‘GK’ founder finds some good in hearts of corrupt pols
By Doris Dumlao
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 03:01:00 04/16/2010
Filed Under: Churches (organisations), Religions, Eleksyon 2010, Elections, Politics, Inquirer Politics
MANILA, Philippines—Even the most corrupt government officials have some good in their hearts, according to Gawad Kalinga founder Tony Meloto.
Meloto wants to tap into that “good” in every politician and government official to unleash an era of “politics of caring” and moral that will contribute to the Gawad Kalinga vision of rescuing Filipinos from extreme poverty by 2024.
“We want to connect with every politician to bring out their desire to serve and go beyond the usual patronage politics. We need to fuel Filipinos’ patriotic fervor,” said the Ramon Magsaysay Awards laureate.
Builders’ Night
Starting on May 5, Gawad Kalinga will be holding monthly events called Builders’ Night that will bring together all of its partners in government, the private sector, civil society, religious organizations, academe and local communities to work together at nation-building.
The kick-off event on May 5 will have “New Politics” as its theme in recognition of the importance of the elections on May 10.
The idea is to encourage politicians of all stripes and colors to transcend partisanship and find common ground in Gawad Kalinga’s vision of a better Philippines, Meloto said.
“One of our problems is that we find it very difficult to work together, but who will not support nation-building?” he said.
Rainbow of politicians
He said “a rainbow” of politicians—including “orange” Camarines Sur Gov. LRay Villafuerte (Nacionalista Party), “yellow” Taguig City Mayor Freddie Tinga (Liberal Party) and “green” Cebu Gov. Gwen Garcia (Lakas-Kampi)—have committed to participate.
“We will not be endorsing any one candidate, but I want them all to endorse us,” said Meloto who was interviewed Thursday following the signing of a memorandum of agreement between Gawad Kalinga and Pioneer Insurance. The latter is providing free insurance coverage to the nongovernment organization.
In pursuit of the goal of removing five million Filipino families in 50,000 communities from the ranks of the poor by 2024, Gawad Kalinga has worked with at least 400 mayors and 50 governors and is doubling efforts to reach out to all local government officials so that there will be a Gawad Kalinga village in every town and city in the Philippines.
“We want to bring together all politicians who support the spirituality of nation building,” Meloto said.
“Politics before was about ‘ibagsak’ (destroy), what we want is ‘itayo’ (build),” he said.
‘Abundance for all’
The “New Politics” night will be followed by a “New Economy” discussion in June on how to “create abundance for all.”
This is in keeping with the shift in Gawad Kalinga’s strategy from social justice, involving the building of homes and value formation, to business development, aimed at making Gawad Kalinga communities breeding grounds for entrepreneurs.
Gawad Kalinga initially focused on building thriving communities for the poor, but the movement has now expanded into providing basic services like health and education.
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view/20100416-264523/GK-founder-finds-some-good-in-hearts-of-corrupt-pols
