tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32450895.post7846949296083777617..comments2023-12-28T00:21:05.798+08:00Comments on A Lianga Diary: Hands In The Cookie JarBenjie Otaganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11701013919327435992noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32450895.post-67248435459818661872007-11-23T00:52:00.000+08:002007-11-23T00:52:00.000+08:00Benjie,During my trip to Butuan this week, I was c...Benjie,<BR/>During my trip to Butuan this week, I was constantly reminded of your many comments concerning the state of the pitiful road conditions in our area. After 2 days of recuperation, my back is still sore from all the shaking that it endured. Indeed the recent rains have caused much erosion of the already torturous road conditions, and I, like you have taken note of the decision by the World Bank to review the loans. You know, corruption is prevalent all over the world, yet here in the Philippines, it seems so much more heart wrenching. <BR/>I am an American who dearly loves all the wonderful family and friends I have here in the Philippines. I want to see all of them start to prosper economically; I hate to see all the economic hardships that they go though, sometimes just trying to survive. Many times I've reached out to help some of my friends during the hardest times in their lives and wish earnestly that I could help more than I do. But even though I do help sometimes, I generally think its' a bad idea to give money to people. It breaks my heart sometimes not to help some of my wife's friends, but to do so may break their will to go beyond the bounds of reason and look for ways to make a change in their life. I know that when one is given too much, it makes them not try on their own as hard. <BR/>Maybe that is the problem with some of the government officials here in this area. They have gone many years expecting to buy their way into office, and have given up on doing the things that would endear the voters to re-elect them. How tragic that is! Government officials should be elected for what they will do to improve the conditions of the voters that elect them. Yet here we are with the poorest roads in the island of Mindanao, and the least developed natural beauty. I sincerely hope that your words are reaching the ears of the elected officials for this area and that they will soon take heed of their responsibilities’, to help those who put them in their offices. Until then its up to each of the individuals who live here to do the very best they can do to make things better. I hope we will soon see people working together to make a better place here in Lianga and its 13 Barangay's.<BR/>Keep up the good work, your words and pictures, at the very least are enlightening many to the glorious natural beauty of both the land and the people of Lianga. You have a way of telling your stories to make them both eye opening and humorous at the same time. You talk of issues that are important and need to be said, and you say them in ways that are non-threatening to the people that need to hear them. <BR/>Mark and MerejenAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com