KAMAYAN Forum Journal -- issue

EDITORIAL

Poison(ed) Bananas?

AERIAL SPRAYING of hazardous chemicals over banana plantations in Davao continues despite scientific evidence of their harmful effect on human health and the environment. The plantation owners are not to be be bothered nor deterred. Not by public clamor, nor by law (which they can, after all, buy).

What we see is the insensitivity and arrogance of capitalist corporations. So they produce poisoned bananas, uncaring about consumers, workers and affected communities. And under modern forms of enslavement with neo-colonial indifference and unmoderated greed.

Since protest, pleading and law don’t work in this case, our best and only recourse will have to be: to produce and export clean and nutrilicious bananas ourselves. There is clean technology for growing organic banana that is preferred by the Japanese market and presumably other green markets abroad.

The bananas are grown with conscious regard and campassion for the consumers, and under healthy conditions for workers who co-own the enterprise. This is being done by Negros farmers under the guidance of the organization AlterTrade.

In the receiving countries to which the poisoned Davao bananas are exported, we should network with civil society organizations and consumer networks to mount an all-out campaign to shift to clean, organic bananas. While here we should expand the organic banana production and be ready to fill the demand.

In expanding production of organic banana we shall be creating jobs and business for agrarian reform beneficiaries and landless rural workers. The emphasis on clean and healthy production methods (chemical–free) will cause a recovery of the caring attitude for people that communities should nurture.

And because production will be through worker cooperation and the enterprise will be worker-owned, dignity of work will be restored, and labor amply rewarded. Moreover, the enterprise can be opened for investment by small entrepreneurs such as vegetable and fruit vendors so that a wider population can benefit from the enterprise and shore up their household economy.

In this manner, immediate neighborhoods in the plantation areas are connected to other communities in municipal and urban markets, propelling the banana export industry for the benefit of many. And the beneficiary entrepreneurs can serve as change agents for more caring, self-sufficient communities.

As this pattern of production and fair trade is multiplied across many other products and localities, we shall have a nationwide rebuilding of the life chances of household and flourishing of local economies.

As to the arrogant aerial-spraying corporations, they will either go organic or close shop. Let Philippine bananas be green-organic. Let Filipino enterprise be compassionate. Let our communities be richly productive through communal modes of production and the restoration and nurture of the sense of community

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FORUM FOCUS

'Business as Usual' Stance Lucrative but Immoral?

Banana Planters Ignore DoH

on Hazards of Aerial Spraying

A YEAR AND A MONTH AGO, the Kamayan para sa Kalikasan forum focused its live discussion on the issue of aerial spraying of tpxic pesticides on banana plantations in Davao City, with downwind communities getting poison rain and suffering various skin and respiratory ailments. The issue dragged on, with the banana plantation owners enjoying the effect of an injunction slapped by the Court of Appeals on the city government to desist from enforcing its ordinance that had banned the practice.

Now, aside from the Davao City LGU and the Davao Regional Trial Court, an executive department has also taken the side of the victimized communities. But the plantation owners have displayed their arrogance by ignoring it, involving even mediapersons in their propaganda war to enjoy their "business as usual" mode.

The banana planters are apparently undisturbed by the scientific Department of Health findings of health hazards caused by their continued aerial spraying of pesticides. DoH findings on the effects of pesticides in Camocaan village, Davao del Sur were even scored by a columnist who was apparently misinformed by the banana plantation owners. An item in Conrado Banal’s column in the Philippine Daily Inquirer last May, assailed the DoH report recommended the banning of aerial spraying of these pesticides.

Banal said the study found "statistically negligible" levels of fungicide in Camocaan. But nowhere in the report could the words “statis-tically negligible” be found. In fact, the report says the opposite: in one of the soil samples in Camocaan, the levels of ethylene thiourea, a potential carcinogenic fungicide byproduct, exceeded the levels allowed by the US Environmental Protection Agency. DoH also found that among the randomly selected patients living outside the plantation, the levels of this potential carcinogenic chemical in their blood were dangerously high. But Banal did not mention any of these findings.

