Unsolicited advice for Bello, Akbayan

INSIGHTS

Atty. Batas Mauricio 

Life’s inspirations: “… If you pay attention to the commands of the Lord your God that I give you this day and carefully follow them, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom…” (Deuteronomy 28:13, the Holy Bible)                                                -ooo-

Prostitution among Pinoys also widespread in RP Mr Bello: And so, Akbayan Rep. Walden Bello is complaining that male and female overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who have problems in the countries where they are working are being used as prostitutes, catering to Philippine embassy or consular officials or rich foreigner-clients. So, what else is new?

In case Bello does not know it, male and female Filipinos right here in the Philippines are also being used as prostitutes, or are themselves engaged in prostitution, simply because they have problems, too. Millions of our countrymen are also being forced to sell their bodies here everyday, even for measly amounts, just so they can have something to buy food for themselves and their starving families.

The question for Bello and Akbayan, therefore, is this: why are you looking only at OFWs who are forced into the sex trade abroad? Why are you keeping your eyes closed to the millions of Filipinos whose only source of income is selling sex, right here in our own country, because they are so poor they have nothing else but their bodies to offer? Don’t you care for them, too? Are they not your constituents that needed your attention?

                                                  -ooo-

 Spirituality and poverty: If it is any consolation to Bello and Akbayan, these kinds of problems are as old as mankind, of course. They have persisted through time. Many governments and leaders of note have tried solving them, but even the wisest and most intelligent failed to find a solution, much less an effective and lasting solution. And, at the rate things are going, there is no government nor leader which will solve these problems in our lifetime.

Why have we failed to address these concerns? There will be many and varied reasons that learned men and women will offer, but, as I see it, the world has consistently failed to solve its problems, especially poverty, because one important component of a truly effective solution is not being looked into. This component is spiritual and Biblical, which is readily available to anyone who is interested.

Offhand, the Bible warned all of us that when we no longer listen to God and no longer obey His commands, He will send poverty, failures, rebuke, dissension, and death and destruction. Yet, simultaneous with this warning, the Bible gave us a very clear rules on how blessings and prosperity, success and victory, can come to us. All we have to do is live by these godly rules, so that our human efforts could really fly, as it were.

                                                            -ooo-

 Godly rules for economic prosperity: Here is an example of these rules, and the blessings they can give, in Deuteronomy 28:1-11: “If you listen to the Lord your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. All these blessings will come on you and accompany you if you obey the Lord your God: You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country.

  “The fruit of your womb will be blessed, and the crops of your land and the young of your livestock—the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks. Your basket and your kneading trough will be blessed. You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out. The Lord will grant that the enemies who rise up against you will be defeated before you. They will come at you from one direction but flee from you in seven.

               

“The Lord will send a blessing on your barns and on everything you put your hand to. The Lord your God will bless you in the land he is giving you. The Lord will establish you as his holy people, as he promised you on oath, if you keep the commands of the Lord your God and walk in obedience to him. Then all the peoples on earth will see that you are called by the name of the Lord, and they will fear you.  The Lord will grant you abundant prosper                                                                              -ooo-

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