Jesus Christ was a community organizer, Pontius Pilate was a governor...

Country First! But, whose country and who first?

The Republican National Convention (RNC) held last week did not fail to intrigue and pique the interest of Americans and the worldwide audience. They certainly did catch our attention. After the resounding debut of Barack Obama and Joe Biden at the Democratic National Convention (DNC), the RNC scuttled their first day because of Hurricane Gustav. The announcement of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as the vice-presidential nominee the Friday before carried them through though. Gov. Palin was a new and pretty face, a hockey mom, feisty, and charming. Pending further vetting of her, she is a fresh face for the Republicans beset by the chaos in Iraq and Afghanistan, the lingering tragedy of Hurricane Katrina, the housing implosion, the economic recession and accompanying “mental depression”, and the health crisis. Republicans, observed the New York Times’ columnist David Brooks, entered the RNC practically morose.

The Republicans, like the Democrats, promised change and reform. This they hope to accomplish via three primary strategies.

The first is a change of Republican and, hopefully, national leadership anchored on the man once called the “most trusted man in America” and now a “maverick,” Arizona Sen. John McCain. He will be backstopped by the charming, full of energy, and emerging symbol of the Republican woman, Gov. Sarah Palin.

The second is that, with a focus on the track record and character of both candidates, they will reform Washington and overhaul how politics is practiced.

The third is a renewed emphasis on patriotism and increased security. It is about confronting perceived American enemies anywhere in the world to ensure the country’s security from terrorism. In other words, the “war on terror” will continue.

If the objective of the RNC was to re-energize and rally its base (of supporters), this they accomplished. Sen. McCain attracts the security-conscious voter, while Gov. Palin brings to the table interest, intrigue, and an appeal to the woman vote. What we will see is a United States that will vote on the fault lines of race, gender, class, and socio-economic issues.

In deconstructing the Republican message and their policies based on the speeches over several days, the elements were similar. My comments and that of others follow below.

The focus on the biography and heroism of McCain was smart, because it detracts from the failings of the Bush administration of the last eight years. The goal was to put enough distance between him and the Bush administration. To further emphasize this gulf, they pulled a surprise in presenting a VP candidate out from literally nowhere, Wasilla, Alaska that is. It was a risky move characteristic of McCain the maverick.

After this spectacle of surprises, what comes next? Their message was that character and a track record of heroism is needed to reform Washington. I find this hard to believe, since the base of supporters and funders of the Republicans espouse policies that will ultimately and literally, fry all of us.

Rudy Giuliani’s “Drill baby drill”, his roguish laughter, and his cheerleading of the RNC participants as they repeated the chant were chilling. He, other speakers, Gov. Palin, and finally, Sen. McCain followed this up with a commitment to re-start the nuclear power program. They actually believe that the road to energy independence includes drilling for more oil and nuclear power.

I foresee global warming and a mushroom cloud.

Drilling for oil in the U.S. is full of myths and disinformation. See “Four offshore-drilling myths” by Eoin O’Carroll. Basically, there isn’t much oil left and what’s left is too deep and expensive to drill. Oil is a finite resource. In finance, oil is the equivalent to capital . You shouldn’t be using up the capital, just the interest. Where is energy and fuel conservation? Raising vehicle fuel standards? Where is government, in Thomas Friedman’s words, in reshaping the market to encourage renewable energy and alternative fuels?

The issue with nuclear power is nuclear wastes have a lifetime of thousands of years. Except for the Church, no institution has survived thousands of years to manage these nuclear wastes. Who would be reckless enough to leave to future generations the responsibility of taking care of wastes that can cause the extinction of the human species? All that for the privilege of consuming more, making the nuclear power industry rich, and avoiding conservation measures? Lastly, there are embedded risks in nuclear energy because of its complexity and life cycle (from mining to processing, use, and waste disposal) that have been expertly dissected in Charles Perrow’s classic Normal Accidents .

In a RNC dubbed “Country First” with an emphasis on veterans, McCain’s heroic war record,and patriotism, fighting was the code word. McCain himself used the word “fight” at least 25 times in his acceptance speech. Either his statements will vault him to the presidency or condemn him as the proponent of a culture of death and conflict. As he said; “Fight with me…Fight for what’s right for our country…Fight for the ideals and character of a free people…Fight for our children’s future….Fight for justice and opportunity for all…Stand up, stand up, stand up, and fight.”

Apparently, the police and authorities took his exhortation to fight literally. While there were anarchists who caused trouble, police brutality against varied protest groups were extensively documented. At least 400 were arrested for the flimsiest of reasons, journalists hurt, and scores of protesters maced and clubbed. The mainstream media hardly covered it, but the gory details can be found on-line. See Vital Source for a round up on the violence during the RNC. Photographers documented and wrote about police abuses. Journalist Amy Goodman, herself arrested and manhandled, recorded the Ramsey County Sheriff using infiltrators in the protest marches.

The last is on security and the never-ending “war on terrorism.” Despite the debacle in Iraq and Afghanistan with hundreds of thousands dead, including innocent civilians, thousands of dead and wounded American soldiers, a monthly $10 billion bill, what has the United States accomplished? Two failed states and millions of angry relatives of the dead and tortured. An American economy that is being bled dry because of military over-reach. The question still remains, who is the terrorist? If the terrorist is STATELESS, why engage in a conventional war?

This “war on terrorism” has proven profitable for those engaged in what former President Ike Eisenhower called the military-industrial complex. Only a few companies actually benefit, with the nation taking on a terrible burden. Growing the economy through endless conflicts doesn’t seem like good business sense.

Lastly, are Americans really being threatened by other nations? Iran, North Korea, Venezuela are touted as rising threats. This shows little faith in diplomacy and the American military. Did you know, the United States has 761 military bases across the planet? Really, is there a country willing to take on the vast American imperial military? If terrorism is a problem, use counter-intelligence, diplomacy, and police work. Development, not warfare, is the best strategy of “draining the swamp” of terrorism.

