I am always amazed with Ms. Gina Lopez. We all hear her name on the TV although not often.
Sam Echavez of People's Asia Magazine wrote that ere is nothing more inspiring and humbling than sitting before a woman who is responsible for more than 20,000 children rescued from physical and sexual abuse, the conservation of La Mesa Dam and the popularity of educational TV programs that have revolutionized the Filipino way of learning. Meeting Regina Paz "Gina" Lopez, ABS-CBN Foundation's managing director, is like finally finding out that philanthropy comes with a beautiful face, a happy disposition and a muse-like smile.
"I love the country. I think the people here are special and I am in a privileged position to help them. That's what's keeping me busy," Gina says matter-of-factly. It is not about obligating herself to reach out but naturally responding to the country's critical needs, especially when they are about children, education, poverty and the environment. Although the ABS-CBN Foundation has long been known as a giant money generator for calamity victims, it was Gina who spawned magnanimous changes and touched so many lives.
She went to Newton College of the Sacred Heart to take Liberal Arts but she didn't finish the course. She joined a religious organization and stayed in Africa for 20 years, where she experienced the hard-hitting and impoverished life first-hand. "I wouldn't have been exposed to that, if say, I stayed in Forbes Park all my life," she points out, underlining the fact that this made her extra-sensitive to the concerns of the poor.
But even as a student at the Assumption Convent, Gina was already into philanthropic deeds, which earned the full support of her parents. "They were very loving. There was a strong feeling of family. They virtually just let us be. I never felt either parent breathing down my neck." The late Eugenio Lopez Jr. sure didn't. From him, Gina learned the value of integrity and the importance of vision. "I'm proud of my father," she says. "Being his daughter is an absolute plus."
And so Gina made the most out of her surname, her father's legacy and available resources to initiate the following life-changing projects: E-media, Bantay Bata 163, Bantay Kalikasan and Bayan Foundation.
Long before the recent proliferation of fantasy-themed television programs, there was Hirayamanawari, a television program that used fairies and other supernatural beings and situations to educate children about values and good conduct. It was Gina's brainchild, together with Sineskwela, Math-inik, Epol Apol and Bayani that made up E-media. Over the years, these programs have garnered numerous accolades from prestigious award-giving bodies, including the Asian TV Awards, the New York Festival and Prix Jeunesse International.
Gina solicited enough money to equip public schools with television sets and urged the Department of Education to oblige the teachers to allot a special time for program viewing. The programs disseminated information through creative and innovative means that benefited more than 14 million students.
"The Children's Village is my greatest achievement for Bantay Bata." She once said to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, "Just watch me. I will transform this into a paradise for children." And what a paradise it is. The Children's Village in Norzagaray, Bulacan has become more than a shelter and rehabilitation area for 140 children. It now stands as a model for excellence in childcare and concretizes all of Gina's dreams for the Filipino youth.
The La Mesa Resort and Ecological Park, on the other hand, is Gina's pride for Bantay Kalikasan. Located within the La Mesa Dam watershed, this is now a major environmental hub perfect for picnicking, fishing or simply gorging on nature's splendor.
Up next on Gina's agenda are the development of mangroves, mainstreaming non-traditional forms of wellness and the eradication of malnutrition in the Bicol area. "We can do it!" she exclaims. Her statement is punctuated with the conviction that made everything possible, including the instituting of the Bayan Foundation this year.
"Financials are always a key challenge. Oh, to dream is easy but the money to implement..." she relates regarding the foundation's initial setbacks. However, it doesn't stop her from suddenly getting excited as she lets PEOPLE Asia in on her plans to raise $30 million to target the 20 depressed areas in the country. "The need drives it," she simply answers when asked about how she comes up with her reforming ideas. For her, as long as the issues are relevant, everyone will follow suit and care the same way that she does. "Getting the right people was a major challenge," she adds.
She's quick to credit all 600 of them. "It is important for me to say that there is no way I could have done this without my people. The people in the ABS-CBN Foundation are of exceptional caliber and I have much love for them. Without them going the extra mile, without them just being the kind of people they are, my dreams will remain just that - dreams. Actually their dreams and visions are now interspersed into what the Foundation is now."
Gina addresses the issue of apathy with a positive outlook. "It's a consciousness thing. There are different levels of being and one continues to evolve. The people who are apathetic will not be that way forever. Life is a constant state of evolution. The universe will always see to it that everyone grows." Such a declaration leads to the topic of how she advocates inner growth. "I truly feel that inner growth should be a key component of development. I don't mean in the religious sense: of going to mass, confession, etc. But feeling God within, integrating a space of reflection, silence in one's daily life. This has direct bearing on anything one does outside."
It shows as she lovingly mothers her two kids, Benjamin and Roberto, and as she skips the social jungle for meditations with the help of her mentor. Most of all, this commitment to inner growth is instrumental to the societal empowerment, environmental reforms and all her other charitable endeavors.
"I get a kick out of helping people," she beams. It is her passion, a mission fervently executed. But one can easily surmise that this big-hearted lady is not only helping people. She is changing the world.
I AM ALWAYS AMAZED WITH THIS KIND OF PEOPLE.
