12 Little Things Every Filipino Can Do

To Help Our Country Page

1. Follow traffic rules. Follow the law. . .......... 1

2. Whenever you buy or pay for anything, always ask for an official receipt. ........... 9

3. Don't buy smuggled goods. Buy Local. Buy Filipino. . .......... 17

4. When you..talk to others, especially foreigners, speak positively about us and our country. ... .. . 25

5. Respect your traffic officer, policeman and soldier. . .......... 35

6. Do not litter. Dispose your garbage properly. Segregate. Recycle. Conserve. . .......... 43

7. Support your church. ........... 51

8. During elections, do your solemn duty. .. ......... 59

9. Pay your employees well. ........... 67

10. Pay your taxes. ........... 75

11. Adopt a scholar or a poor child. .. ......... 83

12. Be a good parent. Teach your kids to follow the law and love our country. . .......... 93

xvii

The 1st Little Thing

FOLLOW TRAFFIC RULES. FOLLOW THE LAW.

"Traffic rules are the simplest of our country's laws. But when implemented, it paints a country of strong laws."

(Author)

"The best way to build a dream is by attending to the little things that comprise it.

Its foundation is in the little details; its beauty in the fine points."

(Benjamin Franklin)

"I am, indeed, a King, because I know how to rule myself."

(Pietro Aretino)

You may ask why - of the 12 little things listed in this

book - following traffic rules was designated as the 1st Little Thing?

The answer is simple. Traffic rules are the sim­

plest of our laws. If we learn to follow them, it could be the

lowest form of national discipline we can develop. Since it

is totally without monetary cost, it should be easy for us to

do. It should therefore be a good start.

Traffic rules are the most commonly applied of our

laws. We are confronted with them everyday- from morn­

ing till evening. Thus, whether to follow traffic rules or not

is a question that we all face daily. It is a challenge that

confronts us everyday. We can try today, the next day, the

third day, and on all subsequent days. And if we succeed

today, we may also succeed tomorrow, and on the third

day, and the days thereafter.

"If you do an act repeatedly for 30 consecutive days, it becomes a habit," said author John Maxwell.

Someday, our repeated act of following traffic rules

could become a habit, and hopefully, a riatibnal discipline.

Someday, our repeated act of following traffic rules, which

are the most ordinary of our laws, can lead us to follow the more difficult and more important of our laws.

Someday, it can lead to the development of the

culture of respect for the law among us as a people. 2

For discipline is like a ladder. Before we can reach

the top, we have to start at the bottom. And we can only go

up one step at a time.

All the big things in this world started small some­

where, sometime in the past. They all began as an idea,

as a thought. Thoughts are powerful, for they become ac­

tions. And actions can become habits. And habits can be­

come a way of life. And our way of life can become our

destiny as a people and as a nation.

This "'principle is universal, and is as old as time.

To begin it, all we need to do is to give this 1st Little

Thing - Follow Traffic Rules- a serious THOUGHT today.

And to try to act on it everyday, until it becomes a habit,

until it becomes a way of life, until it becomes a discipline.

And there are so many rewards in following traffic

rules.

One of these is that it can save lives either yours,

your loved ones, or the innocent ones on the road. It can

save lives from accidents, heart attacks, or from guns of

angry and trigger-happy drivers. It can bring you home alive

and· in one piece. It can also save you money from car

repairs, as well as headaches from quarrelling with the

other car's driver or owner.

3

Another benefit we can derive from following traf­

fic rules is cultural in nature. Cutting a person's lane or

right of way is one of the worse traffic violations there is.

When you cut the lane or right of way of another driver,

you show complete lack of respect for that other driver as

well as all those ~ho are following the line. When you do

it, you are being selfish and unfair to those who came be­

fore you. Literally, you step on their toes.

For those who witness it - particularly our chil­

dren who are often with us in the car- they may think it is

normal behavior to do just that and be disrespectful of oth­

ers. In their young minds, they may think it is acceptable to

step on other people's toes.

On the other hand, if we follow the line instead of

cutting or making shortcuts, our children will think that fol­

lowing the line is the right conduct. In their young minds,

they will learn patience, discipline, respect for the law, and

respect for others.

Road courtesy is about civility. It is about our cui ..

ture as a people. There is so much culture that we pass on

to our children when we follow or disobey traffic rules.

Following traffic rules also promotes us as a people

of good manners and discipline, especially in the eyes of

the world. In this light, each one of us actually becomes an

4

ambassador of our country. When we follow traffic rules,

we become good ambassadors. When we violate them,

we become bad examples of the Filipino race.

This simple act of following traffic rules has an

impact on foreigners who visit our country. In the minds of

tourists, who usually have keen eyes on what they see

around the country they visit, the simple obedience to traf­

fic rules paints a good picture of the Filipino people. When

these tourists go home to their respective countries, we

can be sure that they'll speak good things about the Fili­

pino. For all ""We know, next time they meet a Filipino in

their countries, whether a doctor or a domestic, they just

might give that Filipino the kind of respect they received or

witnessed when they were in our country.

I have been to Japan, particularly in Tokyo and

Okinawa, a number of times. And I was always amazed at

how drivers there very sparingly honk their horns. They

only honk their horns when truly necessary.

This I understood to mean that they use their horns

quite responsibly, with courtesy to other drivers and to

pedestrians and workers and residents nearby. It was like

that too in Europe, or at least in the countries I visited with

my wife this year and in the past. At the time, I wondered

how it would be like to live in a country where there seems

to be so much respect and courtesy in the air.

5

But perhaps one of the most important benefits

we will attain when we learn to follow traffic rules as a habit

and as a national discipline, is the psychic reward of na­

tional pride and self-esteem. When a person performs a

good deed, he often feels good afterwards, usually with

some measure of pride and self-respect. The same thing

can happen to a people who succeed in doing a small but

seemingly impossible thing to achieve.

If we develop this habit as a national discipline, it

will be a huge victory for us as a people. It will be a monu­

mental step. If we will do it consciously for the country,

knowing that our country needs it now -we will feel proud

every time we do it. And gradually, perhaps even uncon­

sciously, we will regain our pride and self-esteem as a

people.

This simple act of following traffic rules can go a

long, long way in our march towards the kind of society we

dream for ourselves and our children.

One old Chinese saying. goes: The journey of a

thousand miles begins with the first step.

Perhaps following traffic rules could be our first

step -to national discipline, to nation-building.

6

,..

The 2nd Little Thing

WHENEVER YOU BUY OR PAY FOR ANYTHING, ALWAYS ASK FOR AN

OFFICIAL RECEIPT

,..

~~None but ourselves, who are our greatest enemy." (Henry W. Longfellow)

"Our people's habits can be the destiny of our nation." (Benjamin Franklin)

9

T his sounds very ordinary and unimportant. But it i.s

not. When we buy a product or pay for a service, the

price we pay already includes the tax. Under the law, the

seller (as the tax-paying agent) is obligated to remit or for­

ward that tax to the government.

But if the seller does not issue an official receipt

when you buy a product - perhaps because you did not

ask for it or worse, you were asked but you said never

mind - the seller may or may not remit the tax to the gov­

ernment. Since you did not ask for an OR, there is no record

of the sale transaction and therefore the government has

no way of knowing it. If the seller chooses not to declare

the sale transaction to the Bureau of Internal Revenue

(BIR}, the tax that you already paid for the product will not

be remitted to or collected by the BIR.

In short, the tax that you already paid for the prod­

uct will just be pocketed by the seller.

Example:

Let us assume that you bought a product for a

price of P110. The P10 of that price actually represents

the 10% value-added-tax (VAT). Let us assume further that,

of the price, P30 is the profit of the seller. If you don't ask

for an OR and the seller chooses not to remit the P1 0 VAT

to the BIR and therefore pockets it, then the seller actually

10

gains a total of P40 from your sale transaction. If there are

10,000 sale transactions in one month without ORs, the

government is deprived of P1 00,000 worth of taxes. On

the other hand, the seller, who chooses not to remit your

paid taxes to the BIR, earns not only his P300,000 profit

but also the P1 00,000 in taxes you paid which he pockets.

According to BIR reports, billions and billions worth

of taxes every year are not remitted to the BIR due to non­

issuance of ORs. Billions of pesos of taxes that are merely

pocketed by many sellers around the country. Billions of ,.. pesos of taxes that can be of great help to our government

in these times of crisis.

To cite a specific example on this, it is estimated

that from 1997 to 2004, around 1/3 of VAT has not been

collected. In absolute amounts, BIR puts· it at roughly P40

Billion a year of uncollected VAT, or a total of P280 Billion

of uncollected VAT in the last 7 years. This P280 Billion

refers only to VAT for sale transactions reported to the BIR

but not yet collected at present. Those sale transactions

not reported to the BIR, perhaps because we did not ask

for ORs, are not yet included in the amount.

Can you imagine if the government is able to col·

lect this P40 Billion VAT uncoiiected annually? There may

be no need to increase the VAT from 10% to 12% since

the increase of 2% is expected to raise only from P35 Bil·

lion to PSO Billion. 11

To address this problem, the solution is really very simple. Just ask for an OR everytime you purchase some­

thing, or whenever you pay for a professional service. Remember that whenever you do this, you are helping our country which is in a serious financial crisis these days.

