Author: Rochelle Sy Chua

Alex Lacson is one of the senatorial candidates that really touched my heart when he shared with us his experiences and his love for our beloved country, the Philippines. He is known to be the author of “12 Little things you can do for your country”. The book was published 2005 & was endorsed by people such as the late president Cory Aquino, Eugenia Duran Apostol (Chair, Worldwide People Power), Ruben M. Tanseco, S. J., as well as Manuel V. Pangilinan.

Alex Lacson gave us a copy of the book during the press conference. I must say every Filipino should have one. I suggest you go to any of the book stores and buy one now. We can all do our own actions to help make our country a better place. Alex Lacson believes so, and I believe so too.

I asked the humble senatorial candidate about his book and what he can tell us about it. He stood up and started sharing how he started writing the book, what inspired him and how the book influenced other people and institutions…

Actually if you noticed..you have there, the flyer, my slogan is no longer bagong pinoy, bagong pag-asa. We changed that already, this is an old tarpaulin. Nilagay na namin dyan ay “bagong storya”. So, ang kinuha na namin na slogan, ng campaign slogan is bagong storya.

And why bagong storya kinuha naming campaign slogan? In fact, people have become curious of that. Bakit bagong istorya? Because actually we want to bring out the new story of the Filipino, like the new story of our people. The story of The Filipino who has faith in the Filipino. Yung naniniwala sa Filipino, yung naniniwala sa kakayahang Filipino. Yung tingin niya sa bawat Filpino, ay parang kapatid. Muslim ka man, Kristyano ka man, na naniniwala na kaya natin. That’s why bagong istorya siya.

Why the book? Ito po yung book, the message of this book is really very simple that we are the builders of our own greatness, that we write our own stories to people. That if you want the Filipino people to become great, If you want the Filipino to become respectable, if you want the Filipino to be a world-class citizen in the eyes of the world, then we have to do something about it. So, ibig sabihin, itong 12 little things, every Filipino can do, these are small acts of patriotism, small acts of heroism, that every Filipino can do to help our country. I really believe kahit mahirap na Filipino may magagawa siya sa bansa natin. Mayaman ka man, nasa ibang bansa ka man, may magagawa ka parin.

That’s why in the past 4 years I have been also invited to speak in several communities abroad because they want to do something to help our country. The essence is really that, small acts of heroism, small acts of patriotism for our country. And it has really connected with our people. In the past 4 years, every year, umabot na ng 200 spekaing engagements ko because of this book, walang press release, walang promotion, on our own lang talga. Ang ibig sabihin, they love this country and they want to do something. So nakita nila, 12 little things, kaya ko rin ito. ginagawa rin nila, minomodify nila. 12 little things ginagawa nila 15 little things teachers, 12 little things teachers can do to help our country. Sa ateneo, 12 little things every Atenean can do to help Ateneo in our country. Mali lang ng konti dun dahil nauna yung ateneo. La salle also came out with something like that, St Paul also came out with something like that, and even Siliman.

It’s the little things. Little things. It’s about small acts but great faith. Great faith that with the little things we do we just have to believe that the big change will come. Because essentially all the change that we see in the world, in history, they all start with small changes.

Diba, yung landslide, bago siya naging landslide it’s a snowball — nagsnosnowball siya, maliit, naggagather siya, nagpipick up siya ng other things, palaki ng palaki [until it becomes a landslide]. All change really begins small.. all the big change that we need in our country really have to start small somewhere to create the big change we’re looking for you just have to have faith.

In fact, if you recall, there was that famous book by Malcom Gladwell, The Tipping Point. Actually I was reading that book while I was writing this book (12 Little Things). I was reading that. And from cover to cover the story of Tipping Point is a story of small changes, how the small changes results into big changes.

There was one story there, I think it was in America. A group of doctors they were trying to find a way to raise the awareness level of the members of the community kung saan mataas ang diabetes. Ang ginawa ng mga doctors, nagbigay sila ng seminar. Ang dami umattend. But how come nag offer na sila, and after the seminar, they told the attendees to go to the hospital and they were told that they would be given free medicine. But after the seminar, less than 20% of those who attended, went to the hospital.

