Tribute to the working class; and Gawad Kalinga

Yesterday, laborers from all over the Philippines and today in countries spanning half the globe celebrate Labor Day. I salute my fellow workers all over the world for the wealth of nations they produce and the dignity they instill on themselves through hard work and excellence that shows in their respective trades and crafts.

In view of widening gaps between the rich and the poor in many places around the world, global leaders should sincerely assess the responsiveness of their programs of action. In my country, many Filipinos seem resigned to their miserable fates and doomed to a downward spiraling life of poverty. Many are honest and very industrious. I see people working from sun up to sundown. Unfortunately, due to a general lack of education, skills and opportunities to improve their lot, very few barely come out from their lives of destitution. They have lost their sense of dignity...their sense of hope. Rays of hope however come from people who have refused to give up on themselves, on their brethren and on their country. One such effort is Gawad Kalinga.

Gawad Kalinga or simply GK promotes the establishment of peace loving communities of faith, productivity, and love for the environment. It revives the Filipino "Bayanihan" spirit of collective cooperation, promotes total human liberation from spiritual and temporal oppressions and allows the poor to gain back their self-dignity and hope. GK makes all these possible by embarking on a holistic approach to development and introducing programs that cover practically all members of the community from the parents to their children, from livelihood to shelter, from health to peace and order, from the environment to education, and most importantly (which I think is lacking in many well meaning programs to uplift the poor) is the integration of values formation and spiritual renewal into the community. From what i heard, GK has already been adopted in several other countries as well.

It would do our country a lot if our national leaders along with big business were to join the GK effort. Let's face it; they have always had the resources to pump prime anything in the first place. To a significant extent, recent developments have indicated that many have but a lot more have not heard and/or acted on the good news of GK. To my mind though, by God's abundant grace, involvement and ownership of an empowered working and middle class as a coherent social bloc will ensure the sustainable success of GK.

By experience, the working masses when united for a common cause have dramatically changed their respective country's courses of history. Let our common cause be for the eradication of poverty through the restoration of our people's self dignity and healing of relationships.




The following quotation is an excerpt taken from the Kapitbahayan Manual
(For the Caretaker Teams & Community Organizers)

The GK 777 Movement:

The whole GK community, CFC's and partners from all sectors of society are gearing up towards the GK 777 Movement: to be able to build 700,000 homes for the poor, in 7,000 GK communities within 7 years. Through this campaign, we hope to trigger the patriotism and generosity of Filipinos everywhere, especially from the private sector and the 6,000,000 Filipinos abroad. GK 777 will be a template for development that other Third World countries can adopt. It aims to bring back the spirit of "Bayanihan" that our country is known for.

The GK 777 is building the Filipino dream and restoring the idealism of the youth. Our children will be the first generation of Filipinos who will be proud of our country again.

Today, more and more government officials are willing to help and express genuine service to the nation. Our target in GK 777 is to build cities and municipalities that are squatter free and slum free.

GK 777 will encourage national leaders to legislate laws that will transform this nation's biggest liability-the poor- into its biggest asset. Motivating them to be self reliant, stimulating a grassroots economy and making the country safer for everyone.

This is our dream, to start a process that each poor family in this nation would have a decent home to live in. A slum-free Philippines!

GK 777 is a cause of our lifetime. Be an advocate and proclaim it to the nations.

"Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and raise-up the age old foundations; you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets and Dwellings". Isaiah 58:12





Again, I salute my fellow laborers and invite everyone to answer to the call...
Workers of the world...unite!
For GK, for Gawad Kalinga!!