The 14th Point

I feel really proud as I looked at photos taken during President Noynoy Aquino’s inaugural last week. I could feel that fresh hope pervading in the country now that it has a new (and duly elected) leader in the person of this unassuming son of Ninoy and Cory Aquino, revered icons of our democracy.

On the same day that he was sworn into office, Catholic bishops released a 13-point that the newly-elected president needs to tackle during his administration.

I read through the list and found some very, very familiar areas of concern such as the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program with extension and reform (CARPer), the rejection of the Reproductive Health Bill, same-sex union, halting of mining and illegal logging, corruption, human rights, the poor’s access to quality education, etc.

I was expecting that they would include the cancellation of payments to debts incurred by the Marcos administration. It is no secret that these debts were immorally done as they did not benefit the nation, but Marcos and his minions.

Since 30 July 1977 (when the dictator signed into law Presidential Decree No. 1177), a part of our national budget has been automatically earmarked to pay the “principal and interest on public debt” (section 31 of PD 1177). Sadly, the late Cory Aquino honored these debts and so payments have been ongoing until now.

40% of our budget is allocated for debt servicing, thus depriving our country from further development, poor families from getting access to a better quality of life, public services such as hospitals, schools, and the like from being able to fully respond to clients’ needs, etc.

40% is 40%!

I agree that we Pinoys believe in the saying that “Ang utang ay dapat bayaran”, but if it was done not for our good and if paying it would prevent us from enjoying what we humans deserve, then it is immoral to pay them! It’s anti-life, if I can rejig a famous by-line from our Church leaders.

I agree that “Kung walang corrupt, walang mahirap”, but corruption isn’t the only enemy to alleviate poverty. To alleviate poverty, P-Noy must also make sure that funds are appropriated where they are badly needed. He must send marching orders to Congress, when he addresses them on 26 July 2010, to repeal that oppressive law and make strong representations with the IMF-World Bank putting a cap on debt servicing.

If this is done, then at least 3 (i.e. educating the poor, poverty alleviation, and food security) of the 13 points raised by our bishops would have already been sorted.

I am disappointed that our prelates have missed this item when this issue has been staring at them all this time, when they have often spoken in defense of the poor and proclaimed that we are a “Church of the Poor”.

Debt is ‘utang’ in Filipino. If the President does not do something on automatic debt payments, more and more people would be drowned in untold poverty and misery. From their mouths, ‘utang’ would metamorphose into another Filipino word, a curse actually, that P-Noy would not like to hear.

I may not be a bishop, but like them I am also P-Noy’s boss. And so, Mr President, my appeal is: please repudiate debt servicing!

***

I am very sorry to hear the sad news that Mrs Annie Andreus, a long-time friend, neighbour, and perhaps a distant relative in Kawit, Cavite, has passed away. Ti Annie, as we fondly call her (“Ti” is an honorific title Kawiteños use to address their elders such as uncles and aunts.), was an ex-classmate’s mother. When I lived in my aunt’s house (which is a few steps from Ti Annie’s home and sari-sari store), I used to pass by the church before proceeding to the nearby St Mary Magdalene School. I would always see her attending the daily Mass. Later on, I found myself getting up early everyday to participate in the Holy Eucharist – sitting next to her. I carried this practice when we moved back to Manila and whenever I would go to Kawit and attend Mass I was happy to be reunited with her.

If my paternal grandparents introduced me to the Mass, Ti Annie reinforced that practice by her good example and encouragement. Which is why I'm telling our brothers and sisters in the faith, especially the youth: don't get bored of the Mass. Welcome your elders' proddings as a call to prayer, to be in union with the Lord. And as you grow in that upbringing, you will not 'lose' it even if you move to another place.

Thank you, Ti Annie. You have been like a mom to me. May you now enjoy the happiness in the presence of our God whom you have encountered in the daily Mass.

To Edwin and his siblings (Christie, Donna, and Faye), my sincerest condolences.

My Model

This coming 19th November, it would be 25 years since my Lolo Paul’s passing away. My siblings and I had the misfortune of not being able to see him for the last time – he died and was buried in New York. A few months before that, he was in the Philippines and even managed to travel from Tondo to Cavite to see us. When I saw him (and my aunt and cousins) waiting outside the house, his first words were “Hindi na kayo dumalaw sa akin…” (You didn’t come again to visit me…) He said those in a gentle voice, not reprimanding. I feel the sentence was incomplete, but didn’t press him for that. We both knew that he came to Cavite that blessed Sunday because he missed us. I never saw him that happy to see us.

Years before that final encounter with my paternal grandfather, he wrote me a letter telling me that I am the model for my brother and sisters. I think he wanted me to be aware of the great responsibility I have as the eldest in the brood. I must admit that at a tender age – 8 or 9 years – I took his words seriously. During that time, my father was abroad leaving us 5 children in our mother’s care.

Society has this high expectation on who’s the eldest in the family that one false move and they’re on your case!

How could I be a model for my siblings (and for others)? Perhaps I could pick up some values from my late grandfather:

P – Prayer. Lolo Paul was a man of prayer. He and Lola Piling would start their day with the Holy Mass. He also had devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Rosary, and the Holy Souls. Whenever we travel past a cemetery, he would lead us in praying for the dead. I’m pretty much sure that those souls he prayed for when he was alive have remembered him when it was his turn to be called by God to his true home. I will forever be grateful to Lolo Paul for inculcating in my tender mind then the value of communicating with God as often as I could.

A – Action. Lolo Paul’s actions were rooted in prayer. As a doctor, he always sought guidance from the Divine Healer so he could bring healing to his patients.When he was Grand Knight of the Knights of Columbus, he spearheaded the traditional Gift-Giving to the poor of Gagalangin Parish held during the Feast of the Epiphany. He and Lola Piling were also the husband and wife team that led the lay faithful of that parish in building a bigger church in the late 50s.

U – Unity. As head of a large family, it was important for him that all members are united for a common goal. When most of the family was still in the Philippines, we would all attend Sunday Mass at the St Rita Hospital Chapel and have breakfast together at his big house – there used to be 2 round tables in the dining area. I was told that when he was still managing the hospital and college he founded, he treated his employees as though they were his own. He also strongly believed in the indissolubility of marriage. Being a dad myself, I have to make sure that my own family would stay intact in spite the many evils besetting families nowadays.

L – Love. Lolo Paul once mentioned that this was the secret of his success. He loved his family very well and devoted his life for their well-being. According to Lola Piling, she found in Lolo Paul “a father, brother, and husband rolled in one”. Having raised 11 children (10 are still alive) can be a daunting task, but because of love he was able to take on the challenge. Indeed, for someone who loves, the difficult becomes doable! And at the end of our lives, we would be judged for how we loved not how much we have in our pockets.

Twenty-five years or so has passed and there have been more people whom I have looked after – siblings, cousins, friends, and now family. I tried my best to be a model for them. I hope I have been a good one. If not, I beg for their indulgence.

May God who once gave Lolo Paul to us, bless his good soul and allow me (and everyone else touched by his words and examples) to continue his legacy while looking forward to that reunion with him in heaven soon.