Kalayaan campaign volunteers hailed

I ONLY have sincere admiration for and appreciation of the 10,000 youth volunteers who have signed up for the month-long campaign at the Kalayaan islands to support the country’s claim to disputed territories in the West Philippine Sea (“10,000 youths volunteer to stake Kalayaan claim,” News, 11/6/15).

I also sincerely appreciate the brains behind the undertaking, including those who went around the country’s provinces to recruit participants; the parents who support and encourage their sons and daughters to join this project—I will be encouraging some of my grandchildren to do the same; and the schools that support this “love of country” project, like De La Salle’s College of St. Benilde. I am confident they will find a way for the participating students to “make up” for the classes they would miss during the campaign.

In this, the Commission on Higher Education and the Department of Foreign Affairs can help through various means, like by preparing specific subjects on historical and related facts relative to our claim in the West Philippine Sea. The volunteers can even have classes on the subject right there at Kalayaan. And the schools and CHEd can give corresponding credits for those who attend classes on the subject at Kalayaan.

My grandson, Bryan, a young professional, is a trainer in environmental protection, zero-waste zero-pest and anti-dengue campaign. He can bring with him our patented Green Charcoal Hydrogen Stove, and our Grill and Green Charcoal Fuel which are made from biodegradable wastes. He can likewise bring our

antidengue mosquito Mapecon Big R, Botanical Insect Growth Regulator. He can teach and train our volunteers on the legal, doable blueprint for urban pest control per Health Circular No. 155, series of 1975, which was duly affirmed by a 2007 Supreme Court ruling.

With this letter, I am sending my initial P10,000-contribution to the Kalayaan Atin Ito Bank account (No. 0102006756, the Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation) under the name www.pilipino.org.ph Inc.

After spending my first night at Edsa on Feb. 22, 1986, I encouraged my two sons to go there. Memories of those People Power days are still etched in my mind: the rosary prayer right in front of Camp Crame; the voices of Gen. Fidel Ramos calling for support and Jaime Cardinal Sin’s appealing to everyone to go to Edsa; the sharing of food; the sight of people giving roses to soldiers atop tanks, among others.

I still vividly remember them all—and the bad bicycle fall about noon that day, which left me with a bad wound on my left knee. Looking at the wound, I looked up to heaven and prayed: “Lord, I offer this for my country.” I reached Edsa that very night.

Let me share with you 1 Peter 2:9 which inspired me to go to Edsa: “You are my chosen race, chosen to proclaim the wonderful acts of God, who will pick you up from the present darkness into his marvelous light.”

And please take note of the seldom acknowledged meaning of “Pilipino”—pili (chosen), lipi (race) and pino (refined).

—GONZALO O. CATAN JR., EVP, Mapecon, The Filipino Inventors Federation Inc., gocat2009@yahoo.com.ph