My observation is that all candidates have the character, integrity, and dedication to lead the nation. What separate the chaff from the grain are the policies.

Who presents a vision of the future of investments in renewable energy, education for all, affordable health care, safety nets for the poor, rebuilding of the economy, and those espousing sharing, caring, peace, and a concern for the environment? Who presents a vision of the USA as a moral leader, quoting Bill Clinton again, leveraging “…the power of our example than by the example of our power?”

The American people will be voting for their future this coming November. What kind of change will it be? Will it be one based on hope and values or one based on more of the same?

For Fil-Ams, they need to seriously reflect on who they support. Like the DNC, they were invisible. Worse the RNC was a pale affair. How can RNC hope to reform and change the course of this complex country with only one race? See Washington Post’s article on the lack of diversity in the RNC.

Many Fil-Ams or their parents fled the Philippines mainly because of the lack of economic opportunities. They need to support candidates who are sympathetic to economic migrants. Importantly, they need to support candidates who work for the reduction of income inequality, strengthening of the middle class, and engage minorities. To support candidates that DO NOT support these initiatives, Fil-Am voters only become like the politicians and caciques that they escaped from.

The future is in your hands.

Yes we can! at Mile High

Last 28th August, St. Agustine’s Day, was historic not only for the United States, but possibly for the world. Barack Obama, son of a Kenyan scholar father and a white anthropologist mother from Kansas, became the first nominated person of color to run for the presidency of the United States. He accepted the nomination in front of over 80,000 people and tens of millions of TV viewers at Invesco Field in Denver, Colorado. His 45-minute acceptance speech capped a nearly week-long Democratic National Convention that featured some of the best political speeches in recent times. If these speeches, tinged with wit, emotion, passion, common sense, and filled with hope, dreams, and determination, were made in 2004, the course of U.S. affairs since then may have been vastly different.



But as with the United States, the American people are a resilient people. This year they have another chance to change their state of affairs. I believe that they will in a fundamental and historic way with the election of Barack Obama. Indeed, to use the overused cliché, these are going to be very interesting times.

Nearly 200 people spoke during the four-day convention. Many if not most of the speeches were emotional, if not passionate. A few themes ran across the speeches. The first and most important, which was capped by Obama, is that America is about dreams and the fulfillment of dreams. To the speakers, that is what America is all about. That is why migrants risk everything to go the United States. America is about a new start, where the impossible is possible, where hope can become real. In America, your family name and origin are not liabilities. You can be the best you can be. Work hard and you can achieve your dreams. Ted Kennedy stressed it best; "The work begins anew. The hope shall rise again. And the dream lives on."

The second is that in a world of constant change and at many times, conflict, America needs to exercise a leadership that is not unilateralist. Bill Clinton highlighted this in stressing why Obama is the right choice. Unilateralism is really a code word for bullying and in recent years, the United States has been anything but unilateral. The result is that the country has lost worldwide influence and prestige; engaged in a disastrous occupation of two countries; caused hundreds of thousands of deaths and injuries; and made more enemies. It is oxymoronic for the last remaining superpower in the world to use force, when diplomacy, development work, and police-intelligence/ counter intelligence work are the better options in addressing terrorism or combating STATELESS adversaries. Bill Clinton said perfectly; “People the world over have always been more impressed by the power of our example than by the example of our power.”

The third theme was about change. The change that the speakers spoke of was change based on family and the values of honesty, hard work, principles, ethics, sharing, and caring, and faith. Michelle Obama, Ted Kennedy, Caroline Kennedy-Schlossberg, Hilary Clinton, Beau Biden, and Joe Biden, among many others stressed this. The powerful must be grounded on what the people are experiencing; what families are going through. Because it is in spending time with Americans all over, importantly those struggling, can leaders know what needs to be changed. As Obama said, “Change doesn’t come from Washington . . . it comes to Washington.”

The differences between the parties are striking. Obama comes from a multicultural background, which is indicative of tolerance. He knows poverty from personal experiences of growing up and from working on it. Michelle Obama’s message was clear; "We want our children and all children in this nation, to know that the only limit to the height of your achievements is the reach of your dreams and your willingness to work hard for them."

Biden’s personal tragedies and his commitment to his family and community keep him grounded, with a commitment of no cronyism. As Biden said; “For every American who is trying to do the right thing, for all those people in government who are honoring the pledge to uphold the law and honor the Constitution, no longer will you hear the eight most dreaded words in the English language: The Vice President's Office is on the phone.".

Democrats favor research and investment in renewable energy, while the other party favors drilling in ecologically sensitive areas. They look at the immigration issue as a wedge issue that detracts from its economic causes, which need fixing. Obama’s “Yes We Can” parallel’s Cesar Chavez’s “Sí, se puede.” Social justice and compassion are what are lacking in the immigration debate. They favor talking and negotiating, rather than force as a blunt tool of negotiation.



Lastly, the Democrats’ message is one of HOPE. Hope energizes. It is about optimism. It is about faith and the virtues of sharing and sacrificing. The byline of fear and scare mongering, I believe, has run it last course. You can only scare people for so long to stay in power. After that, the game is up. Hope will prevail.

The Republican National Convention started with the stark reminder of Hurricane Katrina and the incompetence of the political and executive leadership three years ago. They should have consulted a feng shui expert as Hurricane Gustav hurtles toward Louisiana and New Orleans. This has forced them to reorganize the convention and cancel the speaking engagements of Pres. Bush and VP Cheney. This may bade them well, but it only highlights the reactionary actions and nervousness that abound.

