FROM THE BARREL OF MY PEN
By Gonzalo “Jun” Policarpio


“GIVE FOOD TO THE HUNGRY AND WATER TO THE THIRSTY”


Somebody told me that Filipinos are not worth dying for. Perhaps this person was just too much disappointed with the perceived tolerant attitude of the masses toward government graft and corruption and other illegal activities of politicians. .He may have to conclude that Ninoy Aquino, an exiled Filipino leader who was assassinated by his enemies upon his return to the Philippines to fight for justice, died in vain. And so with all those revered Filipino martyrs who died in defense of freedom for the Filipino people from the Spanish and American colonialism and the Japanese invasion. I believe the best way to say it is that Filipinos are worth dying for and also living for, if we are afraid to die.

It’s more fitting to say that Filipino Americans can afford to live for the Filipino people by sending their hard earned dollars to alleviate the generally poor living conditions in the Philippines. A good first step in this simple social reform program is for one committed Filipino American family with adequate resources to adopt one or more poor Filipino families back home. This plan does not require any government or non-government agency to handle the resource distribution. For such normally invites the onset of corruption or misuse of funds. It would take the form of a family- to- family adoption program in the same way as a simple donor-beneficiary program operates. Any Filipino American family may start with their impoverished relatives in the Philippines.

The role of the media is to report the results of the family-to-family adoption program in terms of how the donations are being used by the beneficiary family. Typically, a poor Filipino family with children needs funds for college education, medical expenses, and enough capital to start a small business. This is where involved Filipino Americans would interact with Philippine media to monitor the results of their good works.

I hope that this simple idea would be a good way to start the year 2007 for the Filipino people who suffer daily from poverty, sickness, and exploitation by the rich politicians. A good Christian or any other believer who truly intends to do something for the poor and the needy must simply obey Christ’s teaching to give food to the hungry and water to the thirsty. As the Holy Bible says, “faith without works is dead.”

End
junpolicarpio@yahoo.com
junpolicarpio@gmail.com