pinoy pilgrim talk

[inquirer.net] Gov Challenges migrants: ‘Peso for Peso’ to Develop RP

November 23, 2007 – 7:02 am

This article was taken from

http://globalnation.inquirer.net/features/features/view_article.php?article_id=102117
By Basco Fernandez
INQUIRER.net
Last updated 07:04pm (Mla time) 11/20/2007

November 12, 2007, Utrecht, The Netherlands — In sharp contrast to the intense politically-charged environment in the Philippines, overseas Filipinos were pleasantly surprised by Governor Oscar Moreno’s dynamic response to a call for action for matching funds in Misamis Oriental’s development projects spearheaded by local and overseas Filipino organizational partners.

In his keynote speech at the Diaspora Convergence Conference in Amsterdam on November 2, 2007, Governor Moreno emphasized that migrants could do better by pushing the right buttons and partnering with government and local social cause-oriented, volunteer-based organizations (a.k.a. civil society). He also promised to champion development partnerships with overseas Filipino groups among his fellow governors, especially those in Northern Mindanao.

“Uno por Uno, Moreno style”

The signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between Governor Moreno and Habagat Foundation, Damayan Association in the Netherlands, BisDak Network Netherlands, and the newly-formed Overseas Filipino Caucus for Sustainable Development celebrated this groundbreaking “matching peso for peso” funding mechanism for agreed-upon development projects.

Historically, European Filipinos’ initiatives have been focused on Philippine micro projects with short-term deadlines and deliverables, oftentimes plagued with mismanagement, under-implementation and lack of support and collaboration by local officials.

The matching fund program, dubbed “Uno por Uno, Moreno style,” heralds the local government’s cooperation and “thinking outside the box” mindset by creatively mobilizing the development potential of migration. The partnering organizations concurred that provinces that employ such agreements tend to speed up economic growth due to the massive power and influence of migrant investments.

Diaspora Convergence Conference Highlights

The migrant-focused conference was attended by 100 active advocates from the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Middle East, the USA and the Philippines. The proposals that emerged from this gathering emphasized a combined economic, political, and socio-cultural action agenda which allow do-able models like the Moreno-style matching fund program to flourish.

Twenty Filipino migrant experts and leaders a.k.a. The Caucus met in Utrecht earlier that week after participating in a Filipiniana celebration honoring the Filipino seafarers in Rotterdam. The Caucus pointed out the stress on existing infrastructure and resources of social advocates and care-givers due to the sudden growth of migration brought about by the much-delayed reunification policies of European countries.

Actively engaging the Filipino diaspora, Philippine Ambassador Romeo Arguelles and Geneva-based Minister Gary Domingo of the Permanent Mission of the Philippines to the UN indicated their readiness to closely collaborate with the conference’s convenors, specifically in preparation for the Global Forum on Migration and Development in October, 2008.

Meanwhile, Drs. Jan Henneman of the Dutch Foreign Affairs Ministry encouraged the conference participants to the bridging role that migrants play in relation to their home and host countries. Leila Rispens-Noel, a representative from Oxfam-Novib, a foundation based in The Netherlands that sponsored the week’s programs and activities, also highlighted the model role that Filipino migrants play for other diaspora groups, especially those coming from Africa. She called on Filipino leaders to resolve their internal conflicts and work together to seek common ground that would define a fresh collaborative approach to the ongoing migration and development dilemma.

A series of events organized by diverse groups, leading to the Global Forum on Migration and Development in 2008, are expected to revive the activism and engagement that Overseas Filipino organizations displayed during the 2001-2002 campaigns for the OAV (overseas absentee vote) and dual citizenship.

The conference symbolized the coming together of Overseas Filipino leaders from three global regions – the Middle East & Asia, Europe and North America - with an agreement to support each others’ development programs and projects. The conference also recognized the changing cultural landscape in Europe, such as the need to address the second generation’s problems, gender issues and the development of emerging community leaders. The need to dialogue with faith-based organizations and engage them in common development efforts was also scheduled on the agenda.

