Noy marks 55th anniversary of World Vision

MANILA, Philippines - President Aquino marked the 55th anniversary of World Vision by describing how – like the charity – his faith had been motivating him to keep trying to help those in need as he declared that the “best is yet to come” for the Philippines.

Speaking to thousands of people inside the Smart-Araneta Coliseum yesterday, the President admitted to moments of doubt during his governance.

“There are days when one may end up asking himself,  ‘Am I really making a difference in the lives of other people?’ It is in these moments of doubt when having a little faith can truly and really help,” Aquino said.

“Faith keeps a person from being overwhelmed by despair. It is that which allows us to stand the tests of the present and believe that the best is yet to come, and that we are capable of making it happen,” he said.

Aquino told the audience this was a truth discovered by his father in 1973, when he was in prison.

“Through his letter to Soc Rodrigo, he said that it was through meditation, and through faith, that he eventually found his ‘inner peace.’ It was in his fortitude that I learned how faith can allow a person to stand in the name of the difficult right, as opposed to succumbing to the easy wrong,” Aquino said.

The President was guest of honor during World Vision’s national prayer assembly, which was the culmination of the organization’s 55th anniversary celebration.

The event was a celebration, but also contained frequent reminders of the work still to be done, particularly to help children in need.

World Vision Development Foundation is a major backer of the Global Week of Action, which will run from next Tuesday.

The movement hopes to increase global attention on the urgent need to end preventable deaths of children aged under five around the world.

Almost seven million children under the age of five die every year due to easily preventable causes.

In the Philippines, 25 out of 1,000 children born will not reach their fifth birthday because of pneumonia, diarrhea, malnutrition or lack of access to quality healthcare.

One third of these children can be saved with inexpensive treatment, World Vision said.

Aquino said that despite the challenges, his administration was determined to tackle the problem – but the effort needed to go far beyond government alone.

The President called on Filipinos to remember this holiday season what they could do for those less fortunate – but said charity should not be limited to one season.

“I call on all Filipinos to use this season as an opportunity to spark, once again, the spirit of kindness and community that has long characterized our people, so that together, we can move our nation forward,” he said.

“It is up to us to show them (the less fortunate) that Filipino compassion is not seasonal. And through our work, perhaps we may allow those in the margins to lift themselves and their families out of poverty, and to one day likewise give to their countrymen in need,” Aquino said.

The President was prayed over during the inter-faith event along with Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno and other officials.

The National Prayer Assembly was participated in by various Catholic, Christian and Muslim congregations and leaders, notably former World Vision board chairman Bishop Deogracias Iniguez; former sponsored-child Bishop Leo Alconga of the Philippines for Jesus Movement; Bishop Jonel Milan, president of K4 Philippines Prayer Movement; Bishop Fred Magbanua of the Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches; and Sheikh Ahmad Ampuan of the Ulama League of the Philippines, as well as World Vision celebrity advocate Gary Valenciano, among others. – With Nicholas Jones