About Advocacies

Who is an Advocate?

Wherever you are, here or abroad, whoever you are, and whatever you do, you can still be an advocate. An advocate is one who believes in something, one who has a conviction—and does something about it. This may be on any issue or subject, like senior citizens, prisoners, grief, health like breast cancer, diabetes, hypertension, drug rehabilitation, street children, housing, abandoned children, sexually abused women, breastfeeding, and many more.

What it takes to be an Advocate

Believing in one thing is something, but doing something about what you believe in is another—that is being an advocate. A lot of people are passive about what is happening around them. No matter what happens, they still do not care at all. It is high time that we begin to care. One can never live alone. One can never tell—who knows, one time or another, it will be you or me who will be on the receiving end of one’s compassion, empathy, or help.

If you have a calling, try to do something about it. Say, if you feel that street children need your help, find out more about them, what their needs are, the demographics, what is being done about their plight, what groups are involved, and how you, as an individual can contribute.

Do not just hand them some money, this may be a relief to them, but it is only temporary, not a long term solution to their problem. Even if you are in a foreign land, you can still make a difference—actually a lot of difference.

First, you can check on what your local Filipino community is doing. There might be some projects, like fund-raising or awareness projects that they are involved with. Find out how you can get involved. You may also check the Internet—but be wary for there at lots of scams.

Be an advocate NOW:  silent or active

You can either be a silent advocate or an active advocate. Silent means you can support the advocacy by giving some money for the different projects. As an active advocate, you may be directly involved with the projects that are being handled. Say, be a member of the various committees, be there onsite whenever you have the chance, if you are a writer, write about the projects for awareness, or launch a personal campaign so that your friends and relatives can become involved.

There are so many ways to be involved in an advocacy. The most important thing is to know what your heart really believes in and do some action NOW.

Keeping it all together: the Family Bonding website

All work and no play makes Jill a dull girl. Sadly, this is the reality in present times -  not just among individuals, but within the family, the basic unit of Philippine society. In our quest to pay the bills and keep body and soul together, some things have to be sacrificed, like precious  time with our loved ones. That is why a proper work-life balance must always be achieved.

I am actually reminded of a study I chanced upon recently. It’s called “The Vanishing Values of the Filipino Family.” These were the results of the survey conducted by Alveo Land, a subsidiary of Ayala Land, among their clients and other interest groups. The results were no less unnerving. It found out that:

- Nine out of 10 Filipinos believe that social values are already disappearing in the Philippines, foremost among them respect for others, and especially elders. Only one out of five perceived their parents to be worth emulating.

- There is hardly time for family bonding. About 60 per cent of Filipino home owners are working overtime. Roughly half of those surveyed spend less than four hours a day with their children, and one out of five Filipino spouses do not spend any time at all with their partners. As a result, couples now argue about their lack of time together, more than arguing about finances or differences in parenting styles. This is worsened by the fact that 50 per cent of Filipino families don’t go out for family vacations.

- One fourth of the respondents feel that health and fitness is an important aspect missing in their lives, and half of the population confess to not having any health or relaxation activities at all (unless you find staring at the computer a detressing activity).

- One third of all Filipino homeowners feel unsafe in their communities. Among such attributes as orderliness, accessibility and the like, safety and security in the community is the most underserved need.

- The last concern was the lack of religious expression. One out of every five Filipinos no longer attend church of any kind. The urge to do good deeds and perform charitable acts is strong within Filipino families; however, this desire is not necessarily backed up with concrete follow-up action.

What is good is that the Ayala real estate group has launched its parenting portal through its  masterplanned suburban project, the Verdana Homes Mamplasan in Laguna. I checked out the site at familybonding.com.ph and found it awash with useful tips and family-oriented activities you can do to benefit your children.

Among the components of the website are Tips for Families, a Family Calendar for posting of related activities, a Family Forum for the discussion of important topics, the  Family Blogs where one can share stories and online Polls.

Users can have real online interaction with fellow parents so that you can share common concerns and be each other’s support network. Aside from this, the Verdana Homes people also conduct live coffee talks and on-site activities to bring parents, their children and the extended family together.

“No one can deny the popularity of the Internet. Instead of treating this medium as an enemy, we utilize this influential medium to provide more expedient, but nonetheless sincere and exciting ways for urban Filipino families to bond,” explains Jennyle S. Tupaz, Alveo Land’s Division Manager for Project Development.

It is nice to see companies like Alveo Land take the initiative to push for the preservation of the Filipino family. We’ve always admired Alveo projects for their top-of-the-line amenities and comprehensive approach to housing. This approach makes sure that no man is ever an island, but lives harmoniously with the greater community. With Family Bonding, we can now see all of their nurturing action on the Web.

Dalaw na!

Why Be an EntrePinoy - 2

Do you like corned beef? O may sakit lang ba ang tinatanong?

Thirty or so years ago, all the karne norte we ate came from the United States, Brazil, or Argentina. Remember how we badgered our “stateside relatives” to bring us Libby’s, Hormels, and Hereford, seeing how it used to cost an arm or a leg to buy it here

Not anymore.

Today, there are Honey, Campo Carne, Purefoods, Argentina, Swifts, and CDO corned beef – all made in the Philippines and many of them better-tasting than the imported brands.

We also used to import all of our food processing equipment, but today, Benjamin Almeda and his sons’ factory in Gagalangin, Tondo, Manila, are fabricating some of these machines at half the price of the German makes. As we import less, we save more. Our dollars stay inside the country rather than paid to foreign businessman. Ang resulta – a better balance of payments. Mas konting utang sa World Bank.