The diaspora convergence conference was immediately followed by Filipinas Magazine’s Lorna Lardizabal Dietz’s book launching of an anthology entitled “In De Olde Worlde: Views of Filipino Migrants in Europe” by Filomenita “NitNit” Mongaya-Hoegsholm.

Certificates of Appreciation were given as well to outstanding Euro-Filipinos in The Netherlands: three Ph.D. graduates for their ground-breaking research - Dr. Rommel Bacabac, Dr. Jonathan Palero, and Dr. Arni Sicam; Miss Nederland 2006 Sheryl Lyn Paderes-Baas for her humanitarian projects; Flora Abangan-Schuyt, for engaging in a socially-responsible business; Ricky Tuazon, for promoting Filipino dance and performance arts; Irma Galias, for promoting Filipino music and songs; and Ms. Leila Rispens-Noel, for promoting the role of the diaspora in development work.

After the Conference

Fueled by the participants’ enthusiasm, the momentum of the migrant conference continued in post-conference activities such as networking and planning sessions.

Governor Moreno, who met with Mindanao constituents, was joined by the Caucus to brainstorm on setting up a European-based development fund that could enable small business enterprises to thrive in the rural areas. Philippine Congressman Mujiv Hataman, of AMIN or Anak Mindanao, joined the discussions and committed to explore the possibilities of mobilizing the countryside development funds of his fellow representatives in Congress for the diaspora conference’s initiatives.

During a pre-departure conversation at Schiphol Airport, Governor Moreno was asked his opinion about his visit to the Netherlands. He flashed that enigmatic smile and replied, “Others may have all the publicity and propaganda, but your conference convinced me that there is much that migrants like you could do. I hope other groups could do the same.”

Basco Fernandez is the convener of the Overseas Filipino Caucus for Sustainable Development, care of Habagat Foundation, in Utrecht, The Netherlands. He can be reached at +31638671554 for voice and text messaging or by e-mail at Basco.Fernandez@gmail.com. You can also click into this website: http://ofw4development.pinoye-gain.info/

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A simple selling situation (by Benjamin Defensor)

November 16, 2007 – 5:26 am

FROM his experience working with an international advertising and public relations firm and a global consumer products manufacturer, Manoling de Leon found early the crucial role of mass media in marketing. In his book, Pinoy Pilgrim: In Search of Filipino Identity, de Leon relates how Shell’s Formula 7 gasoline stole the thunder from Caltex’s Boron in the Philippines after sweeping the opposition in other parts of the world. He did this by launching Formula 7 ahead of Boron instead of coming out after as what happened in other countries.

It was here that Manoling found the value of contacts with mass media. For mass media is crucial in both marketing and selling, particularly in the marketing of a candidate. A candidate is offered to meet a need; not sold because of his qualities and skills.

The declaration of martial law appears to be a marketing move from de Leon’s point of view as he relates its genesis in his book. He was then a consultant for President Ferdinand E. Marcos. Here’s why he took the job:

“Marcos was someone… whom we would be honoring now as the greatest President our country ever had, if not for his sickness and the way he lost control over those around him who ended messing up everything he did.

“He had two defects he failed to control and that led to his downfall. One was his love for women. The other was his loyalty to his friends. Both clouded his judgment and led to mistakes that were fatal for him as a person and as a President.

“Deep in his heart, like every Pinoy I know, Marcos was a noble person. A very intimate friend of the Marcoses told me a story. Over dinner one night in Malacañang, she observed that as friends of Imelda and the cronies of Marcos talked about politics and projects, Marcos shook his head and interrupted the talk with the following words: “But what can we do to help our people, especially the poor? That’s what you should talk about.” And then he stood up and left the room.”

Marcos was Manoling’s second client after Eugenio “Geny” Lopez, Jr. He was called in to help the re-election campaign in 1969. Executive Secretary Alex Melchor “contracted his friend Chuchie, then an EBP consultant, who brought us in. Aside from Chuchie and me, we also had Tony Mercado, and George Burwell.

