The State of Our Nation’s Foundation
ANGELO E. BASE
a.ka. “Papa Angelo, The Life Mentor” God and Man’s Laws Life Counselor Founder/Managing Director BCIDP Exclusive School for Couples Philippines
A Member of BCIDP Law Group Philippines
BCIDP Exclusive School for Couples Philippines was formally established at a time where the country was greatly stricken by the pandemic NCOV-19 virus and the government has to impose a total lockdown called Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) for seventy-five (75) days starting in 15 March 2020 until 30 May 2020. During this lockdown period, 783 murders were recorded, or equivalent to ten (10) killings a day in different places and reasons; 602 people were raped for different places and reasons, or equivalent to eight (8) raped a day; then on 21 June 2020, it was reported that 214,000 lockdown babies are about to be born after nine (9) months. Studies have shown that the major problems being continuously solved or handled by the Philippine government for the last thirty-three (33) years are i.e. poverty, corruption, criminality, illegal drugs, among others. BCIDP Exclusive School for Couples believes that all these problems emanated from the homes of every Filipino family because of a very weak “foundation”.
The Institute of Family Studies (IFS) in VA, U.S.A. stated on 18 September 2013 in its website that:
“Sustainable societies depend upon strong families. Nations that seek to remain economically and politically vital must reproduce themselves; children are most likely to thrive—socially, emotionally, and economically—when they enjoy the shelter and stability of an intact, married family; marriage is most beneficial for children when both parents are positively invested in their lives; and families are most likely to flourish when they can be built upon strong economic foundations. These are the truths that inform the work of the Institute for Family Studies, a new initiative dedicated to strengthening marriage and family life, and advancing the welfare of children through research and public education.
“The strength of a nation derives from the integrity of the home.” ~ Confucius
“Strong families make a strong nation”. – “First Focus on Children”, (firstfocus.org), 16 March 2017
“Strong families are necessary for a strong nation” – “Guyana Chronicle, The Nation’s Paper”, (guyanachronicle.com), 28 September 2017
In our own “chronicle”, The Philippine Star, in its 23 September 2002 Editorial posted on its website, it says: “Strong Family, Strong Nation”, and we quote:
“In the age of sexual liberation and rapidly changing mores, some people may find it old-fashioned to believe that one of the pillars of a stable nation is a stable family. But a nation’s first line of defense against drug abuse and other evils of society is the family. Children of dysfunctional families or broken homes are vulnerable to drug abuse and involvement in crime.
Today the nation starts marking Family Week. The annual event, now on its sixth year, aims to foster public awareness of the social ills that threaten families. One of the biggest problems is violence against family members, especially women and children. While the problem is prevalent in depressed communities with low literacy, it is by no means unique to the poor and uneducated.
Last year, the Philippine National Police received 5,668 complaints of wife battery nationwide. The Department of Social Welfare and Development, meanwhile, provided assistance to 5,504 women in especially difficult circumstances, with 37 percent victims of physical abuse, 15 percent of sexual abuse and 12.6 percent of trafficking for various illegal purposes. Of the sexually abused women, 70.4 percent had been raped, 28.2 percent were victims of incest while 1.5 percent complained of acts of lasciviousness by family members. Children are just as vulnerable to physical, sexual and verbal abuse. Many child sex workers roaming city streets were forced into prostitution by their own parents.
Few people are willing to intervene in family relationships. Neighbors are reluctant to help even when they hear a woman or child screaming in pain next door, victims of an abusive family member. Most people who see children getting cheap thrills from sniffing rugby simply shrug, believing parents should discipline their own children.
If you poke your nose into such problems, you risk being told that it’s none of your business. Yet some government agencies and concerned non-government organizations are doing just that, intervening where possible, providing counseling to those interested, and even calling in the police where needed. It’s difficult, sometimes thankless job, but it has to be done if we want every citizen to live a decent life and contribute to nation-building. Strong families make for a strong nation”.
A worldwide news magazine on the net called “N-IUSSP” conducts scientific findings from demographic research carried out all over the world, published on 10 July 2017 the “Rise of Divorce, Separation, and Cohabitation in the Philippines”. It reported that: “Although most Filipinos still value marriage, the proportion who separate from their spouse, both legally and informally, is increasing”.