IN QUEZON CITY DURING THE LENTEN SEASON

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Selling Sin Meat, Unstoppable?

Joewel V. Saba



While majority of Filipinos prayed together as a family, attended Lenten retreats, served the church, extended help to charity and followed the station of the cross or at least kept a Lenten journal for the forgiveness of their sins, prostitution in my country never stopped amidst the observance of atonement. There was no exercise of fasting or abstinence of human lust because of one very common answer- poverty. That is what their justifications are.



What abstinence or fasting can be exercised when these poor countrymen of mine are futuristic to what living they would get after the Lenten season? Would not it be fasting, if they could not eat anything? So they have to sell their meats to earn a living. Not by kilograms but through the night.



They are like ants passionate to earn something for the future. Some do it for fun, some considered it as summer job compensation for the next school year or some for sustenance of their relatives left in the province.



April 09, 2009, 12:30 AM, I took courage to walk by myself after series of practices and dry-runs for our second Lenten Drama Presentation at the Araneta Coliseum, opened as the biggest event venue in the world in 1960 and the premiere show palace in the Philippines. While enjoying my walk across department stores and food chains to get my paraphernalia at my nearby place, I saw a young man, maybe at 19, walking towards me. He is in a casual jean and polo shirt and completely in style. While he goes nearer, he was staring at me as if he wants to tell me or ask me for something. Well not my business to mind him, though it was strange. I have seen him walking towards a group of teenagers 15 meters away from me, at the least. They were around the diffused part of the Gateway Supermarket, just behind the Coliseum. They were quiet and civil, just like ordinary unwinding bustle. There was neither commotion nor loud vociferation in the place. All I have seen were usual socialization of young men and some women.



I relayed my observation to some church (Jesus And Me) group members who are dwelling to and from the place since birth. As I listened to them, I almost measured tolerance and acceptance, I have sensed immunity and the need to open up to them for a change of such perspective.



I do not know if I was just judgmental about this scenario as a promdi. I may just had overacted to opposition that poverty is the reason why my fellow youth is doing prostitution. I pity every young man and woman, children and adult who are engaged to this oldest profession, as termed. Sometimes, I cannot measure how they live their lives and putting my shoes to them, I believed it is so hard.



Now, my challenege goes to how would I maximize my youth volunteer organization, my present job on transformation and my church group to influence my fellow youth. I know how hard it is to live a life that is challenged of both necessities and luxuries. I am sure that poverty has been the source of threats and vulnerabilities, of self-pity and family disorientations on the norms of society. But if they call the absence of food and material things in life, what more is the absence of love and understanding, the degradation of human dignity and trust, of the loss of faith because of practicality?



My dear youth, we are facing the greatest challenge today against our fellow youth, not to scorn them for what they have become but to influnce them to live a valuable life with God and for them to experience this love with the fellow inhabitants in this temporary world. I send this message to all the young men and women who are living through prostitution that someday, I know, repentance will come and realization will shower upon you.



My friend and my comrade, I am here willing to accept you as a truthful and honest fellow youth and to give a little advice that I know sometimes you want to refuse in listening. I beg you to open your hearts, your eyes and mind to welcome my presence. I pray to the Almighty that someday you are one with me in serving our community and people, bringing back to our Creator the glory of the life he gave to us. I know it is hard to be addicted to something you did not even wish to come but just tell me brothers and sisters, we can make a difference to this world to break poverty.



My encouragements to all the Filipino families here and abroad is to maintain the significance of love in each of the member of the family, establish bonding with neighbors and strengthen faith with God. I have observed parents who shout and forcibly discipline their children, it might not be the way. I have known for mothers who lost confidence towards their female siblings, I guess trust should be built. I know it is hard, but is not it harder to achieve if you even have not tried to do something for it?



I would like to express my love to my mother, to my brothers and sisters in the spirit of family and in the memory of my loving father. Since then, I had experienced independence and discipline, though little love but great trust I had become who am I today. To my primary, secondary and tertiary schools who molded me as a young leader, I commend you. To the church group members who always inspire me, I thank you all. To the political leaders, businessmen, other concerned sectors of my country and to the rest of the peoples of the world, I admire for every single sweat that flows for your struggle of betterment. Let us love each other and avoid criticism. Please be opened to suggestions not dictatorship.



I am a sinner, a youth and son of God. I am your brother and I can be your friend.



I love you.

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