“Secretary Melchor briefed us and we got to work, sharing all the data they had on Marcos and his campaign. Some weeks later, we had a finished package selling Marcos as someone who would bring progress to everyone’s doorstep through infrastructure projects that will help Filipinos realize their dreams.

“It was a simple enough campaign that was captured in a half-hour video. We also advised him not to engage in the same bad-mouthing campaign as his opponent Osmeña did. He should stick to his reelec­tion message and, in the last few weeks just before the elections, saturate the media with his advertisements showing Marcos as a good family man, surrounded by his mother, a beautiful wife and cute, innocent children.

“It was my theory that selling the president is like a one-day purchase. You have to erase all doubts about the candidate on or just before Election Day, and the voters will buy him. We showed his video on nationwide TV, did a live interview of him and his family, and presented a perfect image of Marcos as an ideal statesman, leader of the nation, a good husband, doting father and loyal son and brother.”

Marcos won but soon the peace and order situation deteriorated. Eugenio Lopez Sr. called a meeting of “media moguls” like Chino Roces of The Manila Times. In that meeting they hatched a plan to mount a widespread media campaign to ask Marcos to resign. For the next few months, they would plaster the front pages of their papers and repeated every hour in all TV and radio stations the words, “Marcos resign.”

“As the late Chino Roces told my friend Chuchie and me sometime later, a few days after that meeting, he and the other media moguls like him received a serious offer they never could refused: their lives in exchange for not pushing through with the plan. So the best they could do was to come out with a common front-page editorial criticizing Marcos and requesting him to do what was best for the country.

“A few months later, Marcos declared martial law.”

(To be continued)

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Real Love Revolution Concert

November 14, 2007 – 5:04 am

Pinoy Pilgrim invites you to attend this year’s “Real Love Revolution Concert” on 2007 November 22 3-6 PM at the Le Pavillion Metropolitan Park (Roxas Boulevard), a concert featuring presentations and performances highlighting the beauty of Chastity! Yes, that word is really “Chastity!”. Surprised? Well, that’s where the “real love revolution” comes in. Nowadays, the value of chastity is undermined by those that think that SEX is simply for pleasure for oneself and not for anything else. The love between a man and a woman, if it is true and sincere, MUST ALWAYS be a chaste love.

“Why?”

“Because chastity ensures commitment, loyalty and fidelity, and endurance no matter what joys or sorrows the couple have.”

Without chastity, the man and woman will see each other as objects to be used when “i feel like using it” and to be thrashed when “it’s already old so I’d replace it with a new one.” This might be hard to believe but that’s what it will be if there is no chastity 

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International Conference on LOVE, SEX and LIFE (I)

November 14, 2007 – 4:36 am

To everyone out there, Pinoy Pilgrim is proud to endorse the 2nd International Conference on LOVE, SEX and LIFE to be held from 2007 November 20-22 at the EDSA Shangri-la Hotel. Check out the conference website at www.edicongress.com.

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International Conference on LOVE, SEX and LIFE (II)

November 14, 2007 – 4:13 am

The 2nd international conference on LOVE, SEX and LIFE will be held in the Philippines from November 20 to 22 in Manila.The conference, called Edicongress, is organized by Intermedia Consulting, Educhild and DAWV.

So what’s this talk about LOVE, SEX and LIFE all about? Well my friends, this conference is its 2nd of its kind in the whole world. In this day and age of ours where many individuals have their own notions about LOVE, SEX and LIFE, we see a world confused about the meanings of these three great things–LOVE, SEX and LIFE. Many mistakenly see sex as disjoint from love and life. The teaching that sex must be done within marriage and not only for mere pleasure is not the monopoly of Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam or even Christianity. Sex had always been considered, regardless of your religion, a sacred thing and something to mess-up with. I bet you a cup of coffee at Starbucks that those who are addicted to sex and lustfully see any man or woman as sex toys are usually uncouth (in local parlance, “bastos”), immature, comfort-seekers, weak, they don’t go to church (regardless of their religion), and they usually seek pleasure in the acquisition of so many material things and by going to all sorts of gimmicks and parties.

