If there is one thing you can give to the Philippines, what is that gift?
Okay, so Nuffnang PH and Globe Telecoms are running a campaign called #GLOBEProjectWonderful2014 . I usually don’t join or participate in blog contests but their theme for this specific campaign is rather compelling that it had me pondering since I got Nuffnang’s email yesterday.
If I can give the Philippines just one more gift, a gift from me and my family to the entire country, what would it be?
Yes, what would it be?
The first thing that comes to mind is to sympathise with victims of the recent calamities that hit the country and write that I’d want them to have a new and secure community to live in, complete with a self-sustaining livelihood that would provide for their families and help them start-over;
ALSO…
I would like to wish for our country to have a new set of government officials who’d genuinely want to serve the people, though I have no idea how the contest sponsors would be able to grant this one (T.T) — On a side note: I really believe that, as a requirement, there should be a brutally convincing show of dedication for every poiltician who aspires to run for a government position that’s mayoral-level and up: (1) that all candidates will have half a finger chopped-off (as a sign of loyalty and good faith) each time they officially run for office, (2) that another half shall be chopped-off (we will refer to it as ‘pledged’) each time they win, and (3) that on top existing punishments, government officials found guilty of corruption, beyond reasonable doubt, should have one of their hands chopped-off and have himself and his relatives (up to the 2nd degree) be banned from running for any government positions.
Ranting aside, again I find myself contemplating and asking “What will be the ONE THING that I would like the Philippines/Filipinos to have?”
Free high-speed internet for all? That’s nice, but rather too shallow to qualify as a ‘single-mega-wish-you’d-ask-from-a-genie’
Free education for all? It’s noble, but would that really solve much of the problems that the country has? I mean hasn’t our country, for the longest time, been plagued by well-educated pricks who are ‘gaming’ the system and are stealing government funds?
An honest leader? How can I stomach to blindly put my faith on just one citizen and believe, with all my heart, that person can change everything that’s messed up in our society?
I think what our country needs is for the people to have a renewal of faith on each other… a focused mindset, that we, as Filipinos, should be there for each other. That in everything that we do, we have our fellow countrymen’s welfare in mind — that we got each other’s backs no matter what. So much so that we’d set aside our differences, personal interests and carnal desires; and work towards getting things done the right way.
Since we’re already in the topic of wishful thinking… if I had one wish for the country that can be granted, no matter how cheesy and Utopian it may sound, it will be for everyone to have love and respect for each other. This would surely correct a lot of what’s wrong in our country.
Reality Check: Or at least I wish we could have a transparent, effective and persistent platform where everyone has an opportunity to show how much they care, even in the smallest way. Hopefully this would trigger a chain reaction of random acts of kindness that’ll last a lifetime.
How about you? If you can give the Philippines just one more gift, a gift from you and your family to the entire country, what would it be? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section.
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One thing that I wish I can give to the Philippines is a free medium of communication for every Juan. Every Juan wants to be connected in anyway to another Juan. That’s why we have at least one reunion, gathering, occasions, etc every year. Since we also have a trait that we are hardworking, some of us needs to work abroad or out of town, but Juan’s are known for their Close Family Ties, we can never celebrate holidays, birthdays without any transactions to our closest relatives and friends.
Text messages, video calls, telephone calls, etc. We have to admit that we are worried about our friends and families everytime there a new typhoon that’s coming. Juans are always here to lend a hand to their relatives – even strangers whenever it is needed. Juans are really creative, during the times we don’t have any options, we always find that ingenious ways of solving our problems. It would be really helpful if someone would help me grant my advocacy for every Juan. #GLOBEProjectWonderful2014
loisnicolebaguio@yahoo.com
G’day Lois Nicole,
That’s a good one! Staying ‘connected’ to the people you love will always be precious. It’ll be a great service to the people if a telecom giant such as Globe would give out free services(or maybe at a greatly discounted rate) for an extended period of time. It’ll be great PR for the company and I’m sure they could somehow find a way to write it off as a form of ‘charitable expense’ and get a tax break from it.
What I wanted to have for the Philippines is every Filipino should have a Turtle House. Shelters us all the time and never ever be ruin.
If I had the ability to help the Philippines by giving gift I would give them a Advanced Military equipment – The military served as the protection of a country, it protects not only the higher-ups people but also the overall citizen of the country. To prevent annihilation of our people and country of the possible war that could occur we couldn’t afford to be possibly defenseless and just let the invaders take advantage of us without putting much a fight. And its also help and served our people at time of crisis.
