Blessed Pedro Calungsod as a Migrant CONTEXT Society today faces a lot of many issues pertaining to, morality, social justice, economics and political realm. These inevitable facts that bombard the society create a new way of mentality that is to escape in and be renew somehow in their own way. To discuss and to point out society's main and longtime problem, we may not but a must to see in its totality the problem so called, POVERTY. Poverty creates a way to injustices and somehow immorality. But, as the first statement posted, the way of escaping is one of the means somehow to subjugate hunger, unemployment, being uneducated and little of putting oneself into a good status base on the standards of today's society. Migrant, OFW, TNT( Tago ng tago), these are people we called "kababayan" in other countries and recently recognize as hero of the new generation. Introduction In this lesson, the students are led to discover the reason for the Church's existence evangelization. To arrive at this important discovery, the lesson delves deeply into the essence of the Church, for it is there where the missionary nature of the Church is found. To further shed light on the Church's mission of evangelization, emphasis is laid on the threefold task of the Church to be herald, sign and servant of the Gospel. These tasks are then scrutinized, using the unique experience of the Philippine Church as context. The discovery and understanding of the mission of the Church both at the global and local context will eventually pave the way for a greater appreciation of the Church as a Communion in a state of mission. Objectives: 1. Narrate how the work of evangelization can be carried out by migrant Filipinos. 2. Retell the event of Jesus commissioning His Apostles to preach the Gospel. 3. Be aware of the mission of the Church. 4. Discuss ways to participate in the mission of the Church as seen in the life of Blessed Pedro Calungsod. 5. Strive to imitate Blessed Pedro Calungsod's example of living constantly in the presence of God. 6. Pray for the strength to carry out the Church's mission of evangelization.
Materials Needed Bible, computer for power point presentation; tape of soft, instrumental music, cd player. Teaching Strategy A. Human Experience 1. Introduce the commentary on "Filipino Migration in Challenging Times". (see attached article) 2. Have the students read silently the topic. Explain to the students that the Church, by nature is missionary and that this mission came from Christ Himself. After this brief explanation, have the students discuss the task which the Church must perform in line with this mission. 3. Relate the issue of Filipino migrants and the Church's call to evangelize and do missionary work. B. Doing the Message 1. Divide the class into three groups. 2. Instruct each group to present a short skit which will show specifically the life of Filipino Migrants. 3. Evaluate the group presentation based on the following criteria: Clarity of Presentation 50% The presentation has captured the 20% essence of the task. Creativity/Innovativeness 30% 100% C. Firming Up the Message Introduce the story of Blessed Pedro Calungsod. Assess the students' comprehension by posing the following questions: 1. How did Blessed Pedro Calungsod showed his strong adherence to the faith during time of ordeal. 2. What obstacle did Blessed Pedro Calungsod meet in his missionary work? 3. How did he overcome these obstacles? 4. How will you apply in your life the encouraging works and words of Blessed Pedro Calungsod.
D. Integration Why a lot of Filipinos do chose to live in other countries and somehow permanently leaf this wounded country? Why do they choose to leave their own home, to care for other old people with passion rather than their own old parents or relative or countrymen? To care for new born babies of their employer rather than their own children? Live in an isolated room together with other maids and miss his or her own room sleeping together with his/her family? Choose a foreign food rather than his/her favourite Filipino dishes? And sometimes curse his own country because of the sacrifices and humiliation the he or she receives in this country? Commitment 1. Encourage the students to recall the important message of the lesson: "The Church Exists to Evangelize." 2. Emphasize the CBCP's call for young people to awaken their faith by forming and animating their Christian life.
