Actor reaches out to less-privileged children

DOLORES, Abra -- Pupils from barangay Cardona, this town, received school bags filled with school supplies and slippers from movie star Diether Ocampo last week.

Aboard a rubber boat, Ocampo and his team dared the heavy rains brought by typhoon Gener and raging rivers in Abra in order to reach the people of Barangay Cardona where the KIDS (Kabataang Inyong Dapat Suportahan) Foundation, Inc., which he heads, intends to construct a multi-level school building.

Ocampo wanted to have a look into the actual conditions of the locality in order to be able to make the appropriate program and proposal for the school building requested by the people through Mayor Robert Victor G. Seares, Jr.

The two-storey school building will serve as evacuation center at the same time for Barangay Cardona which is always flooded during the rainy seasons as it is low-level and is surrounded by three rivers and creeks. The place is usually isolated even with just monsoon rains.

The KIDS Foundation, Inc., founded by Ocampo in 2006 with three other co-founders, has for its mission to respond to needs of the less-privileged children.

According to Teejay Deovilla, programs coordinator of KIDS Foundation, Inc., Ocampo, orphaned at 8, was inspired to put up this foundation for children as a way of sharing his blessings to the kids.

Ocampo and his team were supposed to go to Barangay Cardona on July 31, but they could not cross the Malanas River in Poblacion, Dolores which swelled and that the ordinary bamboo rafts could not cross. Instead, Ocampo spent the day with the people of Dolores and had his birthday party celebration with the children at the Dolores town plaza.

It was also an opportunity where Judith Milagros Zapata, the teacher-adviser of the Drum and Lyre Corps of Dolores Central School requested for a bass drum and trio drums while the pupils requested for a computer unit for the school. Ocampo promised to deliver the items during his next trip to Dolores.

The following day, soldiers from the 503rd Infantry Brigade of the Philippine Army led by Captain Regy Go and Captain Erwin Libnao provided security and helped staff of the local government unit in transporting the school supplies to Barangay Cardona, despite the rains.

The LGU also thanked Michelle Seares-Umali for linking with the ABS-CBN TV program “Ako ang Simula” which works in close coordination with the KIDS Foundation as sponsor of the projects being brought to Dolores. (Maritess B. Beñas)