Comment on my blog too thanks! http://miaamorilag.blogspot.com/2014/01/globeprojectwonderful2014-contest.html
If there’s one thing that I can give my dear country that would be …. The gift of Health.
I want to do a medical mission with the help of Nuffnang Philippines and Globe thru #GLOBEProjectWonderful2014
Health is wealth. No amount of money, time and effort can ever, ever, bring the best of your health back, once it’s gone.
In my 6 years of practice as a nurse, I have seen how our healthcare system struggles to provide quality care for our countrymen, may it be in manpower, medicines, or equipments both in the community and hospital.
I’ve seen people deteriorating day by day because they can’t afford to go to a doctor. I’ve seen patients die because their families didn’t have enough money to buy basic medicines. I’ve also seen families giving up their sick loved ones and literally, waited for their last breathes, since they cannot afford another day for the life support of the deteriorating loved one.
I am believing that we can do something about this. One of those needy, ailing, indigent patients could be your mom, dad, granparent, relative, dear friend, loved one…
In short, we are all CONNECTED, one way or another. So it is not just a matter of “about them” and “about us” because it is ABOUT US — ALL OF US.
Hi Cristelle,
That’ll be nice to have. It would be really great if everyone (especially the less fortunate) would have access to proper and adequate healthcare.
Kung may isang bagay akong ireregalo sa Pilipinas, ito ay pagmamahal at pagpapahalaga ng mga Pilipino sa ating bayan. Kung makikita lamang nating lahat ang ganda at ituturing na espesyal sa atin ang bansang ito, iingatan at pangangalagaan natin ang Pilipinas.
Sa aking palagay dito mag-uugat ang kaunlaran ng ating bayan. Kung nakikita lamang ng mga Pilipino na mahalaga para sa kanila ang Pilipinas, pipiliin nilang dito magtrabaho. Kung sino pa ang magagaling ay sila pa ang nagtatrabaho sa ibang bansa. Ngunit hindi tayo ang umuunlad kundi ang mga bansang pinagtatrabahuhan nila. Kapag nangyari na ito, ang Pilipinas lamang ang kanilang pipiliin. Tulong-tulong na pauunlarin ang bayang ito.
Kung may pagpapahalaga ang mga Pilipino sa Pilipinas, wala sana tayong polusyon ngayon. Katulad ng isang bahay, hindi mo hahayaang madumi ito at hindi mo din ito dudumihan. Hindi ka magtatapon ng kalat sa kung saan. Ituturing mo ang bansang ito bilang iyong tahanan na hindi mo kailanman pababayaan na masira.
Sa tulong ng Globe, maaari nating bigyan ang bawat tao sa isang komunidad na gumawa ng isang resolusyon (kagaya nang hinding hindi nako kailanman magtatapon ng basura sa maling lugar) para sa bansang ito na personal at espesyal sa kanila. Isang bagay na sa tingin nila, na kahit maliit, ay makatutulong sa ating bayan. Maaaring bawat taon, kapag natupad ito ng mga mamamayan, bigyan sila ng Globe ng gantimpala. Ngunit kung iisipin, hindi ang gantimpala ang mahalaga kundi ang mga maliliit na resolusyon na natupad sa loob ng isang taon.
Sabi nga ng aking propesor, pahahalagahan mo lang ang isang bagay kapag nakita mo na ang tunay na ganda at espesyal na parte nito sa iyong buhay.
Maaaring mapangarap ang regalong aking napili pero hindi ito imposible. Magsisimula ito sa ating mga sarili. At sana sa pagdating ng panahon na lahat tayo ay natutunan na ang tunay na halaga ng Pilipinas, hindi pa huli ang lahat.
-Bernadine B. Bautista
bernadinebautista25@gmail.com
My gift to the Philippines will be the gift of opportunity.
Opportunity for job, for education, for food, for shelter, for health services and all the other basic necessities each and every one of us will need. If there are enough opportunities for all us then equality can never be far enough to achieve. If those things will be provided crime rate, poverty, homeless, illiterate, and hunger could be all lessen. Peace in every people can be possible and we can all work hand in hand in making this country more efficient and successful.
