1. We’re
approaching 100 million! Is there reason to be scared?
Fear
usually comes from misunderstanding the issue. No thanks to Thomas Malthus and Paul
Ehrlich who both said that runaway population growth (to borrow the term from
the media) will lead to widespread hunger, famine, and disease. Ehrlic said
this will happen in the 70s. It did not happen. He said it will happen in the
80s. It did not happen. Today, the media, fueled by ignorance and denial of
many people, still say that this will happen in the future, but by now we
already know not to trust them.
photo courtesy of http://candobetter.net/node/2080
2. How
can you say that?! Do you think there will be enough food to feed everyone?
The World
Food Programme lists several factors for the lack of food in certain places,
and having too many people is not one of them. Here in our country, there are
factors that affect food production, like the fact that our farmers lack the
technology and the infrastructure required to grow more food. The key is to
produce more food, not to curb population.
3. But
curbing “runaway population growth” means less mouths to feed!
Yes, but
these “mouths to feed” (a very insulting thing to say to PEOPLE by the way)
also have two arms, two feet, a heart, and a brain that can be part of the
workforce in the future, stabilizing our economy.
courtesy of http://krissthesexyatheist.blogspot.com/2012/07/my-seemingly-quarterly-post-on.html
4. But
more people means a weaker economy!
Says who?
There is no real evidence that supports the claim that population growth has
jeopardized the economy. If anything, population growth has actually helped the
economy of China, Singapore, and the Philippines, according to the study of
Wong Hok Tsen and Fumitaka Furuoka entitled “The Relationship between
Population and Economic Growth in Asian Economies”[1].
So clearly, if there’s a direction that our population must take, it has to
increase, not decrease.
5. 100
Million! We’re going to be filling every island in the Philippines and get
overcrowded!
No we won’t.
Population isn’t just about the number of people; you have to factor in
population growth rate, population density, and total fertility rate in as well.
Our growth rate is around 1.7%[2],
our population density is 330 people per
square kilometers[3],
and the average number of children every Filipina mother is having is just
around 3.10, which is way down from an average of 7.15 in 1960[4].
It is very easy to make the mistake of saying that the Philippines is
overpopulated just because Metro Manila is congested. The National Statistical
Coordination Board of the Philippines says: With a land area of only 619.5
square kilometers and a population of 11,553,427, Metro Manila has a population
density of 18,650 persons per square kilometer in 2007[5].
courtesy of http://globalbalita.com/2013/06/22/industrialization-and-overpopulation/
7. What
needs to be done then?
Our
government needs to curb corruption, not the population! Esteemed economist Dr.
Bernardo Villegas explains the problem succinctly: “P400 billion is yearly lost to corruption: P200 billion lost in tax
evasion and another P200 billion lost in government resources used
unproductively.”[6]
And this statement was made prior to the PDAF scandal!
It makes
much, much more sense to invest in the population than to curb it. While a lot
of countries like Japan and Singapore, and many of the European countries like
France, Italy, Spain, and Russia are very worried about their aging and
dwindling population, to the point that they had to come up with so many
creative ways to get couples to procreate, the media, the government, and a lot
of sectors are passing around ignorance by emphasizing on curbing our
population.
Let us
invest on education, skills training, and the creation of businesses that will
employ more people rather than focusing our energies on slowing our population
growth.
Barely a few days into the new year and the Pro RH camp has fired the first shot into this battle for lives. This time it came in the form of a simple PR from the Population Commission, which said that we will hit 100 million this year. Once again, mainstream and social media are abuzz with people clamoring that we need the RH law, which is now in Supreme Court Limbo following the SC's status quo ante order.
This is by no means an accident or a coincidence. The RH machinery makes sure that from time to time the media will report something about the RH law. Haven't you noticed? Last time around, it was the rising incidence of HIV cases. This time it's the population 'ballooning' to a hundred million. Next time I bet it will be about the rise in unwanted pregnancies. This well-oiled, and well-funded RH machinery will make sure that society will be saturated with news proclaiming the RH Gospel.
