What Gelli, Sherilyn, Patricia are learning as public service program hosts

Gelli de Belen, Sherilyn Reyes-Tan and Patricia Tumulak—PHOTOS BY MARINEL CRUZ

“We can’t leave it to the government to make our lives easier. We have to help ourselves,” said actress host Gelli de Belen when asked to share lessons she has learned so far from hosting GMA 7’s newest public service program “Si Manoy ang Ninong Ko.”

“I realized that while you try to get a job in order to earn money, you also need money to get a job. You need it to secure legal documents and government-issued IDs. You have to shell out so much even before you can start working. We need to find an easier way for our kababayan to secure the necessary requirements while job hunting without spending too much,” she told Inquirer Entertainment during a recent press conference to launch the show.

READ: After seven years, Gelli de Belen returns to GMA-7 via ‘Ika-5 Na Utos’

Also hosting “Si Manoy ang Ninong Ko” are TV personalities Patricia Tumulak and Sherilyn Reyes-Tan. Joining them is Manoy himself, businessman and Agri party list Rep. Wilbert Lee. The program has been airing on GMA 7 since March 3, at 7 a.m.

“We invite experts to discuss different social issues. It’s amazing how we still get to discover a lot about topics that are so common, like job hunting. The most important lesson here is that change must come from within. Before we start looking at what the government is not doing for us, we should first think of what we can do to become instruments of change,” Gelli said.

‘Beautiful experience’

Sherilyn arrived at the press con venue straight from her trip to Guimaras. “It was such a beautiful experience. In all the places I’ve visited for the show, people say we have helped them, but I also learned a lot. If you ask me what my favorite episode is, I’d say all because I cried in all the episodes that I’m part of. “In Pangasinan, I got to spend time with the loved ones of eight people who committed suicide because of debt. In Guimaras, I met a female vegetable grower who has to care for her husband who had a stroke, and a grandmother struggling to tend to an 8-month-old grandchild with cancer. I was also able to interview a woman who returned to her province after nine years because she wanted to help us help the people living there,” Sherilyn recalled.

For her, it isn’t your ordinary travel show where you will only see beautiful places. “We go to the farthest corners of our country. We cannot demand to stay in a hotel or a more comfortable standby area. We all have to adjust. In that instance, you are taught to be humble and grateful. The people I met live difficult lives, but they’re happy in a way, because they’re part of a family. They are full of hope. Why will I complain if the weather is too hot or if I feel kind of uncomfortable? You need to watch the show every Sunday to know what I’m talking about,” declared Sherilyn.

Patricia, who was a preschool teacher prior to joining the media, recently visited Sitio Paring in Ilocos Sur, where she met young students who are used to waking up at 3 or 4 a.m. so they can climb down the mountain in the dark and walk for two hours to make it in time for school.

Huge impact

“That’s four hours every day! This is happening while all of us are still sleeping. It’s tough, but you can see the eagerness in them to go to school. This is while their parents worry about their safety, about whether or not they will still be able to come home. This really pierced my heart as an educator. At the same time, I also felt the hope in them for a better life. Their story had a huge impact on me. I’m sure it will impact the audience, too,” said Patricia.

READ: How Patricia Tumulak strikes a balance between show biz and teaching

Gelli may not be traveling for the show but she said she also has to hurdle challenges in the studio. “What’s difficult about my job is trying to figure out the solution to the problems presented through our case studies. The fact that these people get featured in the show fills their hearts with hope. We cannot disappoint them,” she began.

“We can’t just hand them money. We have to teach them how to manage the financial aid given to them, to make it grow. Work for us doesn’t end after we give a community a tractor. We have to teach them not only how to use it, but also how to maintain it,” Gelli explained. During its pilot episode, the show tackled the challenges faced by onion farmers in Pangasinan, as well as those encountered by volunteer sea guardians in Orani, Bataan. INQ