The point here is that, if all of us Filipinos - as buyers, clients or customers - will just ask for the official

receipts for all our purchases, the businessmen and pro­fessionals will be forced to remit the taxes we pay to the BIR. In doing so, we actually ensure that the taxes we pay for the goods and services we buy truly go to the govern­ment and are not merely pocketed by sellers.

As a result, our government will be able to collect more taxes. If our government is able to collect more taxes every year, our country will need to borrow less from inter­national financial institutions to supply the deficit in the na­tional budget. If we borrow less abroad, our foreign debt will not increase as fast and may eventually lower as we pay annually.

Increased tax collections and Jess foreign borrow­ings will improve our credit standing in the international finance community. And according to our economists, all these will somehow strengthen our peso, among other possible good effects. This means that the value of peso will become stronger. This means that our peso will be able to buy more goods in the market.

12

More importantly, and this is where it gets really personal, our government will have more money to devote to education, infrastructure, health and social services, and all the other benefits one usually expects from the govern­

ment.

In short, by simply asking for ORs for all our pur­chases, you and I can actually help the government in in­

creasing our tax collections every year, in solving our nation's budget deficit, in reducing our foreign debt, in im­

proving our international credit standing, in strengthening

the value of our peso.

This means that there is actually something that

we can do, either individually or collectively as a people, to h.~lp solve the financial crisis that plagues our nation today. And this does not cost us any money. It merely re· quires a change of attitude in us. Just a simple discipline from each one of us is required. But if we all decide to do it, knowing that our country needs it now, it is actually an act of patriotism and national discipline.

And good news to those who ask for ORs! You can actually win from P1 00,000 to P1 million by simply texting your OR number to a BIR cell phone. To encourage people to demand ORs for every purchase they make so business establishments will be compelled to remit the taxes to the government, BIR Commissioner Willy Parayno has come up with this very creative project.

13

I hope we support it. I hope we learn this habit of

asking for ORs soonest. Our country needs it badly now.

Remember, if we do an act repeatedly for 30 con­

secutive days, it becomes a habit.

The Great American Benjamin Franklin had some­

thing important to add to this subject. "Our people's habits

can be the destiny of our nation." Franklin wrote that in his

book "Poor Richard's Almanac". In 1776, when America had just been born as a nation, that book had a major

influence on a people who now called themselves Ameri­

cans.

14

,..

;

The 3rd Little Thing

DO NOT BUY SMUGGLED GOODS. BUY LOCAL. BUY FILIPINO

...

"No man can be a patriot without sacrificing for his country." (William C. Brann)

"The patriots are those who are willing to offer anything for the country,

even their precious Jives if necessary." (Adlai E. Stevenson)

17

ur markets in the country today are being flooded

with all kinds of cheap imported products, mostly

made from China. Including the most simple things like

safety pins and ball pens. Many of these foreign goods ar­

rive in our country through the legal route. But a great many

of them come through the illegal way, that is, via smuggling.

First, the smuggled goods.

Did you know that every year around P140 Billion

of customs taxes are not collected by our government from

smuggled goods? This is according to a 2004 study by the

Center for Research & Communications (CRC). P140 Bil­

lion yearly is a lot of money. That's 15.5% of our national

budget for 2005. If we can only collect at least 50% of that

amount, there would be no need to raise the VAT to 12%.

When imported goods are smuggled into our coun­

try, our government is not able to impose and collect the

taxes due from them- customs duties, tariffs, and the 1 0%

VAT. As a result, smugglers are able to sell these imported

goods in Philippine markets at very cheap prices. And we

buyers are often tempted to buy them. As a result, no one

buys the more expensive local products, killing local com·

panies and industries, and resulting in the laying off of

workers and eventually in higher unemployment levels.

18

Smuggling is a crime. A social evil. There are two

(2) things we can do to lessen or stop smuggling in our

country. First, we should stop buying smuggled goods.

Second, if we get to know of any smuggling activity, we

should be brave enough for our country to report it to the

proper authorities.

Now on our attitude of buying only imported goods.

I remember what Barth Suretsky, an American who

has been residing in the Philippines since 1998, wrote in

the Letters to,..the Editor of the Philippine Daily Inquirer

some months ago. I clipped that letter, because I found so

much truth in this foreigner's view of us Filipinos. There he

said:

11Filipinos tend to worship. almost slavishlY. ev­

erything foreign. If it comes from ltalv or

France it has to be better than anvthing made

here. If the idea is American or German. it

has to be superior to anvthing that Filipinos

Qa1rl1!.'11[Jj~Q....B:u:J~!Zl.§~~ Foreigners are

looked up to and idolized here. Foreigners can

go anywhere without question. In my own

personal experience, I remember attending

recently an affair at a major museum here. I

had forgotten to bring my invitation. But whHe

Filipinos entering the museum were checked

for invitations, I was simply waved through." 19

The problem with buying imported goods is that, less taxes go to our government while a big chunk of the capital involved goes out of our country.

Let me explain. When we buy an imported product, perhaps 50% of the price we pay for that product goes out

of our country. For example, if that imported good costs you P1 ,000 in your favorite department store, maybe P250 (or 25% of the price) will go to the department store as its retail profit. Another P250 (or another 25% of the price) will go to the distributor or franchisee in the Philippines of the imported product. But the remaining P500 (or 50%) of the price will be paid for the purchase price from the manu­facturer-sellerofthe imported product, which most likely is based in China, Japan or the US.

This means that if 20 million out of the 84 million

Filipinos buy imported products at P1 ,000 a piece every month, it is equivalent to P20 Billion a month, of which P10

Billion goes out of the country as payment to the manufac­turers abroad. In a year, that's P120 Billion. That's a lot of capital that goes out of our country.

That money or capital supports the foreign compa­nies that manufacture these imported products. It supports

the employees of these foreign companies. It supports the families and children's education of the employees of these foreign companies. It supports the economy and the coun­try where these foreign companies are located.

20

What if, instead of buying imported products, the 20 million Filipinos in the above example all choose to buy locally .. made products? This means that the P120 Billion would go to the local companies and would stay in Philip­pine soil as capital that could circulate in our markets.

This is what happens in the case of Colgate tooth­paste, which is produced in Thailand, or in the case of

Close-up, which is made in Indonesia. Everytime we buy Colgate or Close-up, maybe 50% of the price we pay goes

out of our country. Hence, if Colgate and Close-up earn P1 00 Billion J:fer year, maybe P50 Billion of that goes out of the Phitippines. On the other hand, there's Hapee tooth­paste, which is of the same quality if not better, but which

is 1 00% Filipino.

Even if the manufacturing company is 1 00% for­eign-owned but located in the Philippines, at least part of the money goes to the employment of Filipino workers, their families, and the education of Filipino employees' children.

Thus, our simple act of buying local products is actually a support for our country, especially in these times when our country needs every little bit of help from each one of us. It is an act of sacrifice. It is an act of patriotism.

It is an act of good citizenship.

21

When I wrote this portion of the book, I had just

returned from Seoul and Gyuanggi, Korea where I was

invited to speak at an international conference on the en­

vironment. Our hosts brought me and their other foreign

guests to the villages of farmers, fishermen and vegetable

planters in Suwon and Myeangri. I was surprised how pa­

triotic the people there were. From the most basic com­

modities to cellphones to notebook computers to cars, the

Koreans I met and saw patronized Korean products. They

have an aversion to foreign products, particularly Japa­

nese and Chinese. They are not as eager as well on Ameri­

can brands.

It may not be good economics also to ask our

people to buy 100% local products. Instead, what I sug­

gest is for us to take a u50-50 buying attitude." This means

that we must develop the attitude of using at least 50% of

our budget to buy locally-made products, and allocating

the other 50% for our favorite imported choices.

If we all take seriously this 50-50 buying attitude,

it could be another big push for our economy and for our

people. It will retain capital in our country. It will build our

local industries. It will build Filipino brands. It will create

more employment for our people. It will send more Filipino

children to school. It will give a brighter future to our na­

tion.

22

;

The 4th Little Thing

WHEN YOU TALK TO OTHERS, ESPECIALLY FOREIGNERS,

SPEAK POSITIVELY OF OUR RACE AND OUR COUNTRY

,.

~~Every time we open our mouths, we expose ourselves- our weakness or our strength. n

(Napoleon Bonaparte)

~~Every citizen is an ambassador of his country." (Rafael Salas)

25

I have been to many different places in our country.

And since I am the type who smiles at and talks to

practically anyone I meet on the road, I can say that I have

spoken to a good number of Filipinos from different walks

of life.

And I must say that we are indeed a people who

constantly talk of negative things about our country and

ourselves. Worse, we even laugh at it. I don't know where

we got this. Perhaps, as Jose Rizal implies, from the Span­

iards and Friars who laughed aloud, if not boisterously,

when they criticized the Philippine Islands and the Indios.

The mestizos and some sipsip natives laughed with them.

When the Spaniards and friars left after Spain sold and

ceded the Philippine Islands to America in 1898, the mes­

tizos and some prosperous natives continued the tradition

of self-bashing - laughing at our defects and faults.

Today, this ~~tradition" has reached us, although with

a positive twist. It is now seen as a positive trait of the

Filipino, as a way of coping with the difficulties of life.

Sure, our national defects and problems entertain

us during birthdays, parties and social gatherings. They

certainly make good topics for conversation. But they do

not fail to send across the negative message.

I call this attitude socially irresponsible, and unpa­

triotic, especially in times like these.

26

It is not the poor who are primarily guilty of this.