The quote and arguments Banal used in his column were exactly the same quote and arguments that several other columnists had used, verbatim, in their own columns.

Bukidnon province banned aerial spraying way back in 2001. North Cotabato also did in 2004, and in 2007 Davao City followed suit. Despite the ban, banana plantations in Bukidnon and North Cotabato continue to thrive, belying the claim that banning aerial spraying would kill the banana industry.

The Pilipino Banana Growers and Exporters Association (PBGEA), apparent source of the misleading information on the DoH study, continues to defy public and government clamor to abandon aerial spraying and to adopt instead viable and less dangerous alternatives. It is a pity that columnists like Banal allow themselves to be used by corporations focusing only on their own endless quest for profit.

In this context, the organizers of the Kamayan para sa Kalikasan decided to bring back this issue to the discussion table. Led by SALIKA President George Dadivas, they have invited Akbayan Rep. Ana Theresia Hontiveros-Baraquel; Sen. Jose Miguel Zubiri; Dr. Lynn Panganiban of DoH; Lia Jasmine Esquillo, executive director of the Davao-based Interphase Development Initiatives (IDIS); National Task Force Against Aerial Spraying (NTFAAS) chair Rene Pineda; and a representative of PBGEA to attend as resource persons in the forum’s session this coming 3rd Friday, July 17, 10:30 a.m. - 2 p.m. at the Kamayan Restaurant along EDSA in Mandaluyong City. SALIKA Chair Emeritus and Mother Earth Foundation President Marie R. Marciano will moderate.

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FORUM ECHOES

Batangas WED organizers feted at Kamayan Forum

LOCAL organizers of the recent World Environment Day commemoration in Batangas City were enthusiastically applauded after they narrated the preparations and actual facilitation work they did which resulted in unprecented breakthroughs in nine years of annual WED commemorations in the Philippines. Acknowledging the congratulations, the Batangas delegation spoke as one to give credit to Mayor Eduardo Dimacuha, whose leadership and firm decisions for WED, they said, were crucial in the success of the UN-mandated WED’s commemoration in their city this year.

The Batangas delegation led by Councilor Marvey Mariño, included city environment and natural resources officer Oliver Gonzales who was also appointed acting chairman of the Green Families and Communities Network-Batangas City Chapter; and Technical Working Group chairman Dr. Angelito Bagui, earlier named WED-Phils. Special Deputy Secretary-General.

The WED-Phils. Network’s 7th Annual Assembly held at the week-long celebration passed to Mayor Dimacuha the helm of the network from 2008 national host Puerto Princesa City Mayor Edward S. Hagedorn. The network was itself renamed Green Families and Green Communities Network (GFCN).

During the session, WED-Phils. Co-Chair Emeritus and Sec.-Gen. Ed Aurelio Reyes presented signed certificates of recognition and appreciation and Sanib-Sining members German Caniete and Marz Zafe (SALIKA Sec.-Gen.) presented some of the group’s gifts for the awardees of the “Mandirigma ng Kapaligiran” citations in Batangas City. (to read more about WED-Philippines and WED'09 in Batangas, click here.)

The unusually festive Kamayan Forum session was moderated by GFCN national spokesperson Rene Pineda.

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BOXED FEATURE

‘Pursuit of Profits Not Without Limits!’ – Rep. Risa

(excerpts from a privilege speech delivered by Akbayan Rep. Ana Theresia Hontiveros-Baraquel in 2008.)

I HAVE MET FARMERS AND PEASANTS, and I have been with their families and communities, and they would be keen to share that the fruits of their labor, the blessings from their lands, bear stories of the dignity of their work. The bananas from Davao sing their stories, too, but they tell stories of human sufferings, of corporate abuse, of emotional pains. They are delicious and plush, but they are made so at the expense of our poor countrymen's health, the destruction of the environment, particularly the air that farmers and farming communities in Davao breathe.

