Fw: Philippines in the Eyes of Korean

Please pass it to all Filipinos you know.

The message goes:

As you know, we have plenty of Koreans currently studying in the Philippines to take advantage of our cheaper tuition fees and learn English at the same time.

This is an essay written by a Korean student I want to share with you. (Never mind the grammar; it's the CONTENT that counts) Maybe it is timely to think about this in the midst of all the confusion at present.

MY SHORT ESSAY ABOUT THE PHILIPPINES

Jaeyoun Kim

Filipinos always complain about the corruption in the Philippines. Do you really think the corruption is the problem of the Philippines? I do not think so. I strongly believe that the problem is the lack of love for the Philippines.

Let me first talk about my country, Korea. It might help you understand my point. After the Korean War, South Korea was one of the poorest countries in the world. Koreans had to start from scratch because entire country was destroyed after the Korean War, and we had no natural resources.

Koreans used to talk about the Philippines, for Filipinos were very rich in Asia. We envy Filipinos. Koreans really wanted to be well off like Filipinos. Many Koreans died of famine. My father & brother also died because of famine. Korean government was very corrupt and is still very corrupt beyond your imagination, but Korea was able to develop dramatically because Koreans really did their best for the common good with their heart burning with patriotism. Koreans did not work just for themselves but also for their neighborhood and country. Education inspired young men with the spirit of patriotism.

40 years ago, President Park took over the government to reform Korea . He tried to borrow money from other countries, but it was not possible to get a loan and attract a foreign investment because the economic situation of South Korea was so bad. Korea had only three factories. So, President Park sent many mine workers and nurses to Germany so that they could send money to Korea to build a factory. They had to go through horrible experience.

In 1964, President Park visited Germany to borrow money. Hundred of Koreans in Germany came to the airport to welcome him and cried there as they saw the President Park. They asked to him, "President, when can we be well off?" That was the only question everyone asked to him. President Park cried with them and promised them that Korea would be well off if everyone works hard for Korea, and the President of Germany got the strong impression on them and lent money to Korea. So, President Park was able to build many factories in Korea. He always asked Koreans to love their country from their heart.

Many Korean scientists and engineers in the USA came back to Korea to help developing country because they wanted their country to be well off. Though they received very small salary, they did their best for Korea. They always hoped that their children would live in well off country.

My parents always brought me to the places where poor and physically handicapped people live. They wanted me to understand their life and help them. I also worked for Catholic Church when I was in the army. The only thing I learned from Catholic Church was that we have to love our neighborhood. And, I have loved my neighborhood. Have you cried for the Philippines? I have cried for my country several times. I also cried for the Philippines because of so many poor people. I have been to the New Bilibid prison. What made me sad in the prison were the prisoners who do not have any love for their country. They go to mass and work for Church. They pray everyday.

However, they do not love the Philippines. I talked to two prisoners at the maximum-security compound, and both of them said that they would leave the Philippines right after they are released from the prison. They said that they would start a new life in other countries and never come back to the Philippines.

Many Koreans have a great love for Korea so that we were able to share our wealth with our neighborhood. The owners of factory and company were distributed their profit to their employees fairly so that employees could buy what they needed and saved money for the future and their children.

When I was in Korea, I had a very strong faith and wanted to be a priest. However, when I came to the Philippines, I completely lost my faith. I was very confused when I saw many unbelievable situations in the Philippines. Street kids always make me sad, and I see them everyday. The Philippines is the only Catholic country in Asia, but there are too many poor people here. People go to church every Sunday to pray, but nothing has been changed.

My parents came to the Philippines last week and saw this situation. They told me that Korea was much poorer than the present Philippines when they were young. They are so sorry that there are so many beggars and street kids. When we went to Pasangjan, I forced my parents to take a boat because it would fun. However, they were not happy after taking a boat. They said that they would not take the boat again because they were sympathized the boatmen, for the boatmen were very poor and had a small frame. Most of people just took a boat and enjoyed it. But, my parents did not enjoy it because of love for them.

My mother who has been working for Catholic Church since I was very young told me that if we just go to mass without changing ourselves, we are not Catholic indeed. Faith should come with action. She added that I have to love Filipinos and do good things for them because all of us are same and have received a great love from God. I want Filipinos to love their neighborhood and country as much as they love God so that the Philippines will be well off.

I am sure that love is the keyword, which Filipinos should remember. We cannot change the sinful structure at once. It should start from person. Love must start in everybody, in a small scale and have to grow. A lot of things happen if we open up to love. Let's put away our prejudices and look at our worries with our new eyes.

I discover that every person is worthy to be loved. Trust in love, because it makes changes possible. Love changes you and me. It changes people, contexts and relationships. It changes the world. Please love your neighborhood and country.

Jesus Christ said that whatever we do to others we do to Him. In the Philippines, there is God for people who are abused and abandoned. There is God who is crying for love. If you have a child, teach them how to love the Philippines.