Surprisingly, it is some members of the rich and the middle

class. For it is the rich and the middle class who have con­

tact with the outside world. It is they who talk to, dine or

deal with the foreigners, either here or abroad. It is what

they say and do which create impressions about us to for­

eigners.

The poor, on the other hand, always tell you about

their poverty and misery. Which is understandable. These

they tell you so you may pity them, hoping that you would

help them. They don't laugh at their condition. In fact, many

of them cry when they tell you their stories.

So I guess this 4th Little Thing is best addressed

to the rich and the middle class in our country, my family

and myself included. We are the most guilty of this social

sin.

We should make a conscious effort to stop this

self-bashing and self-flagellation. We should stop telling

"horror stories" about ourselves to foreigners, including to

business associates, friends and relatives abroad. Instead,

we should start focusing on the positive aspects of our

national being. There are so many good things we can talk

about ourselves as a people and as a nation.

We are a people capable of greatness. Our race

has produced the likes of San Lorenzo Ruiz who, in the

27

face of torture and death, did not yield his faith in God. The likes of Sister Christine Tan who, despite coming from a materially well off background, refused her inheritance and gave it all to God and the poor whom she served until her death. The likes of Jose Rizal and Ninoy Aquino who devoted the best of themselves - their talents, their ener­gies, and eventually their lives -for the country. The likes of Gen. Gregorio Del Pilar who, at age 21, chose to die defending Tirad Pass with only a handful of armed men, some only with bolos and spears, against the advancing American troops, 5 times more in number and with rifles, so that Emilio Aguinaldo could retreat and build the infant Philippine Republic.

Yes, we are a people capable of greatness, of making supreme sacrifices. Dr. Josette Biyo has masteral and doctoral degrees from one of the top schools in the country- De La Salle University- where she used to teach rich college students, and was paid well for it. But she left that and all the glamor of Manila, and chose to teach in a lowly public high school in a rural area in a province, re­ceiving a salary of less than $300 a month, because ac­cording to her "who will teach our children?" In recognition of the rarity of her kind, the famous Massachusetts Insti­tute of Technology honored Dr. Biyo by naming a small and newly-discovered planet in our galaxy as "Biyo."

We are a race of honest, decent, God~fearing people like Nestor Sulpico, the Filipino taxi driver in New

28

York who, on 17 July 2004, drove 43 miles from New York City to Connecticut, USA to return the US$80,000 worth of rare black pearls to his passenger who forgot it at the back seat of his taxi. Nestor even refused to be paid a reward. He just wanted to be reimbursed for his taxi fuel for his travel to Connecticut. At the time, he was just earning $80

a day as a taxi driver.

This is honesty in its purest. This is decency most sublime. And it occurred in New York, the Big Apple City, where all kinds of snakes and sinners abound, and a place where, accordigg to Sydney Sheldon, the angels no longer descend. No wonder all New York newspapers called him •New York's Most Honest Taxi Driver." The New York City Government also gave him fitting recognition for his deed. The Philippine Senate passed a Resolution commending

Nestor for his honesty.

We are a people capable of great talents. Manuel V. Pangilinan of First Pacific of Hong kong and PLOT. Tony Tan Caktiong of Jollibee. Diosdado Banatao of Tallwood Venture Capital of Silicon Valley. U.P. Professor Caesar Saloma, a Galileo Galilie 2004 Awardee for his laser mi­croscopic studies. Pablo Planas, inventor of Khaos, a fuel and pollution reducing gadget. Lea Salonga of Broadway. Paeng Nepomuceno of world bowling. Efren "Bata" Reyes of billiards. Jennifer Rosales of the world of golf. And many,

many more.

29

Another aspect of our negative attitude is our crab

or talangka mentality - our tendency to pull each other

down, which is so pervasive in all levels of our society.

Where did we get this trait? Perhaps this is a cul­

tural offshoot of the Spanish conquistadores' strategy of

divide-and-rule that set off regions against regions, prov­

inces against provinces, clans against clans, families

against families, to prevent a united revolt. That's why the

llonggos and the llocanos used to look at each other with

leery, suspicious eyes. Same with the Kapampangans and

the Bicolanos. And more so on how we Catholics were

made to view the Muslims in Mindanao.

This crab mentality also evolved partly as a tool

for social advancement, and in some cases, survival. Many

Pinoys wanted to please or earn the good graces of those

in power - first the Spaniards, then the Americans, then

the Japanese, and the Americans again - so they espied

on their fellow Filipinos' revolutionary activities.

Apparently, this crab mentality is also true among

Pinoys abroad, especially in the United States. It is said

that of all the Asians in the US, the Pinoys have the most

number of organizations or associations. Put one Filipino

with another, the two will set up their own association. As a

result, the Pinoys in the US, despite their number, have

not become a major political and economic force to con-

30

tend with. As a consequence, demands for better benefits

for our war veterans and for the clean up of toxic wastes in

Clark and Subic have not been seriously taken up by any

US administration.

Because of our talangka mentality, or partly due

to it, our people and our country have never gotten far in

life.

But I believe that our negative thinking is not en­

tirely a product of the present. Our tendency for self-bash­

ing and lack of'faith in ourselves is also a product of our

past, our history, passed on to us by an older generation,

by our parents. As it was passed on to them by their own

parents, our grandparents, who lived all their lives in sub­

mission or subjugation by the Americans for 50 years and

before that, by the Spaniards for 377 years.

Dave Magalong, a friend, recently told me about

Jewish traditions. One of the most sacred Jewish tradi­

tions occurs every Friday night, on the eve of the Sabbath,

when the family head prays for every child in the family

and asks their Creator to bless the child, his dreams and

aspirations in life. This ritual affirms the child, the whole of

him, his heart and his mind. And this ritual occurs every

Friday, every week;.

31

No wonder most Jewish people I know are confi­

dent of who they are and what they stand for, and are suc­

cessful in most things they do, especially business.

In contrast, and for centuries, the Spaniards and

friars often shouted, in public at that, at the poor Indios the

words 'Tanga! Bobo! Tamad!". Unfortunately, the Indios

as well as the Filipino mestizos and illustrados perhaps as

an outlet for their frustration also often used the same words

of "Tanga! Bobo! Tamad!" to their children. These children

in turn passed on to their own offsprings the same nega­tive words. So we are what we are today, people who have

no faith in ourselves.

What we are today is a product of our past. Spe­

cifically, we are a product of the failures of our ancestors.

If the Katipunan Revolution was won against the Ameri­

cans, we would be very proud today as people. Because

there's something about winning a revolution that makes

a people proud. There's something about winning a revo­

lution that frees the spirit, cleanses the dignity and defines

the identity of the victors, notwithstanding the scars and

the pains of loss and deaths.

There's something about winning a revolution that

corrects the many mistakes of the past, including cultural

mistakes. There's this beautiful line that goes something

like this - One good success erases all failures of the

32

past. And greatness once achieved, however brief. stays

with the man, or with the nation. I can't recall now who

said those lines but I remember having read them in some

books during my college years.

And this is the irony of it all. There's something

about a revolution that humanizes the people. It teaches

respect for others. It teaches social responsibility, the one

that cares for the weak and the feeble and the poor and

the hungry, in whose minds and hearts, as history shows,

the seeds of revolution are always planted. ,...

We, in today's generation, should start a new revo·

lution, the one that will defeat all the negative energies in

our minds and bodies as a people. If we stop passing these

negative energies to the future generation, it would be a

revolution by itself. In fact, it would be a major cultural revo­

lution.

Like all the little things discussed above, this 4th

Little Thing of speaking positively of our nation and our­

selves does not need any money from our pocket. It only

requires a change of attitude, a change in the way we look

at things. But a change that can very well plant the seeds

so we may someday raise a new generation of Filipinos

who will have respect for their past and their country, and

who, in return, will have faith in their own selves.

33

!

'

The 5th Little Thing

RESPECT YOUR TRAFFIC OFFICER, POLICEMAN,

SOLDIER & OTHER PUBLIC SERVANTS

...

"'As always, the educated, knowing what needs to be done, must not wait for those who do not know what to do.

The learned has the solemn obligation to show the way, the sacred duty to take the first move. This is how society learns from them.

This is how education is shared to society." (Author)

We should behave to our neighbors as we would wish our neighbors to behave to us."

(Aristotle)

'What you do not want done to yourself, do not do to others." (Confucius)

35

When I awaken each morning, I observe some ritu­

als. Rituals that I have developed only in the last

few years, and based largely on the lives of people I have

adopted as life models for myself.

The first of these rituals is the opening of the Bible

at any page my fingers would lead me. I learned this from

Chief Justice Hilario G. Davide, in a newspaper that fea­

tured him. I thought that it is a most wonderful way to start

a day.

The second of my rituals is to read a page from

the Daily Bread. I find this devotional book very enlighten­

ing as it relates people's experiences- their daily struggles,

their failures and triumphs, their joys and sorrows- to God's

teachings.

One day, the story in the Daily Bread was about a

research study conducted by Kenyon College in the United

States, together with the US Navy. The purpose was to

discover how a particular tone of voice affects US sailors

when they are given orders. The experiment revealed that

the way a person is addressed or treated, determined to a

large extent the way he would behave or respond to it.

For example, when a US sailor was spoken to in a

soft voice, he would also respond in a soft voice. When he

was shouted at, he would respond in the same way.

36

The results of this experiment are quite intriguing.

