Bohol's spirit of bayanihan continues to shine through as it takes part in the nationwide campaign for one million volunteers, with Gov. Edgar M. Chatto calling for more Boholano volunteers to help calamity victims rise from the rubbles of gloom and pain. Top provincial officials headed by Chatto and Vice Gov. Concepcion Lim, together with Tagbilaran City Mayor Baba Yap, led the National Government, Provincial Government, and City Government employees, Non-Government Organizations, and Civil Society Organizations during the launch of Bohol Bayani Challenge 2014 on April 9. Bayani Challenge in Bohol targets 300,000 local and visiting volunteers to get involved in the province's road to recovery as they join simultaneous everyday acts of heroism through activities such as building homes, repairing schools, conducting health missions, planting trees, and holding fun learning sessions with children throughout towns and the city.
Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Secretary Herminio Sonny Coloma came to Bohol to grace the formal launching ceremonies attended by an estimated crowd of three thousand government workers and members of the academe, huddled from the rain at the Bohol Island State University gymnasium.

Coloma defined heroism as being courageous and having the heart in the hour of need. It is this call to action that he likens Bayani Challenge 2014 to a simultaneous advocacy for volunteerism in 12 disaster-stricken provinces, including Bohol. Coloma said this year's Bayani Challenge traces the history of the Filipino race characterized by bravery, heroism, and independence as it jumpstarts on April 12 and culminates on June 12. Chatto for his part stated that even though Bohol bayanihan has been strong since before the earthquake, Bohol's contribution to this call for nation building will take off from the grandest showcase of bayanihan, as people from all walks of life responded to the need of Boholanos affected by the 7.2 magnitude earthquake, and will continue as Bohol moves forward towards growth, development, and prosperity. Coloma and Chatto also led the pledging of commitment by the various sectors who participated in the Bohol Bayani Challenge Walk and the launching program. Themed "Walang Iwanan," Bayani Challenge 2014 is spearheaded by Pilipinas Natin, in partnership with Gawad Kalinga. Now on its 8th year, the biggest bayanihan event the world has ever seen will have served five million families this year. The annual campaign has grown exponentially and has continued to inspire Filipinos to make volunteerism a lifestyle.

REVIVING THE BAYANIHAN SPIRIT

Bayanihan Challenge was conceptualized to work on reliving the omnipresent bayanihan spirit in the Filipino, making out the packets of heroism to rebuild hopes of the people to make them active participants in the country's journey out of poverty, according to Christopher Rivera, Bohol Bayani Challenge coordinator. With Bohol in the massive volunteer works are 11 other provinces in the country, most of them struggling to stand after devastating calamities hit them. Volunteerism knows no age, but for bayani challenge, kid volunteers need to submit volunteer waivers, according to bayani challenge website. National organizers envision the calamity year 2014 to engage as many as a million volunteers in the country's largest public-private showcase of partnership and volunteerism. In two months, residents from 47 towns and a city in Bohol would be taking turns in volunteering for rebuilding jobs like house building, school rehabilitation, public infrastructure repair and refurbishing, environment care, road beautification projects, medical and dental missions, children's sports and arts therapies and a host of other tasks that would elevate Boholano lives a notch better.

Bayani Challenge national organizers initially identified 9 towns in Bohol for the 2014 one million volunteers challenge. Volunteers are heroes You don't need to fight to become a hero. Malacanang has reiterated this during the formal launching of Bayani Challenge in Bohol: a two month term for people to show packets of heroism by being volunteers in the strictest sense of the Bayanihan. Bayani Challenge is also done in Aklan, Antique, Capiz, Cebu, Eastern Samar, Ilo-ilo, Leyte, Negros Occidental, Palawan, Samar and Zamboanga, but the biggest launch was in Bohol, according to Bayani Challenge sources. “Paano tayo magging bayani?” He asked. “Limang paraan ang ipapakita natin dito sa Bayani Challenge 2014,” Coloma bared. “First, we build houses, second, we fix and rehabilitate our schools, third, we join and send out medical missions, fourth, we plant trees and fifth, we play and teach with the kids,” he enumerated. Coloma, who came amidst the flurry of rebuilding activities in Bohol, which was cited as fast-paced, has to credit Boholanos for that. Getting hit by the cruel October 15 earthquake is no joke, but you showed and proved to the whole country and the whole world your heroism. “You rise up fast, quickly stood and hastened to rebuild better and stronger houses, churches, town halls, hospitals, markets, schools and playgrounds,” Coloma said. (Leah Sumampong, Ric V. Obedencio and Rey Anthony Chiu)