Six months after megastorm Yolanda created an unprecedented destruction across the Visayas largerly Leyte and Samar islands, various humanitarian agencies reported how far they have gone in their recovery and rehabilitation efforts. Thanks to the donors and benefactors who contributed, substantially or not, to the funds used for these efforts. Far beyond the people’s general impression, areas hard hit by Yolanda, such as Tacloban City and adjacent towns in Leyte and Samar, are constantly rising up and rebuilding things and pursuits better and safer.
Running eight months from the day of the Yolanda onslaught, survivors who are supposedly aided by the government in terms of shelter and livelihood are yet clamouring for what they ought to enjoy as citizens of this country. By operation of law, the state is to stand as the guardian of these ailing citizens, whose future and hope were ferociously ruined by the natural calamity. The government, among all institutions with or without juridical personality, should be the first to respond and provide the basic survival help the survivors need with dispatch or sans any delay.
Apparently this time, particularly in Tacloban, which is said to be ground zero in the sty Yolanda onslaught, the government is the blast to respond yet the institutions that has the greater bulk of donations, largely of foreign sources. If the non-government humanitarian agencies are simply requiring a soon disbursement of the cash needed to finance the recovery and rehab efforts for the typhoon survivors, the Government of the Republic of the Philippines has a litany of excuses for the delay in carrying out these efforts.
Albeit necessaries under the system of bureacracy, the voluminous requirements before one project is implemented and ensued once started make the delivery of services more sluggish than a snail’s pace to the point that the need is over before it is provided. Worse, lives are wasted before the help much sought for is given. Coping with the red tape syndrome in the government would be just fine if all money-based transactions in the government are treated the same way. What about the emergency purchases and rigged biddings in the guise of urgent need only to find out hpw corruption had gotten into the way.
The PDAF scam, which is now dragging hundreds of names of self-acclaimed noble statesmen, is a classic example how corruption has weakened the moral fiber of the entire bureaucracy and tainted the integrity of the government on financial matters. With the billions of pesos in donations dumped into the coffers of the government and occurence of natural calamities not something new to it, delays for non-availability of paper requirements should not be a reason, unless something is being cooked in the kitchen, which is not supposed to happen.
Alibis and justifications
Without counting the cost
WE have to learn to give everything, especially to God and, because of him, to everybody else. Let’s be convinced that this is what is expected and proper of us. Christ himself said it very clearly.
“Love the Lord your God with your whole heart, and with your whole soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbour as yourself.” (Lk 10,27)
These divine words are actually put as an order, a command, that indicates what really is the very mind and will of God for us. They are not meant only as a desire, an ideal to keep in mind only but not so much in practice.
Obviously, Christ always respects our freedom and does not impose things on us even if he commands us something. This we also have to be clear. His commands never take away nor undermine our freedom. Rather they foster our freedom.
We have to learn to give our all without counting the cost. We should not be afraid to do so, because Christ himself assures us that he who gives more shall also receive even more than what he has given.
Listen to these words of his: “Everyone who has left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children or lands for my name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and shall possess life everlasting.” (Mt 19,28)
We have to learn to give ourselves as a gift to God and to others the way God himself has given himself as a gift to us—first, our life, then our talents, etc. He gives himself to us completely gratuitously, even if we choose not to correspond to his generosity.
Let us train to give ourselves to God and to others more and more each day. Let’s not be afraid of losing everything, because the contrary will actually take place. Instead of losing, we gain by giving ourselves more.
In fact, what we consider as a gain by keeping things instead of giving will actually be a loss to us, or will become a toxic and harmful element in our life. This has been proven endless times in lives of people.
When we give out of love for God and others, out of our faith and trust in God’s words, we may lose something in the physical sense, but we gain something spiritual that eventually will express itself in some material form, given our body-and-soul constitution.
A number of people have told me that when they are more generous with their money and other resources to help other people and especially to help in promoting the worship of God, they end up getting pleasantly surprised because they tend to receive much more than what they have given away.
Even in terms of energy, what we spend certainly will diminish our stock of it. But we will notice also a surge of a certain kind of energy, spiritual if not supernatural, that simply comes out.
We can be sure that it’s the grace of God that goes beyond, and even seems to defy, if need be, the laws of nature.
God cannot be outdone in generosity. Christ reassured us of this. “He who believes in me, the works that I do, he also shall do. And greater than these shall he do.” (Jn 14,12)
These words, to me, are always a jaw-dropper. They make me wonder, as everyone most probably also would, what these things are that are greater than what Christ did. But we have to believe them, because it is Christ who said them, and he cannot tell a lie nor exaggerate things beyond the objective truth.