The problem is the unabated spraying of deadly pesticides by banana plantations in Davao City. These plantations, which are owned by big domestic and multinational corporations, make use of aircrafts in their method of spraying. Through this method, the pesticide drift, reaching as far as three kilometers and making nearby residents, plantation workers and the environment the unwitting recipients of deadly chemicals meant to kill the pests that attack bananas.

They are not bananas but they get sprayed with toxic pesticides. They are not pests, but they are slowly being killed by pesticides. So they waged an initiative to ban aerial spraying of pesticides in Davao City. They have a compelling case for their clamor, Ginoong Speaker, and we should pay heed: pesticides are designed to kill. We usually mistake pesticides as chemicals only limited to kill insects but in fact, pesticides can kill a wide range of living things, including humans.

According to the World Health Organisation there are at least 3 million pesticide poisoning cases annually worldwide or six (6) persons poisoned every minute. These often occur due to accidental exposure through spillage and insufficient protective clothing while working. The effects of acute poisoning (immediate effects) depend on the toxicity and quantity of pesticides absorbed. These effects are wide ranging from numbness, dizziness, tremors, nausea, blurred vision to difficulty breathing. Death happens in the most severe cases.

Our farmworkers and communities living in and around plantations are subject to chronic or long-term exposure. In the short-term, impaired memory and concentration, confusion, severe depressions, nausea, and speech difficulties have all been reported. Other effects (of chronic exposure to pesticides) may only appear later in life, or even in the next generation. Learning difficulties, behavioural and reproductive effects such as accelerated puberty, infertility, and increased susceptibility to cancer have been observed in children of parents exposed to pesticides. Numerous types of cancer including liver, skin, prostate and leukemia have also been associated with pesticide exposure. One study of banana plantation workers in Mindanao found high levels of a fungicide by-product (ETU) correlated with incidence of thyroid gland disorders.

Here in the Philippines, over 30 chemical pesticides that have already been banned in Europe and the United States are still being used by banana plantations. Aerial spraying in particular, or the use of an airplane or helicopter in spraying pesticides, is a serious threat, thus the practice is prohibited in many countries. The spray can drift up to one hundred kilometres, exposing people to pesticides even when they live far from fields and crops that are being sprayed. Yet in many cities and provinces in Mindanao, aerial spraying is a routine practice that has been going on for decades exposing helpless communities to toxic spray with very little intervention from regulatory agencies.

There are alternatives to pesticides that are healthy for humans, the environment and the economy. We know that there are a good number of banana plantations also in the province of Davao that are thriving even without having to resort to aerial spraying of pesticides. Some are even growing them organically. In Cotabato, banana growers continue to exist and do good business despite their laws banning aerial spraying. In Bukidnon where there has been a ban in aerials spraying since 2001, alternatives such as boom, manual and sprinkler spray have reduced the exposure risk to surrounding communities, without affecting productivity. Reduction of pesticide inputs actually leads to an increase in profits.

Another successful alternative to pesticide use is organic farming or zero-use of pesticides. Using various forms of natural pest management, a farming cooperative in Mindanao exports organic bananas to Japan, earning premium price from the increasingly health-conscious Japanese market. The point is that there is definitely a better way of doing agriculture that is not only good for our farmers' pockets, but also results in safer food, healthier bodies and a more nurtured environment.

It is true that aerial spraying, compared with the conventional ground-based methods, is more cost-efficient and profitable. But there are limits that must be recognized by banana plantations that continue to rely on aerial spraying. The pursuit of profit is not without limits. I may be free to spray on my perfume onto myself, but I cannot force my perfume unto my colleagues by forcibly spraying the same on them. I may also flex my tired arms and legs for hours of sessions, but I cannot extend them to the inconvenience and harm of my colleagues – my right has to have a boundary.