And the doctors said, kung worried sila about yung level of diabetes, how is it konti lang pumunta sa hospital?

They conducted again a seminar but this time around, they provided a map na paano pumunta dun sa hospital. So, when they provided a map, nakita yung mga audience, ah ito pala how to get to the hospital. Instead of 20% of the attendees attending, this time around, more than 80% went to the hospital. Why? because of the map. That little detail of the map, made a big difference.

So little things, little things.

Read the rest of the article at Blogwatch.ph.

References:
Video – http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=88F687CEED537ECF
Pictures – http://www.flickr.com/photos/rochellesychua/sets/72157623281647590/

I went to the UCC venue last month to meet the 3 lady senatoriables of The Liberal Party (LP). Sonia Roco wasn’t able to go so we met with Risa Hontiveros & Yasmin Lao. I have already written an article about Risa Hontiveros and about her thoughts on the RH bill. However, I wondered who Yasmin Lao was though.

I’ve never heard of Yasmin Lao before and so I had no idea where she comes from and what her credentials were. I sat there and waited for my turn to ask the lady senatorial candidate. I wanted to know what she has been fighting for and what she plans to do if she lands a position in the senate. She was wearing something to cover her hair and so I assumed that she’s a Muslim.

I asked her, “Can you tell us who you are and what you are fighting for?“. She smiled and answered very warmly.

I used to be a professor of psychology at Mindanao State University since 1988 until 1997 when I founded Al-Mujadilah Development Foundation (AMDF) but even then coming from a culture where early marriage and arranged marriages are rampant where you see young girls (bride) and grooms. I’m a witness and I’ve seen how, in terms of the right of the children to pursue their own full development particularly education and career. I’ve seen the impact to bright promising girls who dream of becoming somebody professional. then they get married at the age of 14 and then most of them if they do get pregnant immediately, get no schooling, they stop schooling. Then of course, no economic opportunity.

So I’ve seen the impact of that, particularly in women, and that’s where my advocacy for women’s right started, and how I’ve started questioning the culture and gender issues. So that has been my main advocacy, looking at the code of Muslim personal laws, looking at international laws, national laws, and see how these can work together on the advantage of women. For example, while the code of Muslim personal laws do not categorically state that what is provided for in the violence against women and children, where it’s a criminal offense. But women don’t know, Particularly among Muslim women, that there is a provision in the code of Muslim personal law that a woman can really ask for divorce, because divorce is allowed if there’s harm, if she’s put in harm.

So what we would do is that we would encourage Muslim women to use the code of Muslim personal law to file for if they want divorce then use the [separate Muslim law] for the criminal. So that’s an example of what I’m saying, how do we help women to maximize the available tools that they have for themselves.. that has been my advocacy and of course working among adolescents, Muslim women girls and boys on gender issues and reproductive health issues, and women political leaders on gender responsive governance.

And before I resigned, I’m working very closely among farmers and fisher folks on sustainability particularly natural farming and fishing and I’ve worked in the evacuation center and that’s what I’m very passionate about — peace and the peace process because I’ve seen the impact of the conflict among civilians particularly on women.

If you’ve covered or if you’ve visited evacuation centers pag may sunog or may bagyo, people stay in the evacuation centers, you’ve seen the conditions, it’s really inhuman, it lowers the human dignity much more for women when we have special needs — toilet, CR and all. When I was in the evacuation center, if you just flee and you only have your clothes on your body you don’t even have your underwear with you the more you will feel [the impact], and you stay in a room with strangers you don’t know. And of course, you need napkins, you need underwear which you don’t find in emergency kit that they give because our understanding in the evacuation center they need food, they need water and that’s it but then equally if not more than that is that when your own self concept and your own human dignity it adds up to the misery and the psychological impact. Kahit may pagkain diyan, if you feel like you’re depressed about the situation..

Read the rest of the article at Blogwatch.ph.

References:
Video – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOsG015C1yI
Pictures – http://www.flickr.com/photos/rochellesychua/sets/72157623671504606/