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Name : Amanda Rosa Blanca R. Arevalo

Subject : NSTP2

Professor : Mr. Leonardo G. Adap

Date : 8 March 2013

Title : 12 Little Things Every Filipino Can Do To Help Our Country

Summary :

As the title of the book suggests, 12 Little Things Every Filipino Can Do To Help Our Country by Atty. Alexander L. Lacson is a book about what every ordinary Filipino can do to contribute in improving our country. Different situations in our country were exposed, as well as some negative ratings and impressions. The author emphasized that we have to attend to many little things in our national life and we have to start setting these things right. The book’s theory is simple: Small and ordinary acts that we do everyday could go a long way in healing a wounded nation. The book talked about the change that we need to undertake for the improvement of our country. It also dealt with twelve simple and possible ways to show care for the country that God has given us.

Twelve things that can be done were tackled, namely, follow traffic rules and the law; always ask for an official receipt; buy Filipino; speak positively about us and our country; respect traffic officers, policemen, and public servants; dispose garbage properly; support your Church; do your solemn duty during elections; pay your employees well; pay your Taxes; adopt a scholar or a poor child; and be a good parent. The twelve things that the author mentioned ranged from very simple deeds, like following traffic rules and asking for official receipts, to patriotic acts, like buying Filipino-made products to exercising our right to suffrage. How to accomplish and these things and why were also discussed. It only requires a change of attitude and a change in the way we look at things. These twelve things when done by a handful of Filipinos will multiply over time will eventually accumulate to create a greater good for our country.

Critique :

The ideas presented in the book were fair and simple. The author gave hypothetical and concrete examples to illustrate each “little thing”, as well as its long-term effects on our country. These made the concepts easier to understand and comprehend. The negative standing and situations mentioned in the book had the tendency to dishearten the readers rather than encourage or provoke them to take action. However, the author’s style of presenting each situation made it easy for the reader to see a clear picture of what is happening around him and how it can be changed.

The strength of the content of book is in its simplicity and straightforwardness in the presentation of ideas, making it easy for the readers to grasp them. Stories included in the book made it more interesting to the readers. The integration of memorable quotes from known personalities, historical and political lessons on why our country is in its depressing state, and tales of hope, all helped in conveying the message to the readers. However, the author used some unfamiliar

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words like self-flagellation and piqued, that, even with the context clues were hard to understand and one would need a dictionary to know their meaning.

There are a lot of simple things that we can do for our country. The book talked about twelve of them. The book showed us that making it a habit to do these simple things everyday would, in effect, benefit our country. I think that the book can also include things that Filipinos who are not residing in the Philippines can do to benefit our country. Filipinos who are working abroad or who are living in other parts of the globe can also help us in improving our country. Although practicing these simple things will create a good image for us Filipinos, still the greater benefit will go to the country where they are living. An example of this is the proper disposal of garbage. In the book, it was clearly explained how this simple act can help minimize and eventually solve our problem of pollution and floods. But can this, if practiced Filipinos abroad, help the country in solving its problems of pollution and floods ?

Aside from this, other simple things like being grateful, having faith, and wearing a smile can also be included. Being grateful is appreciating what we have and what others, like our parents, government leaders, teachers, friends and classmates, have done for us. Instead of complaining and waste time criticizing others, start appreciating the things done for you. Say “thank you” with sincerity. Have faith is another little thing that we can do. Having faith is believing that no matter how problematic or difficult our situation is there is hope and that there is an answer to ever problem. No matter how hopeless is the state of our country, nothing is impossible with God. Admit your mistakes. Swallow your pride and sincerely ask for forgiveness for your wrongdoings. Admitting that you have done wrong is the first step in being honest. Lastly, wearing a smile everyday gives a delightful feeling that draws people together. It makes people smile back at you and help boost motivation.

Finally, I think that it would have been better if the book was written first in Tagalog and then an English translation followed. The book dealt with simple acts that can be done to show love for our country and what better way to show this than using our own national language. The book was written by a Filipino for Filipinos to read. Why write it in English ? Using Tagalog as a medium in writing the book would greatly emphasize the message that the book is trying to communicate to its readers, and that is love for the country.

Meaning :

The main theme of the book is love for others and love for one’s country. Every simple act that was discussed in the book was meant to rekindle our individual patriotism, something that has been neglected or placed aside for the longest time.

From the very first act of obeying traffic rules, up to the last, being a good parent, each simple act mentioned showed how we Filipinos can show our love for others and for our country. It all boils down to being a good citizen and a good person and this is done through simple acts of expressing our love for others, our fellow Filipinos.

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Following the law is the first act that we should practice. It may sound too simple but traffic rules are the most basic of our laws and if we cannot obey them, how can we comply with the other laws of our land ? Laws are created to bring order and a country cannot possibly progress without order. Without laws, people will just be doing what they want to do without any regard for others. Laws are there to protect us. Our laws were created by the very people we have selected to make them for us and our task is simply to follow them. Obeying traffic rules will not only bring order on the streets but will also form in us a sense of discipline that is very important if we are to grow as a nation. Love for our country is manifested in this simple act because whenever we follow the law, we show our love for others, our fellow Filipinos. Whenever we follow the law, we show discipline and respect for others. If every Filipino will be like this, then traffic will no longer be a problem and our streets will be safer.

Simply asking for a receipt every time we buy something helps increase government funds through taxes collected from these establishments. Paying the right taxes enables the government to accumulate funds. A well funded government can implement developmental projects for the country. These projects, in turn, strengthen the economy and improve the lives of its citizens. By asking for a receipt, we help our country move towards progress.

