Let's face it: As we wander around, not everyone is given a chance to live

their lives fairly. From the beggars asking for reliefs, to the children sleeping on
the streets. Can you see the endless battle of the poor and the less privileged? Can
you hear the outburst of their struggle to survive their everyday living?
Ladies and gentlemen, a pleasant morning to all of you. Ever since, we
have been evoked by the idea that we have to look for other people's well-being.
Though "malasakit" has no direct English translation to define its in-depth
relation in our culture, we may regard it by showing care, compassion,
concern or empathy which is the closest to its meaning but these cannot
entirely apprehend the pulchritude of the word and what the action implies.
For the time being, we experience our own phases of struggles which
require a different coping up mechanism on a case to case basis. With that
being said, how can we still effectively exemplify the culture of malasakit? Our
traditional concept of malasakit is that it can only be expressed through a
direct act of giving something of value to the poor and needy. Indeed, this
traditional way of manifesting malasakit resonates the attitude of a classic
Filipino who, in times of crises or not, has the heart and will to help his
kababayan in any way that he can. However, this concept may be
disregarded today due to a vast difference in our society and the influences
from some other factors. Despite such, the concept of malasakit does not
solely lie on the realm of direct involvement but may also be evident
indirectly which can match the status of society today.
Let me provide you an example. An indirect act of showing malasakit
can be shown by our own participation in the preservation of our nature, we,
being the stewards of nature. An annual Coastal clean-up is being held at
Boardwalk, Subic Bay Freeport Zone which has the goal to eliminate wastes
and preserve the sea and sea shore. We might not actually see it as an act of
compassion, but the ideals of this kind of programs entail a greater meaning.
As stewards of nature we have the obligation to preserve our resources not
only for present consumption and usage but more importantly for the future
generation. Aside from these, our city offers the like programs where we can
engage ourselves like tree planting activities which herald a large impact for
the conservation of the Mother Earth to ensure a better future and a better world
for the next generations to come.
As part of the youth today, the role that we play is critical in ensuring that
the culture, which we inherited from our ancestors, will be preserved up until the
next years. By simply offering one’s life to serve others, sharing one’s
possessions with the community, and giving inspiration to the nation, we can truly
practice and utilize the culture of malasakit. We may not do it the traditional
way because of financial constraints; we can always practice it indirectly
without burdening ourselves yet still exemplifying malasakit towards others.
Let me end this piece with a quote from Albert Schweitzer, “The
purpose of human life is to serve and to show compassion and the will to help
others”. May we all find our purposes in life through compassion and let us
all be proud to be Filipinos instilled with malasakit within our hearts.