Cagayan de Oro City

Alumni of Ayala Foundation’s youth leadership programs continue to provide assistance for Cagayan de Oro workers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Liam Osorio, alumnus of Ayala Foundation’s Leadership Communities (LeadCom) and Ayala Young Leaders Congress (AYLC) programs, recently partnered with Generika Drugstore and Bake for CDO to donate 50 relief packs to TriSikad drivers in Cagayan de Oro through the Tabang Sikad program last July 12.

Tabang Sikad is an initiative co-founded by 20-year-old Osorio and fellow AYLC batch 2020 alumnus Nekka Lorelle Abueva. It has been in operation for three months.

Tabang means “help” and Sikad means “pedal” to the TriSikad that drivers use. It also means “move forward or push forward.”

“It was in late March when we thought of a project we could formulate to assist,” Osorio said. He added that it was the call of service that made them decide to set up the assistance program.

They started in April by distributing aid to the drivers of V TODA, the TriSikad drivers which served their local community.

The recipients were chosen based on their need. “We picked the community because sila ‘yung nahihirapan ngayon. Strictly implemented ang social distancing so limited ang pasahero nila,” Osorio said.

Their latest beneficiaries were the drivers serving barangay Pagatpat. They received rice, coffee, canned goods, household supplies as well as vitamins and medicines. They also received arm sleeves and vests from Generika.

The in-kind donations from Generika were facilitated by their Marketing and Communications Head Allyn Sta Maria, also an AYLC alumna.

Asked about how LeadCom helped helped him serve his local communities, Osorio said: “Life-changing talaga. It really teaches me to love the community. It opened me to serve the community. ”

He added: “Both (LeadCom and AYLC) really helped me and inspired me.”