An icon of the masses, Robin spoke of his past to encourage out-of-school young Filipinos to register in Abot-Alam, a nationwide campaign aimed at improving access to free education and livelihood opportunities organized and implemented by the National Youth Commission (NYC) and the Department of Education (DepEd) in partnership with Talk ‘N Text (TNT).

“Noong nakulong ako, sinigurado kong tinapos ko pa rin ang high school. At nang makalaya ako, college agad ang inatupag ko. Tinapos ko rin ito paglabas ko,” Robin said during a recent info-video shoot held in Quezon City for Abot- Alam. In the said video, the TNT endorser is seen giving free tutorials to OSYs on how to join this cause.

Recall that Robin served time in the ‘90s for illegal possession of firearms. However, he was paroled early for good behavior. He used this very setback to finish college at the Philippine College of Criminology as soon as he got out of prison. Robin turned things around since then. He has since dropped the Bad Boy image and set out an example worth the “idol” namesake. To this day, he remains an inspiration and has kept his feet firmly grounded.

“Kahit kailanman hindi dapat maging hadlang ang mga pagsubok sa buhay para makatapos. Maraming mga paraan para umunlad sa buhay at tutulungan ng Abot-Alam ang mga kabataang Pinoy para makamit nila ito,” added the actor who has waived endorsement fee for this entire campaign. Robin is making sure he is reaching out to every young Filipino to take the first step in making their lives better.

Robin is at that stage of his career where paying it forward flows naturally for him. “Alam naman natin na marami tayong mga ka-tropa na gustong magkaroon ng pangalawang pagkakataon pagdating sa edukasyon, kaya bilib din talaga ako sa Talk ‘N Text na hindi nila pinapalampas ang mga ganitong opportunity para sumuporta sa mga ganitong proyekto. Kaya naman sinisigurado ko rin na kasangga ako ng TNT sa campaign na ito.”

Challenging this country’s future
Last June 15, Robin joined rap artist Quest (who wrote and performed the theme song of the campaign called “Walang Iwanan”) at the TNT Panalo Ka, PIlipinas! event held in Tondo, Manila. At the event, the actor-director challenged OSY attendees to go back to school via Abot-Alam. Robin said that the youth should treat this as a challenge worth hurdling because having a degree is the first big step if anyone wants to score goals in life.

To register, visit Abot-Alam website and follow the registration steps accordingly. Upon registry, those who have decided to give school another chance will be redirected to different learning institutions supporting the campaign such as Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) and other partner learning portals and government-owned institutions. Registration via text message, powered by Talk ‘N text, will soon be available to Talk ‘N Text, Smart and Sun subscribers.

Supported by local governments all over the country, Abot-Alam is a nationwide effort hinged on providing both education and livelihood to OSYs. Along with DepEd, NYC and Talk ‘N Text, the common goal for each and every town is to reach an OSY population of zero come 2016. For this year, Abot-Alam orientation programs have been conducted in Dagupan, Tawi-Tawi, Zamboanga and Ilo-Ilo among other key provinces and cities.