Calaidescope World

Making the Rounds

There is a rather long email that has been making the rounds lately. I sincerely hope that everyone who receives it takes the time to read and understand it. The email's subject heading is "A Filipino of Faith" and focuses on the goodness of one Alexander Ledesma Lacson.

This is an excerpt from one of my favorite writers, Max V. Soliven, in his daily column By the Way in the Philippine Star on 19 December 2005:

"Alexander Ledesma Lacson, it turned out, modest as he was in bearing, was a graduate of the University of the Philippines College of Law, 1996, and took up graduate studies at the Harvard Law School in Cambridge, Mass. (Good old Harvard Yard, by gosh). His wife, Pia Pena it turned out even more amazingly is the daughter of an old friend, Teddy Pena from Palawan! ! She, too, is a lawyer U.P. 1993 a legal counsel for Citibank. They established a foundation together to help underprivileged children through school, and are now subsidizing 27 young scholars in different public schools in Alex's native Negros Occidental.

"The reason Alex had been headed for Wack-Wack was the fact that the officers and employees of a company named Resins Inc., after buying 1,000 copies of his book had invited him to give the 'homily' at their Christmas party. This was not a small group the company had 600 employees, waiting for his "word" that night.

"Alex, it struck me from our conversation, is an eloquent and devout Catholic. He believes God must have destined our people for some great role why, in all history, he reasoned, were we Filipinos the 'only Christian nation in Asia?' One thing is certain: He and his wife Pia practice their Christianity and live it.

"Four years ago, he and his wife ! had a serious discussion about migrating to the US or Canada because the Philippines, as a country appeared hopeless since things only got worse year after year. They wanted to know if their children (they have three, one boy and two girls) would be better off staying in our country or abroad in the next 20 years.

"Pia and Alex had asked themselves the question: 'Is there hope for the Philippines to progress in the next 20 years?'

"They reasoned: If the answer is Yes, then they would stay. If it was No, they would leave and relocate abroad while they were still young and energetic. There were long discussions. One day, the realization, Alex recalls, struck them: the answer to that question was in themselves. The country would improve, Pia and Alex finally understood, if they and every other Filipino did something about it. Leaving the Philippines was not the solution. As Lacson put it in his book: 'The answer is in us! as a people; that hope is in us as a people.'"

The following is taken from Lacson's 108 page book, 12 Little Things Every Filipino Can Do to Help Our Country (Alay Pinoy Publishing House), as it appeared in Soliven's column:

1) Follow traffic rules. Follow the law.
2) Whenever you buy or pay for anything, always ask for an official receipt.
3) Don't buy smuggled goods. Buy local Buy Filipino. (Or, if you read the book, he suggests 50-50).
4) When you talk to others, especially foreigners speak positively about us and our country.
5) Respect your traffic officer, policeman and soldier.
6) Do not litter. Dispose your garbage properly. Segregate. Recycle. Conserve.
7) Support your church.
8) During elections, do your solemn duty.
9) Pay your employees well.
10) Pay your taxes.
11) Adopt a scholar or a poor child.
12) Be a good parent. Teach your kids to follow the law and love our country.

Short. Sweet. Simple. I hope we all learned something new today, and take action.

posted by Calai @ 4:28 PM