a news item on the philippine economy (Philippine rice crisis due to bad policies, not shortage: economist) struck me because it spoke truth in volumes and put it really bluntly. with all due respect, i do not completely agree with economist rolando dy that this is a matter of "income crisis" but a crisis of the hearts - i put mine first on the judgment block.
the philippines does not have a dearth of brilliance, "wisdom" or good ideas. what it lacks is good governance rooted in righteousness and justice which are the foundations of God's throne. the nation does not even have a scarcity of pundits and good economic advisers and highly intelligent politicians; what it is in dire need of are people who are righteous and are willing to do what is right instead of just settling for the good thing. people who have encountered God if i may put it bluntly. not religious people because the philippines has an overdose of religiosity that may be its own undoing.
i am just stirred up - honestly - and mad. not mad at people or GMA for that matter or her minions (sorry, Lord) but at the generational bondages and shackles that have enslaved this nation that for the majority corruption is the norm and the "political 10%" is a given in many government transactions. we have come to accept a lie and exchanged truth for deception. we have come to believe that it is "normal" for a nation to have corruption when, in fact, there is no corruption in the Kingdom of God. there must be a stirring up and a cry inside of us that will say "I WILL NO LONGER TOLERATE THIS IN MY NATION AND IN MY GENERATION!" if jeffrey sachs can write that it is unjust for poverty to exist for such a time as this then we must also say that corruption should not be the reality or the standard. it must not be the norm!
studying the literature on the times of hunger and subsistence crises in the province of cebu and hunger and poverty has convinced me that what is needed is not more laws, policies or programs or more aid that will end hunger but righteousness and justice in the hearts of men. will durant wrote "Julius Caesar sought to change men by changing institutions BUT JESUS CHRIST CHANGED INSTITUTIONS BY CHANGING THE HEARTS OF MEN."
the solution is not more aid from multilateral institutions nor more harvard and UP graduates but men and women who have been changed because they have encountered the Truth, the Way and the Life - Jesus Christ. men and women who have laid down their lives for the One who laid down His life for them and people who will lay down their lives for others. the way to end poverty, eradicate hunger and stop corruption is only JESUS. there is no other way and no other solution. we've tried everything in the past but they have all failed.
i remember my brother-in-law, nap, saying "as you go, preach" and i believe that is what we need to do as sons and daughters of God. we must proclaim His good news that Jesus came to give life and life abundantly, that He came to destroy the works of the enemy and that He came to set the captives free and to heal the sick and free not just people but nations. we have been called to disciple nations and generations. the earth has been given to man and we can contend for the philippines in the throne room of God! what God has spoken over the Philippines must be proclaimed to the north, south, east and west! it is time to rise up and bring God's Kingdom out into the streets.
excerpts:
"The so-called rice crisis is really an income crisis," said Rolando Dy, executive director of the food division of the Manila-based University of Asia and the Pacific.
the philippines does not have a dearth of brilliance, "wisdom" or good ideas. what it lacks is good governance rooted in righteousness and justice which are the foundations of God's throne. the nation does not even have a scarcity of pundits and good economic advisers and highly intelligent politicians; what it is in dire need of are people who are righteous and are willing to do what is right instead of just settling for the good thing. people who have encountered God if i may put it bluntly. not religious people because the philippines has an overdose of religiosity that may be its own undoing.
i am just stirred up - honestly - and mad. not mad at people or GMA for that matter or her minions (sorry, Lord) but at the generational bondages and shackles that have enslaved this nation that for the majority corruption is the norm and the "political 10%" is a given in many government transactions. we have come to accept a lie and exchanged truth for deception. we have come to believe that it is "normal" for a nation to have corruption when, in fact, there is no corruption in the Kingdom of God. there must be a stirring up and a cry inside of us that will say "I WILL NO LONGER TOLERATE THIS IN MY NATION AND IN MY GENERATION!" if jeffrey sachs can write that it is unjust for poverty to exist for such a time as this then we must also say that corruption should not be the reality or the standard. it must not be the norm!
studying the literature on the times of hunger and subsistence crises in the province of cebu and hunger and poverty has convinced me that what is needed is not more laws, policies or programs or more aid that will end hunger but righteousness and justice in the hearts of men. will durant wrote "Julius Caesar sought to change men by changing institutions BUT JESUS CHRIST CHANGED INSTITUTIONS BY CHANGING THE HEARTS OF MEN."
the solution is not more aid from multilateral institutions nor more harvard and UP graduates but men and women who have been changed because they have encountered the Truth, the Way and the Life - Jesus Christ. men and women who have laid down their lives for the One who laid down His life for them and people who will lay down their lives for others. the way to end poverty, eradicate hunger and stop corruption is only JESUS. there is no other way and no other solution. we've tried everything in the past but they have all failed.
i remember my brother-in-law, nap, saying "as you go, preach" and i believe that is what we need to do as sons and daughters of God. we must proclaim His good news that Jesus came to give life and life abundantly, that He came to destroy the works of the enemy and that He came to set the captives free and to heal the sick and free not just people but nations. we have been called to disciple nations and generations. the earth has been given to man and we can contend for the philippines in the throne room of God! what God has spoken over the Philippines must be proclaimed to the north, south, east and west! it is time to rise up and bring God's Kingdom out into the streets.
excerpts:
"The so-called rice crisis is really an income crisis," said Rolando Dy, executive director of the food division of the Manila-based University of Asia and the Pacific.
The Philippines could raise productivity but it had not properly invested in agriculture or its support infrastructure like irrigation and farm-to-market roads, Dy said.
He said the government was investing little in research and development, building sub-standard rural roads and not putting enough irrigation into potential growth areas like the southern region of Mindanao.
No comments:
Post a Comment