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Troop on!

• Habitat for Humanity
  

  TC-1330 and TB-1870

• Gawad Kalinga
• Virlanie Foundation
• Haribon Foundation

The Philippine Outpost made a donation to the Virlanie Foundation last year, and has been looking forward to an opportunity to interact with the children they work with.

“Since 1992, the Virlanie Foundation has been empowering and extending developmental services to Filipino children, allowing them to become self-reliant, productive and independent citizens through its 12 different homes and 13 programs. Apart from food, shelter and clothing, Virlanie provides children with opportunities to study, finds ways to re-unite them with their families (if the children have any and if the families are capable of caring for the children), and gives children psychological support and counseling, and assistance with their legal cases. To date, Virlanie has helped 13,500 children become self-sufficient and responsible adults.”

Two members of the Philippine Outpost, Commanding Officer Oneal Rosero TC-1330, and Charity Liaison Regina Layug-Rosero TB-1870 participated in the 3-kilometer run and finished with a time of 42 minutes–including pausing every now and then for photo ops with the cheerful runners!

The runners who selected Virlanie Foundation as their beneficiary raised a total of Php 80,000, which will be used for a new Aime Home for special children, and Elizabeth Home for Abused Girls.

For more information about Virlanie Foundation, visit their website at http://www.virlanie.org/

Photos have been posted on Facebook.

WHAT IS THE 501st LEGION? The 501st Legion (“Vader’s Fist”) is a fan-based organization for people who own and proudly wear the costumes of the Stormtroopers (and other Imperial characters) from the Star Wars movies. We participate in all sorts of activities, including but not limited to attending volunteer charity and fundraising events and ‘trooping’ at conventions. SO NOW THAT YOU KNOW, DO YOU REALLY WANT TO JOIN?

If you own a high quality costume of a Star Wars villain, just follow the steps below. There are no fees and the only requirements pertain to age and costume quality. The 501st is a just for fun, non-profit group of fans honoring the characters from George Lucas’ wonderful imagination. For further information regarding our club mission, please read Article 1 of the Club charter.

STEP ONE : Do you qualify for membership? * Do you own a professional quality Star Wars costume representing a documented villainous character from the Star Wars films or Expanded Universe? To find out what constitutes a qualified costume, use the “contact us” link to send a message to the local officers. They will be glad to provide all applicants with lots of information.

Note: Rebel costumers should join the Rebel Legion, our sister organization. * Are you at least 18 years old? For further information regarding our club membership qualifications, please read Article 2 of the Legion Charter. NOTE: Star Wars costumes that are commercially available may not be acceptable for membership! It is recommended that you contact the local officers or the Legion Membership Officer before purchasing a retail costume.

STEP TWO : Fill out the 501st Legion Application Form to apply for membership. All information submitted will be kept confidential and will be used only for 501st Legion registration purposes, except information you designate as “public” which will be posted on your member profile page. Click here to see the Legion Founder Albin Johnson’s record for an example of private versus public information. Note: Newly approved applicants will have their name, Legion ID number and enlistment date displayed on the 501st.com home page under “Newest Recruits” for a limited amount of time. You will need to select a Legion ID number (a 4 digit number which is not already in use). The 2-letter prefix will vary depending on your costume. For example, TK-#### would be a Stormtrooper and TB-#### would be a Biker Scout. Check the database or our full roster listing of current IDs in use for available numbers before selecting your top 5 choices. For further information regarding our club costume prefix designations, please consult the Costume Reference Library.

STEP THREE : Prepare your photographs. Upon submission of your application, the 501st Legion Membership Team will be made aware of your request to join. Your local Garrison Membership Liaison will contact you to verify your qualifications and will most likely ask for pictures of you in your costume for validation. See the 501st Legion Garrison Listings to identify your local GML. Submit pictures of yourself ALONE against a PLAIN BACKGROUND (no convention photos, please). We will need photos with your helmet on and off (if applicable). Please make sure to include a full-length view of your costume from the front, back, and both sides. Also be sure to take your photos with adequate lighting to help us inspect the details. This picture will not only serve as your verification of costume for the membership officer, but will also be edited and placed within a frame graphic for display on 501st.com. For further information regarding the organization of the 501st, please read Article 3 of the Legion Charter.

