MANILA -- Jolina Magdangal and Sam Concepcion will host anew the Gabay Guro event for teachers, which will be held virtually on its 15th year on Saturday, October 15.

Magdangal and Concepcion will join long-time hosts Pops Fernandez, with Dominic Roque, to stir the event that is expected to draw in over 500,000 teachers, who will get their annual treat of entertainment and prizes.

Magdangal even teamed up dancing with Fernandez on the latter’s Instagram, while at the same time announcing the Gabay Guro event.

The third year of this pandemic apparently will not hinder Gabay Guro, the advocacy of PLDT Smart Foundation, to stage its tribute to the teachers, with its committed volunteers and kind-hearted celebrity performers and artists.

The modern-day heroes will be honored anew in another star-studded tribute with the theme, “The Filipino Teachers: Our Pride, Our Purpose, Our Passion.” The virtual event will be streamed live on Gabay Guro’s Facebook page and YouTube channel, starting at 1 p.m.

“We wanted to do Gabay Guro face-to-face this year,” the project’s chairperson Chaye Cabal-Revilla, also the chief finance, risk and sustainability officer of Metro Pacific, told ABS-CBN News.

“But given the many variants, natakot kami baka mapagbintangan pa ang mga teachers. So, we opted to do the event digitally again this year. Hopefully, next year, when everything is okay, we will see each other face-to-face.”

Gabay Guro 2022 is expected to reach to an even larger audience of teachers across the country and even abroad.

In the succeeding years, Revilla expects to do Gabay Guro live onstage and air on the digital platform at the same time.

“Volunteers lahat ang support group ng Gabay Guro,” Revilla said. “Mahirap magalit sa volunteers. Sana huwag naman kaming mag-away away if that happens.”

Much awaited in the Gabay Guro event, aside from the celebrity performers, is the raffle of big prizes. There was a year a house and lot will be given away as the grand prize.

“This pandemic, we opted to give P1 million cash prize, but there were teachers who suggested to split the prize in half, so two teachers took home P500,000 each,” Revilla said.

For 10 years, Foton Philippines has been giving the car to be raffled off. Many more learning equipment like laptops, tablets, cellphones are raffled off.

This year, the teachers will also receive health and wellness package from MWell that entitles teachers to free doctor’s check-up, their own oximeter, thermal scanners and vouchers for vitamins.

Since 2007, Gabay Guro has been empowering teachers across the country through its seven core pillars: Classroom donations, connectivity and computerization, scholarships, teacher’s trainings, livelihood projects, digital innovation and the teacher’s tribute.

“The Gabay Guro app is really meant as a one-stop shop for teachers, not just for a national institution,” Revilla explained.

Gabay Guro’s long-time celebrity advocates include Sharon Cuneta, Kuh Ledesma, Basil Valdez, Regine Velasquez and Martin Nievera. Musical director is Louie Ocampo.

Fernandez is very proud to be a performer for Gabay Guro for years now, close to a decade. “I was not here from the start, but I continue to support Gabay Guro every year. It’s for a very good cause. Our job is to bring them to entertain," she said.

“Whatever we do, hosting, singing, dancing or making them laugh, we all get to entertain the teachers and make them happy. Every year, Gabay Guro really prepares for this event to be more exciting and grander from the program and the artists.

“If the teachers are enjoying in watching us and all the wonderful thing that Gabay Guro has for them, like the prizes, kami rin back stage, we enjoy and we are excited. It’s one big camaraderie for us.”

What Gabay Guro gathering will be complete without the top OPM veterans and a bevy of young artists?

Also performing are Darren Espanto, AC Bonifacio, Sheena Belarmino, Angela Ken, Jeremy Glinoga, Nicole Asencio, Aicelle Santos, Jed Madela, Jett Pangan, Christian Bautista, Erik Santos, Jason Dy, Janine Teñoso, Heaven Peralejo.

Kayla Rivera, Tippy Dos Santos, Mark Bautista, Neo Rivera, Jona, Elha Nympha, Lara Maigue, Janine Berdin and The Company.

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