Christmas Fund Drive

[Curley]

That sounds more like something for the sender to do when making a donation. I am not sure how to get people to do that without becoming too burdensome. The more difficult you make it to donate (too many steps) the more people shy away from it.

Quite right, it is for the sender to do and I agree not to make it difficult but if someone is known to you or volunteers to save your charity money?

[Bruce]

I have never been attacked per se. I have been followed whilst riding my MC about 11 k from Catbalogan and I managed to out run him. I was alone at the time and as I managed to get closer to town, he dropped off. What they do is try to grab you! And he had his throttle set up on the left side. I went and got the woman who runs the charity for me locally and we went back and found the guy and he he pretended he thought I was 'in trouble' as to why he tried to get close and grab me. She, in her native language told him to tell all his robber boy friends that I was not to be touched and what would happen if anyone bothered me.

But in town, no issues. Since I wear a black hat, I am well known as Joe Kano. I have been out 50 k from Catbalogan riding down the road and have met people who have heard about the Kano in the black hat.

The NPA out on Samar (much poorer than Bohol) acts like a secondary police force to intimidate and or kill people who are causing trouble. I do not hear bad things about them as much as I hear they stand up for the poor when there is an issue of being used and abused by someone.

I am on western Samar. Better weather and a little bit easier to get to. Resort area called Borangan on the coast of eastern Samar you can look into.

As far as it goes with the family of your GF.... If they are self sufficent, then they may not cause you issues. If they are poor people there may be some jealousy and pressure on your GF as to WHY!!!! you are helping 'others' when your GF's family needs help. Everything you buy for the poor, they look as as 'lost' to them.

The mentality is one of densensitization. All the kids play together in the street. But then the middle class kids go to public school, the better off kids go to private school. Then they all play together on the weekends and evenings... as they get older, the poor / squatter kids become manual laborers or petty criminals and the better off kids get low level jobs and the much better off kids go to college and get good jobs or family jobs.

But they all still know each other and the attitude is that the squatters are poor because they are lazy. So, this is one reason the middle class and upper class are so willing to ignore the poor. And I would have to say.... there is some logic to that. There are lots of lazy squatters who will not do anything to help themselves. But that detracts from the ones who do try and try and try to feed their kids and do better.

Edited December 11, 2012 by Bruce

[Jake]

Great post Bruce! Once the Kano in the Black Hat has established that he is the good guy throughout

the region, it's good to have the local NPA give you safe passage.

It's refreshing to learn something coming from the eyes of a Kano. I would have never thought about it,

until you mentioned about social desensitization. Your astute observation about street level mentality

among the poor, middle and upper class is very profound. They may have played together but when

their own destiny divides them, they will ignore each like the plague. Meanwhile, the poor will go around

the mall, pretending to talk on his cellphone, even though it's broken. What else can they do? It's the

way to show their (false) status symbol -- a very important part of the Filipino mind set.

Generally among the poor and destitute, one just need to survive from day to day. In some extreme

cases, life and death survival is measured in hours. It's a vicious cycle, born into poverty with no jobs

and eventually become lazy, alcohol or drug addict. In this regard, my hat is off to you again sir.

The young victims of this environment are rampant and yet, you venture out with your heart and the

courage of a lion.

Well done my friend -- Jake

[Thomas]

But in town, no issues. Since I wear a black hat, I am well known as Joe Kano. I have been out 50 k from Catbalogan riding down the road and have met people who have heard about the Kano in the black hat.

Oh you are knows as being crazy kano wearing a black hat in hot sun :hystery: (=Black keep heat from sun much more than white.)

But good for recognision :thumbsup:

The NPA out on Samar (much poorer than Bohol) acts like a secondary police force to intimidate and or kill people who are causing trouble. I do nat hear bad things about them as much as I hear they stand up for the por when there is an issue of being used and abused by someone. I am on western Samar. Better weather and a lottle bit easier to get to. Resort area called Borangan on the coast of eastern Samar you can look into.

