For so many years, the plight of the homeless has taken a backseat as the world around them transformed. Every year, my family has shared our blessings with them choosing to do it own our own instead of coursing it through NGOs and foundations. This way, we know who benefits from the small gifts we distribute.

As I drive around the metropolis, there are more of these homeless that I see. Society cannot deny that what started as a whisper is becoming a scream. The issue is no longer a simple problem but a humongous issue that is not only evident in the third world but even in the most developed countries as well. With the worsening economic crisis, we simply cannot turn a blind eye or a deaf ear to their plight. Their plight becomes more ominous during Christmas when the government comes alive and hand out goodies for them. But that all ends after the season is over and these people goes back to the desperate lives. Their only source of income is rummaging through the trash in search of items that can be sold to the junkyards. Some search for leftovers thrown away by the restaurants after they close.

Despite the claims by the government that the incidents of hunger continue to decline with the claimed success of the administration’s economic programs, the reality on the ground tells a different story. It saddens me that Christmas is the only time of the year that we wake up from our slumber and realize that there is desolation around us. How convenient it is for society to address this issue only once a year.

Their misery is often exploited by politicians during elections. Used as political props by officials for their propaganda. It is high time that we turn their whisper into a scream. It’s time for societal change and to shed our apathetic skin. They are not asking for scraps we throw but an equal opportunity for a decent life. Teach a man to fish and he will fish. My family is trying to do just that. We try to hire the unemployed to empower them. It’s a small step but that’s a start.

I hope this coming year, we step back and reflect on how we try to make a difference in this world. Progress and decency is not only for a few but for everyone. Let’s spread the word. Their plight may just be a whisper for now but if we all whisper together, it may just become a scream. A Happy and Fruitful New Year to all.

A story has been passed on to me by my late grandmother. It involves two friends, an American and a Japanese. Towards the end of World War 2, Manila was declared an open city. It was meant to spare the city from destruction and to save the lives of civilians. The Americans were liberating the city and the Japanese bent on defending it. Confusionwas the rule of the day, everyone was a potential target. The Japanese were on the rampage and was on a mission of annihilating both civilians and American soldiers. No one was safe and many Filipinos lost their lives. Any ounce of humanity was discarded in favor of survival.

In the midst of all these, two friends found themselves on opposing sides. They practically grew up together and war destroyed whatever innocence they had. The young American was severely wounded and the prowling Japanese death squads could catch him anytime. His old Japanese friend was one of those in such a squad. He found his beloved friend near a park. He rushed to his fading friend. He was worried that should his unit find his American friend, they would cut him to pieces. Filipino guerrilla units were almost upon them and an encounter was inevitable.

Now the two friends are on the same boat. If the guerrillas find the Japanese, he would face certain death. And if the Japanese find the American, they would surely behead him. With only minutes from certain death, the two friends embraced and drew their pistols. Simultaneous shots rang out and the two friends fell lifeless on the ground. All this time, my mother and grandmother watched the drama unfold from where they hid. They both knew the two soldiers as they grew up in their neighborhood before the war. War separated them but did not end their friendship.

War is hell and I just hope that the world learned from it. It is imperative that we continue to remind future generations of the horrors of war so they may avoid it. Words are always better than bullets and the ones who suffer are not our leaders but us, the innocent bystander who has done nothing bad against our fellowman.

Am I my brother’s keeper? Hell yeah! We live in a world where there is increasing social concerns. Gone were the days of selfish, self-centered, individualistic ideology. Our socities are evolving. What was considered socialism in the past is now called social justice. But what is social justice all about? Is it what neo-cons refer to as redistribution of wealth? This is the lie and disinformation being spread around now a days. There are still holdouts and hypocrites who claim monopoly on values yet are blind and deaf to the sufferings of their neighbor.

As an advocate for humanity, I cannot simply sit idly by while I see poverty, deperation and desolation around me. I am a human being and not some beast concerned with his wellbeing. You see, for a community to progress, every single member must be productive. And with productivity comes wealth. I am not saying that we should give alms to the poor. If you ask these people what they really need, the answer would be just an opportunity to live decently. There is this misconception that the poor are poor because they are lazy. They really are not. In fact, given the opportunity, they will work hard because they have experienced poverty. I’ve seen poor communities share unselfishly what little they have. It is inspiring to witness these acts and a very humbling experience.