There are reasons for optimism for Democrat supporters after the DNC, but the road to the White House will be narrow, rocky, and full of landmines. It will entail hard work, dedication, sacrifice, consistency, and importantly, integrity. Democrats are running on a message of CHANGE and HOPE based on VALUES and ETHICS. They must live it everyday.

For Fil-Ams, why where they invisible in DNC? Why no speakers? The interests of the Fil-Am, if not Asian-American communities, lie with the Democrats. There are initiatives such as Filipinos for Obama, but the silence and invisibility of Fil-Ams are troubling.

Saan Ka Nakatira? Ano ang ginagawa mo?

GK Pandi homes, June 2008

Saan Ka Nakatira? Ano ang ginagawa mo? Where do you live? What do you do?

These two questions define who you are and what your identity is. These two questions either bring you confidence or shame, hope or despondency, contentment or anger. “I live in (fill in the blanks) and I am the father/mother/brother/sister/son/daughter of (fill in the blanks). I am a (fill in the blanks)” define who you are on so many levels, be it gender, class, status, or other cultural markers of age education, and, work. As E. F. Schumacher noted, work enables man to develop and use his talents to meet his needs in a way that builds community and solidarity. The poor though have neither a voice nor a stake in society because they don’t have meaningful work that meets their needs.

Imagine if you were an informal dweller, derisively called a squatter, living a hand-to-mouth existence, with many children, little or no education, no job or underemployed, and in debt. What are your chances of improving your family’s situation in this lifetime? What can you do? Who can you run to for help? Who can actually help you?

A home in the garbage dump of Payatas

What if there at least 2.5 million of you in a metropolitan area? What kinds of conditions do you and your family live in? How do you cope and survive? What options do you have? Multiply this with numerous cities in a country and in every country and you have what sociologist Mike Davis calls the making of a “planet of slums.”

The twin problems of poverty and homelessness, according to Gawad Kalinga’s Tony Meloto, are so massive that neither government nor the private sector can solve it alone. Government and the private sector must come together, along with each and every Filipino, to discover new ways of addressing the causes of poverty in ways that are sustainable, equitable, and which build solidarity.

ANCOP GK\'s Be Part of the Miracle poster

Unsquatting “squatters” is a good entry point in this endeavor. By building homes for them, we rebuild the lives of the poorest of the poor. The dignity of the homeless is restored and he and his family have a secure place to improve the family situation. “Squatters” pay more for basic utilities because of the legal uncertainty they are in. Helping slum dwellers with housing, values transformation, community organizing, health, education, environment, and productivity programs empower them and make them productive members of society. This is what Gawad Kalinga is about.

Coming together requires a setting where friendships can be made. These friendships form the basis for a long-term relationship built on trust, cooperation, sharing, and caring. This context is important because if it is conducive to friendship, then hurts can be healed, faults acknowledged, wrongs forgiven, and changes made. If the rich and poor, powerful and powerless, come together in friendship, then change is possible in the context of “less for self, more for others, enough for all.” This enabling environment for community development is what we all desire.

Many Filipinos and Fil-Ams made the great escape from poverty, graft, corruption, and a generation-long dictatorship in the Philippines to become successful. Either they migrated and made it or they bunkered down and succeeded in a harsh environment. They now need to come together if they want to see a Philippines that is progressive and equitable; a Philippines that is secure, prosperous, and opportunity-laden for their children. They can make it happen. As Gawad Kalinga has been able to provide this enabling environment, Fil-Ams and Fil-Canadians have been coming together and have so far funded 323 of the over 1,000 GK Villages in the Philippines.

On September 6, 2008, Saturday, 26 cities in the United States and Canada will hold the 3^rd Annual GK Walk with a theme of ONE Continent, ONE Cause, ONE step closer to eradicating poverty. The GK Walk seeks to generate greater awareness of the GK movement of caring for the poorest of the poor. It seeks to build solidarity and community among the estimated four million Fil-Ams, Fil-Canadians and their American and Canadian friends and relatives. It also seeks to encourage participation in the GK One Million Bayani (GK1MB) and GK Village Builder corps of volunteers/partners.

ANCOP GK Walk poster

To be able to help the poor, we must first become friends to one another.

What better way to start it than through a healthy walk followed by a fiesta picnic?

Check out http://www.ancopusa.org/gkwalk/ for participating cities.

Kicking Back with Padyak

What is a creative solution to society’s problems? VirtualSalt’s Robert Harris lists the elegant evaluation criteria, summarized as SENC. It should be SUCCESSFUL in solving the problem, overcomes constraints and is acceptable to users or beneficiaries. It is EFFECTIVE in that it is practical, economical, and reliable. It is NEW in that it is original, surprising, and seminal for its further possibilities. It is COHERENT because it is organic, holistic, of high-quality, well-designed and executed, refined, tested, improved, and aesthetic/beautiful.

I would add IBLE to the acronym. The IMPACT is significant in the societal sense. It BUILDS CARING COMMUNITIES. It presents opportunities for individual LEARNING and LEADERSHIP development. Lastly, it creates an ENABLING ENVIRONMENT for all of the above. Thus, a creative solution is Successful, Effective, New, Coherent, produces significant positive Impact, Builds Caring Communities that Learn, as well as Leaders, for an Enabling Environment (SENCIBLE).

Colorful Padyak bikes and artistic discs

The Philippines, being a center of innovation vis-à-vis civil society, has many examples. The Gawad Kalinga GK777 movement easily comes to mind. GK is not alone. In my recent visit to Manila, the Padyak initiative of the University of the Philippines Mountaineers (UPM) is one such SENCIBLE solution to the difficulties of seemingly permanent high fuel prices and a degraded urban environment. The UP Padyak Project was started by UP Mountaineers members and alumni to give back to the University of the Philippines during its centennial celebration. The project is an environmental advocacy that promotes biking as a means of transportation, which helps reduce air pollution, lessens dependence on fossil fuels, and promotes a healthy lifestyle in the UP Diliman campus. As the Padyak-ers advocate, “BIKE FOR U.P. BIKE FOR THE ENVIRONMENT.”