For the longest time the pro-life side has been touted by the anti-life side as religious fanatics whose faith rules over the intellect. In short: they think we're the stupid ones. Next time they remind you that you're stupid because you take the side of life, ask them to take time to answer these simple questions.
1. Exactly how many Filipinos does it take to say that we are really overpopulated? No one has been able to give me an exact number yet. Can you?
2. Would God create you if He knew there would not be enough food and resources to keep you alive? There's plenty for everyone's need, but not for everyone's greed. The poor remain poor and the rich remain rich because of greed. Lowering the population does nothing to address this problem of greed.
by Jess Abrera
3. Why are we trying to lower our population when the rest of the world is desperate to raise theirs? A case of gaya-gaya, puto-maya? Countries like Japan, China, Singapore, France, Italy, and Russia are desperate to jack up their birth rates. Why are we imitating their folly? The demographic and economic implications are the same. If they're losing workforce because of too few babies born and too many old people around, it will happen to us too, if we put the breaks on our population.
4. If you're against PDAF, why aren't you against RH? So you went to Luneta and protested the unscrupulous spending of billions of taxpayer's money in things that did nothing to help the poor and advance us into progress. Tell me again how funding RH will give the poor access to basic things such as food, shelter, education, job opportunities, and skills training?
by Jess Abrera
5. Can you look at this, say out loud "we need 13.9 billion pesos to implement the RH law", and be at peace with yourself?
That is a picture of the bunkhouses they're building as temporary shelters for Yolanda victims in Tacloban. Architect Jun Palafox said in an interview with Inquirer Radio:
“I can confirm they (bunkhouses) were substandard and undersized,”
International standards, he said, require bunkhouses to be at least 20 square meters and should have two bedrooms.
“Daughters should not be sleeping with their fathers or brothers, it’s a basic human requirement,” he explained.
“What I saw there was so inhumane.”
Palafox, who has worked with 38 other countries in rebuilding disaster-stricken areas, compared the bunkhouses that they built in Sri Lanka and Malaysia to the ones being built in Leyte.
“I’m reminded of the saying, `We build monuments for the dead but we can’t even provide decent housing for the living’,’’ he said by phone when interviewed by the Inquirer.
He added that the bunkhouses in Leyte have violated various laws in terms of building construction, saying that the spaces for the families are cramped and the materials used were fire hazards.
“Various international organizations confirmed that they (bunkhouses) are cramped and are fire hazards; there is no privacy; it violates the building code… I would not put my family there,” Palafox said. “How can you put a family of five into a six to nine square-meter room while the materials used were one-fourth plywood.”
Palafox also said that the roofing, which were made with “dos aguas” galvanized iron sheets (two slopes) were the same materials that were blown away during the onslaught of “Yolanda.”
They used the same materials that were blown away in the storm, and they just repeated what was there in the first place,” Palafox said. “You don’t have to be an engineer or an architect to see it, it is a no brainer, maybe a first year Architecture student can tell you this is substandard,” he said.
This is how the government treats us. This is how the government treats the poor. No wonder the President and his cohorts have no shame in passing the RH law. Their idea of eradicating poverty is making poor people have less children, so they don't have to do the difficult work of finding real, long-term solutions to poverty and corruption. Pro RH friends, wake up!
Many of
us are aware of the Christmas story, which starts from the annunciation of the
archangel Gabriel to Mary, the mother of Jesus. After some reflection, I found
out that this Christmas story, which was told to us time and again when we were
little children, and the very same Christmas story which I hope we are passing
on to our children, and their children’s children – I found out that this story
holds not one but several pro-life pointers for all of us to think about. Christmas is indeed pro-life.
1. There is no room for Christ for those whose
lives are full of worldly things. Have you ever heard of people saying something like, “I don’t want a
baby because it gets in the way of the job I want.” Or something to that
effect?
This is the queue to the gift-wrapping section. Every Christmas season. Every single year.
Mary’s fiat – let it be done unto me as you
say! – required a heart that was full of God’s grace, and less of our own
selfish motives, and much less of this world’s empty promises of wealth, fame,
and possessions. When Joseph and Mary traveled to Bethlehem, it wasn’t that
they didn’t find any place to stay. There were lots of places to stay, but not one person who was willing to open
their doors for them. Eventually, they found someone who was willing to
lend his own manger, a little act of generosity that went a long, long way for
Joseph and Mary and Jesus, the infant.
