Looking to the future with hope

The statement of Gawad Kalinga and Couples For Christ

It is the fate of the poor that is most important to us today, and
will be tomorrow.

Once again our nation stands at the crossroads.

We face massive poverty, corruption and loss of faith in the
government and conflict in the land.

The current political situation has polarized our society and we face
instability that could degenerate into chaos.

What is the way forward?

Our nation has known corruption since time immemorial. Elections are
won through guns, goons and gold. Governments are beset with thievery
and cronyism. We can never condone corruption but we must admit that
we are all to blame. For too long we have tolerated it and even
participated in it.

But we are not insensitive to the political tension and controversy.
We sympathize with the struggle of our people to rise above our
historical baggage of corruption, "jueteng" [an illegal lottery] and
political patronage.

Let the issues be resolved through peaceful means, within
constitutional bounds.

Those who have suffered the most have always been the poor and the
powerless. They have been traditional victims of an unkind past. They
remain the first victims when the politicians fight, when the economy
weakens and when disaster strikes.

There needs to be fundamental change. And the time is now.

Change needs to happen not through the machinations of exploiters, not
through the imposition of force by those who have power, not through
the activism of self-interest groups, but through the empowerment of
every Filipino, especially the poor and the marginalized, in the work
of nation-building.

Our contribution to permanent political and social reform is Gawad
Kalinga. Its development and empowering programs are an effective
response against poverty. The Filipino values of integrity, honesty
and bayanihan, manifested in Gawad Kalinga communities, are the proper
response to corruption. To conflict, the response is to attain peace
by building peaceful communities.

To this end, we invite all Filipinos to bayanihan through the work of
Gawad Kalinga and other nation-builders. This is our call to heroism.

Though we are in the worst of times, such can also become the best of
times, if we pray and trust in God and put our faith in action.

Let us build up and not tear down. Let all sectors of society unite
and work to uplift the dignity and life of the poor. With integrity,
commitment and sacrifice, let us together build our nation.

BAWAT PILIPINO BAYANI