Since the summer of 2008, through funding support of several UP Mountaineers and using the principle of padugo, bikes were purchased and provided to students for a minimal donation of P500 per semester. These bikes are reconditioned, one-speed, have a step-through frame, and are designed for utility and safety and not for speed. About 43 bikes have been purchased, spruced up with lively colors, Padyak bike discs, bike baskets for books, and bike horns. Bike users must have helmets, a bike lock, and participate in a Padyak-sponsored bike clinic. Bike pumps are strategically located within the campus. UPM members and friends have spent at least P200,000 on the bikes, racks, and incidentals.

Padyak bike clinic for bike users

The creativity abounds. UPMers from the College of Fine Arts helped in designing creative bike disks and sculptural bike racks that allow all bike commuters to park their bikes and enliven the campus through public art. Talented artist and UPMer Eng Chan designed and constructed the Pencil, Kalabaw, and Tuyo bike racks which were strategically placed within the campus. Each rack can hold 12 bikes, and occupies the equivalent of one car parking slot. Other members connected with RAADesign, and StrayInteractive designed the colorful bike discs.

Eng Chan's Kalabaw rack

A core group led by Eng Chan and UPMer architect Gerry Ramos is spearheading the creation of a bamboo bike in partnership with Carolina’s Bamboo Garden. The bikes will be tagged and named after birds, starting with birds found within the UP campus, per the suggestion of UPMer and philosophy professor, Gerry de Villa.

UPMers Gerry Ramos and Eng Chan with ANOS bamboo at Carolina's Bamboo Garden

Padyak has resonated with many sectors of UP and beyond. Media has covered Padyak with nearly all the major TV stations and newspapers featuring it. The UP administration has fully supported Padyak. In fact, over the summer, it made the academic oval road, not only one way, but one half reserved permanently for bikers, joggers, and walkers only. Padyak has been able to help the security brigade in UP with a commitment to help them fix their broken down bikes. Padyak has opened up opportunities. The bike racks are such a hit that one vendor said that the racks attract more customers to his cart. Bike enthusiasts have volunteered to help repair Padyak bikes that break down.

Several companies are interested in an advocacy and social marketing partnership. The partnership comes with a commitment on their part to donate bikes, while UPM counterparts the bike donation with tree planting activities. The running activist priest and my fellow anthropologist, Fr. Robert Reyes, has bought into the program, donated bikes, and is recruiting fellow UP alumni in Hongkong, where he is stationed now, to support the project.

Padyak is fast evolving. It has grown beyond a UPM Batch 88 anniversary project, with batch members graciously allowing it to become a UP Mountaineers project. Its initial success has generated high demand for Padyak bikes. Padyak organizer, UPMer, and architect Jojo Gutierrez reported that there is now a waitlist of at least 85 students, with more requesting. UP has a student population of around 20,000. Fellow UPMer and sociology professor, Dr. Ging Candaliza-Gutierrez said that even non-teaching staff have been asking her if they can avail of the Padyak bikes.

"Pencil" bike rack

The request is understandable. I never realized how much an IKOT jeepney ride (used to get from one school building to another within the UP campus) costs these days. From a low of 50 centavos in the 1980s, a ride now costs seven pesos. A UP student, on a typical school day, will take 2-4 rides to get to classes in different buildings. Because of its fixed route, an IKOT ride will also take 15-30 minutes each way. Imagine the costs and time wasted by the Iskolar ng Bayan. Padyak doesn’t want to put IKOT jeepneys out of business, but Padyak complements IKOT and will hopefully encourage IKOT jeepney drivers to evolve.

Mt. Everest summiteer and UPMer, Romy Garduce, posing for Padyak

Padyak hopes to encourage other groups, especially corporations and schools/universities to start their own Padyak programs. Padyak afterall promotes the use of the most efficient self-powered alternative means of transportation man has ever invented. This is because moderate biking uses the same energy as walking. It encourages more civic interaction in a campus or office setting. It promotes a healthy lifestyle. It saves on fuel costs. It encourages partnerships across a wide swath of sectors. Lastly, it creates possibilities for expansion and further iteration in creative solutions.

Kicking back with Padyak is indeed SENCIBL

People helping people, the Gawad Kalinga way

“In the United States, no Filipino became homeless or a beggar. Filipinos did not build squatter communities here,” so said Gawad Kalinga’s Tony Meloto.

Behind these two statements is the development and prosperity key that enabled Filipinos in the United States to have the second highest per capita income of all Asian-American groups. Fil-Ams are the largest source of remittances to the Philippines. They are, in essence, the embodiment of the American dream.

How did they do this?

Simply, they live and progressed in the right environment.

GK Poveda Village, Taguig City 2007

Filipinos need an environment where they can meet their basic physical needs, live in security and dignity, and become the best they can be. Anthropologists call this the household livelihood security framework. It is about having the resources to make the right choices.

In the United States, despite the country’s historical problems with discrimination, Filipinos have prospered because their talents and hard work are appreciated. They are paid well enough to buy a house, support their families, invest, and earn more.

The good infrastructure facilitates moving around, doing business, and enhances communication, and information gathering. In the United States you can make things happen faster and hence, get results quicker.

In general, the law is straightforward and followed. Among ordinary Americans, a handshake agreement is kept because one’s name is sacred. This makes business relatively safe and secure.

In the United States, if you’ve fallen into hard times or need a start in life, you can access educational, health, job support, even monetary assistance. People and institutions are there to help. All you have to do is ask.

The strategy looks simple, but it took decades of discussion, conflict, trial and error, painful experiences, and deep reflection. Today, the United States is the most prosperous country in the world (despite current difficulties).

