It’s not the winning, but the spirit of giving

I remember my grade school days at the Ateneo when we had our Christmas Package Drive. Year in, year out, we were encouraged to bring used clothes, old toys, books and canned goods, anything and everything that could still be of good use and shared with the poor. This event was a signal to all of us that Christmas was coming. It was probably the most awaited of Ateneo’s traditions because an award was given every year to the class section that brought the most number of goods. But despite the many items I and my classmates brought with us, somehow we never won an award. We would literally fill our classroom with mountains of goods, from floor to ceiling, that’s why I always thought we had the most items. So, one day, I asked our headmaster, Father Candelaria, why our class never won an award. He answered in his usually clear and curt manner, "It’s not the winning, but the spirit of giving that’s important."

Those words somehow stuck to me through the years. It reminded me of a friend of mine in the early 70s who never lost his spirit of giving. After graduating, he decided to take up his Masters in the United States, and eventually settled there. He’s been living in the States for about 30 years now, and when I saw him a couple of years ago, he told me he never stopped his own Christmas Package Drive. During the first few years, he would send a Balikbayan box of used clothes and other stuff back to the Philippines. As years went by, it grew from two to four Balkbayan boxes, his goods even reaching the provinces. Today, his Christmas Package Drive has grown so big, he now sends a whole container filled to the brim with new and used clothes, canned goods and other foodstuff, blankets, new toys, and more importantly, books. He collects all these for about a year from all over the United States, including his own huge contribution to the package as well. He’s always low-key, refusing any fanfare whatsoever. He is also a perfect example of "karma" because the more he gave, the more successful he has become. It’s fellows like these that make me believe there are more good people in this world than evil ones. In fact, I can say there are still a lot more kind-hearted people in this country.

According to world population experts, about 800 million people all over the world are living below the poverty line. In this country of 84 million, 40-percent suffer from hunger and deprivation of all kinds. Almost 100,000 street children roam the streets of Metro Manila without food and a decent home. More than half of these children have been abused in one form or the other or have become drug dependents. Others are into petty thievery and all sorts of crimes.

The good side is that there are many people and corporate citizens that go out of their way to assist the needy and the hungry. ABS-CBN’s Foundation and Bantay Bata 163 is one high-profile example of a good corporate citizen. This holiday season, Bantay Bata started off its Christmas campaign with a concert at the Meralco Theater that will benefit street children. The work and dedication that Gina Lopez and her team have been putting into Bantay Bata are truly admirable. About 150 sick children visit their office every month for medical checkups. The group has a team of volunteer doctors and medical practitioners who give time, talent and effort for the project. The children’s medical expenses are actually provided for by well-meaning donors. Bantay Edukasyon is probably one of the most significant projects of ABS-CBN because it provides rescued children the much-needed education. Corporate citizens like Singapore Airlines have just donated five million pesos to Bantay Bata 163 to finance the education of 120 rescued kids. SIA General Manager Philippines David Lau and Manager for Marketing Communications and Services Rita Dy made sure this would happen. Government is also on a roll this Christmas. Just this month, the Armed Forces of the Philippines handed over a check to the President worth a little over P4.1 million as its donation to the Children’s Hour, a fund raising program to help poor families and deprived children. The donation actually came from the salaries of the AFP’s 110,000 officers and personnel.

The President herself donated her one-month salary to the said Foundation. I know of some municipalities and barangays that are now conducting medical missions in squatter communities around their area. They employed the services of volunteer doctors, nurses and dentists to provide free medical check-ups, dental services and medicines. But for me, the most important of all charity work is the one that would benefit children with education. Our firm is continuing its efforts to provide financial help for the education of up to two of our employees’ children. In fact, one of our employees is planning to put up small reading centers in Parañaque (which will be open every weekend) to help the out-of-school youth of the city. A small group of Filipino-American lawyers are now collecting books from all over the East Coast to send to poor barangays in Metro Manila. The project has been going on for five years and is being conducted every year. I was told that La Salle Greenhills Batch ’81 has put up a foundation that specifically provides formal education to less fortunate children. The main benefactors and donors are now helping six scholars get through the LSGH Night School. Emil Alvarado, the president of the foundation, said it’s the batch’s way of returning the blessing which they themselves have received from their parents. In fact, we have many friends who are into donating loads of schoolbooks and other educational materials to public schools in the provinces.

Next year is a critical year for this country. There are about half a million candidates vying for a little over 12,000 positions all over the country. Let’s just hope the people running for office have something to offer rather than just winning. In the end, I am absolutely certain the good will prevail in this country.

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It’s good to hear that our friend Cesar Purisima has accepted the position of Secretary of Trade and Industry. He certainly is giving up a lot as SGV Chairman to join the government. He is a fine example of someone who is giving up a lot for public service. He is a good person, and will certainly do well for this country.

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