Christmas Message 2007

Christmas Message 2007 By Prof. Ped Salvador International Academy of Management and Economics December 15, 2007 The Real Meaning of Christmas Today In behalf of Dr. and Atty. Noli Santos our chairman and CEO, I would like to share this Christmas message to all of you. In early December of 1999, I was very fortunate to be assigned to attend a business conference in Vallingby Sweden. It was a strategic planning conference, attended by no less than the chief executives of the different distributors of Electronic Gruffen, a company engaged in the manufacture and distribution of pulse transformers, inductors and other passive electronic devices. I participated and contributed well in the planning exercises and stayed in Sweden for ten days. Upon returning home, in the flight between Stockholm and Frankfurt, I came acquainted with two young Swedish women. The older one, a 24-year old lady by the name of Upsa is a graduate of Electronics Engineering from University of Stockholm and her younger sister, Sala is a student of Electrical Engineering, also from the same university. Up in the air we have had a good conversation and discussion about Swedish and Philippine cultures. At the middle of the flight, I ask Upsa with one serious question. “Upsa, do you believe in Christmas?” She replied “No, I am an Atheist.” “Do you know the meaning of bigotry, hatred, social justice and oppression?” And she answered, “No.” “Do you know Adolph Hitler, Joseph Stalin, Mao Tse Tung and General Polpot?” and she immediately responded, “Yes, all of them have been responsible in killing millions of people.” “Have you been informed that in just three months in 1994, from September to November, a close to one million died in Rwanda between the Hutu and the Tutsi because of ethnic differences?” and she answered, “No, I am not aware of it.” “Do you know that all wars and all forms of evils will only stop if only we will believe in the existence of God, the true and real source of peace and love? This is the essence and spirit of Christmas” She was amazed and no answer came out from her lips.

Today many people although aware, are bewildered in the real meaning of Christmas. Many are focused not only so much in themselves but also in their families and their relatives. Continuous accumulation of wealth today is planned even up to fourth generation. The wealth gap between the rich and the poor, the north and the south, the first world and the third world countries, is continuously rising. The economic safety net is only on paper, nowhere to be found and experienced in reality. The third world countries are always on the disadvantaged and always loser in the playing field. Look and take some notice on the upper and lower chamber of the legislative body and the LGU’s. The same surnames have pre-dominated the house and local government in the last thirty years. There are politicians who through the years have never been filled- up and satisfied for wealth and power. Note that pursuing more power is gluttony and pursuing more wealth is idolatry. The names of the landlords, through out the country also did not change much in so many years. Comprehensive agrarian reform is like a turtle with respect to speed of implementation and social justice have been very gloomy for rice, sugar, and coconut farmers since the time we can think of. Capital is becoming more limited, concentrated only on the hands of the few. The capital lords destroy the essence of good distribution of wealth resulting to mass poverty due to continuous reduction in permanent employment. Unethical capital lords are the enemy of a just society. The Filipino heroes fought the Spaniards, the Americans and the Japanese imperialists to get their freedom from oppression and poverty. Many years have passed, and still majority of Filipinos are still on the verge and longing to free themselves from the bondage of poverty, injustices, and oppression now from the hands of greedy and corrupt Filipino leaders. What a waste of time, effort and resources. Christmas is the time for peace, joy and love. Love in the sense that God sent his only son Jesus Christ to the world so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God did not send his son into the world to condemn it, but to save it. The birth of Jesus is God’s greatest give to the world. Christmas is the time of giving to the one in need. Our people have already suffered so much. It’s about time to give them the fruits and profits of our natural resources that they deserved. It’s about time the government to give and provide more rather than receiving more all the hard-earned money of Filipino labor. It’s about time for the Filipino to gain social equity and happiness to access a more progressive and prosperous quality of life.

We need to participate and contribute more in nation building by going ourselves outward rather than concentrating and focusing ourselves in going the inward. We need to give more of ourselves to the service of needy and marginal Filipinos. The litmus test of God’s love is the capacity to love the poor, the sufferer, the vulnerable and the disadvantaged. We need more courageous and heroic actions not only for today but also continuously for the future of our people. In doing this noble acts, we need to erase mediocrity, complacency and promote quality of decisions in all situations. Christmas is the time of eliminating differences in the Filipino family and society for the sake of unity and promotion of strong nationhood. Christmas is about God .It’s about God who loves, a God who gives and gives, and a God who always forgives. We are one, Filipino. Filipinos are one. We have only one home, our country, the Philippines. It is in doing today, that we can live for tomorrow. A tomorrow that is based on good morals and God’s love as strong foundation and source of wisdom. Thank you very much and A merry Christmas to all!