Message to the Poor

“Why is it that our country is made up of 80% Christians and yet we still remain third world?” This is the question Mr. Tony Meloto had in his mind—the question that ignited the beginning of Gawad Kalinga. For years, decades and centuries, the Philippines continues to face a problem that up to now is present – Poverty. It is often heard in this country, “The rich gets richer, and the poor gets poorer.” True indeed, we have numerous businesses sprouting all over the nation yet conversely, there is almost no improvement in the lives of the impoverished. We continue to see homeless people in the streets, under bridges, and in villages called the “squatters’ area”. How ironic it is that, in fact, we are a nation made up of 80% Christians. Like any other organization, Gawad Kalinga is subject to a range of questions upon the things that it has accomplished since the time it was established and we further ask if GK indeed makes Christ present today by means of transforming lives in various aspects. The Church Teachings   Message to the Poor “In the Philippines today, God calls us most urgently to serve the poor and the needy. The poverty of at least half of the population is a clear sign that sin has penetrated our social structures. Poverty in the sense of destitution is not God’s will for anyone. Vatican II teaches that ‘every man has the right to possess a sufficient amount of the earth’s goods for himself and his family.’ To the shanty dwellers of Facela dos Alagados, Pope John Paul II forcefully asserted: ‘Do not say that it is God’s will that you remain in a condition of poverty, disease, unhealthy housing, that is contrary in many ways to your dignity as human persons. Do not say ‘It is God who wills it’.” (Second Plenary Council of the Philippines, No. 122)   Seeing the considerable success that GK has achieved, we can say that the organization’s efforts must be driven in a way that is really effective and worthwhile. For the ones who started GK, having faith in God and His teachings was a beginning towards reality and actualization. Indeed, Jesus taught us so many things when he was still alive, the different Church councils likewise gave their share, and now, we have all these left to us. Nonetheless, we must remember that it does not end there. In fact, it is only the beginning. Mr. Meloto, for instance, had his religion and theology classes back in college. From this he learned about the teachings of Christ and all that are taught by the Church. Yet, he wondered why all these remained in words. Being an Atenean himself, Mr. Meloto too had his exposures through the Christian Service Program and Tulong-Dunong. However, he did not find meaning from these for still there was something lacking. He even experienced a great increase in the gap of his faith until the time he became exposed to the people in Bagong Silang. GK, having a vision of a slum-free Philippines, wants to change the image of the present and make one that is beautiful and inspiring to everyone. Communities wherein everyone can be treated as God’s creature, having a dignity beyond compare and a life that is God-centered is what GK’s efforts are driving at. Considering that GK wants to change the lives of the underprivileged, it also follows that they want to change the way the poor look at their lives. Meaning not only does GK give them an improvement on their basic needs but also a development of their faith as well. GK’s work leads to a belief that God does not want poverty in this world, it is not God’s will that people are suffering and living off at times at the brink of not just their survival but more importantly their dignity. People in the slums have little to live for, aside from the deprivation of the earth’s resources, their dignities are being battered and already to the extent of it considered as being non-existent. Upon interviewing Mrs. Erna Flores, a homeowner from the Blue Eagle Village in Payatas, the group was able to detect hopelessness from her words. When asked if there was ever a time in her life that she doubted her faith and God’s love, there appeared hopelessness in her words. “Hindi naman, natural na ang kahirapan” (Not really, suffering is already natural) was what she said and from these we can see that though she did not question God for putting her in a situation like that, she accepts it as though being in that state of life is something God willed. GK makes it clear to the poor that God does not want this for them—it is not His will, for no loving Creator would want to see His beloved creatures being deprived and destroyed. GK’s action of helping these underprivileged sectors of society points to the fact that God wants to relieve them of their suffering and dismay, in other words GK embodies God’s will of having a community where there is more opportunities for all and that human dignity may flourish. With GK having a massive appeal to all sectors of society and in parts of the world, this signifies that they are doing something right but what is more important though is the appeal it has on the poor themselves. We may sometimes ask whether the poor really got something out of the whole project, and if they did probably it would not be permanent, it would just have been a trend or a publicized thing without a real meaning to them. These questions and assumptions