2. Help, even as you need help yourself. 99% of us pro-lifers are people
in need of some sort of assistance – financial, emotional, professional, etc .Mary
went out of her way to help her cousin, Elizabeth, who was six months into her
pregnancy, even as she was pregnant of her own child as well. God rewards those
who make great effort to reach out to other people despite their own
circumstances. For some of them, however, helping others and making a
difference in their lives is a reward by itself.
So don't forget to send me some gifts! :) just kidding
3. Heart of Gold, Will of Steel. Mary must have had the courage of
a thousand men to allow herself to be the mother of Christ. She could imagine
how her future husband would reject her and break up with her. She could
imagine the backlash of her society with her being pregnant without having a
husband – a sin punishable by stoning to death. But she went through with it,
having total faith and confidence in the providence and ways of God.
Nowadays,
being a pro-lifer means being very unpopular, going against the whims and
caprices of this anti-life society. Argentinian feminists burned an effigy of
Pope Francis, who stood firm on his pro-life, anti-abortion stand. If they
could do that to the pope, imagine what the world can do to us, ordinary
pro-lifers. The pro-life advocacy ain’t for the soft-spoken and for the
mild-mannered. The advocacy requires all of us brandish wills of steel.
In Argentina, these men barricaded themselves in front of a Cathedral that these angry feminists targeted to vandalize, following Pope Francis' statement against abortion. These men are awesome!
4. Pro-life, Pro-poor. A lot of skeptics ask us: Why
don’t you ask your God why are there rich people who have more than enough
wealth to last until their grandchildren’s children, and why are there poor
people who don’t even have enough to buy their own meal? If I were God,
however, I would ask mankind the same thing. I gave you all the material
blessings you will ever need. Why be greedy about it to the point that you have
more and others have less?
Even the
infant Jesus did not escape this poverty. He was born in a manger, in a place
more suited for animals than human beings. This is God’s way of reminding us of
two things:
a. Our priority in our advocacy
should be to promote the culture of
life, family, and marriage especially to the poor, who are the main targets of
the anti-life movement. The RH law was intended especially for the poor to have
access to contraceptives. Ironically, they struggle to have access to a lot of
things, like food, clean water, shelter, education, and jobs, and here comes
the government telling them that these contraceptives provided to them
‘empower’ them, especially their women. What a twisted, confused world we live
in!
b. Christ tells us that there is
dignity in being alive. Period. Dignity is afforded to both the rich and the
poor, no matter how the former tries to rob the latter of it. There are two
groups of rich people: the ones who make a system that will make them rich
people richer, and the poor poorer; the other group of rich people are being
paid by the first group to sustain this corrupt system. An example of this is
the RH law, which purportedly was passed to address the needs of women and the
poor, but in reality pays lip service to them by failing to address the real
root of their problems.
On the other hand, there are
groups of people on the opposite end of the pendulum who think that wealth is
all the poor needs. I had this discussion with an atheist a few weeks ago, and
he said that the Vatican should sell its riches and give it to the poor;
moreover, the Church should stop collecting from the poor during masses. I told
him of personal encounters I had with the poor, who, despite their poverty,
have no qualms giving much of the little they have for the Church. I told this
atheist that it would be insulting for these poor folk to tell them not to give
to the Church.
Makes sense, right?
Part of our work as pro-lifers is
to uphold the dignity that the poor have in themselves, and to fight the
corrupt systems that deny the poor of their rights.
5. Wisdom that comes from Christ’s Light – The Three Wise Men are some of
the most mysterious characters in the Bible. We do not know where they came
from, we do not know whether they knew each other prior to their journey
towards the infant Christ, we do not know how they came to know about his
birth. We do not even know why they were called wise men, but this we do know:
they tried to follow that bright star that lead them to the infant Christ, the
light that came from God Himself, and by this they deserve to be called wise.
