INTERNATIONALLY acclaimed films by Filipino directors, starting from Lino Brocka’s Insiang to Jim Libiran’s Tribu and Khavn de la Cruz’s Squatterpunk of today, have shown how the lives in the slums can capture the attention of a foreign audience, if not render them awed at the drama unfolding in their daily battle for survival.

Now, with the enthusiasm and determination of the people behind Gawad Kalinga (GK) Community Development Foundation and its supporters from the corporate world, it may not be long before the local film industry looks for another milieu to explore for drama.

One by one, the shanties are becoming two-story concrete houses with delightful colors. And just recently, a chosen GK village has been empowered to go online.

We’re talking about an Internet café of, for and by the people behind GK.

Just a few weeks ago, we witnessed the launch of iGK, or the Gawad Kalinga Internet Center, at the Poveda GK Village in Western Bicutan, Taguig City. The iGK is the first of the many to be built among GK communities all over the country, done with the support of the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co., Smart Communications and the Gawad Kalinga Community Development Foundation Inc.

“We are providing free landline connection for one year, with free six months of PLDT myDSL. All the installations and other fees are free. But on the seventh month, the iGK should be self-sustaining. In an amortized cost, the DSL will be paid by GK,” said PLDT vice president for retail marketing Tony Valdez.

He added the iGK is not owned by GK residents but by the executive committee of GK nationwide. “We want to make sure that the Internet café is self-sustaining. So this is not a dole-out. Someone from GK’s mother office will manage and check on it every month. For this pilot project, GK hired a new graduate, an awardee of the Ten Outstanding Students of the Philippines.”

At press time, PLDT is surveying the other GK communities for future iGK sites. The one in Taguig City was chosen for the pilot project because it has an external market like schools and some residential areas nearby.

For the initial iGK café, there are about six Internet-equipped PCs.

Valdez added that on a certain day every week, the PCs can be used for free by GK residents. An expert in the field will give free lectures. They will be taught how to use the PC, surf the Web, word processing, spreadsheets and presentations, Web design and the like.

For non-GK residents, they will only be charged for P10 an hour, which is iGK’s standard rental fee. Valdez pointed out, “We want to make sure that the iGK is self-sustaining. For every P10 rental, 60 percent will be used for maintenance and manpower to sustain the business and 40 percent will go to GK funds.”

The iGK is open from 7 am to 7 pm, seven days a week. Valdez also assured that iGK has a controlled environment, meaning the sites will be limited to wholesome ones. There’s a mechanism that will filter or discourage users to go to the porn sites.

GK founder and main man Tony Meloto said there are about 1,700 designed villages in 362 towns all over the country and it is hoped that by the end of 2008, that will double to 750 towns. For him, having iGK will give GK residents a vehicle to learn and get high-paying jobs.

Valdez pointed out: “We at PLDT and Smart, we always say that we’re not just connecting broadband access to homes. We’re not only facilitating Internet connections—we’re actually building a country.”

In Taguig City there are about 10 GK villages. Meloto added that Taguig will be the city of the future and in a few years, it will be free from squatters and slums.

“With the partnership of GK and the local government unit, plus the support of companies like PLDT and Smart, we hope to replicate this [iGK] in other GK villages,” said Meloto.

The iGK in Western Bicutan will serve as model for future iGK cafés. Valdez said the next iGK cafés will also be built in GK villages in Metro Manila before expanding to the provinces.

Meloto thanked the volunteers who helped in the project. “One of the program heads of our caretaker teams comes from Forbes Park. When we work together here in GK, no one knows who’s from GK or who comes from Forbes Park. We’re just one united team. Because there’s real impact, there is real transformation. Squatters are no longer squatters. The shanties are now beautiful homes. And the slums are no longer slums but a beautiful community.”

With iGK, make that a beautiful online community.

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