This is another reason why entrepreneurs are dubbed the engine of the economy. Would you want to count yourself among the select people who will push the Philippines on its way to being a proud and self-reliant country, sa wakas. At long last.

I think by now you understand why our beloved Pinas needs many people who will set up their own businesses. But there is one more important reason.

Entrepreneurs who set up businesses in small towns and cities help develop these areas and thus stop the rural people from leaving their homes to migrate to the big cities.

If you come from the provinces, can you count how many of your kababayan and kababaryo migrated to Metro Manila, Metro Cebu or Metro Davao? And while you’re counting, can you also include those who left Pinas for contract employment in Hong Kong, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, Italy, etc?

Why did they leave? If there were enough entrepreneurs who were able to set up enough factories and other business establishments in your town and employed many of your kababayan, don’t you think some of the migrants could have stayed instead of left?

Do you know what else I am trying to suggest by asking you these kulit questions? I am trying to tell you not to look too far away from home when looking for a site for your future business, if you have a mind on one. Set up your store or your factory right where you live or were born. Wouldn’t it be exciting to help build up a new growth area or “boom” town? Your very own bayan!

Why Be an EntrePinoy - 1

Rare is the Filipino mother who tells her young son or daughter: Child, when you grow up, you be an entrepreneur, ha?

A teacher, yes — the so-called noblest profession. Or a doctor – naku, every family needs one. Or a lawyer – aba, galing-galing, so dignified. What about an engineer or a nurse or therapist with outstanding prospects to work abroad – aba siempre! And a salaried corporate manager in a multinational ? – yes na yes din.

Indeed, why should a self-respecting person go into business – a trade associated with exploitative, profit-taking capitalism. Or ruthlessness na mala-Shylock. Dyahi. For shame!

But have you thought of it this way?

The everyday reality is most people need or demand goods and services – these are the consumers or the general public. Other people supply these goods and services and these of course are the entrepreneurs. Together, they make up what is known as the economy. Demand and supply are the forces that make the economy work and vibrate.

When there is demand for goods and someone supplies it, money changes hands and profits are made. The more goods are demanded and supplied, the bigger the profits and the more the money that goes around the economy. This is how an economy prospers and grows. The main person who makes this activities happen is, sino pa – si entrePinoy.

EntrePinoy helps a country prosper not only by producing and supplying goods and services that are in demand and therefore makes profit but also because in the process of producing goods and services, he employs other people. Needless to say, when he employs workers, he pays them salaries. This gives workers buying power and enables them to become more active participants in the economy. As more and more people buy, the more profits entrepreneurs will earn. The more the entrepreneurs profit, the more they are able to hire people and to pay them well. And so the benefits go round and round in a circle in a spiral in an ever-growing prosperous, generous wheel.

Further, entrepreneurs who succeed and grow help other entrepreneurs succeed and grow too. How does this happen? Well, few entrepreneurs are self sufficient. No entrepreneur is an island, wika nga. Most depend on other entrepreneurs for their raw materials, parts, and supplies. Aling Lilia, a ready-to-wear garment manufacturer buys tela from Divisoria Maramingtela, a wholesaler; buttons, zippers and accessories from a suki in Tutuban mall; sewing machines and small sewing tools from a Singer dealer. A few months before Christmas, when Aling Lilia is hard pressed to serve peak orders for RTW, she sub-contracts some of the sewing to her kapitbahay and kumare, Aling Cora who is a fine costurera. As Aling Lilia prospers so do Divisoria Maramingtela and her other suppliers as well Aling Cora, her sub-contractor.

Do you see how the success of one business benefits other businesses with whom it is linked with? Do you see why it is true that “growth begets more growth?” And do you see the entrepreneur at the center of it all, making it happen?

O di ba, yes na yes din dapat sa pagiging entrePinoy. It is every bit as dignified and rewarding as any other profession – if not more.

Medium Rise Condo

During my teenage years, I moved to a new neighborhood in Makati that had a separate area for medium rise condos outside. The people I eventually befriended turned out to be neighbors in the medium-rise condo community and have been friends since they were very young. When I asked them how they met, they said they met in the playground or while swimming in the pool. From then on it was really easy to spend time as they were growing up since their houses were quite literally a stone’s throw away from each other.

I think medium-rise condos are perfect for young couples who work in the city but would like to have kids and raise them in a safe, family-friendly environment. For those who don’t know what they are, medium-rise condos are a cross between a single detached house and a high-rise condo. It has all the advantages offered by high-rise condos like garbage management and security, plus the atmosphere and appearance of a planned neighborhood. All medium-rise condo clusters have shared recreational areas, pocket gardens, landscaped lawns, and swimming pools, making it a great place to raise children. With the added security roaming around the cluster, you don’t even have to worry too much about keeping an eye on them all the time.

Medium-rise condos also have lesser numbers of storeys, and its architectural design keeps you from feeling as though you were living in a box by allowing more natural light to enter the corridors and the unit. Multiple storeys make efficient use of the land, which is why developers can afford to build them near business district. And since medium-rise condo clusters are always located within urban areas, you can get to work on time and be near the kids, in case any emergencies happen.

Since medium-rise condo clusters are a family-friendly place, I think they might be a little bit strict about having guests over and throwing parties. I suppose it’s just a matter of keeping the noise down and being considerate to the neighbors but at least in high-rise condos, the people who live there more or less have the same kind of social lifestyle so they might be a little more used to the noise and having people come and go.

While I’m still single I don’t see myself living in a medium-rise condo cluster because it just doesn’t suit my lifestyle. If ever do decide to settle down and raise a family though, I would definitely want them to grow up in the warm, friendly, and safe environment that medium-rise condo communities offer.