Batugal, Mark Julius R.
AsCiv
4CLM
12 Little Things Every Filipino Can Do to Help Our Country
The book written by Alexander Lacson, a lawyer, is proving the power of little things. It apparently struck
a chord in many Filipinos who share its author’s belief that the fate of the country depends not on its
politicians but on its people. An American president once said, “ask not what your country can do for
you, ask what you can do for your country”. One observation I had whenever I attend seminars or talks,
symposia about advocacies that help the nation, whether on the topic of environment, human rights,
poverty or other social issues, either the speaker presents the question “what can you do to help our
country” or what can we do to eradicate this issue” as a rhetoric or one from the audience would ask
this question. This book, a compilation of anecdotes, simply written, is relatable for everybody; it
provides us with simple and practical solutions to a problem very complex. It shows that through little
things, if done properly by everybody is a big thing. The book is a small package for very great things.
Below is the itemized version of the 12 little things that we Filipinos can do for our country:
1. Follow traffic rules. Follow the law - The simplest of our laws. If we learn to follow them, it could be
the lowest form of national discipline we can develop, totally without monetary cost, easy for us to do;
it should be a good start.
2. Whenever you buy or pay for anything, always ask for an official receipt - By simply asking for ORs
for all our purchases, you and I can actually help the government in increasing our tax collections every
year, in solving our nation's budget deficit, in reducing our foreign debt, in improving our international
credit standing, in strengthening the value of peso.
3. Do not buy smuggled goods. Buy local, Buy Filipino - It may not be good economics to ask our people
to buy 100% local products. Instead, what I suggest is for us to take a "50-50 buying attitude." We must
develop the attitude of using at least 50% of our budget to buy locally-made products and allocating the
other 50% for our favorite imported choices... it could be another big push for our economy and our
people. It will retain capital in our country, build our local industries, build Filipino brands, create more
employment for our people, and send more Filipino children to school. It will give a brighter future to
our nation.
4. When you talk to others, especially foreigners speak positively of our race and our country - We
should make a conscious effort to stop this self-bashing and self-flagellation. We should stop telling
"horror stories' about ourselves to foreigners, including business associates, friends and relatives
abroad. Instead, we should start focusing on the positive aspects of our national being. There are so
many good things we can talk about ourselves as a people and as a nation. It only requires a change in
attitude...a change in the way we look at things.
5. Respect your traffic officer, policemen, soldier & other public servants - It is the power of respect.
Respect honors. It empowers. It dignifies. It makes a person proud. It makes one feel honorable. At the
same time, courtesy to others is good manners. It is etiquette. It is class and elegance. It is also kindness.
It is seeing the value and dignity in the other man. It is, in fact, a mark of most profound education...
They are what they are because of what we are. They are who they are because of who we are...
6. Do not Litter. Dispose your Garbage Properly. Segregate. Recycle. Conserve. - We are part of the
environment. The environment is part of us. Whichever way we look at it, the environment and we,
human beings, are linked to each other in a powerful sense... Throwing our garbage properly is another
simple form of national discipline for us as a people. All it needs is just a conscious effort from each one
of us. Segregation allows the recycling of solid waste possible and a lot easier. Recycle and reuse instead
of buying new things. The more we buy the more garbage we make. The more we buy the more natural
resources we consume.
7. Support your Church. -- donate 1% of our monthly net earnings. Doing so will empower our churches,
so our churches will have more resources to help the poor and neglected members of our society. Don't
you think we will be truer to our claim of being Christians or Muslims when we support our churches?
8. During elections, do your solemn duty. - If we have bad leaders today and in the past, it is not the
fault of the many who know less, but the fault of the few who know more but who do nothing or who
don't do enough... If we want to see progress in our country, we must start with the way we perform
our duties as citizens. As a people, we must BE involved. We must GET involved. We are the ones who
elect
and
place
them
to
these
positions.
Let
us
vote
wisely
this
time.
9. Pay your employees well. -- The bounty must always be shared... Paying our employees is one such
way. A good salary can go a long way. It will pay for your employee's children's good education... pay for
vitamins and medication to make our youth healthy... pay for the reading materials to make our youth
intelligent. Pay for the low-cost apartment and house and lot to provide our youth a good living
environment. A good salary to our employees will mean a good future for their children, our youth, our
nation's future.
10. Pay your taxes - Taxes are the lifeblood of our government, of our nation... We have to pay our
taxes properly, because we all live in the same country. Because this Government, whether we like it or
not, is our government. Its cost is a burden we must all share. The task of building this nation is a task
that we all must share. We all must contribute to build the kind of nation we dream for ourselves. Each
one of us has a role in it. Each one of us has a responsibility to it.
11. Adopt a Scholar, or Adopt a poor child -- Imagine if 2M families in our country would adopt 2M poor
children, either as scholars or as members of our families? That's 2 M young Filipinos who will be given
access to a better future. In return that's 2M Filipinos who in the future can give us a better nation. No
doubt too, this is one of the fastest ways to close the gap between the rich and poor in this country. It is
one of the best paths to national progress.
12. Be a good parent. Teach your kids to follow the law & to love our country. -- Given the present
state of our nation, with so many to problems that we don't even know where to begin to solve them,
our children are always a good starting point. They are the future. Their minds and their hearts will
shape and color the future...I guess building a nation towards progress and greatness is like that too. We
have to attend to the many little things on our national life, and start setting them right. And our family,
our children, is the STARTING point for this. Each child is a potential good Filipino. Each child is a
potential patriot of our country...