Glory News

Brothers and Sisters,

One of my many fascinations is our national hero Jose Rizal. I hope you will forgive me if I share with you a similarity between the short-lived La Liga Filipina that Rizal founded and our own Gawad Kalinga movement. Rizal's Liga was short-lived because almost immediately after forming it, he was arrested and placed in exile for 4 years in Dapitan.

If you read about GK's holistic approach to building communities (shelter, education, health, livelihood, and community development) and compare it with the aims of the La Liga Filipina you will see how both aspire for the same goals of building in the Filipino human dignity and that ever elusive virtue of self reliance.

These were the aims of Liga:

As listed in the constitution Rizal prepared, the Liga's aims were:

1. To unite the whole archipelago into one compact, vigorous, and homogenous body;
2. Mutual protection in every want and necessity;
3. Defense against all violence and injustice;
4. Encouragement of instruction, agriculture, and commerce; and
5. Study and application of reforms.

The aims of the Liga were to be carried out through the creation of a governing body composed of the Supreme Council, the Provincial Council, and the Popular Council. The members were each to pay ten centavos as monthly dues. Each of the members was free to choose a symbolic name for himself. The funds of the society were to be used in the following manner:

1. The member or his son who, while not having the means shall show application and great capacity, shall be sustained;
2. The poor shall be supported in his right against any powerful person;
3. The member who shall have suffered any loss shall be aided;
4. Capital shall be loaned to the member who shall need it for an industry or agriculture;
5. The introduction of machines and industries, new or necessary in the country, shall be favored; and
6. Shops, stores, and establishment shall be opened where the members may be accommodated move economically than elsewhere.

GK has begun to form cooperatives to pool resources together to offer members cheaper access to loans for business and personal needs and to goods and services at discounted prices because of volume purchases made by cooperatives (parang Costco!). GK is trying to build education facilities, jobs, health care, and Lord knows what else (I'm still learning more and more about GK). The vision is Herculean to say the least, but with God's help we just may be able to make a dent in the problems (mainly poverty and corruption) that beset the Philippines.

In 1896, Jose Rizal recognized that we were not prepared for self governance. We lacked the political maturity to be effectively self reliant, an important virtue if we are to be a respected and contributing member of the community of nations. Rizal was determined to bring our people to that political maturity and develop that self reliance through his own efforts. But alas it was not to be as Spain, fearful of the fruits of Rizal's work, ended his life on Dec. 30, 1896. In 1946 we were still not prepared.

Is GK an effort to bring Rizal's vision for the Philippines to life again? From what I read it appears to be so. It cannot be done by only a few. Note aim no. 1 of the Liga: To unite the whole archipelago into one compact, vigorous, and homogenous body.

Remember that lesson taught in the early grades when we were very young - United we stand, divided we fall?

Look at how far our country has fallen, then examine just how united or divided we have been since July 4, 1946. We have been very divided. GK seeks to change that. Can we do it?

With God's help and our combined determination, why not?

Do we have a choice?

Rizal has the distinction of being known as The First Filipino. In looking at our history, it seems that there were/are very very few second, third and fourth Filipinos...i.e. very few of us have picked up the baton after it dropped from Rizal's hands at Bagumbayan Field that fateful day on Dec. 30, 1896.

GK gives us a chance to pick up where our heroes of the past have left off (people like Bonifacio and Mabini). Find out how you can help. Learn as much as you can about GK.

God bless,

Bro. Carl

p.s. for a brief commentary on La Liga Filipina, visit: http://www.msc.edu.ph/centennial/liga.html