This is
the same light that made them aware of King Herod’s ulterior motive of finding
baby Jesus and having him killed, and the same light that prompted them to go
back to their homeland through a different way. Our encounter with Christ
should lead us towards a similar change of heart. We should turn our backs
against evil and wrongdoing and turn towards the Light of Christ.This is
perhaps the best gift we can give to God this Christmas – that our lives may be shining lights that all
point towards Christ.
Merry Christmas to you, your family, and to the people you love.
First of all, let me set the record straight: this is more of a discussion rather than an all-out slug fest, and I would not call this a proper debate. However, I think you would like to know one thing about population control pushers, like the one I had a discussion with. They claim to use science and reason to push their agenda, but when it comes down to it... I will let you decide.
Just a brief background. I was tagged in a thread in a certain page. Lo and behold, I see our old friend, Antiqueno Pinoy, peddling his wares again, so to speak. He and I, along with several of my companions, have been debating him since 2010 during the early days of the I Oppose the RH bill page. I sort of lost track of him after the bill passed late last year, and I was a bit surprised to see him on another page. He is a rabid population control believer, and he insists that unless our country goes down to a TFR (total fertility rate) of 1.0, then this country is doomed. In essence, he wants to copy China's one-child policy, even as China has already turned its back on it. The reversal may have come too late, as you guys can read here, but let's save that for another day. Without further ado, I present to you Mr. Population Control Fanatic.
Knowing Mr. Population Control Fanatic all too well, exchanging facts, numbers, statistics, and studies with him in an effort to prove his Malthusian ideas wrong is as futile as Sisyphus rolling up his fabled boulder up the hill. It's like dousing water to Greek Fire - he will not accept any logical or scientific proof that will debunk his population control philosophy. So I took a different route, as you can read above and below.
Hah! He refuses to answer such an easy question: do you have kids of your own, Mr. Antiqueno? He might as well tie a millstone to his neck and drop to the bottom of the sea if he were to follow my line of arguing, and so he deflects it and refuses to answer my simple question.
See how he tried to duck and weave by saying that my question was 'personal and emotional'. Following his statement of "high fertility(too many babies) causes poverty, the logical conclusion would be that his kids caused poverty too. If he didn't have any, he might as well just have none, lest he and his siring of children exacerbate the poverty we have here in the country.
For the record: Yes, his statement - high fertility rate is the major cause of poverty in the Philippines - is wrong. Many countries have already felt the effects of having too few babies born that would have been the future manpower and labor force of their nation. They have mitigated this by asking for immigrants, like us, to work and live there in their country. Countries like Japan, Singapore, China, Russia, Germany, Italy, Canada, France, and Spain have TFRs below 2.1 - meaning that their ladies are having less than 2 kids. Demographically speaking, countries whose TFRs are below the so-called "replacement rate" of 2.1 are the countries having trouble with too many elderly people and too few young people. In Japan, for example, sales of adult diapers are way higher than that of baby diapers.
This kind of mentality - that too many people cause poverty - is a theory developed by Thomas Malthus in the 19th century, and has been long debunked by Simon Kuznets, aRussian-Americaneconomist, statistician, demographer, and economic historian who won the 1971 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences"for his empirically founded interpretation of economic growth which has led to new and deepened insight into the economic and social structure and process of development". Here in Asia, scientists Wong Hock Tsen and Fumitaka Furuoka made a study called:The Relationship between Population and Economic Growth in Asian Economies. Their studies concluded that overall, there was no relationship between economics and population growth - debunking what Antiqueno Pinoy said above that very high fertility causes poverty; however, they also concluded that for some countries, namely: Singapore, China, and The Philippines, population growth actually causes economic growth, debunking Antiqueno a second time.
It is one thing to debunk Antiqueno's claims; however, too many people, many of them RH supporters, still believe in the antiquated and long-debunked Malthusian idea of too many people causing poverty. In fact, this is also the belief of so many ecologists - that too many people cause the destruction of nature, ergo we should diminish the population for the sake of the trees, the animals, the rivers, and the forests. Bullsh*t! That's why I don't adhere to animal groups like PETA either. They place animals' rights before human rights. You don't see too many of animal rights groups fighting abortion and contraception, right?