As Filipinos, we should be proud of our country. Two ways of doing this were mentioned in the book. One is by buying locally made products and the other is by speaking positively about our country and our fellow Filipinos. Whenever we buy locally produced items, we help the Filipino who made it possible, from the vendor to the manufacturer of the product down to the makers of its raw materials. Whenever we speak positively about our country and our fellow Filipinos, we make a good impression of our country in the eyes of people from other countries. The money we spend in buying locally made products go back to us, to our economy, and not to the economy of other nations. Tourism is improved because of the positive feedbacks about our country. Jobs are created and maintained and the lives of others are improved. Buying our own products and speaking positively about our country and its people are ways of showing our support for our fellow Filipinos and our love for our country.

Respecting others is also a way of showing our love for them and our country. Properly addressing a person and using our “po” and “opo”, not only show respect but also help dignify the person. The book tell us “the way a person is addressed or treated, determine to a large extent the way he would behave or respond ”. Feeling respected helps motivate a person to do his job well, and if we all show our respect for our law enforcers, government workers and leaders, then they will be motivated to do their duties well in leading our country.

The Philippines is the only country we have. It was given to us by God, full of natural resources to sustain us. It is just but right to [reserve the beauty of this land for future generations to enjoy. Garbage disposal is one of our main problems. We show our love for others when we dispose our garbage properly because we help prevent illness that comes with improper garbage disposal. We show our love for our country when we do our part in making it clean and a better place to live in.

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Whenever we give our support to the Church, no matter what our religious affiliations may be, we show our gratitude to God and help in implementing God’s work. This in turn benefits other people and our country as well.

Placing the right people in office is a power given to us. We need to exercise this right and fight for it because this affects our destiny and the future of our country. We manifest our love for others and our country when we elect goof leaders for them and our country.

Sharing one’s blessing is also a simple act mentioned in the book. Giving the right wages is not only stated in the law but is also a way for companies to share blessings to others. In this way, prosperity is spread and not just confined to a few. With this, lives are improved.

The youth is the future of our country and investing on them is investing for our future. Our love for others is manifested when we reach out and help support the education of the less fortunate. This is a way of sharing our blessings and showing our love for others and for our country.

Lastly, parents play an important role in molding the future of our country. If we are to become the a great nation someday, we should start instilling in the hearts and minds of the young the seeds that would make them better citizens, the love for others and our country

Patriotism is within us all and this book made us recall what we may have forgotten. The book is a wake-up call to each and every Filipino. It was written not only for the purpose of informing us of the different situations in our country and the reasons why they became this way, but also to set us an example. It gave us the solution in making the change we all clamor for possible. It showed us what we can do today to make our country a better place to live in for future generations. It conveyed the message that the future of our country is not in the hands of our leaders and politicians but lies in the hands of each and every Filipino, working together and doing one’s part in building this nation.

Reaction :

The first time I read the title of the book, I was intrigued. What could be these twelve little things ? I thought of our national heroes who died fighting for our country. Is dying for one’s country considered only as a “little thing” ? Then I thought of world renowned Filipinos who have made a name for themselves in the fields of sports, like Manny Pacquiao, Performing Arts, like Leah Salonga, and Fashion, like Pitoy Moreno. Could being famous be considered as one of these little things ? Reading the book enlightened me. I was surprised by what I have read. Never did I imagine that these simple things that we tend to neglect every day can help save our country !

12 Little Things Every Filipino Can Do To Help Our Country is a good book to read. It is packed with factual information, inspiring stories, and important lessons. I enjoyed reading it. It was an eye-opener for me. It made me realize that one does not have to die for our country, like what our national heroes did, nor to win awards and be famous, like our world famous Filipinos, to help our country. Neither must one be rich nor hold government positions.

The things listed in the book are just ordinary things that we know and that we know we must do, yet these are the very ordinary things we do not practice. The twelve little things can be done,

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they are not impossible to do. They are easily accomplished like asking for an official receipt or voting on Election Day. But for one reason or another, we simply ignore them. There is a big difference between can and wont. All of us can do these things, but majority of us wont. Even though very obvious things should be done, like following traffic rules and the law or properly disposing garbage, many of us find excuses to do the exact opposite. Why is this so ? Probably because of our indifference or “Juan Tamad” attitude. We are concern with other things that we feel are more important for us like our studies and friends, and we just wait and let others do these things for us. This book is the beginning, the start of doing what should have been done in the first place. It has opened our minds and our hearts to do something for our country. It has shown us the way.

Application :

Like most of us, I am at times guilty of not doing some of these little things. I cross the street anywhere that is convenient for me, even if the green light is on. Seldom do I use the pedestrian lanes because I find them far from where I am standing. There were lots of times that I do not ask for receipts unless it’s very important or valuable. If I did not receive one, I simply wave it off. These are just simple tasks but I guess a lot of us do not take it seriously.

Every day, I ride the jeepney in going to school and I notice that drivers are really happy if you show them respect and treat them nicely when paying for the fare or when asking them to stop. They respond in with smiles on their faces. It really dignifies them like what the author said in his book.

Indeed, the twelve things tackled in the book are little acts that would be very easy to do if one is determined to do it. We are very lucky to be given a country rich in natural resources, yet we are not progressing in the way we should be. We are beset with so many problems and issues, political, economic, social, environmental, and so forth. Our people are starving and not living decent lives. We see children on the streets, doing manual labor, doing drugs and petty crimes instead of going to school. Do we just sit around and wait for more ?

Now is the time to take action. The book has shown us the way; it has given us the guidelines. We just have to simply follow them consistently and truthfully. It has awakened us to the realities that surround us. It has opened our hearts and minds and lighted the candle of hope in us. What we do now will determine what we will be in the future. The ball is now in our hands.