If we change the way we look at and treat our public

servants, particularly our traffic officers, policemen and

soldiers, would they also change their response, the way

they perform their duties?

I believe they would.

One time, I was driving in Manila and made a

wrong turn. I did not notice that there was a small sign that

said a right tUfn was not allowed. I noticed the sign too

late. When the traffic officer signaled for me to pull over,

there were 4 other car drivers who were caught like me. I

heard all three car owners shouting at and ganging up on

the traffic officer, who was visibly pissed and piqued. All

three car owners were given tickets, their drivers' licenses

confiscated.

When it was my turn, I greeted the traffic officer

"good afternoon." He was initially surprised and looked me

in the eye, as if to check if I was mocking him. Then I ad­

dressed him as "officer", the same way the Americans and

the British address their traffic officers and policemen. Then

I explained politely to him that I am generally a law-abid·

ing citizen and that .in this case, the sign was just so small

that it was too late for me to notice it. I told him that I was

willing to pay the fine, but suggested that he should rec-

37

ommend to his superiors to change and make the sign

bigger, so people would easily see it from a good distance.

To my surprise, the traffic officer did not issue a

violation ticket to me nor did he confiscate my license. In­

stead, he was very polite himself and called me "sir'' a num­

ber of times and just advised me to be more careful next

time.

And you know what? This situation happened to

me a number of times, not because I wanted to, but be­

cause authorities change our traffic rules quite often that it

results in confusion among the driving public.

But if there's one thing I learned from all these, it

is the power of respect. Respect honors. It empowers. It

dignifies. It makes a person proud. It makes one feel hon­

orable. At the same time, courtesy to others is good man­

ners. It is etiquette. It is class and elegance. It is also kind­

ness. It is seeing the value and dignity in the other man. It

is, in fact, a mark of most profound education.

This kind of respect we should also give to wait­

ers, bellboys and messengers. A person who is nice to

you but not to waiters is not a genuinely nice person deep

inside. For respect knows· no title or status in life. Respect

is about acknowledging the true value of a person -which

is often not visible. For what is essential is often invisible

to the naked eye, says author Antoine de St. Exupery.

38

But back to our soldiers, policemen and traffic of­

ficers. Another way of showing our respect for them is by

not offering them any bribe money when we are caught.

Many of us in the public assume that all our policemen

and traffic officers are corrupt and can be bribed. Thus,

when caught, many of us easily offer bribe money just to

avoid the hassle of retrieving our licenses from the LTO.

But this is precisely how we corrupt our police­

men and traffic officers. This is how our new and young

policemen and traffic officers get corrupted. They learn it

from us, reinfdtced only by what they see in their seniors.

They think that this is how we, the public, regard them and

their profession. So this is the way they regard themselves

and their profession.

In Psychology, experts agree that respect is one

of the most basic needs of man. Ever-Y man wants and

desires to be respected. Every man wants to be recog­

nized. Every man desires to be valued and honored.

So I really believe that if we treat our traffic offic­

ers and policemen and soldiers with respect, they will re­

turn the respect and become respectful of us.

If we look at and speak to them with dignity, they

will look at themselves with dignity. If we give them a pat in

the back for a joo well done, in all likelihood they will make

the effort to perform their duties and responsibilities well.

39

If we recognize them, they will recognize them­

selves the way our society and we recognize them. If we

honor them, they will look at themselves in the mirror with

honor.

If we value their contributions to our society, they

will value what they do for our society.

They are what they are because of what we are.

They are who they are because of who we are.

There's a universal principle on this - "You al­

ways reap what you sow."

It is also one of Buddha's core teachings- "What ..

ever you sow, you shall reap."

40

,..

The 6th Little Thing

DO NOT LITTER. DISPOSE YOUR GARBAGE PROPERLY. SEGREGATE. RECYCLE. CONSERVE

"Yes, we are alive today. But what about the next generation?"

(N. Duhaylungsod)

I see trees of green, red roses too I see them bloom, for me and you

And I think to myself, what a wonderful world. I see $kies of blue, and clouds of white

The bright blessed day, the dark sacred night And I think to myself, what a wonderful world.

(Louis Armstrong, in his song "What A Wonderful World!")

43

We are part of the environment. The environment is

part of us. Whichever way we look at it, the envi­

ronment and we, human beings, are linked to each other

in a powerful sense.

Our human acts - in the quest for food, clothing,

shelter, luxury, dreams or folly - affect our environment

and nature, although always slowly and imperceptibly. But

when nature reacts, it could affect us all, including our chil­

dren and grandchildren - in devastating ways, including

typhoons, floods, earthquakes, tsunamis, fuel shortage,

water supply and food chain degradation, skin cancer, and

global warming due to the depletion of the ozone layer.

One of the major problems in Metro Manila today,

as acknowledged by the Metro Manila Development Au­

thority (MMDA), is garbage. With a population of almost

14 million as of June 2004 and roughly 1 ;573,500 house­

holds, Metro Manila produces an average of 8,000 tons of

solid waste daily. In 2002, it was only 6,000 tons daily, so

there has been a big increase of 25% in daily garbage just

in the past 2 years.

We dump garbage in open dumpsites and sani­

tary landfills. Under the Clean Air Act of 2001, incinerators

are prohibited in this country, and rightly so.

The problem however is that we have run out of

dump sites and landfills. San Mateo, Rizallandfill has been 44

closed down since December 2000. Meanwhile, the prov­

inces of Quezon, Bataan, Laguna and Cavite have rejected

MMDA's plan to operate a permanent landfill for Metro

Manila garbage in their localities.

The National Solid Waste Management Commis­

sion (NSWMC) has also publicly released its plan to shut

down the Payatas dumpsite in Quezon City. At present,

garbage is being hauled off to the controlled dump facility

in Rodriguez, Rizal, where most of Metro Manila's waste

is being thrown. Some are allegedly being dumped at a

100-hectare landfill in Sitio Kalangitan, Capas, Tarlac.

Three years ago, several sectors, including civil

society groups, already voiced alarm over the impending

garbage crisis in Metro Manila. I do not know how the gov­

ernment will address the issue on an immediate, medium­

term and long-term basis. I just hope that they do it prop­

erly.

But I always believed that a great part of the solu­

tion is in us, the people.

And there are three ways by which every Filipino

citizen can help or participate.

The first way is in fact very basic- that is, by throw­

ing our garbage properly, which is, in the garbage can,

45

and not on the floor or in the street or in the highway. Do

you know that all the cities and municipalities in our coun­

try spend around P7 Billion annually just to haul our gar­

bage? In addition, the DPWH spends another P18 Million

yearly just to unclog our canals and rivers of plastics, pa­

pers and cans thrown irresponsibly by us?

Put together, this is an enormous amount of gov­

ernment funds (our taxes actually) that the national and

local government can save - and put to better use - if we

only throw our garbage properly. Put another way, we can

actually help our government save funds by merely throw­

ing our garbage properly. And in doing so, we will also

make our surroundings a lot cleaner and healthier.

Throwing our garbage properly does not seem dif­

ficult to do at all, since it does not involve money on our

part. All it needs is just a conscious effort from each one of

us. But this change of attitude, if practiced by most Filipi­

nos, will be a great achievement by itself. If we can do it, it

would be another simple form of national discipline for us

as a people.

The second way to help or participate is by prac­

ticing segregation of garbage. This is being encouraged in

every village in every city and municipality in the country

today. Under this scheme, we are being asked to segre­

gate our garbage according to - food leftovers, papers,

46

plastics, cans, etc. The segregation will allow the recycling

of this solid waste possible and a lot easier. According to

an Audit Paper of the DENR and UNESCO (titled "The

State of the Philippine Environment"), to produce one (1)

ton of paper, it takes 17 trees, 24000 gallons of water, 28

million Btu of energy, 1255 pounds of carbon dioxide to

atmosphere, and 1.5 cubic yards of landfill space.

Whereas used papers, however old and of what­

ever type, can be recycled and can prevent the cutting of

more trees and will thus help prevent the further denuda­

tion of our forests, and eventually prevent floods. Plastics

and bottles are non-degradable and should not be buried

in the ground. They too can be recycled. Used rubber tires

can be recycled as road or highway asphalts. House and

hospital residuals can also be converted to hollow blocks.

To segregate is not and should not really be diffi­

cult for us. All it takes is a little discipline at home. Espe­

cially so when you have househelps, all it takes really is

just a little time and a small effort to teach and educate

your househelps. Teach them once, maybe twice, and that's

it. Next time around, all you need to do is remind them to

do it faithfully. More importantly, the education process

will not stop there. These people will bring and use that

knowledge of segregation and recycling to their future em­

ployers, and to their families in the provinces. One day,

their children and neighbors and friends will also get the

47

habit. And when this happens, this should not be a sur­

prise to us, for this is really how education takes place.

Can you imagine· if at least 1 0 million households in our

country will segregate faithfully starting tomorrow morn­

ing? It paints a picture of so much promise.

The third way to help or participate for every Fili­

pino is to recycle and reuse instead of buying new things.

The more we buy, the more garbage we make. The more

we buy, the more natural resources we consume. It is as

simple as that. Everything we buy, everything we use, is

taken from our environment. Someday, there will surely

not be enough to take from our environment. That some­

day may come during the time of our children, or grand­

children, or great grandchildren. By that time too, the envi­

ronment may no longer be able to take the garbage we

continuously dump on her.

