Obama and Filipinos: Making history

MANILA, Philippines - After hearing the inspiring testimonies of the speakers before me, I decided to drop my prepared speech. The times and the occasion call for me to speak spontaneously from the heart, and I will do just that.

But first let me thank Saladmaster for bringing me to this historic spot at the perfect time.

It is a great moment for me to be with you here in Washington DC one week before the American people rewrite history by putting a non-white in the White House. It is the ultimate testament to the ideals of your founding fathers that all men are created equal. Finally, everything is possible for everyone in America – for Afro-Americans, as well as Filipinos. This is what democracy is all about.

It is no longer an impossible dream for a Filipino-American to become President of the United States of America.

I join four million Filipinos who call America home and the entire American people in wishing President-to-be Barack Obama the fulfillment of his dreams, not only to turn the economy around, but to provide leadership of hope and change that will build a kinder and more prosperous world that does not exclude, discriminate or leave anyone behind. I have a deep personal affinity with President Obama because of his background as a community organizer and his message of hope and change which we have articulated consistently since we launched Gawad Kalinga as a global movement in 2003. Our difference is that his calling is to be President of the United States of America, while mine is to remain an ordinary citizen of the Philippines with an extraordinary love for my country.

But we can all be like Obama.

If someone like him with a broken past can make America hope and become whole again, it can also happen in our country if there are enough Filipinos who are not afraid to make history by disrupting conventional practices that do not work and initiating audacious change… peacefully. We can do it.

I can see that even here.

Sixty-percent of the 1,200 delegates in front of me from all over the world are Filipinos. This is one global event where they are appreciated and valued because they deliver the goods. Filipinos have become the best in person-to-person marketing because of their caring nature – they are good with people. Please allow me to indulge my ethnic pride by asking all the Filipinos in the crowd to stand up and be recognized by their peers for their outstanding achievements in the most competitive market in the world.

This event caps my emotional high on this particular trip. Prior to this day, I made two stops which affirmed to me the greatness of the spirit of our people.

The first was in Seattle four days ago where I was invited by the Heal the World Foundation president, John Roberts, to visit the homeless for a possible tie-up with GK. What amazed me was the discovery that out of the 8,300 homeless people in that part of Seattle, none was a Filipino. And they do not recall accommodating any Filipino in any of their shelters, ever. This is concrete proof of our unique cultural DNA. Our people are not a burden to the State because they are hardworking citizens, they have a strong family support system and they want to live with honor in America. This DNA might be dormant in our country now because of our long history of enslavement, but it will come out with the right environment and the right leaders at the right time. We will build the right environment by making the weak strong. The right leaders are those who will help us care for the weak and the poor. The right time is now.

My second high was in Wichita, two days ago. I visited the Kansas Spine Hospital, where they have the best facility in the state for this line of medical care. The founder of this hospital is Dr. Boy Abay, a neurosurgeon from Bacolod City, my hometown. Dr. Abay is mobilizing Fil-Am doctors and nurses to heal our sick motherland through Gawad Kalusugan, the health component of GK.

This is a hall full of dreamers and doers, the kind of people that history is all about.

Last year, two prominent leaders from Saladmaster made history in the Philippines – your CEO Keith Peterson, and Pidoy Pacis, your head of the Pinoy global market. Keith is the first CEO of a multi-national company from their head office to help fund and personally build a village of 100 homes with a vegetable farm. This is in Pototan, Iloilo, the hometown of Pidoy, who himself is making history as the native son who did not forget the poor he left behind in his birthplace. Just like Pidoy, you can make history in your hometown by building a Gk Village to celebrate your success. Your passion to succeed in Saladmaster will not only be motivated by your faith in the excellent product and the financial reward, but by the priceless joy of helping our people out of poverty.

Thank you, Keith, for caring for our people and for showing me outstanding leadership of a global corporation. We are deeply honored to co-brand with Saladmaster in building a better world. I say this in my personal capacity and on behalf of our volunteers and partners who believe in the nobility of our mission.

We have invited Keith and Pidoy to the GK Global Summit in Boston on June 12-15 to present our partnership as a model of global co-branding to build hope and to changing peoples’ lives. We hope some of you can join them.

I look forward to hosting a Saladmaster party in my home in the Philippines to feed patriots and friends who are helping us re-build our country.

To the other nationalities in this organization, I extend my heartfelt thanks for your generous donation to the Saladmaster GK village in our country and for recognizing the valuable contribution of Filipinos in the attainment of your collective corporate goals.

And to you Pidoy and all my Kababayans, I am proud of you for showing the world that Filipinos can, and will, make things happen.