Help the homeless,
support Gawad Kalinga

I talked over the phone the other day with the Great Tony Meloto, founder of Gawad Kalinga and a Ramon Magsaysay Awardee.

He asked for our help in reversing migration of the poor to the cities. Yes, let us support Gawad Kalinga. And I am addressing this to all our public officials and our readers abroad to also support Gawad Kalinga for the sake of our country.

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Extreme poverty in every poor country is always found in their squatter areas, we call its slums, squalid and overcrowded inhabited by very poor people.

These are the nests of criminality and of diseases. This has many causes but at the top of them is the migration to these cities from the provinces where, without the land, they also cannot find work.

In these slums they eke their living by doing errands. And if they cannot, they go into begging and petty thievery, later into big crimes.

Government, aside from lip service, has not solved the problem. The number of squatters keeps on increasing, proportionately higher than the rate of increase in population.

Friends said, on reading my items on pork barrel the last few days that if our lawmakers give up their pork barrel for just a year to address the squatters problems, the problem is solved. He has one advice, give it to Tony Meloto on how to use it.

But that is useless. No solon will give up his pork barrel.

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Why Tony Meloto? He founded the Gawad Kalinga and in his track record to me, he is the Greatest Negrense. Without having been elected to public office, he has been able to build thousands of houses for the poor from voluntary contributions of other people.

The greatest achievement is to make them contribute, parting with their money and not asking for accounting where it goes. They know where Tony is using it, for the homeless people.

Aside from the Church, I don't know of a private person who can raise funds the way Tony Meloto does. When people contribute to Tony Meloto they do not expect a return. How can a squatter repay?

We reiterate our call for our Governors all over the country and all the Mayors, to support Gawad Kalinga.

On our part, we are proud Tony Meloto is from Bacolod and a Negrense. He finished his high school at NOHS and college at Ateneo de Manila.

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I don't have the statistics but I would like to believe, in Bacolod alone, no less than 30 percent of families do not own the lot where their house stands. Worse in Manila .

Manila is the world's seventh most populous city with 10.3 million population. They are ranked as follows 1. Shanghai , 13.3 million; 2. Mumbai , India , 12.6 million; 3. Buenos Aires , Argentina , 12.9; 4. Moscow , Russia , 11.3; 5. Karachi , Pakistan , 10.8; 6. Delhi , India , 10.4; 8. Sao Paulo , Brazil , 10.2.; 9. Seoul , Korea , 10.1 and 10. Istanbul , Turkey , 9.8 million.

This is Manila alone. If we consider the agglomerate or Metro Manila, it is No. 13 with 14.4 million. With agglomerate, top is Tokyo with 31 million, New York-Philadelphia with 30 million, and others.

As a country, in population, we rank No. 12 among the most populous. No. 1 is China, 1.3 billion; India, 1.06 million; U.S., 293 million; Indonesia, 238 million; Brazil, 234; Pakistan, 149, Russia, 143, Bangladesh, 141, Nigeria, 137; and Japan for No. 10, 127, and Mexico, 104 million for No. 11.

The countries that follow us are Vietnam , Germany , Egypt , and Turkey .

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Looking at these statistics reveals a big problem in migration of people to the cities. We are happy Tony Meloto is addressing our problem this early.

Even in Bacolod , our officials should make moves to ease the pressure in the city by providing housing for these people to go back to their towns.

Let us take advantage with this project of Tony Meloto.

One time a group of La Salle alumni was discussing who is the greatest living Negrense. And all agreed Meloto is. But, one said, Tony Meloto made the biggest mistake. He went to a wrong school.

Considering the intense friendly rivalry between the two schools you can't blame them for making such declaration.

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Bredco through its legal counsel, former vice-mayor Renecito Novero filed yesterday with the court, I understand, a temporary restraining order against the city on its decision to take over the operation of the port.

It's good that it is brought to the court. Let the court decide. I am personally against the takeover. But, the court is in the best position to make that decision.*

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