The shotgun approach

• Every year, more and more local Filipino American organizations have been conducting their own individual missions to the Philippines. Others donate medicines, books, cash and other goodies to various regions in the country.. Some are doing these mercy missions on their own while others are coordinating their efforts with the Philippine government, particularly the Commission on Filipinos Overseas.
• Selection of areas where the mission is to be held is made by each organization. And more often than not, the regions selected are either the birthplace of the leaders involved or are areas that are close to the heart of the donors.
• While all these efforts are laudable, it is doubtful whether the “shotgun” approach is very effective in uplifting the lives of people in the more depressed areas of the Philippines.
• There has been suggestions that the Philippine government involved itself in determining which areasof the country should be given top priority for missions and projects like these. They assert that the Commission on Filipinos Overseas, in coordination with the various departments of the Philippine government, come up with a map indicating the areas of the country which need immediate attention.
• Such a proposal should be considered by the government. For instance, the Philippine health department can assist Filipino American medical missions in selecting the areas that are in dire need of medical assistance. The department of education can pinpoint what areas in the Philippines that need school buildings, equipment and books. The department of social welfare can recommend which towns or provinces that are the most depressed so that donations of goods for families and children can be delivered. .The same thing is true with cash assistance to help families engage in livelihood projects.
• These agencies can produce a master list of municipalities, towns, cities and provinces from which the overseas Filipinos can choose from. And the government must be prepared to guide and assist the missioners so that their assistance would be most effective. This master list should be disseminated as widely as possible by Philippine embassies and consulates around the world.
• This is a proposal that is worth considering by all Filipino American groups.