The survivors

Every year, when graduation time comes around, when tens of thousands of Filipino youngsters finally leave their campuses and enter a new world in which they are almost total strangers, I always wonder how those who fail to make it -- the board exam flunkers, the average or mediocre whose ability to compete in the job market is almost nil, the youngsters who, because of poverty, did not get the quality of education that they dreamed of -- will manage to survive in the dog-eats-dog world we all live in.

Everyone knows that those who fail to make it far outnumber those who eventually succeed in life. Look at the results of board and bar exams. Almost always, the mortality rate is far higher than the passing grade. And consider, too, the huge number of dropouts from school, those who do not even manage to finish high school. What do they do as they cope with life and grow older?

It is sad that there is no ambitious, dramatic government initiative to cope with this awesome social problem. While there are pronouncements from government leaders, every now and then, about programs and projects for out-of-school youth, all these have mainly been all sound and fury, signifying nothing. In the meantime, the army of unemployed and underemployed keeps on growing, year by year, which explains why the quality of life in our beleaguered country keeps sliding down.

Two nuns from the Order of Poor Clare (this is the community of nuns whose main convent is at Katipunan Avenue, the convent where people bring baskets of eggs to ask for prayers for a sunshiny day) have been frequent visitors to my office during the past several days. And they have been dropping by to ask my Good Samaritan Foundation to lend a helping hand to their Mother Superior, Sor Maria Vicenta de Sta. Ana, who had just undergone surgery to remove the cancer in her breast.

Sor Maria and the two Poor Clare nuns are actually strangers in Metro Manila. They are assigned to faraway Mondragon in Northern Samar, where life is often hard and cruel. Earlier, another Poor Clare nun assigned there passed away, because of a kidney problem. There was no money, no medical facilities, to save her life.

Damned if you do, damned if you don't. This must be the biggest dilemma of San Juan Mayor Jinggoy Estrada as he carries out his functions as president of the League of Municipalities. Jinggoy has just secured President Estrada's approval of the release of another P1.5 billion which will be distributed equally to the country's 1,525 municipalities for their infrastructure projects this year, regardless of party affiliation. Note that President Erap approved the release of a similar amount last year, which was also given to all municipalities under the Cost-Sharing Program between the Department of Public Works and Highways and the Local Government Units.

Under the scheme, LGUs can avail of their P1-million share, if they are able to put up a counterpart fund amounting to P500,000 for 1st and 2nd class municipalities, P250,000 for 3rd and 4th class municipalities, and P150,000 for 5th and 6th class municipalities. With President Erap's approval of the second tranche of projects, Jinggoy should expect another round of criticism from the political opposition.

The charges levelled by Jinggoy's critics, though, are not going to hold water. Why? Because the funds will be released directly to the municipalities, regardless of party affiliation. This will demonstrate that politics will not have anything to do with this project. And this will eliminate the palakasan system in securing funds from Malacañang. On top of it all, this will discourage local officials from becoming beggars of funding support for their infra projects.

Jinggoy should not be distracted from his efforts to help the poor municipalities in the country. He should even use his personal ties with the President to deliver basic services directly to the people.

Yazhou Zhoukan, the world's biggest international Chinese magazine published in Hong Kong and widely circulated in Singapore, Taiwan, China, Hong Kong, Malaysia and other places worldwide, has, in its latest issue, an interesting feature article on business tycoon Alfonso Yuchengco of the Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation, Malayan Insurance Group, and Grepalife. The article showcased Yuchengco's multi-faceted career as business leader, philanthropist and diplomat.

Ambassador Yuchengco's ideas on the Philippine and Asian economic situation, geopolitics, diplomacy, and business philosophies were also given a big playup in the magazine article. The business tycoon told Yazhou Zhoukan that he had a high regard for the late Lee Kong Chian, "Rubber King" of the world and taipan of a giant bank in Singapore. He added that his most fulfilling accomplishment was the good reputation he had built up through the decades, because he considers good reputation far more important than great wealth or power.

The article about Ambassador Yuchengco was written by my good friend and Palanca Literary Award winner Wilson Y. Lee Flores, one of the most prolific writers in our country. With Wilson's high credibility and thorough research work, the writeup on Ambassador Yuchengco is "must" reading for people who are involved in the search for model symbol figures.

Art A. Borjal's e-mail address: <[email protected]>