“Many Hands Make Light Work” – Ancient Greek Proverb. “Raise Your Hands To Help Your People First!” – Frank A Hilario

A good friend, Wilfrido Villarama, points out to me the preoccupations of today, people looking for government’s “community-action initiatives” such as Community Engagement, Solidarity, And Citizenship (book authored by Jalton C Taguibao, cover shown above). In those 3 broad concepts, something huge is missing! Guess what?

Now, what does the book contain? In its website, of both original & updated versions, both undated (main.vibalgroup.com), publisher Vibal repeatedly says:

This book focuses on the application of ideas and methods of the social sciences to examine challenges of contemporary community life. It focuses on community-action initiatives such as community engagement, solidarity, and citizenship as guided by the core values of human rights, social justice, empowerment and advocacy, gender equality, and participatory development. It enhances students’ sense of shared identity and willingness to contribute to the pursuit of the common good.

Excellent cover, excellent summary! Calling Filipino citizens to contribute to the pursuit of the common good by watching out for “human rights, social justice, empowerment and advocacy, gender equality, and participatory development.”

Where are the people helping themselves first? Essentially, the Taguibao book calls for citizens to be “watchdogs” – but not call for citizens to be “workdogs.”

Too many watchdogs, no workdogs! For instance, the Federation of Free Farmers (FFF) was founded on 25 October 1953, or 69 years ago, by Catholics (Wikipedia, en.wikipedia.org). What has the FFF done for the common good except complain?

No, Mr Taguibao is not calling for workdogs, as I put it – those watchdogs of ours, as exemplified by the FFF, exist for the purpose of criticizing the government, which is every citizen’s right – but they have not pursued any community development project right where they are!

Those citizen groups do not help themselves in pursuit of the growth of their communities according to their best of lights. That is what is missing in “Community Participation.”

Even the American National Democratic Institute (NDI), as pointed out to me by my friend, does not have the right frame of mind. It says in its own website (ndi.org):

Ensuring that government actually works for the public good requires informed, organized, active and peaceful citizen participation. Citizens must, therefore… [develop] the skills to voice their concerns, act collectively and hold public officials…

Even the American NDI has only half of the equation! Citizens must be helping themselves first before yelping against the government. Community participation works in 2 ways: people complaining and people helping themselves.

And so, without naming names, we are calling on non-government organizations (NGOs), community and civic groups, to think hard of how they can help their members and the community at large – with or without government assistance. You cannot complain against inaction if you have not done any action to help yourself first!

“Nilalahat ko ang mga NGOs – puede ba, hindi puro ngawa, walang ginagawa!” I am addressing all NGOs – help the people first before you complain for them! Labor for your community enough first before you lambast the government for not doing enough!@517