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By Jean Natividad After such great loss, Robin is determined to give back great love to the community that saw him through. It was the year 2016, and it had been a few months since Robin's mother, Violy, passed away. She had breast cancer, but it wasn't the cancer that killed her. She was, in fact, responding well to treatment and had lived longer than the doctor's prognosis. No, she didn't die of cancer. It was a fire that, although she survived, caused her health to falter and took her away from her only son. It was also the same fire that burnt down the home they had lovingly built together over the years. It had been a few months since Robin's mother passed away, and her son, in his prime, did not know where to begin. Robin thought to himself, "There's no purpose. Why would I build this? For whom?" But he did rebuild that house and so much more. Surely, he's done his mother proud. Fast forward to two years later, inside his office on a rainy Ju...

By Tino Largado When does your strength become your weakest point? Nicole Silvestre, LoveYourself Volunteer, on her BPO Queen 2018 experience: “It was a battle between myself and my limitations.” For LoveYourself Volunteer Nicole Silvestre, her confident response to this question sealed her fate on the 29th of May, 2018. Having already bested 22 other candidates vying to be the very first BPO Queen, Nicole took no time in drawing a heartfelt answer not only based from experience, but inspired by her volunteer organization, no less. “My biggest strength will never be my weakest point because this is something I can always hold on to. I believe that loving yourself will always be your biggest strength and it will never be a weakness.” Nicole bagged First Runner-Up at the end of the night —  a feat Nicole herself considers a satisfying end to the journey of a 26-year old BPO employee who, only months ago, had one previous office pageant and a noontime show transgender queen search on ...

By Ruben Jay C. Alverez JR. As HIV cases in the Philippines continue to rise , several groups of people have stepped up in helping the community to address the epidemic. LoveYourself, since 2011 has gathered over 900 volunteers supporting the day-to-day operations, programs, and projects of the organization. As it empowers more people to get tested for HIV, the organization grew the need for full-time employees to sustain itself. Some people had the courage and passion to take their advocacies to the next level and work in a non-profit organization while helping the community as volunteers. Karlo Barsales, Clinic Manager Karlo, was a private duty nurse in Pampanga  when he joined LoveYourself as a volunteer in 2015. He was so passionate in taking care of people that he used to go straight to LoveYourself Anglo from his workplace to volunteer his time in administrative tasks. Karlo, who was not a counselor then, enjoyed assisting people to feel comfortable in the center. Karlo recal...

Contrary to the perceptions of many, homosexuality is not necessarily condemned by the Church. In fact, the experiences of three LoveYourself volunteers - Rye Tumbaga, Gibs de los Santos, and Geno Maglinao, point to the Church as a safe place of acceptance and love. By Kris Tangco In a TV5 interview in February 2016, Manny Pacquiao, who was then running for the Senate, provoked a storm of controversy with his views on same-sex marriage and relationships. Homosexuals are “worse than animals,” the conservative Christian said on national television, quoting the Bible as reference for his statements. Social media was abuzz for several weeks, and the divisiveness was palpable. Articles from writers like Shakira Sison of Rappler started resurfacing, strongly advocating support for same sex marriage. In one article , the staunch defender of LGBT rights bemoans those who claim to be friends with LGBTs insofar as they are “funny for calling out what’s wrong with [that girl’s] outfit” but are a...