When President Aquino pledged $1 million dollars as a form of financial assistance to the tsunami-ravaged Japanese city of Ishinomaki, there is no doubt that the pledge was made with the noblest of intentions.
But as they say, the road to hell is sometimes paved with the best of intentions. In other words, while Aquino may be praised for his kindness, there is doubt if the $1 million can match the immensity of the intention.
Ordinarily, a million dollars can go a long long way. But given the utter destruction wrought by the tsunami, even that amount is just a drop in the bucket of what is needed to bring Japan back to its feet.
It would have served the intention of Aquino, and in fact the Philippines, if we pledged assistance in some other way than financial. The financial aspect of assistance can better be taken care of by other countries with stronger economies.
What Aquino should have done was pledge Philippine manpower to help in the reconstruction of Japan. We could send military engineers to that country or tap the thousands of unemployed Filipino nurses to do medical work there.
A million dollars means nothing to the needs of Japan at this moment. But if Aquino is willing to spend that much, he could have put it to better use by hiring Filipino nurses. Not only will it help Japan, it also helps our nurses. And the money goes back to our economy.
Besides, having made the pledge of a million dollars, it now opens Aquino to potential trouble at home, especially at this time when our own country is being ravaged by a typhoon, if he fails to satisfactorily deal with our own weather-related victims.
The Philippines is a poor country. But while we are poor, we also happen to have a big heart. There is therefore a need to be realistic in opening our hearts to others. Helping others does not necessarily have to come in the form of money. We can give of ourselves in other ways.