I have always wa~ted to do more for the environ­

ment, to help make it greener, to help make it cleaner. I

always feel that it is part of my responsibility to my children

to ensure that they will have a healthy environment. It was

for this that I, along with 4 other young lawyers in 2000,

took on the case of the toxic waste victims from Clark and

Subic against the US and our government. Whatever hap­

pens to that case, I hope I am able to do some good to our

environment with this little piece.

48

,..

The 7th Little Thing

SUPPORT YOUR CHURCH

,..

"To love another person is to love God." (Victor Hugo)

"Worlcs of love are always worlcs for God." (Mother Teresa)

•1 shall walk through this world but once. Therefore, if there is any good thing that I need to do, let me do it now. For I shall not walk this way again."

(A poem found in the pocket of Abraham lincoln when he was assassinated)

51

Every Sunday mass, my wife and I regularly donate

P1 00 during collection time. The amount is already

for our whole family, including our 3 kids. Therefore, in 4

Sundays, our family's total contribution to our parish church

is P400 monthly, for a total of P4,80b yearly.

Then one time, my wife and I did not have any

P100 bill in ourwaUets. But I had a P1 ,000 note. I was thus

confronted with the dilemma of whether or not to donate

the whole P1,000. Or pass on this Sunday and just do,uble

my regular donation amount next Sunday. My wife was

silent and I could sense that she was just waiting for my

decision. I was struggling internally. But when the collec­

tion bag was handed to me by a pair of small hands, ac­

companied by a small voice - "Papa, your donation" - I

took out the P1,000 note in my wallet and put it into the

collection bag.

For the rest of the mass, I was not able to concen­

trate. I questioned the amount of faith I had, not only in my

God, also in my church. How much do I support my church,

the house and the works of my Father Almighty?

It was during that mass when I realized that the

P400 monthly donation I give to the church is actually not

even 1% of what I earn monthly, not to mention my wife's

earnings.

52

And right there and then, it struck me. What if aU

of us will donate even just 1% of our monthly net earnings

to our respective churches - whether Catholic, Baptist,

INC, or Muslim?

If we do this, we will empower our churches, so

our churches will have more resources to help the poor

and neglected members of our society. Don't you think we

will be truer to our claim of being Christians or Muslims

when we support our churches?

I recaH American writer James Fallows (Atlantic

Monthly) who accused us Filipinos of having a "damaged

culture." He said that we take pride in proclaiming our­

selves as the only Christian nation in this part of the world,

and yet we do not even take care of the many poor in our

midst, especially the small children - poor and hungry and

barefoot - in the streets of Makati.

I know exactly what James Fallows is talking about.

Makati City has been my place of work for many years

now. As the financial and business capital of the country, it

is indeed home to the nation's really rich villages like. Forbes

Park, Dasmarinas Village, Urdaneta Village and Bel-Air,

not to mention the towers and high-rise residential condos

for people of the same class and status. And yet, in practi­

cally every street where there's a traffic light, there too are

many poor children, beggars barefoot and malnourished.

53

And residents and businessmen and office workers alike

seemed to have become immune to this daily sight, that

they do not seem to care or even notice how poor and

hungry these little souls are.

They knock on car windows, but very few people

give alms. I, too, used to refuse to give alms for reasons

I've heard long before. That these beggar children alleg­

edly work for syndicates. That they allegedly will just use

the money for cigarettes, or even shabu or rugby.

One day, when we were still residing in Makati, it

rained so hard and my wife and I were caught in traffic. A

female child, very young she must be not more than 8 years

old, tapped my car window. She had a thin, malnourished

face, with bulging eyes. Soaked wet under a harsh rain,

she begged for money. I looked at her and could not stand

not giving something. My wife gave more.

That picture has been etched in my memory since.

But what troubled me was whether I should give alms when­

ever a beggar would knock on my window. For a while I

could not resolve it. But I always felt guilty whenever I re­

fused to give. Then one day, during a sermon at a Sunday

mass, I found my answer. God, said the priest, loves us so

much that when He gave us our lives, He also gave us the

freedom and the choice how to live our lives, subject only

to His teachings found in the Holy Book. If that is so, what

54

right do I have to impose conditions when I give alms or

money to beggars? Isn't it the essence of giving -that is,

to give wholly and absolutely? Isn't it more Christian that

way? And for those who hesitate for whatever reason,

wouldn't giving to the church be the next best thing?

A few months ago, I caught on TV the launching

of Pondo Ng Pinoy, a project of the Catholic Church led

by Manila Archbishop Gaudencio Rosales. Under this

project, every Filipino catholic is asked to donate to the

Pondo ng Piney at least P0.25 a day, or P1.75 a week, or

P7 a month, or P84 a year.

The project is based on the Theology of the

Crumbs as found in Luke 16:19-31. If we gather the left· overs, the extras, the excesses from our tables, we can

feed many of the hungry in our society. This is a very noble

and laudable project of the church. It deserves all our sup­

port.

Bishop Tagle of lmus, Cavite cited during the

launching that, according to Pulse Asia and SWS surveys,

63% of Filipinos all over the country are actually poor, while

52% of Filipinos in Metro Manila are poor. According to the

Couples for Christ (CFC), 35% of our population is actu·

ally destitute poor, while another 55°/o belong to the strug­

gling poor.

55

The CFC has a community program, called Gawad

Kalinga which aims to build 700,000 houses for free for

the poorest of the poor in 700 communities in 7 years.

That's why the project has been called 777. The CFC has

been undertaking this project for several years now, and is

on target to achieve its goal of 777.

This is not only a good project. This is Christianity.

This is giving shelter to our poor brethren who are many.

This is about sharing our blessings. This is about living

one of the top two commandments of God- Love thy neigh­

bor as you love thyself- where most of us, Christians in­

cluded, fail.

I also promised myself that someday, when God

would allow it, I will build a beautiful chapel in Sitio

Pinaginpinan, a paradise hidden in the mountains, pro­

tected by 1 hour of travel distance from the heart of

Kabankalan City, deep south of Negros Occidental. Though

quaint and laid back, it is a beautiful place. Albeit without a

church. Not even a chapel. I was born there. At a time

when it was only reachable by foot and carabaos. My

mother used to teach Grade 2 students in a public school

there.

56

The 8th Little Thing

DURING ELECTIONS, DO YOUR SOLEMN DUlY

11'

"The fault, dear Brutus, is not in the stars, but in ourselves that we are underlings."

(William Shakespeare)

•America will remain the land of the free but only for as long as it remains the home of the brave."

(Elmer Davis)

"The people always get the govemmeni they deserve." (John F. Kennedy)

59

0 f all the qualifications of a leader, how should we

rank honesty?

Let me share with you the story of the late Presi­

dent Chung Hee Park of South Korea. After the Korean

war in 1954, South Korea became one of the world's poor­

est, with so much political instability. Then in 1961, a mili­

tary group staged a successful coup d'etat and installed

Army General Park Chung Hee as president.

As President, he tried to borrow money from other

countries, but was always rejected because of his country's

very bad economic situation. So Park sent many mine la­

borers, railway workers and nurses to Germany so they

could work and send money back to Korea to help its

economy. In 1964, Park visited Germany to borrow money.

Several hundreds of Koreans came to welcome him at the

airport in Germany, and they cried when they saw him.

They told him of their hard work, low pay, and of the ill treatment they were getting from the Germans. Park cried

with them, openly, in front of the press and the public. The

German Chancellor was moved by the incident. and Ger­

many became the first country to give a loan to Korea. Park

used the loaned money to build factories in South Korea.

When Park became president in 1961, Korea had

less than 200 university graduates, and only a handful with

PhDs. The country did not have economists of high cali-

60

ber, foreign-trained or home-grown. Park himself did not

have superlative credentials. But he was honest, both in

real life and in the eyes of the public. At the time of his

death in 1981, he remained a poor man. His nation was

pleasantly shocked to discover that he owned only one

property, an old apartment-which he bought and used for

his family before he became president. But in 1981, South

Korea had already become an emerging tiger in Asia, its

economy almost 5 times better than the Philippines.

Half a century ago, the Philippines had a taste of

that kind of a ~ader - in Ramon Magsaysay. Unlike the

first 5 presidents before him- Quezon, Laurel, Osmena,

Roxas and Quirino (all bar topnotchers and brilliant law­

yers)- Ramon Magsaysay did not have superlative cre­

dentials. He finished his BS Commerce "without distinc­

tion" from Jose Rizal College. But like Abraham Lincoln

and George Washington and Park Chung Hee, Magsaysay

was fiercely honest and humble. At the time of his death

on 17 March 1957, he had only P2,000 to leave to his

family. Despite the many years he stayed in Manila as con­

gressman, Secretary of National Defense and later as

President, he never owned a house for his family in Ma­

nila. His friends and sympathizers had to pitch in to buy a

home for his widow and children after his death.

Magsaysay was a leader truly adored and followed

in spirit by almost .everyone in the land. The Filipino had

faith i.n him. As a result, he was able to make the Filipinos

61

work for a common dream, even Hukbalahap leader Luis

Taruc. In 3 years that he was president, the country's an­

nual GNP rate averaged 7 .3%, the second highest in our

nation's history. This happened because Magsaysay had

the support of practically all sectors of society, except the

opposition. Seeing their president as honest, most gov­

ernment men performed honestly. Seeing this, business­

men and. people started paying taxes properly. Unfortu­

nately, death snatched him away from the nation.

