MANILA, Philippines - President Arroyo will confer the Order of Lakandula, one of the country’s highest honors given to an individual, on Efren Peñaflorida who was named CNN Hero of the Year for his innovative effort to educate poor children.

Deputy presidential spokesperson Lorelei Fajardo said Peñaflorida’s achievement is likely to inspire other Filipinos to be heroes in their places of work.

The Cable News Network website said Peñaflorida was selected after getting the highest number of online votes, which reached 2.75 million in seven weeks.

Fajardo said the Order of Lakandula with the rank of Commander would be conferred upon Peñaflorida when he returns to the country after accepting the award at the Kodak Theater in Hollywood last Saturday night. He will also be given a hero’s welcome.

“He (Peñaflorida) inspires us, not just the government but every Filipino. And this could be the start of something beautiful in our country,” Fajardo told a news briefing.

“Let us enjoy his victory and let us be proud that he is a Filipino, one of us, our family member. Efren has indeed proven that any individual can help make a difference in the world. He has also shown the world the best in the Filipino. Let each one of us unleash the hero within us by helping the next person as Efren said,” said Fajardo.

Fajardo said the government is grateful to Peñaflorida because he “complements and augments” whatever shortcomings the government has.

She said the government is willing to assist Peñaflorida in his program, even as she noted the Department of Education is one of the top agencies in terms of budgetary allocation.

Peñaflorida, who received $100,000 cash from CNN, formed the Dynamic Teen Company in 2007 and their volunteers use pushcarts or karitons loaded with books and teaching materials to go around depressed areas to teach reading, writing, hygiene, and values formation to out-of- school youths.

Albay Gov. Joey Salceda said other local officials should be inspired as he is by Peñaflorida to ensure that there would be no need for kariton klasrums (pushcart classrooms) in the country’s basic education system.

“Albay will rise up to Efren’s challenge that we will not need his karitons,” Salceda said.

Salceda said the Albay Sangguniang Panglalawigan will give a cash prize of P250,000 and a plaque to Peñaflorida.

He said the provincial government would give the highest provincial honor possible to Peñaflorida and also enjoin all the towns and cities of the province to give similar awards and make him an honorary son of Albay.

House to commend ‘hero’

Speaker Prospero Nograles authored House Resolution 1507 to extend the sense of the House in commending and congratulating Peñaflorida. “He is not just a CNN Hero of the Year but a hero to all Filipinos.” 

“He does not only underscore the importance of education but it also reminds us that even ordinary folks like him can do so much in the field of public service.”

An Waray party-list Rep. Florencio Noel suggested that the life and success of Peñaflorida be disseminated among students all over the country to foster positive traits in them.

Bayan Muna party-list Rep. Satur Ocampo congratulated Peñaflorida because he considers it a “victory of hope against hopelessness, against neglect and indifference.”

Ocampo said that Peñaflorida and his colleagues’ work in educating street children showed the lack of government support to the education sector.

US Ambassador Kristie Kenney said yesterday the selfless efforts of 2009 CNN Hero of the Year to bring education to disadvantaged young people in the Philippines have moved and inspired her.

“I join all Americans and Filipinos in celebrating the international recognition of Efren’s work with Dynamic Teen Inc. He serves as an example and a role model for us all, and his work will surely inspire many others,” Kenney said. With Cet Dematera, Delon Porcalla, Pia Lee-Brago