Ramon Magsaysay lecture:
Antonio Meloto

CONGRATULATIONS ANTONIO MELOTO and GAWAD KALINGA!!!!!

Hoy Imelda, how about taking your shoes off and join GAWAD KALINGA? Better yet, donate some of your hard-earned, honest money to build schools. Same goes to Imee and your son Borgy, enough pretentious acts in Congress and facial pampering or posing as a wannabe model…join GK instead. To that tisoy (Andrew Wolf) and other non-talented celebrities taking advantage of the gullibility and stupidity of most bakya crowd Filipinos watching pointless boxing matches, get a real job that helps the country. Kris Aquino, quit that stupid show GKNB and be a full-time volunteer for Gawad.

If a wealthy, non-Filipino, Englishman can devote most of his time and effort toward nation building in the Philippines first, then I’m sure our full-blooded Filipinos mentioned above (including the bakya crowd) can do the same.

Antonio Meloto is a living example of what our politicians are not (pro or anti alike).

the laudable efforts of GK merely underscore the fact that the average Filipino cannot depend on our present leaders and purportedly public servants in government to be of service to him.

the existence of people like meloto and badoy puts most politicos to shame (shameless, they are however, and thus are by and large unaffected).

contrast honor and service in GK vis-a-vis the dishonor and self-serving malice of “hello, garshi?” in malakanyanayan. contrast the honest love for the people shown by Rock Ed’s efforts vis-a-vis the palpable dishonesty of “i am shorry.”

congratulations, Gawad Kalinga. proof positive you are that the pinoy can create progress in his homeland (despite GMA, bunye, ermita, gonzalez y gonzales, defensor, benign0, joselu, et alii trapi).

it is hard to dislike this fellow, Tony Meloto.

he has an infectious smile, that seems to sway everybody to listen and act on his beautiful ideas.

the politicians adore and cooperate with him, especially when told that a government seat is not on his agenda–then and now.

top corporate honchos extend donations (never mind if they avail of tax deductions feature of a donor later), partly because, they realize that an affiliation with Gawad Kalinga’s good name is a sound investment move. cannot fault them that, it’s business.

the filthy rich and (in)famous discovered (by whose design, search me–i don’t know) a new outlet where to take that ‘feel good’ dip once in a rare while.

but don’t get me wrong; i won’t take it from Tony M., the honors he reaps and deserve.

and from the middle-income groups and Pinoy expats abroad who made it good, and willingly partake some of their hard-earned money to GK’s laudable causes.

since the government is so inept in providing shelters to those in need; in contrast, GK seems to have found the solution, why don’t we call on the former to relinquish its function and let the latter play the role instead?

Gawad Kalinga is also into health, food, and income generation thrusts, among others. Why don’t we push the government, since it does not know what road to take to address the problem, to let GK do the work?

Heck!, why don’t we pay our taxes instead to GK?

These all told, I really wish Tony M. long life so he will be able to infect people to smile, and dare to act on hopes and dreams.

Many around the world have lauded the dynamism of Philippine civil society. But one reason they are given a chance to shine is the failure of government to do what NGOs feel compelled to do — provide basic services like housing for the poor. A visiting Japanese told me once, I envy the Philippines for its numerous NGOs. I replied, I envy Japan for its effective government.

What if more of our NGOs devoted more of its energies to monitoring and lobbying government so it uses public resources more wisely, for public housing for instance? Wouldn’t that lead to a more efficient use of society’s resources as a whole, rather than duplicate the services that government should be delivering?

Tony Meloto is one shining example that one need not be a president, congressman or senator to serve the people. While the present politicians (including the oppositions) are trying to figuratively slit each other’s throat in a never-ending political skirmishes, marginalized Filipinos still have to sleep skipping their meals, spend the night out in the cold exposed to punishing elements because they do not have roofs to cover their heads or walls to provide them privacy.

Of course, we all know that the fight being waged by politicians against each other is all about the spoils, access and control of scarce financial resources for their own enrichment and benefits.