Honesty, more than a master's or doctorate de­

gree, is what gives credibility. It is also the one that sus­

tains it. And credibility is essential, because it is every

leader's link to the people. It is what makes the people

look to one direction, follow a common vision, and perform

a uniform act. In short, credibility is what makes people

follow the leader.

Honesty, more than anything, is what makes a

good leader. It is the solid core of the character of every

great leader in history. It is the core of one's character,

says George Washington. Remove honesty, and the man

has no character.

Lao Tzu, a famous Chinese philosopher, said­

"In choosing a leader, character is the most important qual­

ity. Intelligence and skills come second in importance."

Abraham Lincoln, one of the greatest leaders mankind has ever produced, had something similar to say - .. power is

62

best used by a leader who has character." Plato said "he

who does not seek power is the most qualified to hold it."

Honesty is the core of character, while character

is the core of leadership. And leadership is the core of ev­

ery success- in every company's success, in every team's

victory, and in every nation's march to progress. Accord­

ing to John Maxwell, "everything rises and falls with lead­

ership."

Leadership is what built the 500 companies in the

world, according to Fortune Magazine 2002 book edition. ,.. George Washington changed the course of the indepen-

dence war against Britain, and gave birth to America as a

country. Churchill changed the outcome of war against the

Nazis. Lee Kuan Yew built Singapore from a $2.5 million

GOP-country in 1972 to a $86 Billion GOP-tiger state in

2000.

Why do I say all of these?

Perhaps because our nation badly needs a good

leader today. According to Ninoy Aquino, given a good

leader, the Filipino will attain great heights because the

Filipino is inherently a good follower.

Our Constitution gives each one of us the right to

elect our leader. In fact, our right to vote is also defined in

the Constitution as a solemn duty of every citizen to our

63

country. This is one of the very few instances in the Con­

stitution where we, as citizens, are reminded of our sol­

emn duty to our country. It is not there for nothing. It is

there because it is as it should be, a serious obligation.

If we have bad leaders today and in the past, it is

not the fault of the many who know less, but the fault of the

few who know more but who do nothing or who don't do

enough. Comelec records show this. In electoral precincts

of rich communities, the voters' turn-out is always dismal,

while in the precincts of squatter communities, the voter's

turn-out is astronomically high.

If we want to see progress in our country, we must

start with the way we perform our duties as citizens. As a

people, we must be involved. We must get involved. We

are a nation of 84 million people - with 84' million hearts,

minds and pairs of hands. Can you imagine if these 84

million pairs of hands work together for a common vision,

for a common dream for the Filipino nation?

Dr. Jose Rizal said it eloquently more than 1 00

years ago. "It is enough for good people to do nothing, for the evil ones to succeed."

We are all part of the problem. We are all partly to

blame.

But the good thing is, we are also the answer. We

are also the solution. 64

The 9th Little Thing

PAY YOUR EMPLOYEES WELL

"To whom much has been given, much will be expected., (Luke 12:48)

'You give but little when you give of your material possessions.

It is when you give of yourself that you truly give. n

(Kahlil Gibran)

Imagine if there's no possessions; I wonder if you can No need for greed or hunger; A brotherhood of man

Imagine all the people, sharing all the world, woooh ... You may say I'm a dreamer; But I'm not the only one

I hope someday you'll join us, and the world will be as one. (John Lennon in his song "Imagine")

67

Way back in college, I had a professor who lectured

about wishes and reincarnations. He said that

there's a reason for everything that happens in one's life.

There's a reason why, for instance, some people

hate you with a passion. Or why others are very loyal to

you through thick and thin. Why your househelp has been

with you for 30 years, or your driver for 20 years now, or

why your secretary still works for you with unswerving loy­

alty despite everything.

There is a reason for everything. And there must

be a reason why, of the more than 6 billion human beings

on earth, scattered in more than 200 countries on this

planet, these people - your driver, househelp and secre ..

tary - continue working for you with unceasing loyalty.

My professor said that maybe, just maybe, these

people, in their previous lives, were very close to you. That

before their death in their previous lives, all they wished

for was to be allowed to serve you in the next life, which is

now. And their Creator, however they conceived Him to

be, granted that wish.

Much later, in my private readings, I learned that

said philosophy is actually one of Buddha's core teach­

ings. "There's a reason and a plan why certain people are part of our lives."

68

But of course, this is something that is in the realm

of faith, intangibles, and metaphysics. And it is up to us,

and our religion, whether to agree with this or not.

I am a Catholic. The Holy Book that I try to read

every day also says that there's no accident in life, that

there's a reason for everything (Romans 11 :36 and Prov~

erbs 16:4 ). Author Rick Warren in his book "Purpose-Driven

Life" also highlighted this.

After I learned this, it changed the way I looked at

the people I work with everyday. At home, in the office,

anywhere and everywhere at any point in time. God knows

how serious and strict I tend to be, but God knows too how

much I try to deal with them with love, respect, kindness,

and above all - fairness and justice.

Part of being fair to them is by paying them what

is due them, or what they deserve. In fact, the way we pay

our employees- or the people who serve us or work for us

-is the way we love, respect and treasure them. That is

the best way to quantify our love and respect for them.

But there's another important reason why we

should pay our employees well.

Our country today is in a very critical state. 34 mil­

lion out of the total 84 million Filipinos live in naked pov-

69

erty. Everyday, or practically everyday, we hear news of a

Filipina domestic helper in the Middle East or in Singapore

or Hongkong who comes home in a coffin, or who jumps

from a high-rise apartment of her employer, or who com­

plains of having been raped or abused by her foreign em­

ployer. I am not exaggerating. Try to listen to Saksi News

or TV Patrol or to OFW news.

Clearly, this is a time when all of us Filipinos must

take an active role in helping our country. This is a time

when all of us must do our share in helping our govern­

ment, in building our nation.

Paying our employees well is one such way. It is

an act of patriotism, within our means. A good salary can

go a long way. It will pay for your employee's children's

good education. It will pay for vitamins and medication to

make our youth healthy. It will pay for the reading materi­

als to make our youth intelligent. It will pay for the lowwcost

apartment and house and lot to provide our youth a good

living environment.

A good salary to our employees will mean a good

future for their children, our youth, our nation's future.

In the words of Dolly Levi in the "Hello, Dolly"

movie, money is like fertilizer. It can only be good, it can

only produce beauty, if it is spread on the field so the plants

70

can bloom, so the trees can bear fruit, so the entire field

can grow in lush green aplenty. So the people around can

enjoy food, beauty and a clean environment.

The bounty must always be shared. Money that is

kept to oneself does not build a family. It does not build a

community and a nation. Profit that is kept to oneself is no

good. It does not make the employees, and their families,

happy. It prevents the employees' children from getting

good education. It prevents the employees and their fami­

lies from enjoying the wonders of travel, the beauty and

rich majesty of the world.

So if you are wealthy now or in the future, you

must help our country by sharing your fortune with other

Filipinos, especially those in need. Invest in our country

instead of somewhere else, and pay your people well.

If you are successful now or in the future, you must

help our country by bringing home the benefits of your

education and success. For it is only through sharing that

we can keep our people knowledgeable and intelligent. It

is only through sharing of knowledge that we can ensure

the continuity and the progress of our race. By giving some­

thing back to our country, you are actually performing the

most important responsibility of every citizen, of every pa­

triotic Filipino.

71

No exercise is better for the human heart than to

reach down and lift someone else up, to serve others, to

enrich your community. This truly defines a successful life.

For success is the sum, not of our earthly possessions,

but of how many times we have shown love and kindness

to others.

Remember that in Luke 3:11, God said -"Who­ever has two shirts must give one to the man who has none, and whoever has food must share it to the hungry."

Remember too what Abraham Lincoln said -"The

tJitimate measure of success is not what you have become, or who you have become, but what others have become because of you."

Whatever your concept of success may be, may

you always be guided by these beautiful lines from world

famous poet Ralph Waldo Emerson- "To leave this world a little better ... To know that at least one life has breathed

easier because you have lived ... This, to me, is to have succeeded."

72

I

The 1Oth Little Thing

PAY YOUR TAXES

"Taxes are what we pay for civilized society." (Oliver Wendell Holmes)

"By the taxes he pays, a citizen has every right to demand for a good and honest government. n

(Franklin D. Roosevelt)

75

Last December 12, 2004, the National Economic De­

velopment Authority (NEDA) disclosed that our gov­

ernment needs at least US$ 7 Billion in 2005 to repay our

country's maturing obligations and to finance the budget

deficit.

Where will we get the dollars? Usual dollar sources

like portfolio investments, OFW remittances and export

income may not be enough. Initially, the government

planned to source it on a 78-22 ratio. 78% of the amount

witl be sourced locally while 22% will come from foreign.

borrowings. But the problem with sourcing domestically

the 78% of the $7 Billion is that it will dry up dollar supply

in the local markets as well as deplete our country's inter­

national dollar reserves, such that it will make the dollar

more expensive than our Peso. As a res tilt, it will red' Jce

the value of our currency even more.

On the other hand, if we borrow more dollars from

abroad, it will bloat our present foreign debt of US$57 Bil­

lion even more, especially since our country will be paying

higher interest rates (higher than the previous years) be­

cause our nation's credit standing has been downgraded

by 2 notches by Moody's Investors Service. Hence, what­

ever course of action we take, our country is sure to en­

counter problems along the way.