Commentary Filipino migration in challenging times By Michael Manansala Philippine Daily Inquirer First Posted 05:01:00 05/00/2011 Filed Under: Migration, Overseas Employment, Unrest and Conflicts and War, Economy and Business and Finance, Remittances, Entrepreneurship IN THE high-profile coverage of conflicts in Arab states and earthquakes in New Zealand and Japan, the fate of Filipino migrants is often left out of the story. However, it is important to consider the consequences and opportunities that crises around the world pose for the Philippines. Whether the occasion is one of celebration or of emergency, many of our families depend on migrant members abroad as lifelines. I was a beneficiary of remittances, and I would not be where I am without the support of my family. Remittances, given and received by my family and millions of Filipino households, have become integral to our country s macro-economic development. These contributions comprise more than 12 percent of the country s GDP, which is a large proportion of the domestic economy when compared to the three largest recipients of remittances in the world: India, China and Mexico. Most of the money is spent on personal consumption, such as basic needs, and very little is invested or saved. Recent political unrest and natural disasters are displacing thousands of OFWs, who are now effectively jobless and may be unable to support their families in the long run. The Philippine government will now spend millions in repatriation efforts. Then, it will need to consider how to absorb an influx of returning migrants into the domestic economy, or find a way to channel them to other countries. For repatriated citizens, it s hard to imagine how they will make a living at home; they left the Philippines precisely because there are little to no opportunities available domestically due to high unemployment and underemployment, as well as low wages and atrocious benefits. The vulnerability of Filipinos abroad and the uncertainty of their contributions during crises reveal that the costs of receiving remittances are getting higher for families and for the Philippine government. Although it is doubtful that the country can do without income earned from abroad, I believe the government should consider measures which reduce dependency on migration and remittances. In the wake of global instability and intensifying economic competition, the future of Philippine development and security lies in a strong domestic economy that provides professional opportunities within the country for all of its citizens. It is time to start attracting migrants back to the country and retain workers who desire better possibilities than those they now face in the Philippines. Let me propose three initiatives for the Philippine government in order to lead our countrymen and women toward a more prosperous future.
First, in the short term, the Philippines should couple a plan for the repatriation of migrants with job creation and labor improvement strategies. Migrants should be given employment services with wages and benefits that are competitive to their previous work. Simultaneously, the government should enact legislation that improves wages and labor protections for everyone, so that the Philippines becomes a more attractive place to work. Additionally, a stronger system for career placement and mobility should be created so that Marketing majors don t end up on the sales floor at a retail store or English majors as call center agents. Valuable talent is being wasted on low-skilled jobs. Short-term incentives to create jobs and improve labor conditions keep talent and skills in the Philippines and accommodate migrants who are caught between crises. For the longer term, the government should find ways to formally channel remittances toward infrastructure and human development. Remittances have spurred a consumerist culture, with malling as a popular hobby among Filipinos. Meanwhile, roads remain congested no matter how many highways are built, health services are inadequate and the educational system underperforms in relation to other countries. Besides encouraging people to buy a new cell phone every time money is wired, the government should consider plans to get Filipinos to invest in better roads, hospitals, and schools. One strategy would be to create a Public Remittance Fund which would allow migrants to invest their money in different government projects. Migrants should expect their savings to earn interest, but part of the learnings? Would flow to the entire society. Not only do migrants and their families get new and improved services, they also make income out of their investment. India is a good model for such a fund, and Greece is about to follow suit. A second long-term initiative would be to attract skilled migrants back to the country by means of special training exchanges, getting them to teach at educational institutions, or by supporting especially entrepreneurial migrants. Skilled Filipinos from abroad, especially professionals, can serve as valuable sources for knowledge transfers, as they would impart innovative lessons to their colleagues. Much of that is already happening in India and China, where recent graduates from universities abroad, as well as professionals, are given incentives to return and work in the country as entrepreneurs. Harnessing skills that Filipinos acquire overseas would accelerate domestic innovation and open further opportunities for the unemployed and underemployed. Filipinos are known to be industrious people, and our families have contributed to economic growth in places like Dubai, Los Angeles, London and Sydney. Our personal circumstances, for better or for worse, are due to labor migration and remittances. But given the political conflicts abroad, as well as the uncertainties brought about by natural and economic crises, the cost of these remittances are higher than ever. The Philippines is in a position to turn this problem into an opportunity. Just imagine the wealth of knowledge and experience from around the world converging in the Philippines and transforming the country into a global nation? Should our OFWs 'return. Changing decades of migration and dependence on income earned abroad is an enormous challenge, yet it is one that presents great rewards. If brought together under the right conditions and incentives, our people can build a country
that is economically competitive and self-sufficient, with opportunities for Filipinos to raise families without the risks and costs of migration. (Michael Manansala, currently an exchange student at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London, is a Political Science major at Macalester College in Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA.) Copyright 2012 Philippine Daily Inquirer. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Submitted by: Rev. Fr. Nolan A. Que Director Institute of Catechetics of the Archdiocese of Manila (ICAM)