The last point is important.

Well, first of all, the acquisition of material things and going to gimmicks and parties is NOT bad at all. Here at Pinoy Pilgrim, we like gimmicks and parties. In fact, if you buy things for yourself or family, and if you party or gimmick for enjoyment (in the proper sense of the word) and for leisure, it’s very good. What is bad is when you consider these things as “YOU”. If you consider these things as an end in themselves, as if you cannot live without them, then your identity is defined by “what you have” and not by “who you are”. This means that when you, for example, lose “what you have”, then you lose your identity since you’ve based your identity on all the cool gadgets and trinkets you have.

Before losing the thread of the discussion, let’s get back to our discussion of sex and the “acquisition of material things”:

We know that sex gives a lot pleasure (and this pleasure is good since it had been willed by God—yes, it was willed by God regardless of your religion). The pleasure is good but is not lasting. The pleasure cannot be repeated continuously (without stop) for hours and hours. In fact, if anyone would attempt to derive maximum pleasure from sex by attempting to engage in it continuously without stopping at all, one would probably die!

Once the pleasure of sex is reached, soon afterwards it disappears. However, those who are addicted to pleasure and sex then want to experience more pleasure. Since a man and woman’s physical make-up cannot support non-stop sex (even if they want to derive maximum pleasure), they will divert their attention to “pleasure-giving” things such as a lot of material things and parties and gimmicks. Again, these material things are not bad in themselves but making them your sort of god will trap you and make you the slave of these things. The worst thing is that the person does not realize that he is trapped. A person will try to derive pleasure from everything–from the things he has and from the gimmicks and parties he or she attends. Then, when the pleasure subsides, he seeks it in sex. However, since man’s capacity to have is insatiable, he will eventually find his forms of pleasure-seeking incapable of making him happy.

You want us to prove that man’s capacity to have is insatiable? Here’s a simple test:

If I give you 100 bucks (without any cost or liability on your part), I’m sure you would accept it.

If, instead of 100 bucks, I decide to give you 1000 bucks, I’m sure you would accept it.

If, instead of 1000 bucks, I decide to give you 1 Million bucks, I’m sure you would accept it.

If, instead of 1 Million bucks, I decide to deposit 1 Billion in your bank account, I’m sure you would accept it.

If I decide to give you a new Mercedes Benz with the 1 Billion in your bank account, you will be st _ _ _ d (uh, star studded?) if you don’t accept it.

Boooof! We can go on and on with this argument.

Thus, with the confidence of a mathematical proof, not just beyond reasonable doubt but without any doubt at all, we therefore conclude with 100% confidence and without any margin of error that:

A person’s longing to have is insatiable.

If all you have disappears and if, with old age, you lose that sexual drive, then you would definitely be lonely since you’ve based your happiness on pleasure.

So, that’s the relation between sex and the over-acquisition of material things.

LOVE, SEX and LIFE in the Context of Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam and Christianity

The world’s great religions have all taught about the proper use of sex as something not disjoint to LOVE and LIFE simply because that is the fact.

Buddhism

Check out the Internet authority on Buddhism www.buddhanet.net.

Here are some excerpts from the article on marriage from buddhanet.

…children born through the pleasure of sex must be the
responsibility of the partners involved, at least until they have
grown up. And marriage ensures that this responsibility is upheld and
carried out.

…it is thought that all Buddhists, particularly people of
both sexes in love and contemplating marriage, should adhere to the
age-old traditional concept that they maintain chastity until the
nuptial date.

…According to Buddhism, those who are involved in extra-marital sex
with someone who is already married, who has been betrothed to someone
else, and also with those who are under the protection of their
parents or guardians are said to be guilty of sexual misconduct,
because there is a rupture of social norms, where a third party is
being made to suffer as a result of the selfishness of one or the
other partner.

Hinduism

These excerpts have been coped verbatim from http://www.hinduwebsite.com/hinduism/h_marriage.asp

A few simple and straight facts about Hindu marriages.