Dagohoy Magaway, an affected resident who came to Manila through the help of some NGO's, related to me: "Nagtitinda po ako ng puto sa lugar namin na malapit sa mga taniman ng saging. Kapag dumadaan na po ang eroplanong mag-iispray, nagtatakbuhan at nagkukubli po ang lahat, lalo na po yung mga batang papasok sa mga paaralan. Dahil wala naman po kaming masyadong masilungan, nababasa pa rin po kami ng kemikal sa buong katawan. Nagkakasakit po kaming lahat. At sa aking pagkataranta, madalas po ay nahuhulog sa lupa ang paninda kong puto kaya malimit ay wala akong kita at lagi pang nalulugi. Tinatanong ko pong madalas ang ating Panginoon kung kaming mga mahihirap na apektado ng spraying ay may karapatang mabuhay."

Ginoong Speaker, my honorable colleagues: under the laws of God and our Constitution, who has the right to a real life – Dagohoy Magaway or the banana planters who are only concerned about profits?
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.PRE-FORUM

Days before the scheduled face-to-face live forum we posted in the "KFJ-Next" webpage this cluster of questions on which we requested for comments to be sent in via our "Feedback Box, via postal mail, or via short-text messaging:

QUERIES TO PONDER & ANSWER:

(Also to post in your blogsites and your on-line network forums)

Considering that the downwind communities living near the banana plantations in Davao City have been upheld by City Hall, by the local Regional Trial Court and by the Department of Health in their complaints about the continued aerial spraying of toxic chemicals, how come the spraying continues unhampered? The Philippines' having been branded "a banana republic with a sagging economy" was supposed to be only a joke, but why does the plantation owners' concern for keeping their profits high at the expense of public health continue to prevail? Are we citizens this helpless in this supposedly-democratic country?

And we received these responses:

RESPONSES RECEIVED VIA THE FEEDBACK BOX (at the bottom), VIA THE P.O. BOX, OR VIA THE CELLPHONE:

Vic O. Milan

(July 16, 2009 via Cell Phone) 17,

Engr. Adolfo Pinlac

(July 16, 2009 via Cell Phone)

Mariano Aycocho Jr.

( (Cabuyao, Laguna, July 16, 2009 via Cell Phone)A17, 2009 via cell phone)

George Dadivas

(Antipolo, City, July 16, 2009 via cell phone)

Atty. Gerry del Mundo

(July 16, 2009 via cell phone)

Edward Sta. Ana

(Taguig City, July 15, 2009 via cell phone)

Roy Cabonegro

( (Montalban, Rizal, July 14, 2009 via "Feedback Box") 009 via cell phone)

Greg Bituin

( (July 14, 2009 via "Feedback Box") 0

, 2009 via e-mail)

Vic O. Milan

(July 16, 2009 via Cell Phone) 17, 2009 via Cell Phone)

It is one thing to decide against aerial spraying. It is another to have the political will to see that it is enforced. (In view of CA's TRO,) elevate the case to the SC!

back to list.

Engr. Adolfo Pinlac

(July 16, 2009 via Cell Phone) 17, 2009 via Cell Phone)

Ask help from the NPA, shoot at the aircract.

back to list.

Mariano Aycocho Jr.

((( ((Cabuyao, Laguna, July 16, 2009 via Cell Phone)A

Anumang nakakasira sa hangin ay dapat pigilan, at dapat ipaglaban ang malinis na hangin. Salamat sa Kamayan at nakakalahok pa rin ako kahit di na makadalo.

back to list.

George Dadivas

(Antipolo, City, July 16, 2009 via cell phone)

Palagay ko, may mataas na pumipigil dahis sa malaking halaga na pambara mula sa mga dambuhala. Sino nga ba ang dapat magpatigil na nagpapapigil?

back to list.

Atty. Gerry del Mundo

(July 16, 2009 via cell phone)

Being a lawyer of public interest cases (of 3 million coco farmers, 4.5-m Meralco and all consumers of Napocor all over RP, we 50 NGOs support your advocacy against aerial sprayings anywhere that poisons our people. Count us in.

back to list.