STEP FOUR : Wait for communication from the local Membership Officer and / or Commanding officer. They will endorse your application to the 501st Legion Membership Officer, Thomas Spanos.  If your application is approved, you will receive confirmation via e-mail. You will get your Legion ID assigned and your record marked as “ACTIVE” in the 501st Legion member database. If you are not validated for membership, your local GML will work with you and provide recommendations and resources that can assist you in improving your costume to meet Legion requirements.

STEP FIVE : Start TROOPING! Contact your fellow Garrison members to find out about local events so you can get out there and help bring order to the galaxy!

Written by Big Brother Big Sister

It was a hot day in October, a stark contrast to the stormy weather that was the cause of  this gathering.  Children sat Indian-style beneath canvas shelters temporarily shielding them from the heat of the sun.  When emcee Aryxz Centra warned the kids to behave, lest the spaceship carrying Stormtroopers from Star Wars will not land, they all strained their eyes to peek through the tarpaulin canvasses, hoping for a glimpse of the said spaceship.

As an urgent response to children in need, Big Brother Big Sister (BBBS) joined forces with the Philippine Outpost of the 501st Legion for a special project dubbed BBBS-Ondoy.  This project is geared towards the students of Eastern Star Academy (ESA) in San Mateo, Rizal, who lost their school belongings in the flood caused by typhoon Ondoy (international codename:  “Ketsana”).

To start off, a group of students danced to the tune of “Nobody But You”, where volunteers Eds, Tina, She, Jepay and Al gamely participated.  While some students were playing parlor games, other students went around and bashfully approached the volunteers with thank you cards which they made themselves.  It was a poignant moment when students recited poems they wrote about how they felt when Typhoon Ondoy hit them.  A boy from grade 2 sadly recalled that he had to perch on the roof for days in order to stay alive.  It was a sea of young faces, expressing grief over the loss of loved ones, dismay over the destruction of their homes, and shock over a traumatic experience.

Because of the generosity of sponsors who willingly shared their blessings, the project was able to reach its goal of providing notebooks and writing pads for the students in all levels, from Nursery to High School.  Exceeding the target, Philippine 501st Legion and BBBS handed over a check of Thirty Thousand Philippine Pesos (P30,000) to Principal Pia Roxas for the textbook funds of the students.

Much to the amusement of the children, the Philippine 501st Legion representatives, Regina Layug and Oneal Rosero, appeared in their Stormtrooper costumes.  Enduring the heat, they eagerly posed for photos with everyone, not just the students but the teachers and volunteers as well.

To cap the event, Julie’s Bakeshop gave away packs of assorted bread products to the students, teachers and volunteers, while snacks and drinks courtesy of the 501stLegion were also distributed.

Special thanks to the volunteers who shared their time to help repack and distribute the supplies to the children.  The teachers of ESA were all in unison saying this is a BIG HELP to them.  The short time the volunteers spent for the kids was time well-spent. They brought to the kids a string of hope – that things will get better and that there’s a way out and a way up.

Principal Pia said, “I don’t know you but it was God who led you to us.  I don’t want to cry now, but the teachers and parents are still crying since the storm.  The only thing we can repay you with is our prayers.”  It was their prayers that brought BBBS and 501st Legion to ESA, and it was also their prayers that sent off the volunteers when they bade goodbye.  If prayers led us to these children, then prayers can indeed lead us to move more mountains and to reach more children.

More photos on the Big Brother big Sister Multiply site:

By rejjventress – Posted on 20 October 2009

On Saturday, October 17, troopers from the Philippine Outpost and volunteers from Big Brother Big Sister traveled from all corners of Metro Manila to San Mateo, Rizal, to distribute school supplies to the students of the Eastern Star Academy. Each student got notebooks and notepads, and pencils, and snacks! TB-1870 and TC-1330 made an appearance to cheer up the flood victims as well.

Pictures on Multiply:

Join the forum discussion on this post

It’s been over a week since our clean-up operations at Provident Village. My back is still sunburned, and the skin is starting to peel! But let me start at the beginning.