If I can give something to the Philippines that is immaterial, that would be Discipline. If one person wakes up one morning and decided that “starting today, I will follow rules and the law, I will be a disciplined citizen.” And religiously and conscientiously does this everyday for the rest of his life, and other people will see this change and because of this example others will follow suit. If this will be our mentality, don’t you think our country would be a better place to live in? Where: – people don’t throw their trash just anywhere, drivers follow their lanes, public utility vehicles stops at points only where it is allowed to drop or pick up passengers, people cross where it s only allowed to cross the street, motorists follow the speed limit and are diligent, people know how to fall in line and don’t cut in a line, we arrive in meetings or gatherings on time, we don’t vandalize and other thousand more things that we can do to show discipline.
The tangible thing that I want to give to the Philippines is the gift of Education. I still strongly believe that education is the key for success; yes, there are those who make their lives and the lives of their loved ones easier and comfortable by making a living and succeeding in their fields even though they have not finished school. But that’s one in a million. Having proper education will still give someone an edge to survive in this world. One can get a better paying job, thus, one will have greater chances of helping his/her family for a better life.
With that being said, to answer the question: “If there is one thing you can give to the Philippines, what is that gift?”, I would like #GLOBEProjectWonderful2014 help me by Adopting a Scholar or Donating to REAL LIFE FOUNDATION.
Real LIFE Foundation is a christian non-profit, NGO that was incorporated in 2007 with the vision of seeing thousands of marginalized Filipino youth educated, gainfully employed and uplifting their communities. The goal of Real LIFE Foundation is to transform lives, families & communities through hope and education. Real LIFE Foundation is one of the organizations that is in line with what I believe in. Like them, I strongly regard that education is the key to a better life.
The foundation does not only help its recipients by paying for their tuition, but they also help equip them in most, if not all, that they will need to finish college and what they’ll be needing when they start looking for a job. They hold personality development coaching for the scholars and even tackles on how to dress and present their selves properly during job interviews and when they’re already employed. Also, the students’ other miscellaneous expenses will be covered, like books, uniforms, OJT expenses and a daily meal & transportation allowance. Because of that the scholars don’t have to worry if they will be able to eat or get to school.
As I’ve said awhile back, Real LIFE Foundation does not only focuses on the financial side of putting a student in school but also comprehensively addresses the needs of their scholars that will help them thrive after finishing school. This is done through their LIFE Coaching, which is the character development program of the Real LIFE Foundation and which provides mentoring for their scholars in Leadership, Integrity, Faith, and Excellence.
helloviellobits.blogspot.com
If there’s one thing that I can give my dear country that would be …. The gift of Health.
I want to do a medical mission with the help of Nuffnang Philippines and Globe thru #GLOBEProjectWonderful2014
Health is wealth. No amount of money, time and effort can ever, ever, bring the best of your health back, once it’s gone.
In my 6 years of practice as a nurse, I have seen how our healthcare system struggles to provide quality care for our countrymen, may it be in manpower, medicines, or equipments both in the community and hospital.
I’ve seen people deteriorating day by day because they can’t afford to go to a doctor. I’ve seen patients die because their families didn’t have enough money to buy basic medicines. I’ve also seen families giving up their sick loved ones and literally, waited for their last breathes, since they cannot afford another day for the life support of the deteriorating loved one.
I am believing that we can do something about this. One of those needy, ailing, indigent patients could be your mom, dad, grandparent, relative, dear friend, loved one…
In short, we are all CONNECTED, one way or another. So it is not just a matter of “about them” because it is ABOUT US — ALL OF US.
I want to give the gift of light to the Philippines. More specifically the gift of SOLAR POWER. As a victim of the super typhoon Yolanda, wherein we totally had no communication due to power outage for a while and even until now electricity has not been fully restored in many places that were in Yolanda’s path, having backup power coming from SOLAR Energy is truly indispensable. Too much chaos occurs in the dark at night when a lot of people cannot rest easy for fear of thieves and looters. Having light (literally!) in these dark and trying times is what we truly need. But I do also wish for every Filipino household, Yolanda victim or not, to have 100% sustainable hybrid homes and eco-friendly houses that combine rainwater harvesting and clean energy generation (THINK: UNLIMITED WATER SUPPLY & SOLAR POWERED HOUSES!). This way our electric bills and carbon footprints will be largely diminished as well as we can show our love for Mother Earth.
– Maria Velasquez-Franco of http://www.bastaigatsikat.com for #GLOBEProjectWonderful2014
Hi Maria,
Yeah, I think being able to harness solar energy would be really great for the people. But not just that though; wind, geothermal and hydro power plants are also clean and sustainable sources of energy. The gov’t should be researching and spending more into these (rather than wasting taxpayers’ money on self-indulgent ‘privilege speeches’ — dapat sila-sila gumagastos for that, from their own pockets).