Be a crusader . . . help shape the future

MANILA, Philippines – During the fifties, our needs were simple, so simple that nothing matter to us but to live and die in peace. However, as the years gone by, these traits simply faded away into oblivion to join the endless caravan of our departed forefathers who once upon a time led a simple and frugal life.

Unfortunately, these old traditional Filipino values started to deteriorate and as a result, we have suffered a breakdown in areas like love and respect for our family and our elders, integrity, honesty, hard work and loyalty towards all; commitment to education, belief in peace and stability and emphasis on obligation to the community.

I submit that honoring God and loving thy neighbors are yardsticks to morality that could effectively arrest crimes, particularly corruption in high places and misrule in government, as well as allowing the wheels of justice to revolve unfettered by bias and discrimination.

As a concerned citizen, my question now is “bakit tayo nagkakaganito? at “Saan tayo nagkulang?”.

I am a semi-retired physician and though past my prime, I am socially active, full of life and passion, and dedicated to a vocation that involves caring and sharing. Despite the social ills, economic chaos, political turmoil, and government indifference, I try my best to contribute in my own humble way to the general good of our people.

With this view in mind, I authored a handbook titled Providing Proper Care To The Pinoy Child During The Formative Years 10 years ago in keeping with my personal crusade to help check our ever-growing social ills. It is a complete and comprehensive guide to proper child-rearing that provide all the four essentials of child-rearing: Health, Care, Safety and Education, with over 400 illustrations, written in English-Tagalog that became a National Bestseller in 1997. However, it lost momentum among prospective readers, perhaps owing to the reluctance of some government agencies and some sectors of society to include it in their funding outlay. Fearful of the backlash of the crisis of morality, I organized a movement called “Crusade For A Better Youth Of Tomorrow” to raise a new breed of Filipinos for the next generation.

My promotional attempt to distribute these books for FREE, especially among the poor has been thwarted by financial limitations. I sought the help of some financial institutions, politicians and religious leaders to sponsor some copies for giveaways. Sad to say, no response . . . not even the courtesy of a reply. Anyway, this will not deter me from pursuing my advocacy because it is the wisdom that I can share that truly matters. — Dr. Nestor A. Laceda, SR., FEADCO Bldg. 161 Shaw Blvd. cor. JB Vargas St., Mandaluyong City, tel. no. 5337813; CP no. 0917-8061936 www.crusadeforbetteryouth.com