Paul and I were able to lead a team of volunteers to attempt cleanup on Friday, 2 October. It was quite the learning experience, and though I felt rather down about it, Paul was convinced that it had been a good day for assessing the damage and figuring out what to do.

Unfortunately, Typhoon Pepeng (international name Parma) came over, so we couldn’t go out on Saturday. We stayed home, made sure we had enough supplies of our own in case of any emergency, and kept watch at home in case strong winds brought the rain water in.

But all reports indicated that Pepeng was headed North, and Metro Manila would be clear by Sunday, so we decided we could push through. I got in touch with all volunteers and announced what we needed for Sunday. Nick, Kitty, Ron, Aissa and Ryan all enthusiastically indicated their intent to join me, Oneal and Paul during the cleanup.

We got up bright and early the next day. It was still cloudy, but not raining. We loaded all our equipment  into the Pajero. Niki, Kitty and Ron all came to Yale to hitch with us. Ryan and Aissa were scheduled to meet us at Provident Village. The volunteers from the super awesome Taytay Montanara Riders Club were going straight to Provident as well.

The rendezvous was scheduled at 9:00 AM. By 8 or so the members of TMRC were already there. We got to Provident before 9. Fortunately there wasn’t too much traffic. On the way, Ron, Niki and Kitty all marveled at the damage the floods had wrought: the mud, the debris, the garbage, the abandoned buildings.

When we arrived, we met up with TMRC, and Bernie introduced me to his friends. We agreed that the bikers would follow us to the house, where they could park their bikes and we could park our things, and we would work on Columbia St. Paul stayed at the gate of Provident Village to wait for Ryan and Aissa, and lead them to the house.

The bikers followed behind Oneal’s Pajero, and everyone saw the damage that had been done to the village. While the 51st Engineering Brigade of the Philippine Army had cleared St. Mary of most of the mud, there was still so much garbage, old furniture, and years’ worth of personal belongings lying in the street. The volunteers all saw the damage ‘Ondoy’ had left.

Many people were still trying to clean their houses, throwing things away, buying supplies. Homes were falling apart: wooden walls and ceilings were warped and frayed, glass had been broken, cars had been slammed against walls and gates. In the side streets, mud was still deep: anywhere from a few inches to almost a whole foot deep. When you stepped on the ground, it seemed as though the mud would suck you in.

Once we got to the house, we oriented everyone about the plan: shovel mud into the sacks, and clear the drains so the water could flow through. We also wanted to clear the road of large pieces of debris and garbage, to make it passable. We armed ourselves with shovels, tongs, plastic buckets and basins, rubber boots, face masks and rubber gloves. If we had a bigger budget we’d probably have gone for hazmat suits.

The bikers proceeded to shovel the mud. They split into smaller teams of 4 or 5, and either shoveled the mud into the sacks, or used the buckets to throw mud from the street into an empty lot.

The empty lot beside my uncles’ house was being used as a dumping ground for garbage, debris and mud. The bikers created a barrier at the lot’s edge to keep the debris and mud from spilling out onto the street again.

Ron, Paul and Ryan worked with the bikers, while Niki, Kitty and I cleared the road of garbage, especially items that would block or clog sewage. Aissa was everywhere: picking up garbage, throwing mud into the pit, taking pictures. Oneal was directing everyone, lending a hand where it was needed, advising people what to do.

At 11, Oneal and Aissa sent her driver out of the village to buy food. It was a good thing they decided to send him out early, because traffic on Marcos Highway was unpredictable, and it took the poor man over two hours to get back with 38 Jollibee burger meals. The smell of all that food in the car must have been such a torment!

We gave out biscuits and cookies for snacks, so everyone took a break for a short while. Ever prepared, the bikers all brought their own camel-back hydration packs, strapped to their backs with straws out front. Almost all of them also brought their own boots and shovels or trowels, and they were really ready to just show up and work. We were all tired and sweaty, and the snack helped tide us over till the food arrived.

