“One trait which we lack in the in the Philippines on a widespread scale is the community spirit: sharing our blessings and gifts with our fellowmen.  “Kanya -kanya tayo.” We are so woefully divided as a nation”  I have now come to realize how true these are.

Hence when natural disaster strikes back home, such as  the Leyte mudslides, Mayon volcano eruption, devastating typhoons and other calamities, everybody here it seems springs into action to raise funds: sponsoring  concerts, soliciting money and goods , and such.  Charitable organizations abound here like the Feed Hungry in the Philippines, etc.  

Sports Groups Get into the Act.  Sports groups and associations  are no exception.  When the Tsunami Disaster struck in Asia, notably Thailand and Indonesia, the Fil-American Tennis Organization in Northern Virginia joined other ethnic groups in converting the Thai-Filipino Dual meet into a fund raising event. There are countless such projects going around  much of the time.  Once when a kababayan tennis player  was incapacitated by  a vehicular accident, members of his club joined by other clubs promptly held a tournament in his name to help him financially.

Religious Groups too. Even religious organizations have gotten into the act.

Take the case of the Couples for Christ.  Recently they have gone into projects to build homes for the homeless in the Philippines. They contribute a thousand dollars for each house to be built and then volunteer their labor for free  thus keeping the cost of houses built low and affordable.

Angel Viray a long time parishioner of St. Columba Parish in Oxon Hill Maryland showed me an article from the Gawad Kalinga Newsletter describing how the CFC members from his parish helped raise funds for GK projects.  Angel and his wife Amy and children are all active in the CFC.  Here are excerpts from the account of that great fund raising adventure:

“Our Gawad Kalinga (GK) runners once again conquered the ultimate test of stamina and endurance during the 22^nd<D> Army Ten Miler Marathon in Washington, DC on October 8, 2006. So popular is this annual event that 24,000 participants registered 3 months before the event. This year, 70 GK runners and 14 GK volunteers participated. During the awards ceremony, our GK Heroes and volunteers were honored for their commitment to raise awareness for the  work of nation-building in the Philippines.

From the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, the runners ran the 10 miles onto the National Capitol and back. Water stations were situated within 2 miles apart, some of which were manned by our GK volunteers, sporting the Army Ten Miler shirts and wearing the red GK Hero caps.

Rigorous training for at least 3 to 5 times a week took our runners away from many personal and family responsibilities but the efforts and sacrifices they put forth, has been a rewarding endeavor as they all crossed the finish line. What a way to show love for our country and care for the impoverished!

This year, it was easy to spot our GK runners for photo opportunity as they proudly wore red GK shirts. The GK Heroes challenge next year is to have a bigger presence (in the US) and to see Gawad Kalinga red shirts dominating next year’s marathon.”

 Asiad Medal Tally Best in 44 Years.  The Philippines ended  its Asian Games campaign with four gold medals, six silvers and nine bronzes for its best finish since 1962.  in this 15th staging of the Games that started out slow but ended with some spark of brilliance.

Boxers Violito Payla and Joan Tipon, cue artist Antonio Gabica turned in the golds  and they were joined by Rene Catalan, the gutsy wushu fighter who overcame the odds, including tall, heftier rivals. Team RP rallied at the finish to salvage 18th place overall.  The Filipinos recorded their best showing at home in 1954 when they won 14 golds, 14 silvers and 17 bronzes.

The main rivals of the Philippines in the regional Southeast Asian Games, which it ruled last year in Manila, finished ahead of it with perennial regional rival Thailand priming up for another dominating performance in the SEAG it would be hosting next year with an impressive fifth place finish in Doha.  The Thais collected 13 golds, 15 silvers and 26 bronze medals. Wow! Our sports officials have a lot of work to do just to  keep up with our Asian neighbors

Lack of Government Support?  Malacanyang praised the Philippines’ performance but the athletes complained of lack of support from the government when they arrived from the games..  There were reports that some boxers had to share uniforms which if true  is downright embarrassing.  And one complained that he had to jog to the training site instead of taking a ride.  Problems that must be addressed and soon if we are to expect our athletes to improve and bring more honors to our  country.  

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