Jay-R Patron:  We’re here with Ms Cecill Artates.  It’s April 4, 2008.  First question, what do you do for work?

Cecill Artates:  I am a web content writer for Ascend Asia.  BPO din siya (It’s a BPO).  I write articles and content for a variety of customers.

Jay-R Patron:  Despite your busy schedule, why and how do you find time to volunteer?

Cecill Artates:  I have been doing this for more than five years.  It has become part of my system already.  I started when I was still with a publishing company.  Six to two lang yung shift ko nun (My shift was only from 6am to 2am then).  After that, palagi lang ako nasa mall (I would always be in the mall), paikot-ikot (walking around).  Naisip ko na kailangan may gawin ako na something different naman (then I thought I needed to do something different).  Matagal ko na rin gustong mag-volunteer (I have been wanting to volunteer for the longest time).  Nakabasa ako ng ad sa Inquirer Libre about Hands On Manila, and then the orientation (I read an ad on Inquirer Libre about Hands On Manila, so I joined the orientation).  That started it all.  Now I volunteer every Saturday.

Jay-R Patron:  How did it come to this point na five years na pero andun ka pa rin (that five years on and you’re still there)?  What gives you that energy?

Cecill Artates:  Siguro yung mga bata, yung mga beneficiaries na rin mismo yung nag-iinspire sa akin to continue (The children, the beneficiaries are the ones inspiring me to continue).  Kahit papano iba yung fulfillment na nararamdaman ko kahit na andun ka lang tatambay ka lang sa shelter, makita lang sila (I get a different fulfillment even if I just drop by at the shelter and see the kids).  Iba yung saya nila pag andun ka and makausap ka nila (they feel happy when you’re there and they get to talk to you).  Tapos, medyo matagal na, thought Hands On saka Pangarap where I volunteer regularly, parang nagkaroon na rin ako ng family (I gathered a family through my long involvement with Hands and Pangarap where I volunteer).  Ayun, tatambay lang ako sa shelter or sa office ng Hands On, parang part na rin siya ng buhay mo (sometimes I just hang around the shelter or at the office of Hands On.  It’s part of my life already.)

Jay-R Patron:  Yung Hands On Manila meron silang concept that they call “sherpa”, pwede i-explain mo kung ano yung sherpa (In Hands On Manila they have a concept called sherpa, will you explain what that is)?

Cecill Artates:  Sherpa is a Himalayan term for mountain guide. Dati ang tawag sa amin project leaders or volunteers pero iniisip ata ng board na masyadong mabigat so iniba nila, naging ano pa nga “volunteer contacts” (Before, were were called project leaders but the board thought of changing the name to be less serious—we were even called volunteer contacts).  Then they changed it to sherpa.  Parang ganun din, may hawak kaming mga projects (so it’s the same, we handle projects).  Tapos yung mga gustong mag-volunteer like ikaw, dun sa newsletter may mga contact numbers, kami yung cocontactin para kung gusto niyo mag-volunteer sa project namin (In the monthly HOM newsletter, there are contact persons for a particular project, who interested parties can contact).  Sherpa kasi, yung mga sherpa nagdadala ng mga mabibigat na gamit paakyat ng bundok (Sherpa because they carry heavy loads for others going up the mountain).  Ganun din yung ginagawa namin (It’s like what we do).  Mabigat din yung dalahin mo kasi nagdadala ka ng volunteer sa isang shelter kunwari sa isang project na wala silang alam syempre iga-guide mo (We also have a load when bringing new volunteers, who we need to guide and assist, to a project).  So ayun, guide.

Jay-R Patron:  In your five years of being a volunteer, what has been your happiest experience?

Cecill Artates:  Sobrang dami.

Jay-R Patron:  At the top of your head.

Cecill Artates:  This one was from last year.  I celebrated my birthday at the shelter and we have a project called MUGkaisa, a mug painting contest that I conceptualized with other volunteers, with other sherpas.  It took to months to prepare and I was not able to sleep the night prior.  The kids knew that I would celebrate my birthday there and they were excited about it.  I was the first one to get to the shelter that day because I was also excited about the project.  When I got there, they all sang in synch, “Happy birthday!”  I was holding back the tears.  It’s very memorable.  It’s a good feeling hearing all of them sing even thought they just woke up.  It’s one of my happiest moments.

Jay-R Patron:  And what’s your saddest experience?

Cecill Artates:  Sad… also there at the shelter.  I met a kid there who was my contemporary.  He just got in to the shelter when I started volunteering.  He came from divisoria, a former street kid.  I used to do tutorials for Pangarap.  At the library he came to me and asked me if I could help him with his assignment.  Eventually, I got to know him better.  We got so close that we were like siblings.  After three years, he got kicked out of the shelter because he got in to a fight in school.  He got kicked out both in school and at the shelter.  He was one of my closest friends there.  He is like my brother.  So those are the sad stories.  I feel bad whenever someone gets kicked out because there they could get to study. 

Jay-R Patron:  What happens to them?

Cecill Artates:  They go back to the streets or to their families.  They stop going to school.  They go back to their old ways.  It’s sad because the last time I saw this boy, he was very frail.  When he was at the shelter he was so handsome.  He had fair skin. 

Jay-R Patron:  Why is it important to volunteer?

Cecill Artates:  I hope others would realize that we are very blessed.  Like you and me, we have work, we have a house, we have families.  And then you go to the shelter and meet these guys, they would tell you their stories and their background and you will feel sorry for them.  That’s what I want others to realize…

Jay-R Patron:  That we are lucky…

Cecill Artates:  Yes, that we are lucky.  Hopefully, just for a short while they would be able to share their talents and skills to others.  It only takes an hour or two a week, the benficiaries would be fine with that. 