The poorest of the poor are just like you and me. They have dreams and aspirations for a better life for themselves and their families. They are survivors. With the right environment, they can blossom, like any Filipino or American. They have an innate potential to do good, become even better persons, and can be an asset to the Philippines.

All they need is the right environment.

Again Gawad Kalinga’s Tony Meloto:

“The saying,’Give someone fish and he will continue to ask for fish; but teach someone to fish and he will fish for himself’ is not true in the Philippine setting. The poor know already how to fish, but they ain’t fishing! We need to change the environment for the poor to become God’s perfect creation.”

We need an environment where institutions work, things are predictable, and where hard work, talent, and persistence are rewarded. Sharing and caring are also needed in smoothing out the rough edges of capitalism and competition. A sustainable economy is one where people can be the best they can be, while the vulnerable are protected and nurtured to independence. Freedom and responsibility form the two sides of the development coin.

Gawad Kalinga is shortcutting the U.S. development model. By building 700,000 homes in 7,000 communities, in seven years, Gawad Kalinga seeks to spur five million of the poorest Filipinos out of extreme poverty. The massive and ambitious home building goal generates the economies of scale to tackle the seemingly insurmountable problem of poverty. It creates an environment of on-the-job training, cooperation, sharing and caring, and an economic multiplier effect. It channels resources to fighting poverty without the draining effects of corruption, graft, and red tape.

To spur institution building, Gawad Kalinga communities are supported by a seven point ON-SITE community development program that includes: (1) site and shelter development, (2) community organization/Kapitbahayan and values transformation, (3) community-based health program, (4) child and youth development, (5) economic productivity, (6) environment, and (7) a Mabuhay/ welcome program.

Only a holistic program that develops the individual, family, and community will succeed in building strong institutions in the Philippines. Only organized, principled, and economically and environmentally sustainable communities can survive and withstand the vagaries of Philippine politics, poverty, inequality, and social exclusion.

With 1,700 communities established since its launching in 2003, more than half a million poor Filipinos are enjoying their own colorfully painted homes amidst a safe, secure, and happy community. They are beginning to access education, health, training, livelihood, and capacity-building services.

More needs to be done and more poor Filipinos need to be helped. Why wait for an armed revolution or a breakdown in society to change, when there is an alternative way based on love, sharing and caring, and padugo- bleeding for the cause literally in blood, sweat, and tears?

Gawad Kalinga, meaning to give care, is building God’s Kingdom here on earth.

Join us in this journey.

See www.gawadkalinga.org or www.ancopusa.org for more details.

Gawad Kalinga reshaping the global development landscape

Hope and expectations are high among supporters of Gawad Kalinga (GK) that GK is the way to a kinder, gentler, and more loving world. Conflict and violence, even for a good cause, will not lead to peace and prosperity in the long run. The hurts, suffering, and pains must be overcome. A new way must be forged, one founded on forgiveness and the heroic and sacrificial love, service, and leadership of Jesus Christ. This is the model that Gawad Kalinga espouses and is showing to be viable.

A week since the GK1World activities, I continue to marvel at how organizers and Gawad Kalinga workers were able to gather some of the best and brightest to strategize on how to make this vision a reality. Neither the cold, windy, and unpredictable weather nor the long-hours failed in dampening the spirits and energy of the participants to the Highway of Hope caravan, the ONE Celebration at Kimball Park, National City, and the two-day GK Builders Summit at the Marriot Del Mar. This GK1World celebration is a preview of what Gawad Kalinga aims to initiate and accomplish in the coming years.

Fil-Am supporters in San Diego, led by uber-businessmen Tony Olaes and Robert Sanchez, smitten by the Gawad Kalinga bug, organized and help fund the GK1World celebration, which sought to help ramp up Gawad Kalinga’s capacities. This they did by laying the groundwork for tapping into the compassion, generosity, skills, talents, and resources- the padugo- of both the Fil-Am and mainstream American communities.

The ONE caravan, led by NAFFAA officer JoAnn Fields, sought to highlight the important socio-economic-political presence of Fil-Ams in San Diego with a motorcade through the Fil-Am Highway along CA-54. The motorcade also capped the epic three-month, 22,000 plus miles, 80-city Highway of Hope caravan of Dylan Wilk and Nathan Mari with their families, which raised awareness of Gawad Kalinga in the United States. The response of Fil-Am communities through out the country has been awesome and inspiring. According to the dynamic duo, they expect up to 150 new Gawad Kalinga chapters in the United States committed to supporting Gawad Kalinga in various ways. Quite a number publicly pledged to do so during the GK Builders Summit.

The day-long ONE celebration at Kimball Park, National City was equally impressive. Occupying practically the whole park, the literal Fiesta had a gigantic slide for kids, games, food and vendor booths, as well as a GK model home, informational kiosks, and products from GK communities. The ONE variety show lasted a marathon seven hours and featured at least 21 performances and Fil-Am talents, some of whom were quite good. Hosted by Apo Hiking Society’s Danny Javier and celebrity KC Montero, notable performers included Q-York, Passion, Pasacat Folk Dancers, Jessica Sanchez, Soulutions Band (watch out for this talented group), Samahan Folk Dancers, Honare, Noly, Mabuhay Rondalla, Freda Simone, Agos (whose CD sales allot a percentage to GK), Chidren of Mother Earth, Marlone Dane, Rising Star, Kuh Ledesma, and capped by Black Eyed Peas’ Taboo and apl.de.ap.

Arizona had its star in Jessica Cox, a U. of Arizona psychology graduate, who gave a short inspirational talk, after being interviewed by Danny Javier on stage. Jessica is the first person without arms to fly solo. She is also a blackbelt in taekwondo and is a motivational speaker (see www.rightfooted.com). Her brother Jason Cox will be organizing the first GK Builders Assembly in Tucson this summer.