But these can be avoided if our government can

only collect more taxes.

76

Of the many duties of a citizen under our Consti­

tution, paying taxes is one of the most crucial. Because

taxes are the lifeblood of our government, of our nation.

It is what we use to buy the basic textbooks for

our millions of children in the country, or to build additional

classrooms in public schools nationwide. According to the

Department of Education records, we have a shortage of

44,711 classrooms in the public school in 2004. As a re­

sult, at least 3,000 schools nationwide have an average

size of 100 students per classroom, 800 schools have an

average size·of 100 to 200 students per classroom, while

72 schools hold 200 or more students per classroom.

Taxes are what we use to buy the most basic of

medicines, often generic and cheap, that our Department

of Health officials distribute to 34 million Filipinos nation­

wide who live below the poverty line.

It is what we use to pay all our government em­

ployees nationwide-our soldiers, our policemen, our public

school teachers, among many others.

You may agree with this or not, but I believe that

more than 7.0% of our soldiers are professional, that more

than 70% of our policemen also want to do their job prop­

erly and are in fact willing to risk their lives to give us peace

and order in our streets and neighborhood. I believe too

77

that more than 70% of our public school teachers want to

give their best and teach our students properly.

They just need leaders to follow. They just need

support and encouragement.

Viewed in this light, the taxes that you and I pay

are actually not lost or wasted completely. A substantial

portion of the taxes we pay is still put to good use. Be­

cause there are many public servants - not only a few or

some -who still do their jobs properly. There are many of

them, these honest and faithful ones, but maybe many of

them are just in the rank and file, like you and me.

But they are there. Among the silent many who

hold the center and keep our government from falling apart.

They are the ones who keep our public institutions intact

through storms and scandals, notwithstanding the mis­

guided ambitions and corruption of some df their leaders.

It is for this reason that we should continue paying

our taxes. The good ones in the government are still good

reason for us to continue paying our taxes properly. The

challenge for us is just how to increase the number of these

good ones in the government.

By March 2005, the Philippines has become the

second most corrupt country in Asia and the 12th in the

78

world, the first according to the Hongkong Political & Eco­

nomic Risk Consultancy Ltd and the latter according to

Transparency International. It is estimated that around

P200 billion is lost annually to graft and corruption. In a

2002 study, the World Bank said that the Philippines lost

approximately US$48 billion to graft and corruption in the

last 20 years. This is despicable, especially when you think

of the 34 million Filipinos who barely eat everyday, as well

as the many OFWs who suffer under cruel working condi­

tions abroad.

Right nc5w, figures show that our government's

revenue collection effort is only around 14.1% of our Gross

Domestic Product (GOP) for 2004, one of the lowest in

Asia and in the world. Even Panama is better at 19.1% tax

collection ratio.

In 2003, P83 Billion was collected from individual

income taxes. But 91% of this amount came from salaried

workers from the government and private sector, people

who have no choice since their income taxes are withheld

mandatorily. Only P7 Billion of P83 Billion (or 9%) came

from businessmen and professionals like doctors, lawyers,

accountants, architects, and dentists, among others.

But how can this be? Guillermo de Joya, spokes­

man for Filipino-Chinese Chamber of Commerce & Indus­

try, told the Senate on 12 October 2004 that there are at

79

least 50 Billionaires and 42,500 millionaires in the country

who do not pay taxes properly.

Can you imagine if our businessmen and profes­

sionals pay more income taxes? Or if our government is

able to collect 21% this year instead of the 14.1% last year,

because we all decided to pay 50% more of taxes this

year? This means that our government will have more funds

to perform its duties and obligations to the public.

As an alternative, you may want to consider giv­

ing donations to duly accredited charitable institutions or

NGOs like Caritas, Unicef, and Pando ng Pinoy. Your do­

nations to these charitable institutions are tax-deductible,

and will go directly to social services of your own choos­

ing.

But we have to pay our taxes proP,erly. Because

we all live in the same country. Because this government,

whether we like it or not, is our government. Its cost is a

burden we must all share. The task of building this nation

is a task that we.all must share. We all must contribute to

build the kind of nation we dream for ourselves. Each one

of us has a role in it. Each one of us has a responsibility to

it.

80

The 11th Little Thing

ADOPT A SCHOLAR, OR ADOPT A POOR CHILD

"Whoever has two shirts must give one to the man who has none,

and whoever has food must share it to the hungry." (Luke 3:11)

"Remember; each one of us will stand before God for a judgement .... .for a personal accounting .....

- what did you do with all the gifts & talents I gave you?" (Romans 14:10; 1 Corinthians 10:31)

"Your life is God's gift to you. What you do with your life is your gift to God."

(Danish Proverb)

83

T here are two kinds of adoption I propose here. You

may adopt a poor child as a scholar. Or you may

adopt a total stranger - an absolute angel - as a family

member, the one that you bring to your home and raise as

a child of your own.

Choose which one you are comfortable with. Just

adopt. It would already mean a lot- to the child, to you, to

our nation, and to our world.

To adopt a poor child as a scholar seems to be the

easier of the two. And to do this, you need not look far. All

you need to do is look within your clan, among your rela­

tives. I am sure you will be able to find one relative who

needs help. If you cannot find one within your clan, I am

sure you will find one within your immediate circle- among

the families of your househelps, yayas, drivers, or mes­

sengers in the office.

It does not cost so much to adopt a scholar. There

are good elementary and high schools that don't cost much.

Public schools are free and there are some of them that

are really good. When your adopted scholar gets good

grades in high school, he might even earn a scholarship to

college. The technique therefore is proper motivation and

guidance during elementary and high school.

As an alternative, you may want to consider the

Child Sponsorship project by a group called World Vision

84

which allows anyone to send a poor child to school for a

donation of P15 a day or P450 a month. World Vision is

part of an international organization that sends poor chil­

dren to school to give them a better future.

At present, more than 88,000 Filipino children are

under the care of World Vision. Another 200,000 Filipino

children have already been helped by the group since 1957.

When you sponsor a child, you will receive a photo of your

adopted child, his or her yearly progress report, as well as

the chance to exchange letters with the child.

You too can make.a difference in the future of our

country and our world by making a difference in the world

of children.

You can send your donation via credit card, post­

dated checks, Bayad Centers, or bank deposit. If you want

more information about World Vision, you can visit its

website at www.worldvision.org.ph or call its telephone

number 372-7777.

As another alternative, you may want to consider

the Adopt-A-School Project by the Foundation of World­

wide People Power chaired by Eggie Apostol. This project

is specifically covered by law .. Republic Act No. 8525 -

which grants to every donor a gross tax deduction equiva­

lent to 150% of the value of donation.

85

Through FWWPP, more than 200 elementary

schools in various provinces have been adopted by vari­

ous groups - local and multinational companies, socio­

civic clubs, NGOs, women's groups, and individuals. Also,

through FWWPP, more than 600 public school teachers

and principals have undergone a "Mentoring the Mentors"

program where teachers are taught new skills and meth­

ods to become effective teachers.

The second type of adoption is more difficult to

make, I am sure. But it is certainly the more noble one.

The resistance here will be strong, and it is based largely

on fear.

The fear of bringing a total stranger to your home,

to grow up with your own kids. The fear that the child may

come from a line of murderers, thieves, liars. The fear that,

with the new adopted mouth, you may nol be able to pro­

vide much to your own kids.

But it is at that point when the Christian in us

knocks. The sacrifice we make to save a poor soul, an

innocent child, and to give him a world where there's food,

love, and a secure future, is a worthwhile one.

I remember the story of Michael Reagan, told as a

eulogy to his father, the late US President Ronald Reagan.

Michael told the world on CNN that Ronald Reagan actu-

86

ally adopted him when he was still a very small child in

1945. Michael said that he was very lucky because he felt

he was the chosen one. That Ronald Reagan gave him,

as well as his (Michael's) 2 children, a wonderful life. Allow

me to quote Michael's eulogy here:

Good evening. I'm Mike Reagan. You knew my fa­

ther as governor. as president. But I knew him as

dad. I want to tell you a little bit about my dad .....

Ronald Reagan adopted me into his family in 1945.

I was a chosen one. I was the lucky one. And all of

his years, he never mentioned that I was adopted

either behind my back or in front of me. I was his

son, Michael Edward Reagan.

When his family grew to be two families, he didn't

walk away from the one to go to the other. But he

became a father to both. To Patti and then Ronnie,

but also a/ways to Maureen, my sister, and myself.

We looked forward to those Saturday mornings

when he would pick us up, sitting on the curve on

Beverly Glen as his car would tum the comer from

'Sunset Boulevard and we would get in and ride to

his ranch and play games and he would always

make sure it ended up a tie.

87

We would swim and we would ride horses or we'd

just watch him cut firewood. We would be in awe of

our father. As years went by and I became older

and found a woman I would marry, Colleen. he sent

me a letter about marriage and how important it

was to be faithful to the woman you love with a

P.S.: You'll never get in trouble if you say /love you

at least once a day. and I'm sure he told Nancy

every day "/love you" as I tell Colleen ....

At the early onset of Alzheimer's disease, my fa­

ther and I would tell each other we loved each other

and we would give each other a hug. As the years

went by and he could no longer verbalize my name,

he recognized me as the man who hugged him. So

when I would walk into the house, he would be there

in his chair opening up his arms for that hug, hello,

and the hug goodbye. It was a blessing truly brought

on by God.