Jay-R Patron:  What is the most valuable lesson you’ve learned in all those years as a volunteer:

Cecill Artates:  Every one is important.  Even if that person is the dirtiest, the poorest, and does not have proper education, he or she is important because you don’t know how that person would affect your life.  It happened to me that one day a kid called me.  It turned out that he came from the shelter.  

Jay-R Patron:  So they recognized you…

Cecill Artates:  Yes, they would call out, “Ate Cecill!”  In those five years, I’ve met a lot of people, not only the beneficiaries but also other volunteers and partner organizations—companies who help out.  It’s useful because you become a networker.  You meet a lot of people.  For example, whenever I attend a seminar, I get to meet corporate workers who might volunteer their company as sponsors.  For example, I met someone from Coke a few years back.  I asked them if they could be sponsors to an event in Pangarap and they said yes.  For every peson that you meet, you get to learn lessons.  I’ve met people from all walks of life.  I’ve met elders at the Home for the Aged, the deaf, all kinds and I find them very important because I can learn from them.

Jay-R Patron:  What was your childhood like?  Where did you grow up?

Cecill Artates:  It was fun.  My childhood ended at 18 years old because I always wanted to play.  I like kids.  I grew up in Dapitan at Sampaloc (Manila).  I grew up near my school.  I studied in a public school, P. Gomez Elementary School, and then high school and college at UST (University of Sto. Tomas).  I played with a lot of kids, as in I played with everyone in our street.  That’s how I got used to interacting with people, even the ice cream vendor and used-bottle collector.  We owned an automotive shop, my dad was a mechanic, and through that I met different kinds of people.  It was really fun.  I just played and played until I was in high school when I joined our school’s basketball team.  And that was also how I was able to join Pangarap as their sports coordinator.  I think I’ve already played all the kinds of street games when I was a kid.  I always tell people that I was a varsity of “patintero” and that I would play the position of “patotot”. 

Jay-R Patron:  What was your fondest childhood memory? 

Cecill Artates:  I think those times when I played in the streets. 

Jay-R Patron:  How important is your family in your life?

Cecill Artates:  Very important.  I don’t think I can handle their absence.  I don’t want to be parted from them.  I’m scared. 

Jay-R Patron:  How many siblings do you have?

Cecill Artates:  Four.

Jay-R Patron:  and you are the eldest?

Cecill Artates:  I’m the third. 

Jay-R Patron:  So you have nephews and nieces?

Cecill Artates:  Now I have.  If I have time during the weekend I would really go home to our place in Laguna to see them.  They are my support group.  They don’t question why I volunteer even if I don’t get anything from it financially.  They still support me.  I have brought my mom and my nephews and nieces to Pangarap.  They understand that it has been a part of my life, being a volunteer.  They are important to me.  Whenever I have problems I would always run to them.  I’m very open with my mom. 

Jay-R Patron:  What has been your greatest achievement so far?

Cecill Artates:  I have not been really good in school.  Maybe it was when I got an award in 2005, the Outstanding Volunteer award from HOM.  I think that is my greatest achievement.  I got awarded for doing something for others.  I’m really proud of that award.  And also because of that, I was featured in the newspaper, a ¾ colored-page on Inquirer, with my name on big, bold letters. 

Jay-R Patron:  What has been your greatest challenge and how did you overcome it?

Cecill Artates:  Now I’m crying again.  My sister died three years ago.  It was hard to accept the fact that she was dying.  She needed to be brought to the hospital to be operated.  It was the greatest challenge for our family.  And when she died, it was hard for us to accept it.  She died the same year that I was honored with the Outstanding Volunteer Award.  I thought, “I lost a sister but I became I sister to many kids.”  Many people call me ate (sister).  Some would even call me nanay (mom).  I think that was my greatest challenge.  It was hard to have someone who sick and dying in the family. 

Jay-R Patron:  Who would you consider your mentor, who taught you the ways of the world?  Life in general. 

Cecill Artates:  I think my parents.  I was always with them.  My mom and dad would always mingle with people from different walks of life and from that I was trained to become gregarious.  We had rich customers and then our employees are from slums, from that we got a different mix of people.  So one would be my parents.  Another is my coach in basketball.  She gave me discipline.  And then also my friends.  That’s why I want to meet different people, because I learn something new.  When I joined Hands On, I gained new friends as well as mentors.  The old volunteers gave me tips.  It’s a convenient learning.

Jay-R Patron:  At what time in a person’s life is it best to volunteer?  Or to give back?

Cecill Artates:  It’s important to start young.  It’s important to have kids volunteer.  When I was a kid, I saw how my parents would treat our staff and I learned from that.  Like our other volunteers, they would bring their children to projects.  That way they could teach their children and let them know that there are other people besides those they meet in the neighborhood and in school.  Parents could expose their children to others living in poverty.  It’s good to open the eyes of the children to different issues while they are young. 

Jay-R Patron:  How would you encourage young professionals to give back or volunteer?  What would you tell them?

Cecill Artates:  Share your blessings.  It may change the way your life.  Just try it, if it doesn’t suit you, that’s ok.

Jay-R Patron:  If there was one message that you would like to tell readers, what would that message be?

Cecill Artates:  I was interviewed for a magazine, and said, “Being happy is not merely an emotion, it’s also a choice.”  I chose to be a volunteer, I chose to join Hands On, I chose to be in Pangarap, therefore I am happy right now.  You get a different happiness, a different fulfillment when you volunteer.