January is Vocational Service Month.
And for the Vocational Service Excellence Award, Area 2 Clubs were designated to choose the most Outstanding Garbage Collector as awardees.
The Vocational Service Excellence Award award is given to individuals or organizations that have demonstrated outstanding commitment to vocational service, including promoting vocational skills, mentoring, supporting vocational education, and upholding high ethical standards in their profession.
Recipients of the Rotary Vocational Service Excellence Award are typically recognized for their contributions to their community, profession, and the ideals of Rotary International. The award serves to highlight the importance of vocational service and to honor those who have made a significant impact in this area.
Additionally, Rotary clubs may also recognize individuals within their own communities with awards or certificates for their dedication to vocational service and ethical conduct in their profession.
This Rotary Year, the Rotary Club of Ibaan’s recipient of its Vocational Service Excellence Award is Dante Pelarin.
Dante is a 44-year old father of seven who hails from Negros Occidental where he was a farmworker in a sugarcane plantation. His situation in Negros was dire, so when he was given an opportunity to work for a sugarcane field in Ibaan, he grabbed it. He lost his wife giving birth to their child during the pandemic and he has been raising all his seven children alone since.
His kids are aged 15, 14, 10, 9, 6, 5, and 3.
In a community where waste management is crucial for public health and environmental sustainability, the role of garbage collectors cannot be overstated. Day in and day out, these individuals work tirelessly to ensure that our streets are clean, our neighborhoods are sanitary, and our environment is protected. Despite the often thankless nature of their work, they perform their duties with diligence and dedication.
HCP Marge “found” Dante while paying for her monthly garbage collection fee at the municipal office. The interview that followed led HCP Marge to recommend him as the Club’s recipient of the Gawad Parangal. And just like in every other thing that she does, she did her due diligence to ensure that Dante is the deserving recipient of the award. She interviewed Dante’s immediate superior at the General Services Office where he now works, and visited his home to meet his family, along with Maternal and Child Health Chair, Nila dela Roca, and Hope Creating Treasurer, Isabel Aberásturi.
Do you know that the tiny shanty that you see on the photo is home to eight people?
Yes, this shanty is where Dante and his seven kids sleep. And this is where they keep their prized possessions, which basically are clothes.
Dante told us that when it rains, this little piece of land they occupy is where all the water goes. So when it rains, it literally pours on them.
He shares a common cooking area with his brother who has a house pretty similar to his. His brother has a wife and one son, and his brother’s wife is actually who takes care of his 3-year old daughter when he has to leave for work and the older kids go to school.
Despite the apparent hardship, Dante demonstrates a sunny disposition. He drives one of the garbage trucks of the municipality as his regular job. Then on his days off, he buys and sells scraps using a borrowed trike.
He said he is proud of his children because despite the challenges that they face everyday, they are excelling in their education.
He was teary-eyed when he gave him his certificate of recognition and cash award.
I know that the little amount we gave him is not enough. It will never be enough. But we do what we can, and we provide what we can afford. One thing is for sure, being up close and personal with another person’s circumstances inspires us, Rotarians, to persevere to do more. And we will do more.
As the Rotary Club of Ibaan continues its mission of service and community development, this experience serves as a poignant reminder that true greatness lies not in grand gestures but in the everyday acts of service that uplift and enrich the lives of others.