We really should try to live by faith. At the beginning, like a baby learning how to walk, we surely would be unsure of ourselves and awkward in our ways. But if we persist, then we would see that what we considered difficult or impossible is actually feasible and doable.
We need to break loose from the grips of our merely human estimation of things. We have to allow the words of God, our Creator and ever loving Father, to rule us. Let’s imitate his example, becausewe are supposed to be his image and likeness, and with his grace, have become in Christ children of his.
We have to learn how to give ourselves as a gift,completely gratuitously given to God and to others. Let’s be convinced that’s how we grow humanly, and reach the fullness of Christian life.
Let’s believe when Christ says: “Be not afraid!”
Legislatures’ image in shambles: Suspect legislators should resign, ASAP!!!
Fifteen incumbent and 10 former senators to include 138 congressmen have been identified by whistle blowers and even by Janet Lim-Napoles alleged mastermind in this PDAF scam, to have amassed millions of pesos from this heartless thievery committed some years back.
Most of these Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) or pork barrel were intended for the benefit of farmers and other poorer sectors of our Philippine society, so we say, heartless indeed !!!
And they are representatives of the people!
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This thievery has unnecessarily smeared the erstwhile honorable image of our lawmaking bodies – the upper and lower chambers. It clearly pictures in news reports that these elected public officials are a bunch of greedy, shameless and corrupt officials, especially if proven true in hearings later in a competent court.
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It is so unfortunate that court hearings in Philippine courts take years to arrive at a verdict. We suspect that delaying tactics at the moment is working effectively in favor of the accused, thru the unnecessarily proliferation of lists coming from different individuals; the unstable suspect listing, and with the PDAF scam mastermind Jane Lim- Napoles playing games. She is putting us in an awed situation by saying that another 20 more suspects will be added to the list she has given to DOJ Sec. Leila de Lima. A well-crafted dilly-dally tactics!!
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However, no matter how these devilish-architects of propaganda employ these delay tactics, they no longer have any effect on the minds of our tax paying public since they are almost convinced that indeed this PDAF scam actually happened and the law makers – majority of them have largely benefited. Yes, majority of them benefited.
The burning issue of pork barrel abuse has been a significant item in the pages of Philippine’s legislative history and performance.
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The present scorching issue of Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) could be the worst pork barrel abuse in Philippine history as compared to the past similar pork barrel abuses. Sadly, this present controversy has effectively and sadly wrecked the erstwhile good and respectable image of the Legislature. At this time the credibility of lawmaking has hit rock bottom, all because of these corrupt and shameless lawmakers.
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It is therefore incumbent upon these three, Senators Jinggoy Estrada, Bong Revilla and JP Enrile should RESIGN – who at this time are considered albeit allegedly, the most guilty ones, and for the other suspects to file an indefinite leave of absence.
Court trials for such powerful and influential officials will eat up the ends of time.
Even with that discouraging prediction we still hope that the Department of Justice should soon speed up the filing of cases against these allege perpetrators ASAP; and while these are being formally heard the trio should, I repeat, resign and with the other suspects, file indefinite leave of absence to restore the former good image of the legislative bodies both in the upper and lower houses.
The Good Samaritan story: parable about communication
In his message for the 48th World Communications Day which coincided with Ascension Sunday on June 1, Pope Francis enunciated, “Today we are living in a world which is growing ever “smaller” and where, as a result, it would seem to be easier for all of us to be neighbours. xxx Good communication helps us to grow closer, to know one another better, and ultimately, to grow in unity. The walls which divide us can be broken down only if we are prepared to listen and learn from one another.”
He further conveyed, “We need to resolve our differences through forms of dialogue which help us grow in understanding and mutual respect. A culture of encounter demands that we be ready not only to give, but also to receive. Media can help us greatly in this, especially nowadays, when the networks of human communication have made unprecedented advances. The internet, in particular, offers immense possibilities for encounter and solidarity. This is something truly good, a gift from God.”
Confusion, division and indifference continually envelope the society. It is ironic that while the world becomes virtually smaller and reaching the other side of the earth is nomore hard to come by, the distance caused by apathy and prejudice among peoples is gaping. In this digital age and with the advent of social media in a network called cyberwires and the real time communications technology, even the farthest end of the planet becomes easily reachable. Understanding could have easily been achieved and cooperation ensued. But why is this not so?
