By Manuel L. Morato
Ang pinakamalaking problema pag dumating na ang Covid vaccine ay kung sino ang mag-apply sa mga tao.
Remember, ang target ng gobiyerno ay 30 million people. Hindi kaya ng DOH bakunahan lahat ng mga babakunahan. Ang LGU hindi rin puwede at walang experience.
Bakit hindi i-tap ang mga local at international civic organizations like: Rotary Club, Lions, Jaycees, Kiwanis, Pugad Lawin Philippines, etc… Malaki ang maitutulong nitong experienced members nitong mga professionals at civic-minded organizations at walang bayad. And they are honest group of businessmen.
Meron silang mga chapters all over the Philippines kaya madali silang makapag organize ng vaccine brigade thru their chapters and districts all over the Philippines. Malaking tulong ang naibigay nitong civic organizations sa Polio vaccine drive noon, at marami silang members na doctors and nurses at puwede silang kumuha ng mga katulong sa ibat-ibang hospital as part ng kanilang Covid vaccine project.
The vaccines are about to be delivered. Bakit hindi kinakausap ng administration itong mga samahan na handang tumulong?
During my PCSO chairmanship, during the time of President Ramos, I guested in many of these private and non-government organizations because I trusted these civic groups than recruit groups with links in government. Those linked with government are people ending up benefitting themselves instead of the people. A lot of noise and publicity all geared in aggrandizing themselves for the next election in mind. And what do politicians know about charity? Let’s face it, they are charitable to themselves!
The international civic groups I’ve mentioned such as Rotary Club, Lions, Jaycees, Kiwanis… as well as local civic groups of professionals such as Pugad Lawin Philippines… their members are definitely worthy groups of professionals and trusted individuals who can tap big corporations for assistance.
In the PCSO, everytime I gave speeches when invited, I appealed to the members to help the PCSO in their outreach programs. These groups acted as our conduit to the people for it was not possible for the PCSO alone to reach everyone who needed help.
What better group composed of professionals to ask help from than the aforementioned civic group of professionals? They are trustworthy, honest and committed to the service of the people, not for themselves.
Let’s face it, politicians (hindi ko nilalahat) ay medyo out of place when it comes to charitable undertakings. Pirming bahagi sila. Parang “one for you and one for me” ang ginagawa nila. Sila ang pirming panalo, at ang taongbayan ay naaambunan lang ng bahagya. Mas Malaki ang kabig kaysa sa dapat ipamigay. We witnessed this in the past regime how the DSWD horded the goods incahoots with some mayors or kapwa politicians. Remember typhoon Yolanda? That was the height of thievery what happened there in Leyte, Samar and elsewhere.
No matter how you look at it, it’s pure and simple stealing, robbery, that can easily send them on a one way ticket to hell, when the day comes to make their final trip, not to Paris or New York! It’s a lockdown worst than Coronavirus for the ticket to hell is forever and it’s a one way ticket.
I’ve always said in my columns many years ago that: To steal is a crime; but to steal from the poor is double the crime.
This does not mean that to steal from the rich is not a crime. If the wealth of the rich is not borne out from dirty money, it is a crime to steal from the rich with clean money.
As far as stealing from the rich with dirty money, as far as his/her wealth is stolen and so-called dirty money, hindi ko na alam kung ano ang tawag diyan.
Maybe stealing between two thieves is like a football game or a basketball game when one side tries to “steal” the ball from the other side. That’s only a game. It is only a matter of pride. But stealing between two thieves simply leads the two parties to the same destiny. Both suffer kasi ang perang ninakaw nong mayaman ay pareho na lang sila nong nagnakaw sa kanya.
It’s still an act of stealing. However, if a thief stole from the dirty rich with stolen wealth is given back to the people – all of it (walang kupit) then that thief still has a chance to get to heaven, after a period of time in purgatory. Maybe both will travel to the same destination with intense heat yong lugar – no aircon. And its forever.
Let me say that in every tragedy in this country, so much money is lost.
When I took over the PCSO as Chairman, I succeeded then Chairman Mita Pardo de Tavera, a friend, in January of 1994. I rejected at first the offer of President Fidel Ramos to take over the PCSO because as I told the President, I do not want to enter government service anymore, after my MTRCB Chairmanship which President Cory appointed me to for six long years.
Aside from my not wanting to enter government service, I also did not want to take over a friend’s position – Chairman Mita Pardo de Tavera. But President Ramos told me that she is appointing Mita to the DSWD as Chairman.
With that I accepted the position because President Ramos forced it on me.
When I took over the PCSO in January 21, 1994, outgoing Chairman Mita Pardo de Tavera told me that she had filed cases against one of the PCSO directors appointed by President Cory; and told me what that female director had done before FVR took over the presidency in 1992. Other cases were also filed against some department managers. All the cases Chairman Mita left behind fell on my lap to resolve.
When I was appointed by FVR in January of 1994 (Why 1994?) Because President Cory and FVR forced me to run in the Lakas senatorial slate, again without my wanting to. I was banned from being appointed for one year.
When I took over the PCSO in January 1994 from being MTRCB Chairman which President Cory appointed me to in 1986, my predecessor Mita Pardo de Tavera told me that she filed a case in the Ombudsman against a PCSO Director during the Cory regime because she distributed millions of pesos worth of milk in tetrapac to be given to the poor students in public schools.
The lady’s association called “Soroptomists,” a private organization, was chosen by that PCSO Director to distribute the so-called “Milk-feeding project.” When I took over the members of the Soroptomists Club returned all the milk in tetrapac to the PCSO because they noticed that what was handed to them by that woman PCSO Director appointed by President Cory, were all expired milk. Chairman Mita took her to Court.
When I took over in 1994, I saw all those expired milk in tetrapac returned to the PCSO by the Soroptomists Club of the Philippines. They noticed something wrong and returned them all to the PCSO.
What a crime. That woman PCSO director did not mind if those poor public school students died or whatever. But the lady members of the Soroptomists had principles and returned them all to the PCSO in Chairman Mita’s term. No one could throw them away because they were needed as evidence in Court.
To make matters worse those expired milk in tetrapac cost millions withdrawn by that woman director from the PCSO during President Cory’s time. The case went on for years just to find out that the big company whose products the milk in tetrapac were given away for “free” instead of throwing them away. But the PCSO woman director was able to withdraw “millions” from the PCSO supposedly to buy the “milk in tetrapac” for give-away to the poor students to develop their mental capacity as nourishment.” And the money withdrawn must be supported.
Remember, private organizations make good partners in charity work, one of which is the Soroptomists Club of the Philippines. God bless you all for your honesty and concern. You stood up for what was right.
Happy New Year!
For comments and suggestions email at mlmorato@yahoo.com