Good. Then I don't believe they will bother me. Perhaps they will even protect "my" developing equipment :dance:

I don't like tourist places. But I agree West Samar is better than East of several reasons e g tsunami risks. But I will give much priority to where future family-in-law live.

As far as it goes with the family of your GF.... If they are self sufficent, then they may not cause you issues. If they are poor people there may be some jealousy and pressure on your GF as to WHY!!!! you are helping 'others' when your GF's family needs help. Everything you buy for the poor, they look as as 'lost' to them.

/Kids. Some in public, some in private school./ But they all still know each other and the attitude is that the squatters are poor because they are lazy. So, this is one reason the middle class and upper class are so willing to ignore the poor. And I would have to say.... there is some logic to that.

I don't plan to buy anything to the poor (if I'm involved in harvest improvement) but give them some of the harvest share I will get as pay from farmest, who get the biger harvests by the developing project.

Plan is to give (most of) the refining jobs to the family in start, but goal is to exband enough to give at least one job to each family of them who behave good enough. (I mean 1 per grown up sibling family.) Plus all families with farms with products suiting the refining work, will earn extra direct from start.

I don't believe there will be any private school close to the "bush" where I plan to live. Plan is anyway to let my kids be in public school, but I and wife educate them, and perhaps some more, at home in main subjects 1-2 days per week. I have studied mainly by myself (and made test direct in some subjects) kids can do the same if they become as I, if having access to books.

Well. Several are surely lazy, but in many cases I believe it depend of they haven't got a chance to get a good work. Plan is to give more poor people CHANCE, BUT I will be hard if they don't work good (=Kicked out, if they don't work good after start instructions plus warning if they don't TRY good enough.) That includes the family-in-laws too. I will not let anyone destroy the working moral in "my" company. When I have lead things in Europe, I'm used to my teams are at least 1.5 times more effective than average :) I mean after they have got time to learn.

[Bruce]

I really do need to down load a spell check..... how is that done on this site?

[OnMyWay]

Bruce, thanks again for your efforts! Once I get settled more permanently I hope to do some charitable work on a regular basis.

I made a donation on your website and put in the Paypal comment that it is for the Xmas fund. Merry Christmas to the kids!

[Bruce]

Thanks! I will be posting pics on the Forum of what is done for the kids this Christmas! The charity people are already quietly identifying kids so when the time comes, we will not have a riot when the local kids hear that donations have been made for Christmas. Unless of course anyone on the forum knows Bill Gates and can get a donation....

Anyone? Anyone??? No... I do not mean Bill Gate of Omaha! LOL

Thanks again!

[Thomas]

Unless of course anyone on the forum knows Bill Gates and can get a donation....

Haven't you asked Bill Gates? :) He do much charity.

[Bruce]

OK, here it is the evening of the 12th. So far I have enough donations (the majority from this forum, thank you to His Jollyness for pushing the cause) to take care of 30 people at 250p each. So I think I will, at this time do 25 kids and 5 widows / elderly couples. Donations from Phils, Down Under, USA and Sweden.

Since it is NOT a good idea to give kids money as they may be mugged / jacked by their own family members, the kids will be told to show up at the LUCKY 99 store (cheapest in town) for shopping with a budget of 250 per kid. As for the remaining 5 adults, they will be given the 250p each and it is up to them to buy food, Tanduay or pay a bill. This will be on or about the 20th Phils date.

[i am bob]

Bruce, I don't know if you would remember but I mentioned last year that I have issues with PayPal and refuse to use them (as have several other members of this forum). Now that I have discovered how easy it is to send an International Money Transfer (ie: WorldRemit, Zoom, etc), do you have a contact name we could use to send to? I am going to write the company I would use (WorldRemit) and ask them if I could just use the name of the charity or what else is required for a cash pick-up. I'll let you know what results I get back as well.