Since the driver didn’t get back till about 1:30, most of us were working on the street through noon, so I guess that explains my sunburn. Ron repeatedly said, “You’re turning as red as your shirt!” I thought he was joking.

Who would have expected the sun to come out?? Typhoon Pepeng (international name Parma) was still in town, and it was cloudy and even drizzling, then the sun came out! But it would still occasionally hide behind the clouds, or disappear completely.

Finally lunch arrived. Jollibee never tasted so good. Fortunately there were some extra burgers, so some people were able to have seconds. It was all we needed to continue working.

After lunch, we went on with renewed energy, shoveling, clearing garbage, arranging the sacks. Paul took on the task of clearing the drains, using a trowel and sometimes even his own gloved hands to remove the thick mud blocking the way. He, Ryan, Ron and Nick took turns shoveling the mud around the drain, then they would raise the grate—not an easy task at all! The mud had begun to solidify, and was so thick that water could not get through anymore. It looked and felt more like clay than mud, it was so heavy. But Paul persisted, with either Ryan or Ron holding up the grate, and someone else crating away the mud Paul removed. Eventually Paul would be able to clear the thick mud away, enough for the water to flow from the street into the sewers, as it was meant to. In this way, Paul successfully cleared two drains, and got the other volunteers to work on two other drains.

We also set up a relay. Ron would shovel mud in my direction, and I would pick it up in a bucket. I would pass it on to someone, who would lift it up to Ryan and Aissa on the barrier, who dumped the mud into the empty lot. Paul and Nick took turns. It was hell on the back, and the arms too! It was a pretty good workout.

By 3pm, about half of Columbia St looked more like a residential street and less like a disaster zone. When you took a step, your feet actually touched the pavement, and not mud! The street saw flowing muddy water instead of immovable mud. You could even see the sidewalk, where hours earlier we saw only mud and garbage. In the morning, the mud almost reached the tops of our boots. But now, the mud was mostly water, and barely an inch deep. It was such a good feeling to see what a day’s work could do.

We had run out of sacks too, and switched to biodegradable garbage bags. We were just doing what we could to move the mud into the empty lot. Eventually, the garbage bags and our energy ran out, and there wasn’t much left to do. We called it a day, and congratulated each other on a job well-done.

It took a while for everyone to clean up, what with about 30 volunteers taking turns at the water hoses. We had to clean mud off our arms, our faces, our boots, and we had to make sure not to get mud on our clean clothes! We also had to clean the shovels and buckets, and make sure we didn’t leave any of our things lying in the street. It was such a relief to walk up and down Columbia, and to step on the actual street, and not sink in the mud.

Aissa’s car had a flat tire; they probably drove over a nail or something else. The same thing happened to Oneal’s car when we first went to Columbia. They had to drive the car into the garage so the driver could change the tire.

As the bikers packed up, they said a prayer to guide them safely home. One by one they drove out of the gate, and I couldn’t help but shed a few tears of joy for these wonderful people who just wanted to do a good deed. After they left, we were able to do our own cleanup: changing into clean, dry, mud-free clothes; carefully removing our dirty boots; putting away our garbage; packing all our supplies. Tito Luis was able to hitch a ride out of the village with us. Ryan and Aissa left, tired but still cheerful, and enthusiastically looking forward to hot showers.

Kitty had left earlier to meet up with JP, who was showing a Korean news crew around Provident. So Oneal and I were left with Nick, Paul and Ron, and we left Tito Alex’s nephew at the house. We dropped off Tito Luis at the Katipunan LRT station so he could go to work, and we proceeded to Yale.

I couldn’t shower right away, because I waited for Elmer Perez of Sta. Maria, Bulacan, to arrive, so I could give him donations of much-needed clothes, food and medicine. Fortunately he was able to get a cab from Gateway, because we must have given him about 7 bags of relief goods. He was so happy. I promised to solicit more donations for Sta. Maria.

It was only then, after Elmer left, that I felt the sunburn. My skin was warm, and my cross-back top had left rather pronounced tan lines on my back! It was with some discomfort that I showered, washing the mud from my hair and making sure to scrub everywhere.

I don’t even remember what time Nick and Ron left, but I know we were all very tired, and very happy to have been able to help.