1. Hindu marriage is essentially an extension of the four aims (purusharthas) and the four stages (ashramas) of human life. Unless a person has accepted the life of renunciation out of his intense longing for liberation, marriage is sacred responsibility (dharma) of each and every individual in society.

2. Hindus consider marriage as a sacred relationship, between two souls, not just two bodies. Marriage is meant for the continuation of family and practice of dharma. In Hindu tradition, there is no concept as divorce. Once married, a couple are wedded for life. Divorce is a modern practice introduced into Hindu society through the Hindu Marriage Act in India.

3. Hindus believe that the marriage relationship extends beyond one’s life.

4. In the traditional marriage, the bride and the bridegroom are considered as divinities. The bride is first married to gods and then placed under the bridegroom’s protection as a gift from gods.

5. At the time of marriage, the bridegroom ties a sacred thread around the bride’s neck and accepts her hand (panigrahanam.) in marriage. Then they both take seven steps (saptapadi) together around the fire uttering vows of friendship and mutual loyalty.

6. Hindu marriage tradition recognizes the importance of a woman in the family. She is expected to share the responsibilities of the household like a goddess (grihalakshmi) and enjoy the love and care of her husband and children.

7. According to Hindu marriage Act 1955 passed in India, the eligible age for marriage is 21 years in case of a boy and 18 years in case of a girl. This law has been passed mainly to ban child marriages and such practices as polygamy, which is recognized as a punishable offence.

Islam

The following had been lifted from

http://www.ummah.net/islam/taqwapalace/islam/set6.htm

Many of us have heard that Islam exhorts polygamy (the marriage of one man to many wives). For many centuries, the particular verse from the Koran that had been most misinterpreted and taken out of context is the following (Qur’an 4:3):

(Click the above image to zoom)

The transliteration is as follows:

[004:003] And if you fear that you will not be just in dealing with the orphans, then marry of other women as may be agreeable to you, two, or three, or four; and if you fear you will not be able to do justice, then marry only one or marry what your right hand possess. Thus it is more likely that you will not do injustice.

The Koran actually limited the practice of Polygamy and says that MONOGAMY is the ONLY natural and acceptable form of marriage for Society in general. If it permitted polygamy, that was because of aberrations. It is not the general and natural rule.

Polygamy is suggested only by the Koran if it relates to the “oppressed or the orphans among women (4:3)”, if justice can be done by marrying more than one. If justice cannot be done by marrying more than one from among the “oppressed (Yatama)” class of women, then the Koran simply says that monogamy is the ONE and ONLY acceptable marriage bond.

The general rule in Islam is still monogamy (i.e. one husband to one wife).

Christianity

The 6th and 9th commandments state:

6th commandment: Thou shall not commit adultery

9th commandment: Thou shall not covet thy neighbor’s wife

In the new Testament, the fullness of the teaching on chastity and marriage has not been better explained except by the Lord Jesus Christ himself in Matthew 5:28:

“But I say to you that whoever who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”

And finally, the entire verse from Matthew 19:3-9:

(3) Some Pharisees came to him to test him. They asked,

“Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?” (4) “Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’ (5) and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’?

(6) So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man put asunder.”

(7)  “Why then,” they asked, “did Moses command that a man give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?” (8) Jesus replied,

“Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning. (9) I tell you that anyone who puts away his wife, except for unchastity, and marries another woman commits adultery.”

Thus, the teaching of Christianity has always been clear.  Sex is only for marriage.  Any use of sex outside it is an aberration.   There are no exceptions regardless of the social context, era, customs, and place where man lives.

Conclusion

LOVE, SEX and LIFE are certainly hot topics for anyone’s discussion. However, for us to appreciate and enjoy these realities, we must understand them better. In the same way, you will perhaps enjoy the music of Bach if you understand it. Similarly, a person will appreciate and enjoy rock music if he or she knows what rock music is all about. You will appreciate LOVE, SEX and LIFE if you know about it.

In any case, we invite you to attend the edicongress. For details, check out the conference website at www.edicongress.com.

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