Is it because the communication, in spite of easy access to the internet when available, lacks the heart to achieve this noble end? That people would just consider the internet link as simply an interconnection of lines called the world wide web where anything scoots across without regard to the other people’s needs? Pope Francis capsulzed this drift in his message of “neighbourliness,” people communicating like the caring neighbour in the Biblical parable of the Good Samaritan.
Pope Francis stated, “How can we be “neighbourly” in our use of the communications media and in the new environment created by digital technology? I find an answer in the parable of the Good Samaritan, which is also a parable about communication. Those who communicate, in effect, become neighbours. The Good Samaritan not only draws nearer to the man he finds half dead on the side of the road; he takes responsibility for him.”
He exhorted, “Jesus shifts our understanding: it is not just about seeing the other as someone like myself, but of the ability to make myself like the other. Communication is really about realizing that we are all human beings, children of God. I like seeing this power of communication as “neighbourliness”. (Eileen Nazareno-Ballesteros)
Calbayog officials undergo orientation on DILG’s seal of good local governance
CALBAYOG CITY- An orientation on seal of good local governance was conducted by the city office of the Department of the Interior and Local Government on June 3, 2014. City councilors, department heads of the City Hall, police and education personnel attended the gathering held at the conference room of the City Mayor’s Office. The orientation was in connection with DILG Memorandum Circular No.2014-39 “The 2014 Seal of Good Local Governance: Pagkilala sa Katapatan at Kahusayan ng Pamahalaang Lokal”, issued on March 24, 2014 addressed to all provincial governors, city and municipal mayors, and DILG regional directors. Acting Mayor Diego Rivera personally welcomed the participants in the said orientation on SGLG which is actually a scaling up of 2010’s Seal of Good Housekeeping (SGH). To recall, from its pilot run in 2010, the SGH has promoted transparency and accountability in local government operations, which assesses financial housekeeping through compliance with the Commission on Audit accounting and auditing standards and the Department’s Full Disclosure Policy. In 2012, 84% of provinces, cities and municipalities were conferred with the SGH. This indicates readiness of local governments to take on greater challenges. This year 2014, the DILG rises up the bar from SGH to the Seal of Good Local Governance (SGLG). This SGLG does not only recognize the good performance on financial housekeeping of provincial, city and municipal governments, but also on other areas that directly benefit the people, namely: on disaster preparedness, social protection (for vulnerable sectors like women, children, senior citizens, indigenous peoples and persons with disability, among others), business-friendliness and competitiveness, peace and order (in the community), and environmental management. In the orientation proper, DILG city director Zino Llarinas explained that for a local government to be conferred with SGLG, the so-called “3 plus 1” principle applies. This means that an LGU must pass only the three core assessment areas (good financial housekeeping; disaster preparedness and social protection) as these are mandatory, and at least one essential assessment area (elective from the three other areas – business-friendliness and competitiveness, peace and order, and environmental management). Llarinas said that if the city government qualifies to be conferred with the seal scheduled to be announced on October, Calbayog will be eligible to access the Performance Challenge Fund (PCF) which is a support fund to finance local development initiatives in furtherance of national goals and strategic thrusts; and more incentives package of program windows and capacity development assistance from the Department. (AIMEE CATALAN/PR)
Gawad Kalinga started building permanent houses for Yolanda victims in Leyte town
TACLOBAN CITY- The Gawad Kalinga (GK) has started their construction for the permanent shelters intended for the victims of supertyphoon Yolanda who lost their homes in San Isidro, Leyte. Board Member Alan Ang of 3rd district of Leyte told Leyte Samar Daily Express that the GK begun the construction of 50 permanent houses located in Barangay Crossing, San Isidro. The one-hectare lot was donated by family of the board member, whose wife, Susan, is the mayor of the town. He said that about 40 houses were already constructed at the said site. Board Member Ang said that aside from the GK, the Lion’s International has also assured that they will construct 20 houses and the National Housing Authority (NHA) also vow to donate permanent shelters to Yolanda victims who completely lost their houses. He said that 300 houses will be constructed at the permanent shelter located at Brgy. Crossing, about 100 meters from the town proper. Meantime, Board Member Ang said that farmers on their town have already started planting crops and vegetables to help them of their daily sustenance. He also said that several business establishments in San Isidro are now in full operations, seven months after Yolanda hit their town. The board member expressed his gratitude for the full support extended to their town by Leyte Governor Leopoldo Dominico Petilla and various humanitarian groups which hasten their recovery from the devastation caused by Yolanda. (LITO A. BAGUNAS)