Thank you to all the volunteers, and all the donors. We couldn’t have done it without you.

Photos by Aissa Ereñeta on Flickr

via Pinoy501st Relief Operations: Clean Up Report, Day 2 | Pinoy 501st.

Thanks to your help, donations to the Philippine Outpost’s relief efforts have reached Php 100,000! That’s US$ 2,147!

With these cash donations, and donations of clothes, food and medicine, we have been able to help so many people:

TD-8108 Jerome Ang, his wife Nikki, and their son Kimi

The Martin and Cabason families of Provident Village, Marikina (one of the worst-hit villages in Marikina)

the town of Sta. Maria, Bulacan

Thank you to everyone who spread the word, sent money, donated goods, and wished us luck.

If you’d like to see how much we collected, and how we spent the money to help those in need, check out our spreadsheet on Google Docs.

Now, our mission has evolved. We heard about Eastern Star Academy in San Mateo, Rizal, another area badly hit by the flood. The students lost all their books, notebooks, even their school bags. They’re sharing textbooks right now, but you can’t share a notebook.

The Philippine Outpost has teamed up with Big Brother Big Sister to provide school supplies for the 365 students of Eastern Star Academy. For only Php 120 (US$ 2.60), you can provide one child with notebooks and notepads!

To provide school supplies for 365 kids, we needed to raise Php 45,000 (US$ 962). The Outpost had Php 9,000 to begin with, from prior donations. Miraculously, one kind soul donated the remaining Php 36,000 that we needed!

Thanks to additional donations, we now have over Php 45,000. We can now afford to buy the 365 school supplies sets, and provide a small snack for the students and their teachers, and our volunteers too, and maybe even help the school buy textbooks.

The Outpost and BBBS intend to visit the Eastern Star Academy to distribute the school supplies on October 17. TC-1330 and TB-1870 will troop to entertain the kids and the volunteers, and hopefully help them forget for a little while about their tragedy that occurred over a week ago.

Again, thanks to everyone, and may the Force be with us all.

via Pinoy501st Relief Operations: Update on relief ops and our new mission | Pinoy 501st.

Thanks to an anonymous donation, in one day we were able to reach our target of Php45,000 (US$962)! Thank you so much to everyone who sent money, spread the word and offered to help!

Now that we have the funds, we can plan for the distribution of the school supplies. This will be on Saturday, October 17. Please stay tuned for further details, like assembly time, rendezvous point, etc.

TC-1330 and TB-1870 will be in costume, to bring some amusement to the kids in addition to the school supplies.

But the job isn’t done. You can still help! Here’s how:

Volunteer! We will need some help repacking the school supplies into smaller packs that are easy to distribute.

Distribute! Join us on October 17 and help us distribute the school supplies to the students.

Donate! Even though we’ve reached the target of Php 45,000 (US$962), additional donations can help us feed the volunteers, or maybe even help neighboring schools!

So if you want to get in touch, send money or volunteer, you still can! Read this for more information.

via Distribution of school supplies to Eastern Star Academy | Pinoy 501st.

365 students from the Eastern Star Academy of San Mateo, Rizal, lost everything in the flood. Typhoon Ondoy took their books, their bags, their notebooks.

How can they go back to school with nothing?

It only takes Php120 or US$2.60 to sponsor one child’s school supplies.

We need to raise Php45,000 or US$962 to help all 365 children.

Will you help us help them? helpbbbs (at) gmail (dot) com

Donations from outside the Philippines can be made through PayPal: onealtr (at) yahoo (dot) com

Donations from within the Philippines can be made through bank deposit:

Bank of the Philippine Islands

Account Name: Regina Teresita Magdalena M. Layug

Account Type: Peso Checking

Account Number: 0120-0765-23

Branch: Cubao Aurora

Banco de Oro

Account Name: Regina Teresita Magdalena M. Layug

Account Type: Peso Savings

Account Number: 440209455

Branch: SM Mega A

A joint project of the Philippine Outpost with Big Brother Big Sister

via Send the children of Eastern Star Academy back to school! | Pinoy 501st.