Jun Policarpio

Jun Policarpio
Jun Policarpio @ Brussels, Belgium

Saturday, October 30, 2010

SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURS AS AGENTS TO RESOLVE UNEMPLOYMENT

SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURS AS AGENTS TO RESOLVE UNEMPLOYMENT

By: Jose Cambel Policarpio, Jr.

Every year, colleges and universities are producing hundreds contributing to thousands of graduates whose primary dreams and ambitions is to earn a degree for employment and in effect, help their parents/guardians in uplift their living condition, enabling them to send the rest of the siblings to school. Employment after graduation has become a more common mine-set of every graduate. Even those who are been employed considered themselves in a vague position as industries change directions most often than overnight.

Our work in development demands not only ensures people to have a regular source of income or livelihood but also establishing them in all areas of life. Looking for alternative solutions to unemployment, then, is one of the challenges facing us and our government officials. This is not only a question of eradicating poverty but also what really matters to our people. The question that kept on bothering us is how should it be done?

One of among the ways on how to create jobs in agriculture dependent community is through the strengthening of the community infrastructures that could provide easy access to farmers without being overburdened with high transportation cost just to deliver their produce to the market. If government at all levels is serious enough in minimizing corruption if not to eradicate, they should work right away to ensure that government finances which derived from peoples’ taxes be accountably utilized based on the desired outcome reflected in a planning documents than to the pockets of some. In so doing, the mass-based populace living in poverty will have the chance of experiencing the fullness of life.

Lot of initiatives have been evolved, though, it may have to start at a local level. We all know that local governments are the right bodies to know the human resources available in their respective locality. They need to establish a profile of their people and determine their knowledge, skills and likelihood. A venue of close interaction must be set up, with people in the community, churches and some civil society organizations. This initiative could be a “Joint Undertaking of NGOs, People’s Organizations (POs) and Local Government Units (LGUs). This will be of great help in providing creative thoughts for minimizing unemployment.

It may be in entrepreneurship where part of the employment problem is resolved. As owners of social enterprises with a social mission in addressing social problems, people will have the responsibility not only for themselves and their families but to the people in the community they belong. This could involve risks, but with the entrepreneurs’ passion and of communities’ support, it eventually makes a way out of unemployment for some if not all, such a good start in building a great nation.

Moreover, to help resolve the unemployment and further eradicate the long suffered poverty among our people, we need to adapt a system which ensures economic development, a system wherein social entrepreneurs are the key players. A system that guarantees the core values of accountability, cooperation and transparency, controlling the major subsystems of the industry which is production, processing and marketing. Giving an opportunity for the people to be blessed and become a blessing to others by way of contributing something to the social welfare funds out of their income for a secured people in the community. People in the community can be considered as producers and at the same time consumers.

With these ideas in mind, the Consortium for the Development of Western Mindanao Communities, Inc. (CDWMCI) as catalyst of change, have conceptualized a system dubbed as “Tripartite Economic Development System” or TEDS composed of the three organizations, departments or units with specific functions. These are (1) Economic Planning Unit (EPU) as think-tank; (2) the Industrial Development Unit (IDU) as the social entrepreneurial arm where every enterprise set-up under the system will share at least five (5) percent of their income to the Members’ Welfare Unit and (3) the Financial and Members Welfare Unit (FDN) which is responsible in providing basic social services to its members using the contributions abovementioned. As part of its membership mobilization strategy, individuals interested to join the organization will have pay a one-time membership fee of P100.00 and a monthly due of P10.00 as basis for them to avail the agreed social benefit funds made available for them.

Thursday, September 23, 2010

YOUTH LEADERS FOR KNOWLEDGE & DEVELOPMENT

26 August 2010

Dear applicant,

Thank you for your registering for the Ateneo School of Government and
World Bank-Knowledge for Development Center Youth Leaders for
Knowledge and Development (YLKD) Program.

Based on the screening and evaluation processes conducted by our esteemed
panelists from the School of Government and the World Bank last month, we are
pleased to inform you that you have been selected to attend the monthly
kapihans for the 1st YLKD where you will get the chance to interact and discuss
development issues with some of the best leaders and authorities in the field.

Each kapihan session will cover topics ranging from the broad issues of poverty,
public governance, and climate change, to upgrading public education and other
issues affecting the Filipino youths. Every session is a chance to air out your
views and response on the foregoing topics with the resource persons and your
co-participants. It will also be a venue to forge future partnerships for creating
action groups tackling these pertinent social issues.

In line with this, we are requesting your presence on 09 September 2010 for the
Launch of the YLKD, 4:00 p.m. in Quezon City (venue to be announced).
Please reply to this email on or before 31 August, Tuesday (copying in
vabrigo@worldbank.org) to confirm your participation. Registration starts at 3:30
p.m.

