There I was, sitting in front of a newly unboxed
Samsung Smart TV during the iBlog7 at Malcolm Theatre in UP Diliman, visualizing how on earth could that exquisitely designed technological breakthrough make its way to Pangasinan.
Yes in all honesty, a TV as wonderful as that deserves to be shared. And I would like to share with you a story about sharing this blessing. With those who needed help and those who can benefit most from it.
The Public Attorneys Office (PAO) is a government agency which provides FREE legal services to indigent members of the populace. In Region 1, (composed of the provinces of Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union and Pangasinan) there are very few lawyers in every PAO district and there is a shortage of lawyers.
Every household in the Philippines has at least one legal concern. From erroneous birth registrations, land disputes, legal domestic issues, labor concerns to any imaginable legal issue that needs to be addressed.
And with a very few public lawyers to cater to the needs of the indigent households, more and more people are being taken advantage of or their rights violated by other parties.
In the countryside, where people prioritize their dinner rather than their Bill of Rights, it is imperative to educate them about their rights as well as provide them FREE LEGAL ASSISTANCE on the internet.
The Public Attorneys Office Region 1 plans to give free lectures on the basic rights of every citizen in their area. They are also looking into the possibility of partnering with corporate sponsors to launch a project to provide free legal consultation online. Partnering because the agency has not enough funds to finance a GREAT and WONDERFUL PROJECT.
Knowing that it will benefit less fortunate and underprivileged "kababayans", I thought of sharing the
SAMSUNG SMART TV with PAO clients. This is the age of social media and connecting two parties in this borderless world to solve problems is a marvelous project.
We will go to the barangays and LGUs, yes we can do that and schedule a video showing for the masses to educate them about their basic rights and then afterwards do a real-time, face-to- face legal consultation online where a client gets to talk and ask a laywer over video conferencing or Skype for that matter. The lawyer- in the PAO Office (without leaving the office) is connected to the internet and the masses, in the barangays (without leaving their community) using the SAMSUNG SMART TV.
We intend to do a pilot project in Pangasinan, a province with almost two million population and has 44 towns and 4 cities.
Now isn't that wonderful? People in the countryside, those that are less privileged get to
experience two wonderful technological advances- the free online legal consultation and second Samsung Smart TV?
I believe in good Karma. I also believe that if you share your blessings to the less fortunate, God will give you more blessings than you can handle.
What is more noble than sharing my prize- a Samsung Smart TV to other people who without this project could easily say " wala kaming pamasahe papunta sa PAO (we don't have money to spend for fare going to the PAO)."
By this sharing attitude, we could solve three problems the society is facing:
1. If people cannot go to a public lawyer, let technology bridge the gap.
2. If the lawyers can help more people even without leaving the office and the agency spending much, productivity will soar high and more and more clients will be served and enlightened.
3. This sharing will minimize the risk of lawyers being exposed to dangers even in high-risk areas. Lawyers, just like journalists have high-risk jobs. Technology will solve that.
I am thinking of other ways to share my Samsung Smart TV.
Like gathering schoolkids every weekend to watch environmental documentaries. Those films that advocate taking care of our environment because this earth is the only place we ever get to live. They could also play environment-friendly games over the internet.
And teaching women to become entrepreneurs by letting them watch- and- learn "how-to" videos to augment their household incomes over at Youtube or Vimeo and even slideshare for that matter.
Lastly, I'm also thinking of sharing it to out of school youths by letting them watch- and- learn a new skill every week in order to upgrade their skills and make them productive if not competitive. Google will take care of that.
All these for FREE. Because I got my SAMSUNG SMART TV for free too.
I believe that by sharing the Samsung Smart TV with others will I be able to do justice to Samsung who also shared the opportunity and the experience to me.
I sincerely joined this contest not for myself. I was really thinking of those people whom this project will benefit. Being an instrument to help solve their legal, financial and personal advancement concerns at no cost to them is already a fulfilling achievement.
For more information about Samsung Smart TV, here are helpful links:
Samsung WebsiteSamsung Facebook Page
