Some Lenten reflections

Instead of wasting their time and the taxpayers’ money on studying, proposing and discussing such bills like legalizing divorce, or decriminalizing adultery and concubinage, or other bills which will surely erode the family as the foundation of the nation, our legislators should just concentrate and devote more of their time in tackling the perennial problem of poverty in our land. This is a problem that has been with us from the very day we became an independent republic up to the present time under this “daang matuwid” administration which has even adopted the empty slogan of, “kung walang corrupt walang mahirap.” It is indeed so sad that our leaders continue to overlook this problem mainly because it is one sure way of perpetuating themselves in power by establishing political dynasties which capture the votes of the poor through political doleouts.

For this reason, it seems quite timely that the Church has designated this year as the “year of the poor” purposely to focus our attention on the greater majority of our countrymen who miserably live below the poverty line. Pope Francis himself has reminded us that it is not enough for us to just contribute to charitable organizations as a way of expressing our care and concern for the less fortunate in our society. He exhorted us to “go to the peripheries” where the marginalized sectors of our society live and there meet them fact to face, look at them straight in their eyes so that we can feel what they are actually experiencing in their life of extreme deprivation.

In a recent Lenten recollection I attended which was conducted by Fr. Anton Pascual of Radio Veritas, this topic was extensively discussed. Fr. Pascual pointed out quite vividly why we have so many poor people in this country. Most of us perhaps already know that there are only 40 families who own 76 percent of the country’s wealth and resources with the rest of the population sharing the other 24 percent.  And the main reasons for such disparity and inequitable distribution of wealth are obviously greed and corruption both in and out of government.

Most of us already know that big businesses and conglomerates operating in this country grow bigger and bigger because they are primarily driven by huge profits to be earned, forgetting in the process the humanitarian aspect of sharing some of them with their employees for a more equitable distribution of wealth. Hence we will continue to have business oligarchs who are able to control not only our economy but also our politics by financially supporting candidates who will protect and promote their business interests. Indeed our form of government is not really democratic but oligarchic that continues to thrive because of greed and corruption. In fact even as our economy appears to be briskly growing, the growth is apparently non-inclusive as it is not felt by the poor sector of our society.

It does not mean however that we, especially those belonging to the middle class, should just sit back and watch this inequitable situation in our country. We can, in our own small way, also contribute in solving our poverty problem through poverty alleviation, poverty reduction, and poverty eradication.

We can help in poverty alleviation through our social services especially by conducting relief and rescue operations during calamities particularly in the poverty stricken areas of our country. We can also undertake health missions and feeding programs to assist the sick and feed the hungry among our people. These are indeed among the activities of some non-government organizations (NGOs) particularly the Rotary Clubs.

Then we can also help in poverty reduction by engaging and helping in the social development of the poor and the needy through our scholarship programs for their education and through technical or financial assistance in putting up their own small businesses. The best examples here are the several credit cooperative unions established in several parts of the country. One of them is the Immaculate Conception Multi-Purpose Cooperative started 50 years ago by dedicated couples who are members of the Christian Family Movement (CFM) contributing a measly capital of P645 that has now grown to P124 million.

Of course we can also help in poverty eradication. And for this purpose the most feasible way perhaps is to help our electorate especially the poor in the coming elections choose the right candidates that will really promote the common good and not their selfish interests. Let us see to it that none of the present crops of politicians and political dynasties particularly those involved in various anomalies, will be elected again and continue to govern us.

Ultimately however let us pray that all of us especially our government officials will finally realize that nothing in this world belongs to us, that everything is owned and controlled by God and we are just stewards who will account to Him on how we have used the properties entrusted to us in this world which after all we cannot bring with us when we finally breath our last.

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