Edward Sta. Ana

(Taguig City, July 15, 2009 via cell phone) 1

Pinapatunayan ng patuloy na aerial spraying ang pagkiling ng pamahalaan sa mga dambuhalang banyagang namumuhunan at ang kawalan ng pagsasaalang-alang sa mga biktima nating kababayan.

--Dado Sta. Ana, Kilusang Lakas-Pamayanan

back to list.

Roy Cabonegro

( (Montalban, Rizal, July 14, 2009 via "Feedback Box") 17, 2009 via Cell Phone)

This report of the DoH is a breakthrough and strongly supports our arguments against aerial spraying.

We must all mobilize to support the DoH, particularly the scientists who came out with this report who are currently under attack now.

We should also mobilize to show public support for that joint inter-departmental AO on banning aerial spraying that DoH and other line agencies are working on right now; partly because of this report.

As we do all of these, we should bear in mind some broader issues and the following critical policy questions:

(1) How sustainable are large plantations? Are they the right way of sustainable agriculture for this country?

(2) What is the implication of a resolution of the courts in favor of corporations on the LGU-passed banned on aerial spraying? How will this weaken the power of LGUs to protect public interest against corporate interests?
--- Roy Cabonegro

Secretary-General
Partido Kalikasan - Metro Manila

back to list.

Greg Bituin

( (July 14, 2009 via Cell Phone) 17, 2009 via Cell Phone)

(Sa miting ng grupong Green Convergence nitong Mayo sa Environmental Science Institute sa Miriam College sa Lunsod Quezon ay ipinalabas ni Ms. Lia Esquillo ang isang video hinggil sa isyung aerial spraying sa Davao. Sa Hulyo 28 nakatakdang ilabas ng Court of Appeals ang hatol sa usaping ito. Ang sumusunod na tula'y may tigsampung pantig bawat taludtod.)

Sa isang pinalabas na video
Ni Madam Lia na Davaoeño
Pinaulanan ng pestisidyo
Na binagsak mula eroplano
Ang mga saging at mga tao.

Rason ng namuhunan sa saging
Ang mga peste’y dapat patayin
Kaya gamit nila’y eryal isprey
Na tinamaa’y di lang pananim
Kundi pati tao sa paligid.

“Hindi ako saba o lakatan
Hindi ako saging na latundan
Bakit pati ako’y inambunan
Inispreyan ang aking katawan
Ng lason ng kumpanyang gahaman.”

Itong sabi ng bata sa video
Batang wala pang muwang sa mundo
Na biktima ng sakim sa tubo.
Nagkasakit na ang batang ito
Batang hindi saging, kundi tao.

Bukod sa kanya ay marami pa
Ang nagkasakit at nabiktima.
Lingkod-bayan ay agad nagpasa
Ng ginawa nilang ordinansa
Eryal isprey ay pinagbawal na.

Ngunit nakapalag ang kumpanya
Ito’y agad nakapag-apila
Kaya napigil ang ordinansa
Anim-na-buwang nagpatuloy pa
Ang eryal ispreying sa kanila.

Kaya ngayon ay inaabangan
Ang kahatulan nitong hukuman
Ang eryal isprey ba’y papayagan
O ito’y tuluyang pipigilan
Para sa kalusugan ng bayan?

At akin ding dito’y namamasdan
Kung ano ang dito’y nakasalang
Nakataya sa naglalabanan:
Dignidad ng mga lingkod bayan
Laban sa mga mamumuhunan.

Ang labanang ito’y kaytindi na
Tutubuin o ang ordinansa
Puhunan o kalusugan nila
Mga tao laban sa kumpanya
Lingkod-bayan o kapitalista.

Ang masasabi ko lang ay ito
Hindi saging ang bata sa video
Kaya sa Davao ma’y kaylayo ko
Panawaga’y sumuporta tayo
Sa laban ng mga Davaoeño.

Hulyo 12, 2008
Sampaloc, Maynila
Greg Bituin Jr.
Writer

KPML, SALIKA

back to list.