We had wonderful blessings of that nature. Won·

derful, wonderful blessings that my father gave to

me each and every day of my life.

I was so proud to have the Reagan name and to be

Ronald Reagan's son. What a great honor. He gave

me a Jot of gifts as a child. Gave me a horse. Gave

me a car. Gave me a Jot of things. But there's a gift

88

he gave me that I think is wonderful for every fa­

ther to give every son.

Last Saturday. when my father opened his eyes for

the last time, and visualized Nancy and gave her

such a wonderful, wonderful gift.

When he closed his eyes, that's when I realized

the gift that he gave to me, the gift that he was

going to be with his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

He had, back in 1988 on a flight from Washington,

D. C., to Point Mugu, told me about his love of God,

his Jove of Christ as his Savior. I didn't know then

what it all meant. But I certainly. certainly know now.

I can't think of a better gift for a father to give a son.

And I hope to honor my father by giving my son

Cameron and my daughter Ashley that very same

gift he gave to me.

Knowing where he is this very moment, this very

day, that he is in Heaven, and I can only promise

my father this. Dad, when I go, I will go to Heaven,

too. And you and I and my sister, Maureen, that

went before us, we will dance with the heavenly

host of angels before the presence of God. We will

do it melanoma and Alzheimer's free. Thank you

for letting me share my father, Ronald Wilson

Reagan. 89

The 12th Little Thing

BE A GOOD PARENT. TEACH YOUR KIDS

TO FOLLOW THE LAW· & TO LOVE OUR COUNTRY

"Be the change you want to see in the world." (Mahatma Gandhi)

"We can change the future by changing it today. n

(John Maxwell)

"Today;s children will someday rule and lead this world. But whether they will be bad rulers or good leaders,

will depend largely on how we raise them today." (Author)

93

Some years ago, there was a TV commercial that went

this way - "Sa mga mata ng bata, ang mali ay

nagiging tama." {In the eyes of a child, what is wrong be­

comes right). The TV commercial showed a father driving

a car, violating a traffic light, his 1 0-year old son seated

beside him at the passenger side, looking at his father.

How true that message is. Every child in the world

acquires his concept of right and wrong, his definition of

good and evil, from his parents. He acquires it from what

he sees in his parents.

The family is the core of every society, the foun­

dation of every nation, and of the human world. Our Con~

stitution states that. Every Constitution in our world affirms

that. The United Nations made a declaration on that.

What happens in the family will eventually hap­

pen to our country, and the world.

If we teach our children to listen to each other,

they will someday know how to listen to other people in

our society.

If we teach our children to respect each other's

views, they will someday know how to respect other

people's views.

94

If we teach them to sacrifice for one another and

for the family, they will someday know how sacrifice for the

country and for the common good of our people.

If we teach them to be united in small things and

in big things, they will someday know how to act in unity as

one nation.

If we discipline them to follow our house rules, they

will someday know how to follow the rules and laws in our

society.

So much of our nation's problems today -like the

lack of love for country, lack of respect for the law, lack of

respect for others, lack of unity, among many others- be­

gin at home, with what we parents show to and teach our

children.

Truly, it is in the family where the child learns to be

respectful and grateful. It is there that he learns to say

uplease", "sorry", "excuse me" and "thank you."

It is in the family where the child learns that to lie

and cheat and steal are wrong, and that to condone any of

it is equally wrong.

Dr. Mahathir Mohammad, father of the modern

Malaysia, says that what you see in every family, you will see in the nation.

95

It is in the family that the family culture is perpetu­

ated. And in a larger scale, it is there that our culture as a

people and as a nation is perpetuated.

American author James Fallows said that we, as

a people, have a damaged culture. Perhaps he is correct.

And maybe this is due in large measure to almost 400

years of Spanish rule and another 50 years of American

domination of the country, during which period, we as a

people were deliberately prevented from working together

as a people and as a nation as the foreign rulers feared a

united revolt from us Filipinos.

But the foreign invaders are long gone. We are

therefore in a position to correct the damage, if ever there

is any. And the solution to that is in every family, particu­

larly, in the parents of every household.

I have always believed that becoming a good fa­

ther is one of the best yet simplest acts one can do to

make our country, and our world, a little better.

Imagine if all the fathers in the world would teach

their children to help their poor neighbors, to follow the

law, to be honest and fair in dealing with others, to love

their country, and to pray to God? All the children in the

world would grow up someday to become God-fearing,

good citizens, and yes, good fathers themselves. And as

96

these children would grow up in love and peace, the whole

world too will experience love and peace.

It sounds so simple, because it is really that simple.

A good father who teaches love of God and country to his

children will someday have God-fearing· and patriotic citi-

zens as children.

When you are a good parent, you raise good chil­

dren who will most likely become good Filipinos and citi­

zens of the wor~d. You can actually help make our country

and our world a little better. When you are a good parent,

you can actually help change the future of our country,

and maybe our world. When you teach your kids the good

values and the right things, you are actually investing in

the future. You are actually giving hope to our future.

Given the present state of our nation, with so many

problems that we don't even know where to begin to solve

them, our children are always a good starting point. They

are the future. Their minds and their hearts will shape and

color the future.

According to Mr. Tomas Osias, Executive Director

of the National Commission on Population, almost 40% of

our country's 84 million population are under the age of

15. That's 33.6 million Filipinos below the age of 15. These

are still kids in high school and elementary and kindergar·

97

ten, the majority of whom still live with us, their parents.

In fact, 1 0 million of these 33.6 million are already

aged 10 to 14 years. In just a short period of 4 to 8 years,

these 1 0 million will become active citizens of our country,

either as voters and/or workers.

If all of us, parents of these 1 0 million children Fili­

pinos, would today start teaching our respective children

love of God and country, respect for our law and neigh­

bors, in just a period of 4 to 8 years when these kids be­

come of legal age, our country will have an additional 10

million God-fearing, law-abiding and responsible citizens.

This will be new blood, a new generation of 10 million Fili­

pinos with the youth, energy, idealism and dynamism to

help us build a better future for this nation.

I hope we, dear parents, all see the mathematics

of this. I hope we all see the importance of this, and our

crucial role in it.

We, parents, are leaders in a very definite way.

We are leaders of young souls, our children's, entrusted to

us by our Creator. The lives, security and upbringing of

these young souls are a measure of our leadership. What

we teach them, what we show them, is our responsibility.

What they become is our responsibility.

98

In the book I just recently finished- Built To Last­

author Jim Collins talked about how some companies be­

come great. Great companies - like great product brands

- are built exactly the same way - bit by bit, step by step,

little by little, with discipline and hard work over the years,

sustained by integrity, sacrifice, and faith.

I guess building a nation towards progress and

greatness is like that too. We have to attend to the many

little things in our national life, and start setting them right.

And our family, pur children, is the starting point for this.

Each child is a potential good Filipino. Each child is a po­

tential patriot of our country.

Our future is in the hearts and minds of our chil-

dren.

99

A CHALLENGE

BE A CANDLE OR A MIRROR

"In this age of darkness, there are two ways of spreading light.

You may either be a candle, or the mirror that reflects its light."

(Ninoy Aquino, while In prison, wrote this In his

December 3.0. 1977 letter to Jose Antonio Gonzales)

BUY ONE FOR A FRIEND

Dear reader, if you believe in what this book says, please be a candle or a mirror. Buy one for a friend. And request that friend to gift one also to another friend. Network mar­keting can also be used to build our nation.

To buy copies, please contact Tel Nos. 840-0338 to 41. Or email alacsonph@yahoo.com

PROCEEDS WILL HELP SCHOLARS

Part of the sale proceeds of this book will go to an educa­tional foundation that the author conceptualized several years ago.

101

A WORD OF THANKS

To Pia, my beautiful wife, who has given me three truly

wonderful children, for editing this book, and for the depth

of her love, as well as for understanding why one of us

needs to do more for our country and for our people.

To Joey Forteza and Jun Parcon, two of the finest military

officers and gentlemen I have known, for their ideas and

contributions.

To Reiner R. Puna, a dear friend for many years, for the

book layout and cover design concept.

And last but definitely not the least, to Mamang who fought

to keep me despite my father's initial insistence for an aborM

tion, for her pure and unceasing love.

Needless to say, all errors and oversight, including of opin­

ions and analysis, are entirely mine.

103

THE AUTHOR

Alexander Ledesma Lacson, 40, is a lawyer by profes­sion. He is a graduate of the University of the Philippines, Col­lege of Law (Class 1996) and has taken post graduate studies at Harvard Law School in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Four years ago, he and his wife (Pia) had a serious discus­sion about migrating to the US or Canada· because the Philip­pines, as a country, appeared hopeless as it only got worse year after year. They wanted to know if they and their children would be better off staying in the country or abroad in the next 20 years.

They asked themselves this formula question - "Will the Philippines probress in the next 20 years?"

If the answer is YES, they will stay. If the answer is NO, they will leave and relocate their family abroad while they are still young

and energetic.

But after a long discussion, they could not give a definite answer to the question. Until they realized that actuany the an­swer to that question is in them. The country will improve if they do something about it. It will not if they do not do anything.

They realized that the answer is in us as a people, that hope

is in us as a people.

Since then, Alexander and Pia decided to do more for the

country.

This book was written by Alexander and edited by Pia. This is one of their ways of doing more for the country.

To reach the author, please send an email to

alacsonph@yahoo.com

105