KaIking4U

by Ike Seneres

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About ten years ago, the National Tobacco Administration (NTA) convinced many farmers in the La Trinidad and Benguet areas to plant tobacco. NTA even invested in a large warehouse and office in La Union for storage and logistics purposes. Eventually, it was discovered that the lands were not suitable for tobacco. Because of that, the farmers went bankrupt, and the warehouse became a white elephant. About six years ago, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) implemented a National Greening Program (NGP) with the goal of planting millions of trees in selected mountainous areas. Sad to say, the program failed, and the DENR lost millions of government funds. Some say that corruption was the cause of the failure, but other than that, I say that the cause could be planting the wrong species in the wrong places. Even up to now, the DENR appears to be planting the Bakhawan variety of mangroves everywhere, thinking perhaps that this variety could grow everywhere. Either that, or the DENR officials are not aware that there are many other varieties of mangrove, and not all varieties could grow everywhere. In other words, certain varieties are suitable only in certain places, depending on the quality of the soil and the water as well. Very recently, the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation, Inc. (RAFI) announced that they will be planting “native trees” in the barren mountains of Cebu Province, citing coffee and cacao as their chosen species. When I reported the matter to Imelda Sarmiento of the Philippine Native Plants Conservation Society, she was shocked, because she was very sure that these two plants are not native to the Philippines. It was also announced that RAFI will be planting Narra trees, thinking perhaps that these are “native trees” as well. They are not exactly wrong, but technically, Narra is more properly classified as an “indigenous tree”. What that means is that Narra grows in the Philippines, but it also grows in other areas such as Southeast Asia, India and Australia. Fortunately, RAFI did not make the mistake of choosing Mahogany. Despite the fact that this tree is sometimes called “Philippine Mahogany”, it is not native to the Philippines and is even classified as an invasive species. It is said to cause harm to the real native trees by chocking them out of resources such as water, and it tends to limit the growth of wildlife around it.

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In order for a seed to grow into a seed and eventually into a seedling, it has to be watered and nourished before it becomes a mature plant or a tree. I think that that analogy could also be used to describe the journey of becoming a Christian. Planting a seed into the soil is very much like planting the word of God into a person. That person could be converted or baptized, but it would be difficult for him or her to grow into a real Christian, not unless his faith in God is watered and nourished. Statistics show that more Filipino Catholics could be classified as “nominal”, while the rest could be classified as “active” or “practicing. In other words, those who are classified as “nominal” are only Catholics in name only, but not in actual practice. It is also possible that many Filipino Catholics merely go through the functions of participating in some religious rituals, without really “practicing” or internalizing the word of God. In much the same way that growing a tree from a seed or seedling is a long and tedious process, it is also a long and tedious process to grow the faith in a Christian, even if he or she has already been baptized. It is for this reason that I have started a Messenger chat group in Facebook, so that Christians could share their learnings and experiences as they learn about the word of God, and grow their faith. Despite the name Catholic Life Assistance and Support Program or CLASP for short, it will be open to all Christians, and not just to Catholics. Of course, it will be open to those from other faiths who may wish to understand the word of God better. CLASP is simply a chat group, and there are no formal membership forms to fill up or membership fees to pay. With God’s grace, we could have our own You Tube channel later. And yes, CLASP is also open even to those who do not have a religion or who do not believe in God. Just log on to Facebook and join.

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Together with my business partner Mr. Ferdz Sabado, we have developed the Filipino Emergency Response Notification System (FERNS) so that the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) could be immediately notified by any Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) whenever he or she is in an emergency situation, for whatever reason. Mr. Sabado and I came up with the idea for the software after we noticed that presently, the DMW does not have a system wherein they could find out right away, in real time, whenever an OFW is in trouble or in distress somewhere and would need immediate attention. More often than not, the DMW Secretary and his or her staff is one of the last ones to know whenever there is an active case. Simply by using a mobile app, any OFW can send a distress signal that could immediately be received by the DMW Secretary and his or her staff. That way, they will be the first to know whenever there is an active case. At the same time, also in real time, the recruitment agency of the OFW who is in trouble will also receive the same distress signal, so that he or she could also act on his own, but preferably in coordination with the DMW. There will be no cost to the DMW, because Mr. Sabado and I will donate the use of the mobile app to the DMW, free of charge. There is no need for a public bidding, because there is no procurement involved. All OFWs could also use the mobile app for free, with absolutely no hidden charges. Just like any other social media platform, we will earn our revenues from corporate advertisers and sponsors. If and when necessary, we could also donate the use of the mobile app to the DFA and the Commission for Filipinos Overseas (CFO), also free of charge. I am very happy to have the opportunity to serve my fellow OFWs by way of developing this mobile app. I am also happy to dedicate this app to the memory of my late brother, Ambassador Roy Seneres, who dedicated his life to the service of the OFWs through the OFW Family Club.