New Assignments in the IC

Newsworthy

GK is starting the year right.

An excerpt:

Meloto said Panlilio's brand of leadership and the close partnership of the private sector and government led him to believe that "we are seeing the future of the Philippines and it is going to happen here."

"The leadership here enjoys public trust. We are nonpartisan but we always like to work with national and local leaders who believe in the vision of Gawad Kalinga which is simple: To bring the Philippines out of the Third World; to make it a First World nation," Meloto said.

GK has already partnered with more than 300 local government units and seeks to increase its partners this year. So far, it has helped establish 1,500 villages in the country and has facilitated land donations for an additional 150,000 families.

Meloto praised Mayor Marino Morales for helping GK put up the Tabun village in June 2007 with the support of Couples for Christ, the Santos Ventura Hocorma Foundation and the Cabinet spouses.

Panlilio described the problem of homelessness in Pampanga as "urgent" due to migration and lack of housing units in the Pinatubo resettlements. Because of this, he said he would exert efforts to convince the provincial board to pass the 2008 budget.

"If that does not push through, the mayors and I will lead the GK campaign in the private sector so that the housing needs of our poorest constituents are addressed," he said.

A Blessed New Year to All

Wow, it seems the blog will be business as usual this year. I myself took a little break to enjoy the holidays and take care of my own business which needed a lot of my attention. I hope you all had a CHRISTmas and New Year season filled with family, joy, and the good Lord's blessings.

I'll start this off on a good note, although the first few salvos of the year has predictably been fired, and it wasn't by us.

Well first things first, the OTBT entry has been updated with the rest of the bulletins, all the way to #14. There is also a short Q&A addressing some of the concerns that we had regarding the use of funds and other issues. For those of you who had questions, please check out the entry.

Then, we've got the IC's new year message to all of us:


Next is the IC's memo on the Annual Leader's Conference set for Jan. 12.

It looks like we'll have a busy time ahead of us, there have been developments in CFC-USA, Couples for Christ in Ontario, and in our own homegrown issues. The 2nd part of the What's In A Name entry is forthcoming as well, and of course, don't expect that one to go unanswered.

Certain parties are still intent on getting in our business, for reasons that still escape me (or maybe not). All I can say is please, take care of your flock, and we'll mind our own. Greed has a way of becoming very obvious if you're not careful.

The Defense goes on...

The CHRISTmas Message

Merry CHRISTMAS to all, and my wishes for God's blessings to you and your loved ones in the coming New Year. As you all may have noticed, in honor of the season celebrating Jesus' birth, I have tried to be still and refrain myself from making any offensive entries. I have even delayed the conclusion of the What's In A Name essay. I'm saddened to note that the other side seems to feel no qualms about it. Here at the blog, I am guessing (with profound sadness) that it will be business as usual for us after the new year.

I bid you all to take this time to remember what CHRISTmas is truly is about, and honor the birth of He who gave his life for all of us. CHRISTmas is that much too short span of time when I try even harder to be that ideal person that I would like to be, every day of the year, and every year of my life. In following Jesus Christ's example, let us practice honesty, forgiveness, restraint, peace, understanding, and most of all, LOVE. No bible passages, no readings, no gospel quotes; just that simple message that I believe God would like us all to embody.

Many, many thanks to all who have helped us fight the good fight from the beginning, and those who supported CFC in this year of crisis.

My love to all of CFC, and see you all in 2008.


ps

Take it easy on the Lechon! =) You all know what I'm talking about!

Mad World

Not quite CFC related, but I think it's something to think about this CHRISTmas time. The song, Mad World, originally by Tears for Fears, used to make me bob my head in tune with it. This rendition by Gary Jules now brings tears to my eyes. The youtube video shows us some interesting ratios in representing the entire Earth's population in just 100 people. Please watch it: