For fifteen years, iVolunteer Philippines continues to work on their dream of having every Filipino be involved in volunteerism. Every December, iVolunteer holds DestiNasyon, an avenue for Filipinos to find their advocacy. It is also an event celebrating International Volunteer Day, a special day that recognizes the contributions of volunteers.

This year, DestiNasyon, co-presented with PHINMA, De La Salle University, PHINMA-DLSU Center for Business and Society, and Mapua Malayan Colleges Mindanao, was held as a two-day event from December 6 to 7 in two locations, namely Manila and Davao. This year’s DestiNasyon anchored its framework on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) of the United Nations. Through various activities, volunteers got a peek into the world of the development sector to discover and deepen their understanding of their own advocacy. 

Day 1

Manila – December 6

The event started with the opening remarks by JB Tan, iVolunteer Philippines’ Co-Founder and Brand and Impact Director of iVolunteer. This was followed by an introductory session by Gia Evangelista, Associate Director for Community Relations of iVolunteer, wherein the participants learned about the basics of volunteerism. 

Afterwards, Ilan Enverga, Director for Administrative and Student Affairs of International School for Better Beginnings, elaborated on the SDG as a blueprint for transforming the global economy, ending social inequality, safeguarding the environment, and much more. SDG encourages everyone to work together in bringing change in the various challenges faced by humanity across the globe. Collective action is vital as we are all connected. 

The discussion about SDG got more in-depth in the late morning with the Impact Talks. Participants were given the chance to choose a track from the three SDG pillars – Planet, People, Prosperity. 

For the Planet breakout session, participants gained valuable insights on the current environmental challenges and solutions. 

• Dr. Jerome Montemayor, Executive Director of Foundation for the Philippine Environment, for biodiversity preservation.
• Marian Ledesma, Zero Waste Campaigner of Greenpeace, for plastic pollution. 
• Justine Joyce Bual, a Registered Professional Forester of Masungi Georeserve, for sustainable forest restoration.

The breakout session for the People pillar elaborated on human-centered challenges. 

• Monica Aclan, the Deputy Executive Director of Project Pearls, for poverty alleviation. 
• Jem Marie Benzon, Community Technology Officer of Kythe Foundation, for psychosocial support. 
• Daniel Benito, Executive Director of The Storytelling Project, for quality education.

The Prosperity breakout session discussed the issues on balancing economic growth and environment sustainability. 

• Daniel Bercasio, Executive Director of Gawad Kalinga, for sustainable livelihoods and communities. 
• Ma Lousen Manuel Roxas, Executive Director of the MapaKalidad.ph, for sustainable cities and disaster risk management. 
• Rodolfo Saringan Jr., Auditor of World Fair Trade Organization, for fair trade and sustainable livelihoods. 

In the afternoon, participants roamed around the different NGO booths to speak to them directly regarding their mission and programs and participate in their hands-on activities. The following NGOs facilitated the activities: Kythe Foundation, Gawad Kalinga, The Storytelling Project, Project Pearls, Saving Strays, MapaKalamidad.ph, and iVolunteer Philippines. 

Day 2

Manila – December 7

Eulanie Barreto, Director of Volunteer Engagement and Development at iVolunteer, opened the second day of the event. 

This was followed by a forum on Partnership focusing on the importance of the 4th pillar of SDGs. Moderated by JB Tan, from iVolunteer, the panel was composed of representatives from different sectors showcasing the stories of collaboration: 

• Dr. Patrick Aure, Director of PHINMA-DLSU Center for Business and Society 
• Arch. Rojeno Soringa, Global Sustainability Analyst of Arcadis
• Riz Camia, Alumni Ambassador of Teach for the Philippines
• Justine Joyce Bual, Registered Professional Forester of Masungi Georeserve 

Key highlights of the discussion included the importance of building and nurturing partnerships and collaborations in driving collective effort and sustainable change across different sectors; overcoming the challenges of building partnership through establishing trust and understanding amongst the different stakeholders. It also highlighted having shared values as a vital ingredient when entering partnerships and collaborations. 

Before lunch, learnings from the program were processed by going into separate roundtable discussions on Planet, People, and Prosperity. This brought the conversation to become actionable solutions on a volunteer level. 

