Ogie spearheads celebrity ‘ukay-ukay’ for charity

Ogie Alcasid encourages celebrities—regardless of network alliance—to join their Celebrity "Ukay-Ukay" fund-raiser this April.

The proceeds of the event will go to the GMA Kapuso Foundation's Kapuso School Development Project which aims to build 50 public school classrooms every year.
"Since it is a Kapuso project, hindi lang naman nangangahulugan na puro lang Kapuso artists yung iniinvite namin na magdala ng wares nila. So if you're from the Kapamilya network, if you're from TV5, you're most welcome to bring your wares," Ogie said in a press conference last week.

He added, "We're not after kung sinong mas magaling na network dito. Our project is to raise money for all the classrooms found in public schools here in the Philippines that need repairs or to build classrooms perhaps in areas na walang eskwelahan."
Ogie said he has already asked the support of various talent managers and producers such as Annabelle Rama and Girlie Rodis for the charity project. He also revealed that Lily Monteverde of Regal Films have already donated one million pesos for the Kapuso School Development Project.

"I think one important aspect that's very clear is that the students and the teachers and the ones employed in those schools, they've regained the dignity that they've lost because of the calamities that destroyed all these schools. So I think more than the money, more than us repairing all those schools, the dignity that they regained from having those schools fixed I think is more important," Ogie said.

In an interview with GMA-7's "24 Oras" aired recently, Ogie said he acknowledges the difficulty of raising that much money for the project. "Pero wala namang imposible, di ba?" Ogie told "24 Oras."

"I am so thankful that Ogie and Regine are there to spearhead this project. And I'm so thankful na lahat ng kanilang colleagues in the industry are really, they're excited about the project," Mel Tiangco, Executive Vice President of the Kapuso Foundation, told "24 Oras."
She added, "Itabi muna natin yung taga ibang network ako, o iba yung aking pinagtatrabahuhan. Sapagkat ang project ay para sa bansa e, ang project ay para sa edukasyon ng kabataan natin. So lahat imbitado."

The Celebrity "Ukay-Ukay" will be held at the Summer Heat Wave event from April 15 to 17 at the World Trade Center in Pasay City.