always arise when it comes to these kinds of projects, but in confidence GK does not only answer these questions by providing permanent support and tangible results, but also, it enhances the people’s faith which is really a big surplus. Not saying that uplifting a people’s faith is just a surplus, it is more in a way that it encompasses everything that GK has done in terms of providing them with the basic things. Faith as mentioned earlier is what dictates our lives and with a change in it, undoubtedly there would be a definite change in the lives of these people. Thus GK’s efforts makes it clear and instills to the minds of the poor that God is a loving Father that only wants the best for His people, their suffering is not permanent, it is not His will, it is just a phase and there would be a transition that takes place wherein the poor experience His love and gain many new things with faith standing at the helm.   "My son, My precious child, I love you and I would never leave you, During your times of trial and suffering, when you see only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you." –Footsteps in the Sand              The presence of God’s love is put to the test every time we face problems and uncertainties for we feel God has abandoned us and we cannot see His love in action. But we should bear in mind that these problems and trials are just tests in order that we ourselves must take action so that we get to feel God’s love that is just waiting for us, but we should make the first move for it to be real. In the case of the poor, who are in constant suffering and always have unending problems to ponder on, do not feel and acknowledge God’s love since their present situation makes it really difficult to see it. For them, they believe that their sufferings are natural things willed by God, but we know for sure that it is absolutely not in God’s agenda. God wants everyone in this world to feel His love; He wants that poverty be taken out of this world in order that people would get to see the bigger picture and God’s encompassing love and power. God wants to reach to each and every one of us, but with poverty in the midst, at times it gets a bit more difficult. With poverty, people begin to formulate doubts and lose faith in God therefore something ought to be done in order to change this belief. GK with its firm vision and unfaltering desire to help the underprivileged effects such a change to the beliefs of the poor. The poor felt God’s love through the work of GK that little by little lifted their hopes, made real their dreams and boosted their faith. In the case of one of Mrs. Erna Flores, one of our interviewees, she said that their new house given by GK has become a fulfilled dream. Moreover, Gawad Kalinga was able to transform the Baseco Compound, where before the crime rate was high and now is almost zero. GK did remove the doubt that was lurking in the midst because the organization lives on voluntary work. Being it voluntary can be seen as God acting through that person and God’s love that made that person to help others in need. GK made the poor believe in God once again, by relieving them of their poverty and by providing them with another chance to live their lives that in turn made God’s love tangible and present. However much I may draw near, however much I may ascend, however much I leap over, I shall be under God, not against God. Safely therefore I mount above other things when he that is above all things doth hold me under him (Augustine Synthesis, No. 702)             GK has always seen its acts as movements for God, to follow in Jesus’ love for the poor. That is why we have chosen a quote from the Augustine Synthesis above to go with this church teaching. Simply put, the quote means that every good thing that a person does is for God. And this quote exactly matches with GK since we can see that what they do is for the good of the impoverished Filipino. Not only do they construct homes for the people of Baseco but they also provided seminars to renew the people. They held seminars for men, teenagers and even women. And these have proven to be effective since the atmosphere there really changed.             With this concrete action of reformation I think that GK has made it clear that God does not want these violent things to happen to his people. If we think about it why would God send help to people if he wants them to suffer? Would it not be against the call of Jesus to do good towards the poor? The group believes that GK, like all other organizations that seek to help the poor, is in a way, acting like Christ. We have said that Christ is the most human of all humanity. He has emptied himself, given himself totally to those who need him. Working also through God, preaching God’s love to all. A love that is forever…infinite, never ending.               There are many things that can go around the mind of a poor person. He asks questions on why he lives in that kind of state, why do others have more than what he has, and more often than not, God’s love him. He cannot answer these questions alone. He needs to be observant, constantly vigilant to the world that moves around him. And if he can just come across people who have been helped these questions would little by little find their answers.

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