Filipin-Oz

Random Acts of Kindness

February 23rd, 2012 · No Comments

I wonder if we Filipinos are philanthropists by nature.  Do we really exude generosity and compassion or is it an invisible craving for self aggrandizement veiled as kind heartedness?

We are constantly barraged with requests to purchase tickets.  Some are packaged with entertainment; some simply the promise of a prize. A trip somewhere or nowhere.  The community is suffering from raffle fatigue.   It’s a cost for a cause.  The problem is it’s the same people being targeted.  It’s like playing musical chairs.  While there are those who genuinely are well meaning and everything is accounted for, charity also attracts the disorderlies in the community like flies.  Those with hidden agendas suddenly resurface.  Self proclaimed charity icons only to later turn into “I con”!

I personally have no doubt that Filipinos are kind hearted by nature and there are those who dig deep into their pockets.  However.  it is this very positive quality that also drags us into being used and abused whether willingly and unwillingly.  And for those who have been dragged into hell and back, sadly and to our detriment, the result is detachment from the raucous of the disorderlies in the community.  And consequently apathy sets in.

When Mother Nature creates havoc, it is understood that the response must be immediate and “action agad”.  However when there is a lull between the calamity and the action, I would then start to wonder whether it is being used as a spring board for self promotion – after all most people are likely to give if a charity is attached.  Givers, donors, patrons should be more cautious in finding out the where, when and most importantly the who behind the appeal.  Before a crowd and title holders, some have the audacity to raise their hands for pledges and yet some fail to deliver or play the “I forgot game.”   Some give with their right hand when everybody is looking and take with their left hand from the same unsuspecting people around them.   Still others give so freely with OPM (other people’s money).

There are those who play their “poor me” with their weepy eyes approach. And then there are the pushers who corner you into embarrassment leaving us with no other alternative but to hand out – either in cash, in kind or in service of some sort.  It’s a case of givers and donors beware.  Check who’s in it   Ask to check their records.  There’s a big gap between the collection and the actual remittance.   Oh please, do not buy the idea that nobody has the right to know and that it is none of the media’s business.  If it is for a charitable cause, and if the services and talents were recruited for free, then public accountability and transparency is a must. No buts about it!

Our gracious attitude of giving is extended beyond the realms of charity.  It also applies to our normal everyday interaction. We like giving or giving in because it is harder to resist. We like to say yes to friends (or so we think they are) rather than offend without even thinking what the consequences of these intangible requests could bring.  This of course is even more so visible in clubs and organizations.

There’s been a recent change of the guards in both the PASCI and SAFSI Seniors Citizen groups, as well as in the Philippine Community Council (PCC-NSW).  Even the Bicol Inc will soon be having a change of the guards soon.  One can only hope that all these changes will be for the better and will not exhume the papellators and bring back rejuvenated charity queens.  It may be “weather-weather” lang yan but the reality is that it would be too dangerous to revive such creatures.  

With the changing of the guards, the door can sometimes be left ajar and differentials and papellators are quick to creep in. A few may slip through the cracks and we can only cross our fingers (our eyes, and our legs) and hope that these creatures of habit that sway towards the lights will simply remain quietly in the background or go with the flow.

And with changes, there will be new committees formed with renewed vigor.  Unfortunately some of the willing volunteers for committees will remain benchwarmers until the light shines upon them.  With no skills or ethics they may cause more mayhem than harmony.  If the Filipino translation for chair is “salong-puwit” then perhaps we can add another  – the “salong-puwit” committee. After all they’re always ready to catch and make “salo” the credits without a tinge of guilt even when they are nothing benchwarmers.

Oh, and one last thing.  There are now two De Veras in PCC.  Oh my! I think I’ll stick to the Chairman!

 

Tags: Grey Matter