In the end, the debate was not meant to be. I was tired of arguing stats and demography with him, and he wouldn't answer my question either. But, I learned something very valuable with my exchange with him. When it all comes down to it, when we're dealing with flesh and blood, science can only prove so much. Beyond the numbers, beyond the statistics, beyond the ideologies, there are people like you and me, happy and grateful to be alive. Who among us, then, have caused poverty in the country? We're working, we're paying taxes, we're contributing to a better nation, and so will our children.
My life is a gift from God. We are all God's gifts to one another. This way we enrich the world with our lives. This is my belief. This is why I cannot accept Mr. Antiqueno's belief that people cause poverty and misery, precisely because people are also the way out of it.
There are good movies, and there are great movies. But in another category by itself are the movies that stayed with you long after you left the cinema, and have influenced or formed your convictions and morals. Here is my list of the Top 5 movies that have created a profound influence in my life, so much so that I refer to these movies, and scenes in these movies, whenever I need motivation. Take note that these movies aren't necessarily award winners; for some reason, they just have a special place in my heart. Here they are, in no particular order.
1. Alive (1993) - Based on Piers Paul Read's 1974 book: Alive: The Story of the Andes Survivors. This gripping tale of survival tells us the story of an Uruguayan rugby team whose plane crashed in the Andes en route to their match in Chile. The team spent several months on top of the mountain, and had to resort to eating the flesh of their dead companions just to stay alive. They were finally rescued after two of them mustered enough courage, strength, and food to make the journey out of the mountains and call for help.
This was one of the first movies I watched as a seminarian back in 1993, and it taught me a very valuable lesson: never give up, despite one's circumstances, and always persevere. Whenever I am sick, or in pain, or going through a lot emotionally and physically, I remember this movie and tell myself: pull yourself together! If they could survive the Andes, you could survive this!
Memorable quote: "There's nothing more to say. We were brought together by a grand experience."
2. A Love Story (2007) - Starring local stars Aga Muhlach, Maricel Soriano, and Angelica Panganiban, it tells the story of a man searching for love, not only from women, but from his family as well. This film addresses several issues on different levels, and those with relationship and family issues who seek counseling may find answers and perhaps even healing and closure in this brilliant film.
I watched this movie a year after it was released, during the time when I was also seeking love and attention, and have been involved in a string of bad relationships, destroying many friendships and relationships along the way. Needless to say I cried a lot while watching because that time I was able to relate to the main character:
Memorable Quotes:
Aga: Mahal mo ba ako?
Maricel: Sobra...kahit alam kong hindi na tama...
Aga: Mahal na mahal kita, akala ko sapat na 'yun para makalimutan mo kung tama 'to o mali...
3. The Mission (1986) - This film tells us the experiences of the Jesuit missionaries in 18th century South America. Directed by Roland Joffe, the highlight of this movie is the spectacular scenery of nature that is perfectly captured in music by the brilliant Ennio Morricone. The movie centers around the Jesuit priest Father Gabriel, played by Jeremy Irons, and Robert de Niro, who portrays Rodrigo and produces a once-in-a-lifetime performance. They sustain a mission area with the natives up in the mountains, only for their simple lives to be ruined by politics and greed. One of those classic movies I watched as a seminarian, I was deeply inspired to persevere in my life as a seminarian because of this flick. To this day this is the movie that motivates me to continue God's work here on Earth despite the obvious difficulties we face.
Memorable Scene: Rodrigo and Fr. Gabriel climb up the mountain to where the natives are as Rodrigo's penance for killing his brother and for hunting down and selling the natives. Tied to him are the instruments of his sins: his armor, his sword, and other heavy things. He struggles to climb up the slippery mountain but is determined to make in on top. When they reach the top, he is confronted by the natives, but to his surprise, the natives cut his baggage loose and throws it away to the river. He finds release and forgiveness from the very people he has oppressed. It is hard not to cry with De Niro in this scene.
4. Schindler's List (1993) - A must-see video for all pro-lifers. This is THE movie that steeled my determination to save lives through the pro-life movement. Oscar Schindler, played by the great Liam Neeson, is a Nazi party member who saved thousands of Jews from the Holocaust by employing them in his factory.