Teach them why they have to love their neighborhood and country. You already know that God also will be very happy if you love others. That's all I really want to ask you Filipinos.

(FOR THE LOVE OF OUR COUNTRY PLEASE PASS THIS MESSAGE)

MICHAEL KENNETH C. BALBIN

Technician - Sr Test/Engr

BAESYSTEMS

Network Enabled Solutions (NES)

Q62403 - Manufacturing Systems

150 Parish Drive Wayne NJ 07470

Tel. no. 973-305-2017 [2024/2710]

Street Children and Education

A rovingcart with educational materials.
Source: Google Photos

Street children are exposed in living on the cities, working heavy jobs and navigating the streets just to provide the daily needs of their family. They are still young to accomplish these duties. The only thing they have to do is to play and study their homeworks in school just as the typical pastime of ordinary children. But the only problem is they have to work hard for the money to help their family and themselves for daily needs.

Street children have the rights to a better education in order to achieve a bright future. The factors that serve as hindrance are lack of financial and moral support. There are street children who want to finish their studies and achieve their dream like to become a doctor, a teacher, or a lawyer someday. Recently, the problem of providing better education for the street children is being solve with the help of non-government sectors such as social welfare institutions, religious associations, and foreign volunteers. They provide regular classes and services for the street children for free. These classes are composed of academic literacy lessons or basic education, values education, sports and recreation, free school supplies and expenses, livelihood programs and spiritual lessons in order to attain high literacy and morality. There are persons who also volunteer to help street children or out-of-school youth in other places aside from streets such as graveyards, ruined buildings or dumpsites where some poor people lived in these areas.

Every child has the right to gain quality education without any equivalent of money and expenses. Even the child suffers from poverty, they still have the right to learn and acquire knowledge. The parents should continue to encourage their children to study and develop their potential skills. The government should also give more priority for education of street children or out-of-school youth and continue to improve the system of education and support the non-government sectors in educating the poor. For the non-government sectors, continue the good job of helping the street children through education. Always remember that money and poverty are not hindrances for children to study and acquire knowledge, skills and values in school in order for them to learn and have a better future.

Weighing the Pros and Cons: REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH BILL

Source: www.newsaroundus.com

The reproductive health bill is one of the controversial issues in the country nowadays due to its urgent signing of the government which is not supported by the religious sector. Since then, the RH Bill has been a contentious social issue because it opposes two powerful sectors with each other – the Church and the development non-government sector supported by government technocrats.

Why these two sectors are opposing with each other about the RH Bill? First, the Catholic Church pits this bill because it promotes the use of artificial birth control methods such as birth-control pills and condoms, saying these could lead to promiscuity and a rise in abortion cases. They advocate natural family planning methods such as ecological breastfeeding and systematic natural family planning. On the contrary, the development nongovernment sector supported the RH Bill because it gives clear content on population commission, ideal family size, reproductive health education in schools and the freedom to use natural or artificial family planning methods.

The reproductive health bill is relevant in terms of assisting family planning programs to the people. It gives significant information on the methods of birth control, the appropriate number of children for every family, gender equality and reproductive health education. Also it includes the Commission on Population will serve as the government agency that complies with the issues on overpopulation and disseminating the information on family planning to local government sectors.

But there are parts in the RH bill that needs improvement in terms of content because other sectors will not conform on it. First, they encourage having two children as an ideal family size and there is no punitive action for those families having more than two children. In the contrary, overpopulation is one of the major problems in our country. There are ideas that there will be a law for ideal family size which the number of children is not more than eight and above. Hopefully, responsible parenting is the solution for this problem in a way that the parents should grow their children depends on their family size and capacity in terms of budget and spacing.

Second, the mandatory age-appropriate reproductive health education where it can be taught to the students by adequately-trained teachers starting Grade five to fourth year high school. There is nothing new about it because it is already common in schools nationwide. However, we need to look forward on the possibilities that the family, especially the parents, will guide their children appropriately through proper teaching of reproductive health education. It is for the reason that children learn these things in school, neighbors and peers; sometimes, it can be learned through improper way which leads to indecent idea towards reproductive health.

Lastly, the bill promotes the freedom to choose between natural or artificial methods of family planning. But there are parts in the bill that advocates more on the use of artificial birth control methods such as surgical methods in public hospitals and the contraceptives such as condoms and pills are essential medicines. These methods are scientifically effective but the Church opposes the use of artificial birth control methods.

Therefore, the Church, the development nongovernment sector, and the government technocrats express their side in this social issue. It also reflects the pros and cons to be encountered if the bill will implement in the future. Hopefully, other people from different sectors of society will become aware in this issue and express their side if they agree or disagree in the RH Bill.

Source: "Belmonte to ask PNoy to certify RH Bill as urgent" by Amita Legaspi

http://www.gmanews.tv/story/202312/belmonte-to-ask-pnoy-to-certify-rh-bill-as-urgent