Kalinga OFWs donate sports equipment

Sunday, January 15, 2012

TABUK CITY, Kalinga - The Kalinga overseas workers in Israel have not forgotten an inherent obligation to share a little to those they left home by donating sports materials for use of elementary pupils in the province.

Under the umbrella of the Association of Igorot Migrant Workers in Israel, the Kalinga chapter in 2009 decided to source out funds for their humanitarian projects and selected schools as their beneficiaries.

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Sergio Tawatao, Kalinga Chapter second president, disclosed in the past two years, 22 elementary schools in Kalinga were beneficiaries of basketball and volleyball sets. “This year, we plan to benefit two schools in every municipality and the city of Tabuk,” he said adding a badminton set will be included.

The association was organized in 2009 with only 11 members and has now 26. The project was started by its first president, Minerva Villanueva Maggongoy.

“To source out funds, we organize trips to biblical, historical and tourist places in Israel. Whatever amount left is allotted for our project plus our 20-percent share from proceeds of beauty pageant contests we participated in,” Tawatao said.

For the donations to reach its recipients, Tawatao said they contact the head of school then send cash through his/her or the school account or through cash remittances and the school will procure the sports items.

“We are considering other forms of help but we have to first look on other means of sourcing out funds,” Tawatao said. (Peter A. Balocnit)