Efren Peñaflorida
In the Philippines, teenage membership in urban gangs has surged to an estimated 130,000 in the past 10 years.” Children are pressured to join a gang as early as 9 years old. Efren Peñaflorida was one of those children.
Efren Peñaflorida was born into a poor family and grew up next to a city dump site in the slums of the Philippines. Gang activity was rampant in the streets, and Peñaflorida was often afraid to walk the streets. He remembers being pressured by a gang leader, and refusing to join. The confrontation gave him a new outlook and he realized that he could help divert other children like him from joining gangs and instead help them become productive members of their community.Education is the right of every Filipino citizen as stated in the Bill of Rights of the 1987 Philippine Constitution. According to Article XIV, Section 1 of the said Philippine Bill of Rights, the State shall protect and promote the right of all citizens, to quality education at all levels, and shall take appropriate steps to make such education available to all. With this law, it follows the premise that whatever race or social standing you belong to, the right to educate yourself will always be a part of your basic right as a Filipino citizen, no matter how costly or affordable it might be. “This could be the motivating factor behind Efren Peñaforida’s quest to impart the advantages of acquiring quality education even to the poorest of the poor.
This article will inspire you on how a simple and noble educator had changed and touched the lives of millions of Filipinos through his selfless endeavor, to provide the essential rudiments of education to the less fortunate. With this Godly mission of his Efren Peñaflorida was cited by CNN as “Hero of the Year” in 2009. With this remarkable achievement by a Filipino educator, he has indeed proven that education is not a luxury; but, a privilege for every Filipino. Let us take a closer look at his colorful and well-lived life, and how he came up with this brilliant idea to bring education closer to the hearts of indigent Filipino youths, through the creative and unique methodology of “pushcart classes”.