Let’s dissect what social justice really is. Social justice is giving both the rich and poor an equal shot at life. It is not about equal distribution of wealth where you take all the wealth and distribute it equally among the people. Prejudice and discrimination riddle the world and it is up to us to dig deep in our hearts and place ourselves in the shoes of those in need to be able to realize what we have and what they need. We should not be scared of the concept of social justice but in fact must understand and embrace it. Those who oppose the concept dismiss it as socialism. They associate the two because of the word “social”.

So how then do we address the lingering issue of poverty? Do we leave the poor to solve it themselves or do we do it together? I suppose the answer is the latter. In a nutshell, social justice can be summed up by this, “teach the man to fish and he will fish.” Everyone wants to keep their dignity and self respect intact. No one wants to beg or live on welfare. I’ve come to realize through the years that no matter how rich you are, if those around  wallow in the quagmire of despair, the day will come when that same pit will swallow you up. And I’m very sure you wouldn’t want that. So before we reach that point, it’s better to do something about it before ti’s too late.

Am I my brother’s keeper? Yes, yes I very much am.

I maybe going out on the limb here. My views maybe too liberal but I try to take into consideration the realities on the ground. I prefer to call it as union and not marriage because I feel that it is more politically correct to refer to It that way. Unions are recognized by people and marriages are blessed by God. Same sax unions have been in the limelight since the California Supreme Court allowed same sex unions. From what I gather, these unions are only public declarations that partners are united as one. This is a quirky situation as societies around the world still consider gays and lesbians outcasts or freaks of nature. To the more conservative, they are sinners.

But why did God allow such deviation from the norms of society? God gave us feelings and I do not subcribe to the belief of many that having a different sexual orientation is purely physical in nature. As a matter of fact, gays and lesbians do fall in love. I suppose most are just ignorant of what they really feel. I have lots of gay and lesbian friends. I’ve also come across same sex relationships that experience the same situations heterosexual couples encounter. Yes, there are also battered gays and lesbians out there. I have friends that have been together for decades just like normal couples and debunks the myth that such a relationship is purely about physical attraction.

I accept this idea of same sex unions. I believe that gays and lesbians should also enjoy the rights afforded to heterosexuals. When marriages end up in separations, annulments and divorce, parties are entitled to equal distribution of their wealth, visitation rights and even civil and criminal responsibilities. What I do to somehow understand their situtation is to put myself in their shoes. Or even ask myself what if I had a gay or a lesbian child? It’s unthinkable to torture and torment them just to change them. It’s more humane for me to let them decide for themselves who and what they really are. I cannot simple impose my will on them because I have to respect their rights to. As a parent, I would be shocked at first but eventually, I have to teach myself to accept them as they are.

Gays and lesbians are actually some of our most productive, creative, sensitive and socially aware people. They are dependable and competent. Frankly, they are even better than those who ridicule them. We are all entitled to be happy. We are all entitled rights given by God and our constitutions. To shun them is bigotry and to mock them is a violation of their rights. We’ve seen people sin in the most unacceptable ways. No one is exempt from sin. Even members of the cloth commit some of the most reprehensible acts. I don’t know about you, but lookway beyond faith and sexual orientation. What counts more for me is how one respects his neighbor. I suppose it all boils down to this, “Let the one who is without sin cast the first stone”. If anyone can come forward and prove that he is as perfect as God, then I will change my view.

The Holy Bible is the guide Catholics and Christians use to take them to the path. But the real conflict begin in the interpretations of our churches. I am a Catholic with very close friends who are Christians. I have heard both interpretations and debates often follow discussions. Christ according to the scriptures was never literal with his teachings. He would allow you to seek the truth in the manner that would not harm you. Through the years, men of the cloth on both sides of the faith has managed to mangle the true essence of Christ’s words to suit their ways.

I can picture God wincing in pain as his followers walk down the path of misinformation and deception. Trying their best to put one over the other. Through the years, different sects have ridiculed one another in such a manner that all other faiths would laugh at us. Just imagine, we all believe in one God yet cannot get our acts together. So the faith has fragmented creating different sects that has reached the highest levels of hate.

