Helping the poor

Some years ago, there was a single mother raising three children in a small village not far from Davao. A friend from overseas decided that he would try to raise the family from poverty, so he sent them $10,000, so that they could buy some good coconut land and a house, and put the children through college. The day after the money arrived, the mother withdrew the money from the bank. That was a mistake.

Early next morning, a black van with no licence plate pulled up outside her house. Men got out and forced their way into the home. One held the mother and daughters at gunpoint while the others pulled the phone from the wall and searched the house. After threats, one daughter showed them where the money was, and the men left, after telling the family that if they contacted the police they would be killed.

How did the men know about the money? Only the family and those in the bank knew it existed.

More recently, three women were at a money transfer agency. Two of them received large amounts from husbands who had saved for months. The third had a modest remittance from a friend overseas. As the three left the agency and reached the street, a van pulled up. Men got out and violently snatched the handbags of the women. The women got the number of the van, but it had been stolen.

Three families with no food, unable to pay water and electricity bills. Honest families ate porridge for two weeks, but the families of the bandits went to fancy restaurants.

Once again, who called the bandits to tell them that these women coming out of the transfer agency were carrying large amounts of money? The only people who knew were those inside the agency.

A third story. It was a Sunday Mass in a northern suburb of Davao, and the priest was speaking about corruption around the world. He spoke well and to the point.

At the end of his homily, he added the words, “By the way, there is also some corruption in the Philippines.” By the way? I am sorry this has taken so long, but if I wanted to help poor families keep their money, I’d install cameras wherever money is exchanged. And I’d require a police clearance of all those in banks and money agencies. People are poor enough already without having bandits around to make them even poorer. And those living overseas who try to help poor Filipino families survive poverty become very frustrated when the money they send to help the poor instead goes to rich bandits. -Richard Stokes