Fish Now, Fishing Later

My Land Titles and Deeds (LTD) class last semester organized, as our class project, a stakeholders’ symposium on the Community Mortgage Program (CMP) entitled “BAHAY, WALANG LUPA,” with the objective of disseminating information on CMP, and in the process, get a good grade.   As organizers, we invited speakers and guests, contacted food caterers, and raised funds-most of which came from our own pockets.  For our audience, we got to convince a nearby community to come and attend our symposium.  It was a community of informal settlers in along Commonwealth Avenue. 

Skipping the stressful details of the preparations, our symposium went though just fine.  It was fairly successful, I think.  Anyway, coming home from the long day’s work, I couldn’t help but feel bothered that the CMP has been there for almost twenty years and it seems that that people it aimed to help has not a bit of knowledge about it.  Okay, I admit, I only understood the program in my LTD class but I really don’t think the law is of much use to me before.  But especially for these people, who are supposed to be the beneficiaries of the law, it should not be the case.  For one, they have been in the squatters’ area since the 80’s. Two, they are a stone’s throw away from the UP College of Law and the Law Center. And three, it’s the internet age.  I’m sure I saw a computer shop or two in the community, and a couple of houses with computers.  If these people really wanted to find a way to legally own the lands their houses are on, they could.  I’m sure I’ve seen a couple of internet shops in the community.  What’s their use then? Facebook? Chat? Online gaming? Well, I don’t intend to take those little happiness away from them but more than being just a medium of entertainment, people should also learn about the informative use of the Internet.  It could help a lot.  It could mean peaceful demolitions, if not peaceful communities.  It could be as difficult as spoon feeding people of what they need making it more enticing to just commit this sin of omission. 

At any rate, I know it is still a long way for education and information technology.  What we have done is exactly spoon feed them.  But I know it would not and should not end there.  We gave out fish…for now.  So they could find their homes and live decent lives.  So we can teach them how to fish later.


Maricor Estrella, Entry # 2