Memorable Scene: The last scene were Oscar frees his Jews and tries to escape capture. He was given a ring by the Jews where it was inscribed: Whoever saves one life, saves the world entire. His breakdown in the end is the only time he has shown any strong emotion in the movie and will leave you absolutely gutted. Leave it to tough men crying to make you weep like crazy.
5. Kingdom of Heaven (2005) and Braveheart (1995) - Although Kingdom of Heaven had some obvious anti-clerical and anti-Catholic swipes here and there, Kingdom of Heaven and Braveheart have inspired me to fight for what is right, no matter how small or insignificant you are to your enemy. If Schindler's List solidified my intent to become pro-life, these movies fan the fire in my belly to fight injustice and to protect the weak and the innocent.
Memorable quote:
There you have it. My top 5 greatest influences in movies. I hope we never underestimate the power of a good movie. These movies will stay with me forever. Let's do our part to shun bad movies and share the good ones to our fellow Catholics and friends.
This is yet another reply to the article written by Ana Santos in Rappler - Babies Are Not Blessings. A good friend who is a renowned Catholic apologist has already written his reply to the article here, but let me add my musings about it as well.
My mother, like all mothers, risked her life in delivering me as a baby, but unlike most mothers, she had to battle hypertension during delivery as well. The doctor predicted this would happen, and months before I was born he 'suggested' to my mother that they 'terminate' the pregnancy so she wouldn't have to go through such a life-risking procedure of delivering me. When I was about to be born, her blood pressure shot up to 180/120, but by God's Grace I was delivered into this world just fine.
To this day, she beams with pride and joy whenever she tells her friends that story when she was able to deliver me and risk her life doing so.
I agree that no woman has to die when she gives birth to her child. What I am against is this negative view about children and babies.
How can babies not be blessings?
We Catholics believe that every child is a blessing, no matter the circumstance that led to his existence. We believe that life is a GIFT from God, regardless whether we value it or not. We believe that a human person has inherent dignity, from the moment of his conception until his last breath, and that this dignity and this life should be upheld, respected, and protected, even by our very lives. These are the basic tenets of the pro-life mindset; this is why we as pro-lifers do not buy that very dangerous term: "each child should be wanted."
Ana Santos writes:
If babies are truly the blessings that we believe they are, each and every pregnancy should be wanted and properly planned for.
Our mission is to ensure that every child is a wanted child and to protect reproductive health by providing comprehensive, medically-accurate sex education and quality health care, while advocating for the reproductive rights of women, men and families.
This is the not-so-amusing thing about some Pro-RH peeps: they deny to highest heavens that RH is about abortion, but they use the same language that pro-abortion people use! Could it be...?
It is true that pregnancy, and in the larger scheme of things, being a parent, ideally should be planned. All babies, however, regardless whether they were planned or not, regardless whether they are wanted by their parents or not, should be treated as blessings. They are like God's promise to this world that, whatever happened prior to his birth, with all the good and the bad things happening in this world, life goes on!
Reality Check: Everything Costs Money, Not Just Babies
One way for Ms. Santos to drive home her point was to use the reality of finances. She writes, quoting Dr. Emma Llanto of UP-PGH:
Llanto’s list includes cost of vaccination and visits to the pediatrician (P30,000 in the first year) and modest cost of living at P25,000 – P30,000 per month.
“And then they start going to school,” says Llanto who takes her cue from the members of the audience and pegs the cost of an exclusive private school at around P100,000 per year.
Of course, having a baby costs money. Having a pet costs money. Many of our hobbies cost money. Many of our passions in life will, at one point, cost money. We are not talking about mouths to feed here, Ms. Santos. We are talking about the future generation. That mouth to feed today will be two hands and a brain tomorrow, once empowered by education.
Ironically, last week I have had the privilege of interviewing Mr. Manjoe Mendoza, father to 9 children. These days, a man like him would be derided and ridiculed for having a large family. When I sat down to interview him, however, his views on his big family astounded me. Here is a short excerpt of that interview:
Me: What are the advantages and disadvantages of having a big family?
Manjoe: It's true that many hands make light work. Presently, we don't have a helper
at home. The kids including the small ones pitch in doing the dishes and
cleaning the dining area even during school days. No one is exempted unless it
is exam week.
