Issue 36: Making A Difference

It’s 2013! Happy New Year!

What better way to start the year than to envision a better future, a better country for our children. If we all start working on this now, there is a chance this dream will come true! For our first issue this year, the editorial team picked topics that will inspire you do what you can to make our country a better place to live and raise our children. 

In this issue, we deal with the cultural expression of crab mentality, a trait associated with Filipinos that destroys the spirit of bayanihan.  There is also an interview with a young mother who didn’t allow her difficult situation to hinder her from giving hope to the inmates of New Bilibid Prison.  You will read about how to run and keep a business going. This is important because having a business helps improve livelihood in the community. There is an article about learning new technology. This keeps us up to par with the people to whom we want to reach out. Being fit and healthy also equips us to do more for others, thus nutrition is tackled in this issue. “Just Asking” answers a tough question-- whether we are actually helping when we give to children begging on the streets.

We hope to encourage you, our readers, to mindfully think of ways to help make a difference in somebody’s life, in your community, in our country!  God bless you.

Table of Contents

Mind & Spirit

Escape from the "Bucket"

Make A Difference
Maximum Security, Maximum Love

Body & Soul
Energizers
Tasty Treats

Love & Money

Technophobe No More
Money Talks for Entrepreneurs

Just Asking

Giving Alms to Children

Bonus Web Articles

• Starting Your Own Small Business
• My Pep Squad

Just Asking

with Peter Banzon

Question: When I see street children begging for money, I feel so sorry for them that I want to give, but I know there’s a law against it. What should I do?

Money Talks for Entrepreneurs

by Alena Palad with Evie Francisco

Nowadays, many people try to start a business to earn additional income.  This is what Evelyn Francisco did. She has ventured into several businesses like RTW, a mini grocery store, a review center, and currently an internet shop. Evelyn believes that it is normal to have financial problems when starting a new business, but once the business is established it is important to handle finances wisely to be able to maintain it.

Keep your money separated:  Business money must be kept separate from personal money. You have to be strategic in putting your money in different accounts based on their functions. Money that comes from your business should be used as capital to purchase the products you sell and to pay the bills related to the business. The money that you use for your personal needs should not come from your business money. A friend who took a loan to start a sari-sari store made this mistake. She and her children took their food and other needs from the store and didn’t pay for them. The store went bankrupt and the family was not able to pay the loan.

Technophobe No More

by Hazel A.B. Javier

Ever heard of the word technophobe?  Simply put, this word describes a person who is afraid of technology or anything related to it.  Technophobes are hesitant to learn because of various reasons such as these stated below:

1. “I’m too old to learn.”

What are the things seniors need to know to stay connected?  Here are a few:

a. Internet connections can either be wired or wireless.  Wired connections are usually through your local telecommunications provider, and can be bundled with your landline.  Wireless connections can normally be through either your mobile network (meaning, you can access the internet through your cellphone) or through an open/password-protected wifi (can be accessed through wifi spots).

b. www means world-wide-web. http means hypertext transfer protocol.  Think of the net as that of an interconnection of computer systems “talking” to each other through digital information.  We normally type these 3 or 4 letters at the start of each webpage we are trying to access.

c. Web browsers are computer programs used for accessing sites or information on a network (as the World Wide Web), as defined by Merriam Webster.  More common examples of these are Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Opera, Safari, and Google Chrome.  Any of these can be used to open webpages.

Tasty Treats

by Irene Lao-Ong with Jeanne Ching

Fish Fillet with Honeymansi Glaze

Ingredients:

½ k Fish Fillet

6 tbsp Honey

2 tbsp Fish Sauce 

1 ½ tbsp Calamansi Juice

Freshly ground Black Pepper

Non-stick cooking spray or small amount of Olive Oil

Energizers

by Nathan Maliwat

Mothers have different roles that demand a lot of energy. To meet them, mothers should get the right amount of energy from what they eat. It is important to know the kinds of food that help the body to be at its best condition.

The body gets its fuel from three sources of energy and each can be found in specific types of food.

The main source of energy comes from carbohydrates which are present in food that typically makes us feel very full. Rice, bread, pasta and cereals are rich in carbohydrates. But carbohydrates are also found in vegetables and fruits. 

Maximum Security, Maximum Love

Sheryl and Mary Grace

by Mary Grace Jumento

Sheryl Gamba Dizon does volunteer work in prison with her inmate husband, Pastor Red Dizon. She tries to know what the inmates in maximum security of The New Bilibid Prison are going through in order to understand their feelings. Despite the danger, and being mocked, she continues to connect and make a difference to inmates in maximum security and their families. The simple things Sheryl does help the inmates find hope in Christ and live a meaningful life.

How did you start doing volunteer work inside the prison? 

It was after I got a job at the Philippine Science and Technology Center (PSTC), a vocational and technical school in Cubao. I was a part time instructor and on the marketing staff. Si Pastor Keno Natividad ang Head Guidance Counselor namin. Lagi niya akong inaaya mag-Bible study sa New Bilibid Prison until one time napilitan akong sumama dahil boss ko siya. He said, “Sumama ka sa akin para ma-experience mo naman ‘yung ibang mundo kahit one time lang.” Sumama ako. Sa simula bisita-bisita lang, kalaunan sumasama na ‘ko as a volunteer sa mga outreach sa mga brigada. Ito ‘yung prison cell with more or less 300 inmates. With other volunteers, we visited the inmates’ family. We went to different places, sometimes we brought letters to them. We would mail their letters at the post office using our own money. They couldn’t mail it on their own because they didn’t have any money.