Real-life movie

Many years, probably even decades, will pass before today’s generation will forget the horrendous scenes in New York shown on worldwide television by CNN. Two airplanes crashing into the World Trade Center Twin Towers. The world’s tallest buildings collapsing into the ground, one after the other, in what seems like a holocaust. Human bodies hurtling from the buildings and falling into certain death. Frantic and panic-stricken people running away from the toppled buildings.

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The scenes from Lower Manhattan in New York seemed to have come from a real-life movie like King Kong or Armageddon. Whoever thought that what moviegoers saw in theater screens decades ago would be replicated in real life? CNN did a yeoman’s job by documenting, almost completely through its television cameras, what is now a major episode in world history.

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He sent this message to me, before the terrorist attack in New York and Washington. Dr. Conrad G. Javier, MD, writing from Cleveland, Ohio, informed me of a front- page story in the Cleveland Plain Dealer, exposing the modus operandi of a New York agency involved in the recruitment of teachers and nurses from Asia. According to the story, "hidden agreements" are signed by the hired people in their contracts with the agency, such as:

* paying the agency $15,000, $10,000, $7,500 if they leave their employment within one, two, or three years, respectively

* paying the agency $5,000 to $7,500 as a recruitment fee prior to going to the USA.

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Fortunately, said Dr. Javier, the local workers’ union found the figures exorbitant and requested the recipient institutions to withhold payment to the New York agency until corrective measures are taken. Conrad suggested that the Philippine Department of Labor and Employment should require Philippine recruitment agencies to open their books and make sure Filipino applicants for jobs are not taken advantage of.

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Former Ambassador Rodolfo A. Arizala, writing from Santiago, Chile, has some thought-provoking comments on the move to amend the Constitution. Let me use envoy Arizala’s own words, to underscore the significance of his observations:

There is no doubt that those advocating a Charter Change are motivated by a sincere desire to have efficient, clean, honest and democratic government for our social, economic and political progress.

However, before we tinker again with our Constitution, it is worth remembering the words of Claro M. Recto in his valedictory address as president of the 1935 Constitutional Conventioin: ". . . history, in its usual fashion, will make its inexorable demands, changing the meaning of these words if not reversing it completely . . . yet when those who come after us look back to the past for counsel and inspiration, and consider the Charter that now leaves our hands, I feel sure that they will see written on it the nobility of our purpose as well as the magnitude of our task.

Merely changing our Constitution would not suffice in attaining clean, honest, efficient and democratic government. As shown by our experience during the past century from the Paterno Constitution of 1899 to the Cory Constitution of 1987, we have changed our Constitution at least half a dozen times already and yet up to these days, we are still debating whether we go again from bicameralism to unicameralism and from a republican presidential form of government to federalism.

In the final analysis, it is essential that the people undergo first a process of education through a democratic way of life until they are able to make the Constitution framed by their forebears function efficiently and effectively. On one hand, we need viable, credible and functioning democratic institutions, and on the other hand, a vigilant, enlightenment and economically stable citizenry who are not only aware of their rights but also of their duties so that there would be "checks and balances" in government. And that process could not be done overnight. As the saying goes, "Rome was not built in a day."

After our people have been educated under a democratic way of life, then and only then could we say and assure ourselves that we could give full meaning to the "nobility of purpose" and the "magnitude of the task" of the framers of our Constitutions, past and present.

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This is an improved version of the "Memo from God" which I had published in this column several months ago. I hope you will find inspiration from the following "Memo" as part of your Sunday reading:

I am God. Today I will be handling all of your problems. Please remember that I do not need your help.

If life happens to deliver a situation to you that you cannot handle, do not attempt to resolve it. Kindly put it in the SFGTD (Something For God To Do) box. All situations will be resolved, but in My time, not yours.

Once the matter is placed into the box, do not hold on to it by worrying about it. Instead, focus on all the wonderful things that are present in your life now.

If you find yourself stuck in traffic, don’t despair. There are people in this world for whom driving is an unheard of privilege.

Should you have a bad day at work, think of the man who has been out of work for years.

Should you despair over a relationship gone bad, think of the person who has never known what it’s like to love and be loved in return.

Should you grieve, the passing of another weekend, think of the woman in dire straits, working twelve hours a day, seven days a week to feed her children.

Should your car break down, leaving you miles away from assistance, think of the paraplegic who would love the opportunity to take that walk.

Should you notice a new gray hair in the mirror, think of the cancer patient in chemo who wishes she had hair to examine.

Should you find yourself at a loss and pondering what life is all about, asking "What is my purpose?" be thankful. There are those who didn’t live long enough to get the opportunity.

Should you find yourself the victim of other people’s bitterness, ignorance, smallness or insecurities, remember things could be worse. You could be one of them!

Should you decide to send this to a friend, thank you. You may have touched their life in ways you will never know.

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Khristine Anne Rancap, a student, was emotionally distraught when she got a failing grade in one of her subjects. In a letter to me, she recounted how she wanted to end her life, by slashing her wrist. Fortunately, her mother passed on to Khristine the Thoughts for Today featured column, about trials that should not make us fall but instead encourage us to look for God. "I was inspired and gave up all thoughts of committing suicide," she said. "Thank you and I hope you will continue to spread goodwill and good things to many people."

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Thoughts for Today:

Everything that God allows
to come your way is with a purpose.
He uses even the greatest error
and the deepest hurt to mold us
into a person of worth and value.

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No one has travelled the road of success
without ever crossing the streets of failures.
Sometimes, God allows us to fall so we remain humble.

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My e-mail address: <[email protected]> and <[email protected]>