During the dark years of World War II, the Vatican sat idly by while the Jews were persecuted by the Nazis. It took decades and a reformist pope to finally admit and show remorse. Instead of promoting peace, harmony and love, our church leaders have taught us not to understand but to reject those who worship other gods. Frankly, I never considered anyone an unbeliever but just told myself that only the name is different but the God is the same.

It all boils down to interpretation as this is were it all starts. God gave us hearts and minds to gain wisdom and feelings. It is then to my belief that all religions are the same if only we really thought about it deeply. It is then stupid to call Islam evil or Buddhism atheist. We all live in a global community. What behooves me is how our religions live in the past that has led our people to hate based on history. Where then is the forgiveness that God teaches us? Where then is the respect for life that God taught us? Unless we really think for ourselves instead of letting our churches think for us, we are bound to cut eachother’s throats.

Religion is only a way for us to believe in something. It was never a contest who is God’s chosen people. I have been disillusioned, to be honest about the world in general. What I hold on to now are the commandments left for us to follow and adhere to. All I know is that I look beyond religion and just see you as a human being. Not a Muslim, a Christian or a Jew. Now if only we all think this way, I don’t think fundamentalists and extremists will exist. Then and only then would we have genuine peace

I’m what you may call a conservative liberal. I know, it’s very contradicting but that’s how I would describe myself. I cherish the values taught to me not only by my parents but of culture as well. I’m conservative because I hold dear the essential teaching of the church but at the same time, I adjust to the changes the society needs to flourish. To be a fundamentalist is just too much as times are changing and there are realities of life that we must address.

I have tried to instill in my kids the right values that should take them to the right path. Although kids will always be kids, it is still up to us parents to let them know their limitations. The idealism which resides in me has taught me to view life in a different perspective which to some maybe a bit too hard. But like what I always tell my kids, there are no gray areas in life, only black and white. To compromise your principles is like giving in to sin.

So how then do instill values to our kids? We cannot simply pass it on to their teachers or even leave it to the church. The teaching starts with us parents. Our children are with us through most of their formative years. Be a friend, a playmate and a parent to them. Be open and transparent and try to lead a life that they could emulate. Be a model for them. Show them respect so they will respect you in return. My wife and I try to spend quality time with our children. We share with them our experiences so that they will learn from us.

Life is a learning process and we should be there for our kids 110% of the time. I always believed that our children do not have any obligation to usparents. It was our decision to bring them to this world and we are the ones obligated to make sure that they grow up to be good, productive citizens of the world. I am just too happy that my children are not brats. They are content with what my wife and I can afford. Teaching them simplicity and contentment I am very sure will not lead them to a life of greed and envy.

I’m glad that so far, we have been teaching them the right values. They can hold their heads up high and be proud of who and what they are.

The Philippines is largely a Catholic nation. Religion plays a very big role in our everyday lives. As the country’s population continues to grow, poverty is rampant and more than half the population lives in poverty. Modern contraception has been a thorny issue since time immemorial. The Catholic Church has blocked the introduction of contraception in the country. Many a politician has earned the ire of the church because they view birth control as the only option in curbing the ballooning growth of the population.

The government in its bid to keep the support of the church has sided with its natural family planning method. It introduced instead, programs such as parent education. We all know that the natural method is highly unreliable and often results in unwanted pregnancies. Sex education in schools have also taken a backseat and teen pregnancies are common. Lack of information and availability of conraceptives in highly depressed areas have resulted in huge families.

Unless Filipinos are given a choice, poverty will never be arrested. The church with its protestations cannot offer anything concrete. Their continued rejection of contraception only exacerbates the situation. Now, more than half of the population lives in poverty. The government must make a stand, either it sticks to pleasing the church or let the people suffer. The church must learn to cope with the times. If it sticks to its backward views, then let it feed the people. Its their fault anyway.

Life definitely is very much like a pizza pie. It has toppings that could make it delicious or distasteful. But whatever the toppings may be, we make our lives. Just like pizza that we choose the topping to use. It’s us who make our destiny and we can control it.

Just like a pizza pie, life has its slices. Factors that we have to divide our time with, our profession, our personal life and parenting. Come and join me as I dissect life’s intricacies and insanities. I hope you can share with me this experience.