There is nothing compared to the dynamics of interacting with real flesh and
blood. (You may have hundreds of friends in Facebook but once you shut down
your computer, you are left by your lonesome.) The moral and emotional support
/ encouragement that they give to each other are priceless!
Boys' clothes and shoes get handed down and get maximum mileage. The girls,
since they are more or less the same size, share wardrobe.
If there is a difficult subject in school, chances are, there is a subject
matter expert the younger ones can consult. The older kids volunteer to tutor
the younger ones. With so many hands available, school projects are a breeze!
There is little chance that kids will grow up spoiled. They are experts at
division. When given a tray of chocolates, the young ones automatically divide
it by nine. There is a heightened sense of fairness and justice instilled in
them that we cannot claim to have taught them. Only the college kids have their
own laptops, the rest share one desktop PC and learn patience by queuing.
They learn to put others first. I never noticed it but Lenette (his wife) pointed out
that frequently, there is one last piece of drumstick or hotdog or lumpiang
shanghai left on the serving plate. They do not dump food on their plates. There are also disadvantages, the first one you might have guessed right. Education is expensive. We have given up a lot of things in
order to cope with the cost of education. These include children's parties,
vacations and weekends for recreation. Our children know why we have to make
sacrifices. They appreciate the value of money. We only go to the mall if there
is a specific purchase to make; we don't window-shop because it breeds a
consumerist mentality. Tough situations call for making sacrifices -- these are
golden opportunities to teach temperance and moderation, being a wise consumer
and not falling prey to advertising hype. And no, the kids do not feel
deprived.
We have deferred moving to a bigger house in a nicer neighborhood. We live in a
3 bedroom bungalow, that means there is no choice but to get along with other
people. Boys stay in one room, girls share a bedroom and bathroom. Even
managing with just two toilets at home is not viewed as an inconvenience but a
chance for them to: practice time-management; be considerate of other people,
not to always put one's self ahead. We've never bought a new car since 1997; we
drive second-hand cars. It's more practical and it teaches the value of
detachment. We don't acquire things as an end in themselves nor do we measure
people by their possessions.
Photo courtesy of Sky Ortigas
I have been invited to countless children's parties, mostly by my friends who are still beaming with their new status as parents. They tell me all about the joys as well as the struggles of parenthood. I have seen their metamorphosis too. We spent so many nights drinking and partying back in the day Now they are proud parents to their little bundle of joy, and I have seen such a profound transformation in them. Perhaps they realize that their children are both blessings and opportunities for them to improve their lives.
I dare Ms. Santos to say it to their faces - that their babies are not blessings.
I am not perfect. I made so many mistakes in my life, and lived through so many embarrassing, shameful, and painful moments. But I choose to believe that I, like everyone else, was born to be a blessing to my family and the rest of the world.
One of the many movies that made me cry was Mr. Holland's Opus, starring Richard Dreyfus. Mr. Holland wanted to become a famous composer of music, but wound up as a music teacher in the local school instead. In this scene, after he was laid off by the principal due to economic reasons, he was given one final goodbye by his students and former students, spanning more than 30 years of his career. Watch this very touching scene.
The governor of their place, who was then Mr. Holland's student, gave a very inspiring speech:
Gertrude Lang: Mr. Holland had a profound influence on my life and on a lot of lives I know. But I have a feeling that he considers a great part of his own life misspent. Rumor had it he was always working on this symphony of his. And this was going to make him famous, rich, probably both. But Mr. Holland isn't rich and he isn't famous, at least not outside of our little town. So it might be easy for him to think himself a failure.
But he would be wrong, because I think that he's achieved a success far beyond riches and fame. Look around you. There is not a life in this room that you have not touched, and each of us is a better person because of you. We are your symphony Mr. Holland. We are the melodies and the notes of your opus. We are the music of your life.
We enrich this world and the lives of those whom we love by our existence. The gifts you have received, give as gifts! And so, as Sr. Pilar Verzosa, the founder of Pro-Life Philippines would often say: I AM GLAD YOU WERE BORN!
.jpg)
.jpg)