We are the solution

Several of my friends have proudly posted on Facebook how their wife, son or daughter gave them a haircut using electric clippers and scissors. Many Mother-Daughter teams have solved their beauty parlor needs by giving each other manicures, pedicures and some even daring to do styling and coloring. A number of women have posted on how they no longer have helpers at home so they are now doing all the domestic chores which they don’t really mind since everyone is on WORK FROM HOME mode. Then there are those like me who are now into vegetable gardening at home initially because we were not sure if ECQ meant food shortage etc. Beyond the average, there are those who’ve gone into the arts, crafts, construction and even car repair your selves. Congratulations! You’ve all discovered that given the time and not much choice, you’ve discovered that you can manage a lot on your own. Yes! It’s liberating.

But as liberating as all our accomplishments may be, I am seriously concerned with the backlash or unforeseen impact of our collective D.I.Y achievements on national employment, poverty and economic recovery. If you don’t have a job, been laid off or have no income, you are not doing D.I.Y as a choice but because you have no choice. But for the rest of us, every individual who has money, has a job and has opted to do things by themselves, that means that each D.I.Y is a job or an income opportunity for someone else that’s not going to happen or go there way. If ten guys don’t go to a barber, that’s a day’s work and pay that the barber loses out on. We don’t see the tragic impact on others because our lives have been limited to our homes and on Facebook. But the more people D.I.Y the less and less jobs will go back and more and more families will go poor.

I love having my vegetable garden but I still make it a point to buy from the local green stall. Although I can recycle a lot of stuff while doing D.I.Y, I actually make it a point to buy supplies from local hardware stores. I could actually do my own therapy workouts via YouTube, but if our local gym for functional therapy don’t get enough clients our Coach Jane won’t be able to cover the rent and when things go back to (ab)normal, all of her clients will have to look for a new clinic! If you belong to a church or spiritual congregation, chances are the people looking after your spiritual needs also have needs such as to pay the rent for your venue, to pay utilities, church staff etc. So unless we all pay tithes and add a little more, it would be very embarrassing if word got around that your church closed down because parishioners or church members stopped giving the tithes to the Lord.

Let me add that during the quarantines worldwide, one group that our family has been praying for are missionaries all over the world. I’m sensitive to this because I discovered that even the children of missionaries suffer discomfort, fear and lack alongside their parents. I read on how a couple of early teens suffered extreme cold and darkness during an earthquake somewhere in Nepal for months because their parents were missionaries there. It is in times like these when we have to spend not for spending’s sake, but to give work, provide income, and to share some of what we have and still get something in return. It is also the best time to show our commitment to our community, church and missionaries.

Help keep jobs and help create jobs. I hire different “Extras” on different days to help me in D.I.Y projects. We don’t follow the “Suki” or “Regular” supplier preference. We still order in for food from local stores and we buy from neighbors and friends not the big stores because we seriously need to stop the bleeding and closure of micro and small businesses. If like I mentioned you don’t have a job or an income at the moment share this article and the idea, because there are thousands if not millions of good and well-meaning Filipinos who just don’t realize that they are the solution and they have the power by numbers to keep the neighborhood barber employed, that by giving tithes they are keeping work and jobs in churches, by buying local they are actually sustaining a long line of jobs and businesses. The car wash will stay open, the gym will be there when you finally show up, our favorite bars and restaurants will one day be filled with food and laughter because we decided to Do It For the Community and not just for ourselves.

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I was pleasantly surprised with the number of inquiries about how to get started on the chicken business such as egg layers. Several folks from Lipa in particular were asking if they could visit our place and if I could sit down with them and help them get started or understand the first steps. The best thing I can do for all of you who are interested is to provide you with two email addresses; the first is for Dr. Erwin Cruz of the Dominant CZ – free-range chicken brand. He supplies the chicks, the breeders, or young pre-layers often called pullets. He also conducts on-line seminars and gives business models. His email address is: [email protected] Doc Erwin also supplies Peking ducks and they are quite easy to raise.

For all your feed requirements from BMeg and vitamins and San Miguel health products please contact Lex Avena at: [email protected] Best of luck to all of you.

Pls watch AGENDA via Facebook Onenewsph or Cignal TV ch.8 & 250 Monday to Friday 8:00 to 9:30 a.m.

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E-mail: [email protected]