The Planet Pillar roundtable, discussed ideas on reducing plastic waste. 

• Rupert Bontiago, Project Development Manager of Saving Strays. 
• Colleen Salamat, Project Coordinator of Waste Trade Break Free from Plastic.

The People Pillar roundtable, focused on answering quality education for future generations and challenged the participants to think of possible solutions.

• Anthony Ingles, Founder of Aral Pinoy.
• Mark Jay Gamao and Riz Camia, Alumni Ambassador of Teach for the Philippines.

The Prosperity Pillar roundtable, addressed providing sustainable livelihoods and equal opportunities in Manila. 

• Bel Padlan, Co-founder of iVolunteer Philippines.
• Christian Doroin, Director of Special Olympics Philippines.
• Nikko Navida, Community Development Coordinator of Gawad Kalinga.

The participants assembled at the plenary to share a summary of their discussion in each of the breakouts. This highlighted the value and impact of collective action in bringing about sustainable change. 

Peter Perfecto, Vice President for Public Affairs of PHINMA Corporation, brought together all the significant insights from the SDG breakout sessions. He provided a stimulating reflection on the importance of partnerships and community involvement in advancing the Sustainable Development Goals. He inspired the participants to cultivate love for our country and reminded FIlipino volunteers of the vital role they play in birthing lasting democracy and peace.  

In the afternoon, the awarding of the 2024 iVolunteer Champions commenced. Every year, iVolunteer recognizes volunteers who embody the five core values the organization hopes to develop in the volunteer sector: Integrity, Inclusivity, Nationalism, Professionalism, and Change Leadership. The five outstanding volunteers are:

• Paolo Miguel Ordonio as the Champion for Integrity, 
• Ryan Juntilla Madamba as the Champion for Professionalism, 
• Celine Guillermo as the Champion for Inclusivity, 
• Armyr Encarnacion as the Champion for Nationalism, and 
• James Nathaniel Refugio as the champion for Change Leadership.

The two day event was capped off by the iVolunteer’s Co-Founder and Director of Technology, Bel Padlan. 

Davao – December 7

Meanwhile in Davao, DestiNasyon started a day later as a one-day event at Mapua Malayan Colleges Mindanao. Marycon Delos Reyes, Director for Center for Service Learning and Community Engagement of Mapúa Malayan Colleges Mindanao, and Master Cedrick Culanag, Head of iVolunteer Philippines – Davao opened the program. It was followed by an orientation on basics of volunteering from volunteers of iVolunteer – Catherine Rosales, Carla Joy Salvacion, Guela Francine Ecle, and Jeny Rose Caña.

An in-depth conversation on the Planet, Prosperity, and People pillars of SDG followed. 

• Peter Damary, Chief Executive Officer of LimaDOL Upcycling Food Waste, for reduction of food waste in Mindanao through compost.
• Marlon Suelto, Director of Junior Chamber International (JCI) Davao, for  sustainable resource use and conservation efforts.
• Lalaine Cabalog, Executive Director of Field of Dreams Children’s Charity Foundation, for providing quality education.  

As an immediate way for volunteers to take action, iVolunTree for Christmas, a donation drive for the Christmas wishes of the NGOs, was introduced. Field of Dreams Children’s Charity Foundation’s wish of grocery items for their center was handed over to them during the event. 

To make the inspiration more concrete and personal, individual volunteers – Nike Baynosa, Nilo Sabanal, and Lewi Origenes shared their 

personal journeys into volunteering and the causes that they are passionately contributing to. Nilo Sabanal and other representatives from Sign Language Interpreters of Davao Region also taught the alphabet in Filipino Sign Language (FSL) to create an inclusive volunteer environment.

The program was summarized and closed by Mark Joseph Junio and Chrisz Hua Barrato, volunteers of iVolunteer.  

The events itself are fully powered by volunteers from iVolunteer Philippines. It celebrates the spirit of volunteerism for volunteerism. It is a testament that when volunteers come together, a powerful movement can happen.

Start your volunteering journey now. Visit https://www.ivolunteer.com.ph to discover your advocacy.

Written by Marian Alice Meñez and Lewi Origenes, iVolunteer writers