My name is Joey Golja. I am co-founder and president of Project Barkada. I’m from Astoria Queens and through our organization we are raising funds to support this program, which will allow us to go to the Philippines boots on the ground and help our people first hand.

In 2008, I was caught in a flood in the Philippines, which nailed in an unforgettable experience and changed my outlook on life. Out of all bad things, something good can still come from it. In this situation, my experience of seeing our town devastated by the flood and seeing the people that already didn’t have much have everything they had washed away. Then i come back to the states and hear people complain about minor things like not having the newest jordans or how their parents won’t buy them a car. Meanwhile my neighbor in the Philippines doesn’t even have shoes. They don’t realize how blessed they really are. Since then, I made it my passion and my mission to give back. I am grateful for the opportunities and experience i had in life which has allowed me to build this organization to fulfill my passion project.

This idea of Project Barkada was born through that experience; here we are years later, living up to that promise of helping others. We have a saying “friends helping friends” because at the end of the day, someway, somehow, we all know each other.

Now it’s our time to help. It’s called BARKADA OVERSEAS We are putting together a Philippines relief effort that consists of a concert where Fil-Am and Filipino artists can share the stage for a single purpose of uplifting and supporting the people. We are hosting two giveback programs, donating food, school supplies, clothes, medicine, toys, water, and whatever items are needed. We are bringing in Top Chefs to come and provide a foodie experience, sharing the kitchen with chefs from the Philippines we want to work with the locals and the people who are also moving the needle for the culture in the Philippines, it’s all about working together and doing what’s right, our goal is to leave an impact and unforgettable experience that will hopefully empower educate and inspire others to do the same. We need to lead by example and at the end of everything we’re going to celebrate each other.

Your donations are going towards making all of this happen. Our expenses is to provide flights to the people from the US to get to the Philippines to perform at the concert and to help with the distribution we have during our gift back we are trying to create an ecosystem of support. We’re using the funds to also buy food from local vendors and businesses supporting their economy by paying them 2 to 3 times more of what they make in a day. To distribute food for free during the distribution, the funds will also go towards the necessities that these people need like clean water filters, shoes, clothes, medicine whatever we can’t get sponsored we are going to purchase this help is going to happen either way, whether it’s coming out of our pocket or hopefully through the support of all of you.