Do you love the Philippines?

I normally delete forwarded email messages without reading them simply because I am too lazy to return the favor and forward such messages to other people. However, last week, an email was forwarded to me 10 times by 10 different people -- officemates, students and friends. Judging from the email's subject, "Philippines my Philippines" a must read, I thought it was another anti-corruption, anti-Arroyo email. But it was forwarded to me 10 times by 10 different people, so I got curious and spared a copy from joining other forwarded emails in the trash bin.

The email turned out to contain an essay by a Korean, Jaeyoun Kim, who is said to be studying here in the Philippines. The Korean student attempts to explain the problems that our country is facing by narrating events that happened in his country.

Jaeyoun said he believes the problem of the Philippines is not corruption but the Filipino's lack of love for their country.

He said that after the Korean War, South Korea was considered one of the poorest countries in the world. The Korean government, the essay said, also had its share of corruption problems. In fact, Jaeyoun wrote, South Korea had a hard time attracting foreign investors and getting loans because of the terrible economic situation. To improve Korea's economic conditions, their president had to send workers out of the country so they could send money home.

Despite the problems, South Korea was able to develop dramatically, according to Jaeyoun, because Koreans did their "best for the common good with their heart burning with patriotism." Koreans who worked

abroad came back to Korea to help develop their country despite receiving "very small salary."

"I have cried for my country several times," he said and added that he cried for the Philippines too, because of the many poor people in the country. But Jaeyoun said that most of the people he met here in the Philippines do not love their country.

"I am sure that love is the keyword, which Filipinos should remember. We cannot change the sinful structure at once. It should start from (the) person. If you have a child, teach them how to love the Philippines.

Teach them why they have to love their neighborhood and country."

I do not know if Jaeyoun Kim really exists or if someone just made him up and wrote the essay that was forwarded to me and to many others. But whether he is real or not, the message he is trying to get across to us Filipinos is something that we should all reflect upon.

Do you love the Philippines enough to make sacrifices for the good of our country? Do you love the Philippines enough to follow the laws of our land? Do you love the Philippines enough to control your greed for power, wealth and fame?

With the problems that the country is facing now, with all the corrupt people in government, I think most of us Filipinos need to learn a lesson or two about loving our country.

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