Reflections of Tony Meloto of Gawad Kalinga

Reflections on the Speech of Mr. Tony Meloto of Gawad Kalinga

I would like to begin my reflections with the words of Mark Twain: “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”
This quote perfectly fits the philosophies of the likes of Mr. Tony Meloto and those who wanted to follow in his footsteps. Meloto's speech is both inspiring and soul-searching. I was not only touched by his thoughts but I was deeply convicted by his passion to help the poor and the homeless. His optimism about the potential of Filipinos to rise above poverty and hopelessness is so encouraging and his faith in our race (when he said that Filipinos are not inferior to other nationalities or an underclass citizen) lifts my spirit from “slight” indifference and apathy to a renewed commitment to care for my fellowmen and to love my country as well.
Meloto cited cases that label us as under a “dysfunctional society” and I believe him when he said that “if the environment is right”, Filipinos can become world-class citizens which means a society with the right combination of good citizenship, good leadership, self-reliant people and leaders who uphold social justice. He based his advocacy on the principles of “intensifying community development” through “ground-up development initiatives” which he said can be realized by having “transcendent identity” and “connectivity among people”. He said that people are weak because of weak leadership and condemned the abuses and corruption of our government leaders and their “lusts for power”. He also enumerated the ills of our society and our crooked ways and culture that tend to corrupt our behavior and make us plunderers, enemies and killers of one another.



Mr. Meloto especially mentioned volunteerism as “shining moments for Filipinos” and shared that “kinship” or treating our countrymen as our own family is one of the keys to going beyond philanthropy. He said that giving is an opportunity - if one door was opened, more doors will be opened. I thinkand that the the more we give, the more we will receive and the greater the possibility that we can motivate a lot more others to serve and be partners in our advocacies just like what happened to GK.
Meloto cited instances where OCWs desired to be reconnected with their homeland because they wanted to offer their help and where many well-off private citizens changed their lifestyles just to share part of their resources with our less fortunate fellowmen and to get involved in our very own “Bayanihan” spirit. Truly real joy can only be found in dying to self and living for others and by being a good steward of the wealth (things, time or talent) or resources (land) no matter how little that God has entrusted to us personally or to our country.
Meloto also differentiated between success as achieving goals for oneself, and greatness as dedicating selves for others. He emphasized that Gawad Kalinga was founded on an effective model of development which is “patriotic development” or having “transcending thoughts” of intense passion of love for country. He considered the “People Power” revolution as a wake-up call for him to start dedicating his life for his countrymen and also because of his belief that “no human beings is 100% corrupt. I agree with Mr. Meloto that it could only take a single event or tragedy which can create a turning point for each of us human beings, wherein we can be willing to leave our comfort zones and fight for our passions which are deeply embedded in our conscience and just waiting to be erupted. Truly we are created by God in His own image, though tainted with sin and selfishness because of the fall of man, and we have inherited God’s nature of goodness and righteousness; and no matter how cruel a person is, there is and there will be something good that can be found in him.



The one thing Meloto said that I would like to oppose, however, is that we should stop preaching and just act. I would like to say that those who have displayed greatness in realizing their advocacies are the only ones who have the right to continue preaching their philosophies and values and like Mr. Meloto who has a good soul and has deep involvement with his passion, and who do not need prepared speechs nor the use of highfalutin words to impart their message. He has thoughts so powerful that can melt even a heart of stone (a heart full of greed and selfishness).
Mr. Meloto also said that the key to development or the ways to rise from our “mendicant posture” is through drawing strengths from the marginalized sector of society and from a number of still “good people”; by discovering the best in our “underdeveloped human resource” through inspiring them to dream big and pursue not an American dream but a “Filipino dream”; and by “leveraging of resources” or “economic sharing” wherein government, business sector and civil society will work together for national development.
Although Meloto concluded that nation-building is about “people power”, may I say that first and foremost, it is God’s power that unfolds the history of the nation and God only uses transformed ordinary people who are willing to participate in national development and who are willing to collaborate with other sectors of society in order to serve those who have less in life.
Indeed, Gawad Kalinga is public administration paradigm which is uniquely Filipino.

By: MA. ELOISA E. LOMEDA
NCPAG – University of the Philippines
Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines
House of Representatives’ House of the People Scholarship