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BACKPAGE.AD

Malinaw na pagkaisahin,

POINTS OF UNITY IN MEMBERS’ MINDS THAT ARE VAGUE OR TOO GENERAL,

EVEN IF ALL VERY GOOD, WELL-INTENDED AND SO VERY PLEASANT,

CANNOT SUFFICE FOR THE DEGREE OF SYNERGY (OF THOUGHT,

WORD AND DEED) WE FULLY NEED TO DO OUR WORK.

tiyaking palagiang aktibo,

JUST PARTICIPATING OCCASIONALLY IN SOME ACTIVITY OR OTHER

WOULD SURELY LEAVE OUR BETTER MEMBERS WANTING FOR MORE.

LET’S CLARIFY SPECIFICS IN MEMBERS’ TASKS, AND CHAL-

LENGE THEM TO MEET UP TO HIGHER STANDARDS OF

CONSISTENTLY-ACTIVE AND RELIABLE MEMBERSHIP.

at palaganapin sa Kapuluan

HAVING MOST OF OUR MEMBERS BASED IN THE NATIONAL

CAPITAL REGION REFLECTS WELL OUR CIRCUMSTANCES

AND HISTORY; HOW FAR AND HOW FAST WE CAN EXPAND NOW

WILL REFLECT THE EARNESTNESS AND INTENDED ROOTEDNESS

OF OUR NATIONAL PERSPECTIVE: PHILIPPINES, NOT JUST NCR!

ang ating mga kasapian!

“MGA KASAPIAN” MEANS “MEMBERSHIPS.” PLURAL. WE ARE

A PLURALITY OF ORGANIZATIONS, EACH WITH A SPECIFIC VISION,

A CLEAR FOCUS AMONG THE NEEDED PARADIGM SHIFTS IN SOCIETY,

EACH WITH A DEFINITE PUBLIC CONSTITUENCY, EACH WITH ITS OWN

DEFINITE MEMBERSHIP-- ITS OWN RELIABLY ACTIVE STAKEHOLDERS

READY TO TEAM UP CLOSELY TO PURSUE ITS MISSION WELL.

Isabuhay na ang panawagan:

WE HAVE JOINED IN AS MEMBERS OF AN ORGANIZATION THAT IS

SERIOUSLY WORKING FOR SOCIAL UPLIFTMENT. THIS IS NOT AT ALL

A ‘SOSYALAN’ ACTIVITY OF OTHERWISE IDLE PEOPLE. WE HAVE ALL

BEEN BUSY WITH OUR PERSONALLY-CHOSEN PRIORITY CONCERNS.

BUT EVEN AS WE COMPLAIN ABOUT ALL OUR WOES, BIG AND SMALL,

WE CHOOSE NOT TO INVOKE THESE CONCERNS, OR OUR PERCEIVED

WEAKNESSES, AS EXCUSES TO STOP AT JUST ENDLESS COMPLAINING.

INSTEAD, WE SEEK OUT, AND HELP ADDRESS, THEIR ROOT CAUSES.

WITH OUR VERY OWN DEAR LIVES — CONSCIOUS AND CONSISTENTLY-

ENERGETIC EFFORTS OVER MUCH OF OUR HEALTHY WAKING HOURS —

WE STRIVE TO HELP THE FILIPINO PEOPLE OVERCOME WEAKNESSES IN

OUR FRAGMENTATION AND LIVE AS A NATION IN POWERFUL SYNERGY.

Mag-SanibLakas, Pilipinas!

LET US LIVE THIS MESSAGE. THE KATIPUNAN SUCCEEDED

IN GATHERING (‘TIPON’) OUR PEOPLE; IF ENOUGH OF US

WORK HARD ENOUGH, WE CAN HELP TO REALLY UNIFY THEM

TO EMANCIPATE AND UPLIFT THEMSELVES SUCCESSFULLY.

This is the commitment of PAMAYANANG SANIBLAKAS NG PILIPINAS. Be a part of it.

( We have started preparing for our 2nd General Assembly this coming November 28. )

WE ARE PROMOTING PARADIGM SHIFTS TO HELP EMPOWER THE PEOPLE. PLEASE OPEN <http:// lambat-liwanag.8m.net>.

