, Pulis, Sundalo na may Galing, Puso at Sigasig (GPS2) program.

“In a continuing celebration of its 45th anniversary with ‘A Heart that Serves’ theme, MBFI brought the GPS2 program to Pag-asa Island to bridge hope and assistance to the island residents facing difficulties with access to basic needs and services,” PROTECT president P/Maj. Gen. Edgar Alan O. Okubo, told the Daily Tribune.

To help address the healthcare needs of the remote residents, free medical and dental consultations were conducted in partnership with Donate Philippines.

Infants were administered with free vaccines and residents were provided with essential medicines, vitamins and eyeglasses.

Learning kits containing pencils, papers, notebooks, plastic envelopes, folders, rulers, protractors, crayons and clay sets were provided to the students.

The teachers received pens, markers, highlighters, expanding envelopes and reams of papers.

All island residents were also given slippers and food packs while military and uniformed personnel received solar torches, solar flashlights, and toiletry kits to aid in their night patrols around the island. 

OMF distributed 156 portable solar lamps to families, teachers, Philippine Coast Guard personnel, policemen, Armed Forces of the Philippines personnel, and local government unit officials which they can use at home, in patrolling the island and during emergencies.

To identify the relevant training programs and other assistance needed by the schools, members of the Network of Outstanding Teachers and Educators (NOTED) held consultation sessions with the teachers. And to engage the children on the island, they conducted gamified reading sessions and fun activities. 

The Rotary Club of Makati Metro, represented by its president, Lt.Gen. Raul del Rosario PAF (ret), who is also a former president of The Organization of Philippine Soldiers with Outstanding Leadership, Dedication, Integrity, Excellence and Responsibility to Society (TOPSOLDIERS), provided gifts to the students participating in the games.

“The GPS2 program is a realization of our vision for the Metrobank Foundation Outstanding Filipinos. Beyond prestige and recognition, our goal is to engage and empower our exemplary public servants to inspire and impact more communities towards nation-building. We are very delighted to work with our excellent teachers, soldiers, and police officers for this program,” said MBFI executive vice president Philip Dy.

NOTED president Dr. Ernelea P. Cao as well as TOPSOLDIERS president and Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff Gen. Romeo S. Brawner Jr. were present during the outreach. 

Donate Philippines, the PNP Academy Alumni Association Inc. through Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission Undersecretary and 2007 Metrobank Foundation Outstanding Filipino awardee, PMGEN Gilbert Cruz (ret.), also donated foods and other items to residents.

GPS2 is also supported by the Philippine National Police.