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Editorial . . .
“The word of the Lord came to me: Son of man, you live in the midst of a rebellious house; they have eyes to see but do not see, and ears to hear but do not hear, for they are a rebellious house . . .” -- Ezekiel 12:1-2 For God, Country and Fraternity Just recently, as what had been widely reported and which still continue to stoke the hot coals of uncertainty to this day, the stock markets around the world are now in turmoil. The world woke up Monday, to discover, with utter disbelief and consternation, formidable Wall Street juggernauts Lehman Brothers and Merrill Lynch and subsequently followed by AIG, now becoming a thing of the past, and the investment community have been in a panic since then. Some couldn’t resist wondering who will be the next to fall, particularly that this isn’t the first time titans have fallen. If Burger King will be next to go, as some cranks would have it, then they will also have to write-down those triple whoppers for sure. And it hasn’t been long since the U.S. Treasury's intervention also stepped into the picture to shore up mortgage titans, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, if only to allay the fears of foreign investors; but, as everyone knows, turning around the U.S. economy will take a long tremendous task, or something close to a miracle. And speaking of miracles, it does look that the Philippines, in its current state, could certainly have much use for this phenomenon – or, divine intervention, if we may; for, sadly, all these years have not augured well for the Philippines, and for reasons which everyone will not find difficult to understand. And it looks like this prospect for a miracle – or that silver lining which have been such an elusive entity in the country’s efforts towards nation-building -- will just have to happen soon. Now. Not later. And, with lots of faith and hope, coming from the heart of every concerned Filipino. Not just in the home country. But everywhere, spread across several continents. Everyone must now be familiar, with Fr. James Reuter’s article titled, “The Only Hope for the Philippines.” This has been circulating in the internet, expressing that the only hope for the Philippines is through prayer. And with good reasons. In it, the good Jesuit priest, whose name is now a by-word in the Philippines, have accurately described, among others, the signs where “Our nation is headed towards an irreversible path of economic decline and moral decadence . . .” and that, “not even two people’s revolutions, bloodless as they may be, have made a dent in reversing this trend. At best, we have moved one step forward, but three steps backward.” Admittedly, we need a far greater force or power than all our collective efforts as a people, according to Fr. Reuter. “It is time to move the battle to the spiritual realm,” he pointed out, and a “time to gather GOD’s people on its knees to pray for the economic recovery and moral transformation of our nation.” It is a sad commentary, but, nonetheless depicts with blinding clarity the prolonged hopelessness of our people in the Philippines, with its grinding poverty almost at 70% percent of its 80 million population, and deteriorating educational standards, food shortages, mounting inflation and the callousness of its leaders, with their deep-down corruption in all levels of the bureaucracy. In the face of the country’s long decades of agonizing struggle for an improved quality of life, -- and that prosperity, justice, stability in our socio-economic and political institutions, are nothing more than wistful thinking, willy-nilly -- we really haven’t accomplished much, despite our efforts, in the long uphill climb back to sanity, faith, hope and security for our people. Perhaps, the miracle we are looking for is hidden and can only be found in the hearts of everyone humbled through deep and earnest prayers, seeking God’s healing, grace, and a better life and future for our people and nation. God will hear and God never fails. As Fr. James Reuter puts it, “We have tried people power twice; in both cases, it fell short. Maybe it’s time to try prayer power. God never fails.” And he continues with the challenging question: “Is there hope? YES! We can rely on God’s promise, but we have to do our part. If we humble ourselves and pray as a people, God will heal our land. By God’s grace, we may yet see a better future for our children.” The U.P. Beta Sigma Fraternity: doing its part And God will answer our prayers, if we will also accompany them with a genuine offering of gratitude of service to God and his people, just as Hippocrates, the famed Greek physician, once said, “Prayer indeed is good, but while calling on the gods a man should himself lend a hand.” For it is only when we charge ourselves with a responsibility to contribute to the lives of people in need that we also help define who we truly are, particularly, in these critical times for our own country and people. For God thus honors a heart humbled with gratitude, because we know that a grateful attitude softens the harsh realities of life -- for both the giver as well as the receiver. It is in this context, then, that the alumni of the U.P. Beta Sigma Fraternity, founded 62 years ago, have decided to enlist, in a call to action, its vast resources of talents and skills from its alumni around the world, particularly from North America and the Philippines, as the brotherhood focuses on how best it can fill a need especially in the area of food production and sustained income-generation for the farmers through cooperatives. In this sense, the U.P. Beta Sigma Fraternity has responded to Fr. Reuter’s challenge, “We can rely on God’s promise, but we have to do our part”, with italics supplied. The U.P. Beta Sigma Fraternity Alumni Association is not short on professionals, businessmen and technocrats, both retired and still active, who are willing to give their expertise and professional services as continuous threads weaving a pattern that is unfolding by design to address a critical area of concern in the Philippines: insufficiency in food production and supply. These are people who are past the malaise and cynicism in these critical times that very often claim that, when the ship is in trouble, they always find the ship but not often the crew. So, why bother? Not with this band of brothers from the U.P. Beta Sigma Fraternity. They always search for the crew and thus build a new ship out of the wreckage. Proof of this, they are presently in active negotiation, through some of their members, for the lease of any available property in communities willing to go into cooperative farming. The plan is for the property’s possible development for various crops and use of farmers in the surrounding areas, and establishing, as well, the necessary infrastructure for the marketing of these farm products without going through the burdensome intervention of middle-men or agents. This is a good start and a very commendable one that will need the support of everyone who are all willing to do their share beyond the Hail Marys, each of us becoming a mosaic unto ourselves, putting God’s blessings into action, fostering gratitude, even during those moments when we must swallow the bitter fruit of start-ups, doubts, and nay-sayers that goes with any challenge such as this. Already, at this time, it is also interesting to note that another Beta Sigman in good standing, Congressman Procy Alcala of the second district of Quezon Province, has initiated and is now engaged in "organic farming" among his constituencies, one of his flagship projects in that province. Finally, the German critic and dramatist, G. E. Lessing, also known as the Aesop of Germany, has very appropriate and wise words on this, “One single grateful thought raised to heaven is the most perfect prayer.” This aligns most perfectly with Fr. Reuter’s appeal for prayer power – and just as appropriate, too, if we may suggest, as the theme for this piece, “For God, Country, and Fraternity!” Need we say more? September 29, 2008
Brod Pio Acampado, Jr., UPD'50, who lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, was the managing editor of the Philippine Collegian for two successive years, 1951-52. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ecotourism and Organic Farming in Quezon Province
Cong. Procy Alcala'71, from Manuel S. Enverga University Foundation (MSEUF) in Lucena, Quezon, gives the brods a tour of the white sand beach of Por La Playa in Pagbilao, Quezon.
L-R: Brods Freddy Fajardo, Sol Verano, Vic Ramos, Bong Arreza, Ben Molina, Tomsak Criador, Procy Alcala, Ambo Lapis, Jojo Alejar, Herbert Ticzon, Wow Protacio, Dave Ramos.
Lunch of local seafood delicacies Infinity pool beside white sand beach
Organic vodkas. Note "Expiry Date" on right: MAMAYA LANG.
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