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All are invited. to the Kamayan para sa Kalikasan Environmental Forum held regularly, since March 1990, on the 3rd Friday every month, 10:30am-2pm at the Kamayan Restaurant along EDSA, Mandaluyong City. It is convened jointly by the Clear Communicators for the Environment (CLEAR) and SanibLakas ng mga Aktibong Lingkod ng Inang Kalikasan (SALIKA), fully sponsored by Kamayan.

   THIS ON-LINE EDITION OF KAMAYAN PARA SA KALIKASAN JOURNAL IS PREPARED FOR SALIKA & CLEAR BY

SanibLakas CyberServices

THIS PAGE HAS BEEN VISITED TIMES SINCE IT WAS UPLOADED.

POINTS OF UNITY IN MEMBERS’ MINDS THAT ARE VAGUE OR TOO GENERAL,

EVEN IF ALL VERY GOOD, WELL-INTENDED AND SO VERY PLEASANT,

CANNOT SUFFICE FOR THE DEGREE OF SYNERGY (OF THOUGHT,

WORD AND DEED) WE FULLY NEED TO DO OUR WORK.

JUST PARTICIPATING OCCASIONALLY IN SOME ACTIVITY OR OTHER

WOULD SURELY LEAVE OUR BETTER MEMBERS WANTING FOR MORE.

LET’S CLARIFY SPECIFICS IN MEMBERS’ TASKS, AND CHAL-

LENGE THEM TO MEET UP TO HIGHER STANDARDS OF

CONSISTENTLY-ACTIVE AND RELIABLE MEMBERSHIP.

at palaganapin sa Kapuluan

HAVING MOST OF OUR MEMBERS BASED IN THE NATIONAL

CAPITAL REGION REFLECTS WELL OUR CIRCUMSTANCES

AND HISTORY; HOW FAR AND HOW FAST WE CAN EXPAND NOW

WILL REFLECT THE EARNESTNESS AND INTENDED ROOTEDNESS

**OF OUR NATIONAL PERSPECTIVE: PHILIPPINES, NOT JUST NCR!**

“MGA KASAPIAN” MEANS “MEMBERSHIPS.” PLURAL. WE ARE

A PLURALITY OF ORGANIZATIONS, EACH WITH A SPECIFIC VISION,

A CLEAR FOCUS AMONG THE NEEDED PARADIGM SHIFTS IN SOCIETY,

EACH WITH A DEFINITE PUBLIC CONSTITUENCY, EACH WITH ITS OWN

DEFINITE MEMBERSHIP-- ITS OWN RELIABLY ACTIVE STAKEHOLDERS

READY TO TEAM UP CLOSELY TO PURSUE ITS MISSION WELL.

WE HAVE JOINED IN AS MEMBERS OF AN ORGANIZATION THAT IS

SERIOUSLY WORKING FOR SOCIAL UPLIFTMENT. THIS IS NOT AT ALL

A ‘SOSYALAN’ ACTIVITY OF OTHERWISE IDLE PEOPLE. WE HAVE ALL

BEEN BUSY WITH OUR PERSONALLY-CHOSEN PRIORITY CONCERNS.

BUT EVEN AS WE COMPLAIN ABOUT ALL OUR WOES, BIG AND SMALL,

WE CHOOSE NOT TO INVOKE THESE CONCERNS, OR OUR PERCEIVED

WEAKNESSES, AS EXCUSES TO STOP AT JUST ENDLESS COMPLAINING.

INSTEAD, WE SEEK OUT, AND HELP ADDRESS, THEIR ROOT CAUSES.

WITH OUR VERY OWN DEAR LIVES — CONSCIOUS AND CONSISTENTLY-

ENERGETIC EFFORTS OVER MUCH OF OUR HEALTHY WAKING HOURS —

LET US LIVE THIS MESSAGE. THE KATIPUNAN SUCCEEDED