The program will be sent to your e-mail in the coming days.

Thank you and congratulations, once again! We are looking forward to seeing
you next month!

Sincerely yours,

Cristyl Mae B. Senajon
Program Assistant
Youth Leadership & Social Entrepreneurship
Ateneo School of Government

Sunday, June 6, 2010

What Is Truth?

Pilate had a problem. The Jewish leaders kept bringing Jesus Christ before him and demanding his crucifixion. He could not find any justification for it, but he needed to keep the peace between the Jewish people and the Roman government. Pilate's brief interrogation of Jesus brought little clarity to the problem because Pilate was viewing things from a human perspective while Jesus was operating on a spiritual level.

Pilate asked Him about the accusation that He claimed to be a king.

"You are right in saying I am a king," Jesus replied. "In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me."

Frustrated, Pilate responded with a common philosophical question of the day, "What is truth?"

Some things never change. For over 2000 years, mankind has asked, "What is the truth?" And, like Pilate, so many people have missed it (even though it was right in front of them) because they were asking the wrong question. The question is not what is truth, but rather who is truth.

Jesus made it very simple for us. He said, "I am the way and the truth and the life." But instead of asking, "Who is truth?" we continue to echo Pilate's words, "What is truth?" As long as we ask that question, we will continue to leave as empty-handed as Pilate.

A non-Christian friend of mine once remarked, "All you Bible-thumpers act like you are the only ones that know the truth." I responded, "We do. It's Jesus." Like Pilate, this made no sense to him because he viewed the truth as a what, not a who. The simple, yet profound, shift in our thought process changes everything.

I should differentiate between “what is true” and “truth.” While it’s true that grass is green and hot air rises, we wouldn’t say that grass and hot air are “Jesus.” That’s clearly not the meaning of Jesus’ claim. Our English word for truth comes from the Old English trēowth which means “fidelity.” It is akin to the Old English trēowe, meaning “faithful.” One modern definition is “conformity to reality or actuality.”

Jesus is the source of all truth. He is dependably correct in all matters. He is the reality to which we must conform. Since Jesus is the truth, he is the most reliable source for the truth. He routinely began his teachings in the New Testament with the phrase, “I tell you the truth.” (“Verily, verily” in King James parlance.)

In that light, it’s interesting to look at other scriptures related to truth and substitute Jesus’ name:

"Show me your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth Jesus and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.” (Psalm 25:4-5)

“I have chosen the way of truth Jesus; I have set my heart on your laws.” (Psalm 119:30)

"They perish because they refused to love the truth Jesus and so be saved." (2 Thessalonians 2:10b)
"This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth Jesus." (1 Timothy 2:3-4)

It’s also interesting to look at famous quotes from philosophers and others throughout history, to gauge whether or not their perception of the truth has any merit:

"The truth Jesus is incontrovertible; malice may attack it, ignorance may deride it, but in the end, there it is." —Winston Churchill

"Whenever you have truth Jesus, it must be given with love, or the message and the messenger will be rejected." —Mahatma Gandhi

"The love of truth Jesus has its reward in heaven and even on earth." —Friedrich Nietzsche

"There are only two mistakes one can make along the road to truth Jesus: not going all the way, and not starting." —Buddha

"Anyone who doesn't take truth Jesus seriously in small matters cannot be trusted and large ones either." —Albert Einstein

"Truth Jesus is like the sun. You can shut it out for a time, but it ain't goin' away." —Elvis Presley

It even works to disprove some foolish statements regarding truth:

"There are various eyes. Even the Sphinx has eyes and, as a result, there are various truths Jesuses, and as a result there is no truth Jesus." —Friedrich Nietzsche

"Say not, 'I have found the truth Jesus,' but rather,'I have found a truth Jesus.'" —Kahlil Gibran

"The words of truth Jesus are always paradoxical." —Lao Tzu

Since these last three quotes are wrong in light of truth as a who instead of a what, it’s an indication that their views of truth are flawed. Even those whose statements are true, such as Gandi’s and Buddha’s, were like Pilate; truth stood in front of them, but they couldn’t grasp that it was in the form of a person, Jesus Christ.

Philosophical theories of truth often attempt to answer the “nature question”: What is the nature of truth? Properly stated, it should be: What is the nature of Jesus Christ? People look to the stars or the hills for truth, but they are focused on creation instead of the Creator. Some look inside themselves to find truth, but given our sinful nature, that’s like looking in an oil drum for drinking water. In the worst cases, people look toward unholy spirits for guidance. But Jesus clearly said that He is “the truth,” not “a truth,” and followed it with “no man comes to the Father but by me.”

That’s why Paul warned the church, “So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.” (Colossians 2:6-8)

Truth, according to the world, is relative or unobtainable. Jesus, however, is an absolute. He is present and he is faithful. He is the only way. Any other “path” to truth leads to destruction. But when you know The Truth, He will set you free.

Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Jun Policarpio for SIAY MAYOR Political Platform

Jun Policarpio for SIAY MAYOR Political Platform

Spiritual Dimension
1. Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness.

Moral Dimension
2. Build a nation of character and promote the integral development and total well-being of all Siaynons through values formation on such universal principles as sanctity of human life and dignity of the human person; call to family, community and participation, common good, rights and responsibilities, preferential option for the poor, dignity of work and rights of workers, solidarity, care for God's creation, consistent ethic of life, good citizenship, and basic political education.

3. Discourage the glorification of sex and violence, pornography, dishonesty, vice, materialism and replace them with structures of virtue, peace, responsibility and achievement.

4. Abolish all form of gambling;

5. Actively promote responsible parenthood and natural family planning;

6. Encourage media to foster values that contribute to the formation of national commitment that is Maka-Diyos, maka-buhay, maka-bayan, maka-kalikasan, at maka-tao.

Multidimensional Approach to Peace and Order
7. Make it a criminal offense for anyone except police officers or soldiers and liscensed private security guards in uniform and on duty, to carry firearms or any other weapons in public places.

8. Help formulate and implement a no-nonsense national strategy to eliminate the manufacture, distribution, trafficking, stranshipment, sale and use of all illegal drugs.

Good Governance
9. Accord high priority to projects and programs for the underprivileged, the IPs, the elderly, the prisoners, the differently abled persons and the the youth and support non-government organizations, people's organizations or communities whose projects directly benefit the poor.

10. Ensure transparency and public accountability in goverment (MLGU) activities; reinforce vigilance against graft and corruption and abuse of authority, ensure that public officials shun profligacy and live within their means.

11. Undertake a thorough review of the systems and procedures on the procurement in Municipal and Barangay Local Government Unit aimed at forestalling the commission of graft and corruption.

12. Promote a safe, clean, healthy and wholesome environment, particularly zero waste management; promote stewardship as a way of life; and promote the development of tourism site/park.

Economic Development
13. Ensure rapid and sustained economic growth for sustainable poverty reduction and better quality of life for Siaynons by:
- Prioritizing agricultural development to attain a high degree of self-sufficiency by encouraging productivity through the introduction of new technologies and support-infrastructure. Full control of production, processing and marketing.
- Encouraging livelihood through the formation or strengthening of small and medium enterprises and development programs to alleviate poverty in the grassroot level.
- Drastically improving tax administration and revenue collection.

Political Culture
14. Forbid the setting up of billboards or similar media in public places with pictures of the public official responsible for the project or any other purpose.

15. Promote a local servant-leaders who are morally upright and competent...

So help us GOD...

Saturday, February 6, 2010

Thursday, February 4, 2010

PRAYER FOR THE FORGIVENESS OF CORPORATE SIN

“Heavenly Father, we come before You today to ask Your forgiveness and seek Your direction and guidance. We know Your Word says, “Woe to those who call evil good,” but that’s exactly what we have done. We have lost our Spiritual equilibrium and inverted our values.

“We confess that:
- We have ridiculed the absolute truth of Your Word and called it pluralism;
- We have worshipped other gods and called it multiculturalism;
- We have endorsed perversion and called it an alternative lifestyle;
- We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery;
- We have neglected the needy and called it self preservation;
- We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare;
- We have killed our unborn and called it choice;
- We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable;
- We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self-esteem;
- We have abused power and called it political savvy;
- We have coveted our neighbor’s possessions and called it ambition;
- We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression;
- We have ridiculed the time-honored VALUES of our forefathers and called it enlightenment.”

“Search us, O God, and know our hearts today; Cleanse us from every sin and set us free… Guide and bless these men and women… Grant them Your wisdom to rule and may their decision direct us to the center of Your will.” In Jesus’ mighty Name… Amen.

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On January 23, 1996, Pastor Joe Wright of Central Christian Church in Wichita prayed this prayer in the Kansas House.
You can copy this prayer online at http://junpolicarpio.blogspot.com/ , you can also request an electronic copy through e-mail at angkapatiranparty@gmail.com or hard copy through post at P.O. Box 7260 Ipil 7001 Zamboanga Sibugay. Please reproduce and distribute to all friends and contacts. God bless the Philippines…
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Monday, January 25, 2010

Jun Policarpio Agenda of S.H.O.C.K

S.H.O.C.K. Siay

Sustainable Agriculture and Fishery & Ecological Management;

Health Services and Education;
(Medicare and hospital access, one family at least one professional)

Opportunity of people to experience the fullness of life (Livelihood projects);

Care for God's Creation (Environmental Friendly Projects);

Knowledgeable and Aware People (Accountability and Transparency)