The ONE Celebration had extensive private sector support. Seafood City Supermaket is an active GK supporter and is calling for applications to its one-year, funded-Seafood City/GK Builders Corps. Kuh Ledesma’s Hacienda Isabela, a complete spa, wellness, and nature-resort in Indang, Cavite, will contribute one GK home for each Hacienda Lifetime membership bought. Tony Olaes has agreed to market/distribute the health drink Mona Vie with all profits to go to GK. He has also committed to raising $5M by 2009 for GK to use in its global scale up. Other partners for ONE included the RCBC remit center, Southwest Airlines, and, Mabuhay Alliance.

The next day, ANCOP USA hosted the GK Builders Summit 2008 at the Marriot Del Mar. At least 300 attended from all over the United States. Gawad Kalinga leaders including GK Executive Director Luis Onquiñena, GK Program Head Mari Oquiñena, GK father figure Tony Meloto, GK finance honcho Mike Goco, GK intellectual Boy Montelibano and GKom head Maria Montelibano led the Manila team. Couples for Christ, parent of GK, had its Director and GK Chair Joe Tale (also a member of the CFC International Council) along with fellow elder Dr. Joe Yamamoto. ANCOP had all their top guns there from Chairman Ricky Cuenca, Executive Director Rose Cabrera to its National Management Committee and Regional Coordinators.

The schedule was packed and involved talks, videos showings, updates and reports, and interactive workshops. The Summit’s goal was to understand, plan, strategize, and hopefully implement activities that will capture the evolving nature of Gawad Kalinga. This is especially significant for GK/ANCOP USA because, as GK notes, Fil-Ams in the United States and Filipinos in the Philippines and all over the world, are becoming an Army of Builders. Like Jesus’ message of love and sacrifice, “every single person who hears the message of GK spoken becomes a BUILDER of the GK movement” (Gawad Kalinga 2008). The evolution is one of a donor to a partner, then a builder. In the United States, there are from 2.5 to 4.5 million Fil-Ams. Gawad Kalinga aims to reach them and spread the message of HOPE that, through padugo, the Philippines can overcome poverty, inequality, and (social) exclusion.

Consider the following developments. Fil-Ams and Fil-Canadians have funded at least 320 GK communities, which are now entering their education, health, environment, and productivity phases. These communities still need maintenance help and capacity building in order for them to become more self-reliant and themselves become partners in developing and helping other GK communities.

Ricky Cuenca and Rose Cabrera reported that Gawad Kalinga is entering the African continent, where generations have been lost to AIDS, poverty, war, and environmental destruction. Africa needs HOPE and Gawad Kalinga seeks to provide it. Kenya, South Africa, and Nigeria will host the first GK pilot sites.

Gawad Kalinga seeks to establish 2,000 new GK communities this year to exponentially ramp up the number of communities. With God’s and everyone’s help, the goal of 7,000 communities by the year 2010 is becoming feasible. In order to achieve this, Gawad Kalinga needs to recruit a million volunteers worldwide, inspire members of Couples for Christ to become more active in GK, prepare GK beneficiaries to become GK partners themselves, and transform supporters from the academic, private, and governmental sectors into key partners. It is a grounds-up, nation-building model in the works.

Recently, Tony Meloto reported that the Philippine Department of Agriculture offered to fund the entire 300 demonstration farms that GK was planning on rolling out. The offer jumpstarts the GK food productivity and abundance program. He also noted that the City of Taguig aims to supplant Makati as the country’s financial and business center. With Fort Bonifacio as the anchor and with GK as an active partner, Taguig aims to be squatter free (10,000-15,000 squatter families), its wet markets lining C5 upgraded, a new international airport proposed, and the area fronting Laguna de Bay transformed into a visitor and resident-friendly recreation center. Already, news is out that the Philippine Stock Exchange will be unified in Taguig.

Alaminos, Pangasinan Mayor Nani Braganza shares the same thinking. In his talk, he reported that Alaminos is jueteng-free. They’ve been able to reduce malnutrition from 22% to 7%. He is partnering up with GK to assist 1,000 squatter families and build 30 GK villages in his town. The future also thus lies in dynamic and innovative local leaders. Around 350 mayors are tapping GK in solving their twin problems of squatting and poverty. The work cut out for GK is massive, hence the call for heroism and padugo to fellow Filipinos and kindred spirits worldwide.

Help is coming in other unconventional ways. Luis Onquiñena reported that all campuses of Rizal University covering its 17,000 students are and will do service in GK sites. About 100 universities in the Philippines have various forms of cooperative agreements with GK. The retiring heads of Wyeth Philippines and AIG/PhilAm Life will be working full-time voluntarily for GK. They will bring with them personal resources, time, talents, and their network. Former Dept. of Agriculture Secretary Cito Lorenzo and his wife, Malen are using their expertise in business and the social sciences, as well as their network to tap in to philanthropic sources in the Washington D.C. area.

Tony Meloto observed that partnering with GK makes good sense. GK is becoming the Armani and Gucci of community development. The Philippine Star reported a 100% positive support in a survey it conducted on GK. Next year the GK Builders Summit will be held either in Harvard or MIT as GK seeks to establish its presence in Philippine and American universities in the hope of melding the “Science, System, and Spirit” of GK. On October 10, 2010 or 10-10-10, there will be a massive gathering in the Philippines to celebrate what GK has achieved and what it will be doing in the coming years.

The future is unfolding for GK.

Nathan Mari calls it G(od’s) K(ingdom).

Abra's bamboo jeep

Chris Adriatico's bamboo jeep. Since 1992...

