The Asian Institute of Management – TeaM Energy Center for Bridging Leadership is proud to announce that Future Bridging Leaders Program (FBLP) fellow Patrick Manuel’s change project “Pantawid Covid”, a youth-led initiative providing food packs to street vendors, public utility vehicle drivers, and other vulnerable groups in the NCR affected by the enhanced community quarantine, was chosen as one of the grant recipients of “Be Like Jesse Youth Grant Competition”, a nationwide competition which aims to promote the ideals of the late and former DILG Secretary Jesse M. Robredo. The project will receive seed funding from the Jesse M. Robredo Foundation and Kaya Natin! Movement for its continuous implementation.
“Pantawid Covid” was also selected as one of the winning 44 projects out of 851 applications in the nationwide screening of TAYO Awards, an award giving body which supports the outstanding contributions of youth organizations.
Patrick Manuel is a current FBLP 2020 Community Fellow. The Pantawid Covid simply started as a Facebook post to seek assistance for street vendors in Morayta, Manila as his change project for his FBLP fellowship, until the pandemic happened. As Metro Manila and nearby provinces were placed under Enhanced Community Quarantine, a lot of people lost their jobs, particularly daily wage workers from the vulnerable and disadvantaged sector.
Together with his fellow FEU alumni, Pat initiated this youth-led crowdfunding program to provide food packs to street vendors and public utility vehicle drivers who have lost their sources of incomes because of the lockdown.
After five months of its initial launch, he was able to raise more than Php 2,000,000.00 worth of donations in cash and in kind, which benefitted around 8,000 families. In addition, 1,300 medical front liners from twelve COVID-19 hospitals were provided with personal protective equipment, face masks, face shields & energy drinks.
Through the continuous support of several donors and funding institutions which include the Asian Institute of Management – TeaM Energy Center for Bridging Leadership, TeaM Energy Foundation, Inc., AFP Leadership Development Center, Unilever Philippines, Puhon: Ben & Ben FB Live event, Premium Megastructure, Inc., Limitless Lab, FEU, Tanging Yaman Foundation, The Bamboo Company, Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative, Pangarap, Sneakpeek, and Primer Group of Companies, Pantawid Covid was able to extend assistance through relief operations in Brgy. Payatas, Quezon City, Baseco Compound Tondo, Manila, Sta. Ana Manila, Morayta, Manila, San Roque, Quezon City, Pingkian, Quezon City, Cainta, Rizal. Hygiene kits were also distributed to locally stranded individuals who took shelter in Villamor Airbase Elementary School basketball court and Philippine State of College of Aeronautics. Food packs were distributed as well as to 1000 families in Barangay Addition Hills, Mandaluyong City who were recently affected by a fire incident.
Last August 31, 2020, Pat and his group organized an online thanksgiving concert following the success of this initiative.
Get to meet Patrick and fellows of Future Bridging Leaders Program 3 Online Public Recital happening this October to know more about the recent pivot of the Pantawid Covid project.
For more details and inquiries about Bridging Leadership and the next FBLP cohort, email teamenergycenter@aim.edu