From discarded tarpaulin billboards to world class designer bags, from being dump site scavengers to livelihood earners, and from that small village in Iloilo City to the internationally famed beaches of Boracay Island. This, in a nutshell, is what has been happening to the residents in a small village in Sooc, Arevalo District of that city. And it doesn't seem to end there as more opportunities continue to come.

"Dati po kaming tagapulot ng basura sa tambakan ng Manduriao. Nung ginamit ng gobyerno ang lupa, nawalan na po kami ng tirahan. " (We used to be scavengers at the Manduriao dumpsite but we were left homeless when the government used the land we built our house on). Ms. Herminia Pineda, fondly called Ate Hermie, 59, narrated as she looked back at her family's travails a couple of years ago. But now, like 66 other families, she's a proud owner of her own house, living with dignity and making hip products for both local and international tourists.

Ate Hermie is just one of the beneficiaries of the PLDT-Smart corporate partnership with the Gawad Kalinga (GK) Foundation. Started in 2004 and with several sites around the country, the GK communities have been thriving.

One such site, Sooc, the relocation area of the displaced scavengers was transformed into a GK village in 27 December 2005. Building of houses commenced a month later. Now named the PLDT-Smart Amazing GK Village where Ate Hermie lives.

PLDT and Smart donated the machines and helped fund the training for sewing and Earth Day Network trained the residents how to recycle and sew tarps under proper solid waste management principles and gave them the initial patterns. Some residents were taught to use pulverized tarp materials in making bricks and even the kids were trained to make artistic decorative and useful sculptures made of clay.

In 2009, the livelihood advocacy of Talk 'N Text "Tipid Sulit Pinas" was launched. This generated funds for a specific purpose - to create a replicable model that will provide sustainable livelihood for communities nationwide.

Smart, in partnership with Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP) brought its livelihood programs to the next level -from a small business involving a handful of residents to a community social enterprise, bringing in more partners to share their expertise and elevate the skills of the community.

After more trainings were conducted by the PBSP, the largest corporate-led social development foundation in the Philippines and with the entry of renowned international lifestyle fashion designer and social entrepreneur PJ Arañador, an Iloilo native too, and GKonomics, a Gawad Kalinga partner in social enterprise development, Project Zero was born with the aim "of creating livelihood projects through innovative design and product development with a market in mind."

Using zero electricity, they recycle and create green products by hand, producing pieces with zero carbon-emission. The process also produces zero waste as all tarp cuttings are used. This resulted to high quality, high fashion but functional bags and similar products that are current with today's design trends and lifestyle. From knapsacks to pouches, evening handbags to clutches, these are just a few of an extensive lineup of products now under PJ's fashion brand, Nautilus. Soon, these items will also be available in Gawak Kalinga's GKonomics showroom across the country.*(Estan Cabigas)