Breakthrough Bamboo

In recent times, designers, engineers, and social entrepreneurs have shown the versatility of bamboo in a diverse range of uses and items. It is now used as a component material in car parts, computer equipment, musical instruments, as a building and even bridge construction material, ecosystem rehabilitation, tourist site, pulp and paper production, furniture, handicrafts, food, medicinal purposes, and for tools, among others. As Michael Block of Green Living Tips wrote, you can eat, wear, and build with bamboo. The Philippine Department of Science and Technology (DOST) notes that Thomas Edison supposedly used a carbonized bamboo filament in his experiments in developing the light bulb. Alexander Graham Bell also used bamboo for his first phonograph needle. Patricia Mayville-Cox calls it the new cotton.

Interest is high because of bamboo’s characteristics. It is a grass of the family Poaceae, subfamily Bambusoideae, and tribe Bambuseae. Bamboo has around 92 genera and at least 1,000 species. It is present practically all over the world. In the Philippines, where it is generally called “kawayan,” there are 62 bamboo species grown, 21 species of which are endemic to the country. Ten are commercially-important species. Bamboo is present and/or grown in an area covering an estimated 39,200 to 52,700 ha. (Rojo 1999). Thus, bamboo is a renewable resource, grows fast, is durable, has natural beauty, is easy to maintain, and has many commercial applications including as a replacement of wood. It captures carbon dioxide. It is a green material. It promotes green technology and innovation.

Bamboo computers

Dell recently came out with an eco-computer in bamboo casing. To be released later this year, Dell says it will be 81% smaller than current desktops and will use 70% less power. ASUS also debuted its bamboo line of laptops and computer peripherals at CeBIT in Germany. Apparently, according to EcoGeek, there is a market for bamboo and wood framed computer and electronic equipment.

Bamboo bridges

Bamboo has a long history in construction. It is used as scaffolding and panels for concrete casting. China recently opened its fist bridge that could be used by trucks. A 10 meter, eight-ton capacity bridge opened to traffic last December 12, 2007 in Leiyang, Hunan Province. Designed by Professor Yan Xiao at the University of Southern California Viterbi School of Engineering, the Leiyang bridge has significant implications on structural bamboo and pedestrian crossings and bridges in bamboo-rich developing countries.

It is also complements earthquake architecture. Bamboo structures of the National Bamboo Project in Limon, Costa Rica survived the devastating earthquake of 1992. Architect Michael McDonough is building a demonstration 33-meter bamboo bridge in a temperate redwood rainforest near Mendocino, California. The objective is to build on the experimental models developed in the 1960s in the United States by Buckminster Fuller and Robert LeRicolais. The ultimate goal is to demonstrate bamboo’s structural and aesthetic capabilities.

Bamboo vehicles

Bamboo is a viable material for transportation. In Cambodia, people exasperated with the woeful rail service, built their own bamboo train that reaches speeds of 40km/h (25mph). In Africa, the Design for Development Society is spearheading the design and development of emergency medical transportation devices (EMTD). Using the criteria of site specific materials, designs, and systems; the organization has identified bamboo has a key material. Hence, they are looking at designing, producing, and piloting five bamboo ambulances.

Bamboo bikes

For me personally, there are exciting developments vis-à-vis bamboo and biking. In this era of permanent sky-high oil prices, biking is getting a second look as a healthy and cheap alternative vehicle. In recent years, innovative designers have taken to bamboo as the material for bike frames. Craig Calfee of Calfee Design has designed and tested a bamboo bike and concludes that they are just as good, if not better than the usual high-tech materials used. His high-performance bamboo bike frames sell in the$2500 range.

Calfee is not only a bike businessman, but someone who believes in the potential of the bike to help societies. He partnered up with the Earth Institute at Columbia University to develop a bamboo bike program in Ghana. The potential to scale up and replicate is significant.

Inspired by Calfee, Bruno Meres, an engineer and industrial designer based in Bratislava, Slovakia, designed his own bamboo bike. His innovation is a woven bamboo bike frame. After one year of intense use, the bike is in good shape. He also noted that bamboo makes the bike ride less jarring.

Bamboo bikes have a long history. The Veteran Cycle Club notes that in England, Patent No.8274 filed on April 26, 1894, was on a bamboo bike. In the London Stanley Show of 1894, bamboo bikes were a show sensation. In Milwaukee, Wisconsin, a company named London Stanley sold a bamboo bike model in 1898. Today, a complete do-it-yourself bamboo bike construction manual can be found at Instructables.com.

Bamboo should be a leading material in the Philippines and Filipinos should be experts in bamboo application. Afterall, it is part and parcel of our culture, history, and environment. We’ve used it for housing, furniture, ritual, games, food, medicine, tools, etc. Heck, we even have one of the most spectacular bamboo organs in the world, the Las Piñas Bamboo organ.

Gerry Brioso referred us to the bamboo jeep in Bangued, Abra, where government worker Chris Adriatico built a bamboo jeep as early as 1992. Local officials also use a bamboo vehicle, seen below, in official activities to promote bamboo use in the province. Kitschy, but an attention getter.

Bamboo is high tech and green tech.

Bamboo is a sustainable business for Filipinos.

Additional information:

Master Plan for the Development of Bamboo as a Renewable and Sustainable Resource. 1997.

Rivera, Merlyn N. (N.D.) Philippine National Report on Bamboo and Rattan. Ecosystems Research and Development Bureau, Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), College, Laguna, Philippines.

Rojo, J. 1999. ‘Bamboo Resources of the Philippines’, In Proceedings of the First National Conference on Bamboo, Iloilo City, Philippines, 65-70.

ONE a Filipino Celebration: Fil-Ams’ coming out party

This coming Memorial Day Weekend, May 24, 2008, the busiest highway in the United States will be the Filipino-American Highway (CA 54-CA 125). Thousands of Fil-Ams and Filipinos are joining a huge motorcade to launch the Gawad Kalinga ONE celebration at Kimball Park, National City, Metro San Diego, starting at 10 a.m.

