Communion of A Nation Moving Towards Helping the Needy

Gawad Kalinga is primarily an organization that is geared towards helping the poor in attaining their most basic needs, particularly that which is immaterial: their dignity and life. As they prioritize the poor, we see that GK lives out something that most organizations fail to do. That is, GK sees to unify the rich and the poor in building not just a house for the poor, but also friendship and camaraderie. Our previous interview with Tony Meloto revealed to us that the goal of GK is not to have the rich give donations in helping the poor, but that they immerse themselves in the area and help in the building of the houses so that they can see for themselves how their donations are put into good use. He encourages them to interact with the people that they are helping and not to see themselves as donors and donee. It is not the donation that counts, but the idea of helping and being there with the poor. Meloto explained that through the "rich's" immersion and interaction with the poor, as with his example of rich and poor passing hollow blocks to each other, the line between upper and lower class will eventually disappear because they will not think that "I am passing this hollow block to a poor/rich person" but "I am passing this hollow block to a fellow human being who is eager and willing to help those that are in need". Just like what Mr. Wilberto Librando, a volunteer and resident in the Blue Eagle Village, said, "Hindi ka na iba sa kanila" (You're not much different from them). In the end, a bond between the classes shall be founded.             This bond generates such importance that given time, the rich will feel their duties more towards the poor, in sharing their blessings with their brothers and sisters, helping them in any which way they can. This feeling is what God calls in each of us. It is the love for the neighbor that will eventually have the rich seeing their position as a way to give service to the needy. The poor, meanwhile, seeing the help and love that is poured out by the rich for their cause, will feel their importance. They will no longer think of themselves as a lower class, but as humans. They will eventually get back their dignity by seeing that the rich are focusing on them. Realizing this, the poor shall feel at home in the community and no longer feel like an outcast. They therefore do their best in turn to actively participate in what the rich are doing. They will help themselves in creating better lives and also help the others that need the same. Achieving unity among the people divided by social classes enables the people to return back to God and form a closer relationship with Him since unity brings forth love and dissolves the hostility between the sides. GK can be seen successful in this aspect as proved by the person of Mr. Dylan Wilk. One thing that people will always remember about him is the BMW village that was transformed by the money he got from selling his BMW. More importantly, the village was renewed from his own efforts of building houses. In the group’s interview with him, he mentioned that now he almost has no money left, saying that with a happy face. Now, he continues to go from place to place convincing people, particularly Filipinos all over the world to go back and help in Gawad Kalinga. This bond and all the future hopes it brings are what the organizations strives to achieve and not just the idea of helping the poor. Gawad Kalinga sees the unification of the rich and the poor its primary vision and mission in the long run. The organization is able to live out, therefore, two Church teachings: 1) for the Church of the Poor (GK) to have such a love of preference for the poor as to orient and tilt the center of gravity of the entire community in favor of the needy:   The "Church of the Poor" is one where the entire community of disciples especially the rich and better off sectors of the community and its leaders and pastors, will have such a love of preference for the poor as to orient and tilt the center of gravity of the entire community in favor of the needy. (Second Plenary Council of the Philippines, No. 134) and 2) to have the poor feel at home in her (Church/GK), and will participate actively, as equal to others, in her life and mission: When the Church in the Philippines becomes truly this Church of the Poor, the poor will feel at home in her, and will participate actively, as equal to others, in her life and mission. The Church will then become truly a communion, a sign and instrument for the unity of the whole Filipino nation. (Second Plenary Council of the Philippines, No. 136) The Church, through Gawad Kalinga, will then become truly a communion, a sign and instrument for the unity of the whole Filipino nation.

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