“We live on earth full of trials but by the grace of God, we remain standing like trees. Even if the leaves are falling, still there are new leaves of hope waiting. When we feel being poisoned by stress pressure, pain, and failures the best antidote is to pray. Nothing more, nothing less.â€
It is a fact that as years went by, the good old traditional values deteriorated due to perennial morality problems besetting our nation. As a result we have ceased being clear about the standards we hold and the principle by which we judge. This led us to suffer 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.
We must not forget that the Filipino child has changed; he is no longer just a mouth to feed; not just a soul to care about; he has now become a mind to nurture.
Parental guidance is the key to proper child-rearing but, how can majority of these parents do if they are not provided with a guide? While there are several foundations teaching these young children in day care centers, it only covers those who could attend classes. We cannot fully attain our objectives without the collective efforts of every concerned citizen.
In view thereof, I authored a childcare book titled “Providing Proper Care To The Child Pinoy During The Formative Years†written in English/Tagalog with over 400 illustrations that provide the four essentials of child-rearing: Health, Care, Safety and Education. It is an effective tool in school and at home that will contribute to the child’s well-being, physically, intellectually, morally, socially and spiritually.
In line with my advocacy, I organized a movement aptly called “Crusade for a Better Youth of Tomorrow†by inviting concerned and civic-minded citizens to help raise a new breed of Filipinos for them to become better children of God and upright citizens of tomorrow. This is anchored in the precept that when he grows old he will not depart from it. This is a “biblical doctrine†that has withstood time, place and events, but unfortunately not given the importance and urgency it truly deserves.
I write this in my capacity as a concerned senior citizen, children’s advocate, physician, Mason, civic-leader, author of child and elderly care books.
In this regard, I am appealing to all concerned citizens and foundations for financial help in order to fully attain the objectives of my advocacy which is of national interest. — NESTOR A. LACEDA Sr., MD, FEADCO Bldg., 161-A Shaw Blvd. cor. JB Vargas St., Mandaluyong City