ONE a Filipino Celebration seeks to honor and celebrate the Filipino dream for solidarity and pride in our culture. Now is a good time to do so, and San Diego is the ideal site to celebrate the best in the Filipino.

Afterall, Fil-Ams comprise the largest Asian/Pacific Islander population in San Diego County with a population of over 145,000 as of 2005. San Diego City alone has 75,000 Fil-Ams. Fil-Ams have been present in San Diego since 1903 when a handful of Filipino students attended State Normal Street, now known as San Diego Sate University. Fil-Ams since then have been an integral part of the socio-economic and political life of San Diego.

Fil-Ams in San Diego have an estimated median household income of $56,264, a per capita income of $17,835 and a disposable income of $1.97 billion as of 2006. Over half of Fil-Am occupations are white collar with 32% in management or professional positions and another 29% in sales and office work. Another 18% are in the services sector (Sources: Asian Pacific Legal Center 2005, U.S. Census 2000, Filipino American Development Initiatives 2006, www.gk777sd.com).

Nationally, about four million Filipinos live in the United States and have a median annual income of $65,700 second only to East Indians (U.S. Dept. of State Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs 2007, U.S. Census Bureau 2004). In the U.S. Census Bureau of 2002, Fil-Americans owned over 125,000 businesses, employed close to 132,000 people, and generated nearly $14.4 billion in revenue. The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) estimated that at least 65% of the remittances to the Philippines in the year 2000 came from the United States.

Clearly, Fil-Ams are significant economic group in the United States and the Philippines.

Victoria P. Garchitorena (2007), President of Ayala Foundation Inc. noted that this “culture of migration” of Filipinos not only has influenced development in the Philippines; two sets of phenomena have also emerged. The first is the development of an Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) middle class with “aspirations, ambitions, and ideas” for a better future for their children that includes education and demands for better services and governance. The second is that overseas Filipinos are major contributors of “time, talent, treasures”.

The reasons for this philanthropic spirit include a desire to give back and help the mother country, the Filipino culture of compassion to the poor, underprivileged relatives and town mates, a wish to maintain ties with the homeland, and a concrete expression of their faith and values of sharing and caring.

Garchitorena and the Institute for Migration and Development Issues’ (IMDI 2006) Jeremiah Opiniano note that about 3,000 Filipino associations exist in the United States alone. Many of these associations are conduits for donations and assistance to the Philippines. These associations vary in type such as hometown associations, professional groups, alumni associations, community organizations, faith-based groups, student associations, cultural associations, national associations, and dedicated and public charities. Recipients of their aid include churches and other faith-based institutions, universities and colleges, hospitals, NGOs and foundations, government, direct to individuals, and special projects and initiatives.

This diasporan philanthropy is no clearer in the work of Gawad Kalinga supporters and volunteers in the United States. Of the 1,700 Gawad Kalinga communities established in the Philippines since 2003, 311 were sponsored by Fil-Americans and their friends and relatives. Two successful San Diego businessmen alone, Tony Olaes of ODMart and Robert Sanchez of GlobalTel Media, have committed to funding 20 GK villages and at least 4,000 GK homes respectively. Both are incidentally, the key movers and organizers behind this ONE celebration.

Thus, there are reasons to celebrate. The Philippines is an emerging economy, despite the corruption and inefficiencies that plague the bureaucracy. We are developing as a nation because of our culture of resilience, of daring and risk-taking, of hard work, competence, and ethical work discipline. Our OFWs are the best reflection of this. As one business professor told me, Filipinos are the best in work that entails nurturing.

We are also tops in the compassion business. Gawad Kalinga, an ambitious Philippine community development cum nation building movement, seeking to build 700,000 homes in 7,000 communities, in seven years, is reshaping the field of community development. The global implications and replicability of GK’s nation-building model on the emergence and development of other forms of social movements and civil society–state governance are compelling. The late Jesuit historian and visionary, Horacio dela Costa (2002) once wrote that for the Philippine nation to develop to the best of its abilities and potential, the Filipino people must do three things, namely: (a) build and strengthen communities; (b) link the communities with common goals-ideally national goals; and, (c) recapture the bureaucracy. Culture trumps all and Gawad Kalinga’s model may be one cultural model for nation building.

In recognition of the success of the Filipino and the potentials yet to unfold, the Fil-Am community and Gawad Kalinga/ANCOP USA are sponsoring ONE a Filipino Celebration. As a coming out party of the Fil-Am community, ONE seeks to show what solidarity in the community can achieve. Activities include:

• The culmination of the Highway/Caravan of Hope 65-city speaking tour of Gawad Kalinga International Partnerships Coordinator Dylan Wilk and GK1MB USA Coordinator, Nathan Mari along with their spouses. See http://www.ancopusa.org/highwayofhope/;
• The FILIPINO SOLIDARITY CARAVAN on America's only Fil-Am Highway (http://www.gk777sd.com/caravan.html);
• ONE Celebration, from 10:00 a.m. -6:00 p.m., Kimball Park, National City
  11:00 am. Hosted by Danny Javier of Apo Hiking Society, the celebration will feature GK officers led by founder Tony Meloto and numerous surprise guest performers. The celebration ends with a Vigil Mass, and;
• GK Builders Summit (May 25-26, 2008 at the Marriot Del Mar Hotel). This is a two-day workshop on engaging potential and active GK One Million Volunteers or GK1MB. See http://www.ancopusa.org/gksummit/schedule.htm for the schedule and workshop details.

Be part of history unfolding. Join in creating a vision of the Philippines that is fueled by hope and made real by the compassion, love, care, and generosity of Filipinos. Make your business the Philippines. The Ateneo Graduate School of Business did when their 40^th anniversary theme was “Our country is our Business.”

As Tony Meloto said, “Truly I am blessed that God made me a Filipino.”