With a population of 93 million people spread out over 7,600 islands, the Philippines is the country with the third largest number of Catholics in the world. Filipinos are well known for their faith and hospitality, but many Americans may not realize how vulnerable they are, threatened regularly by terrorism, poor healthcare, and government-sponsored human rights violations.
As Catholics living in a country with a wealth of resources, we have much to offer our brothers and sisters in the Philippines. If you’d like to do something but aren’t sure where to start, read on to find out what you can do to help.
Due to it's unique geographical positioning, the Philippines has been the site of several highly destructive natural disasters over the past several months. In July 2019, twin earthquakes rocked the Batanes province on the northern most island in the Philippines. More than 3,000 men, women, and children were displaced in the aftermath of the earthquake, many of whom are still struggling to rebuild.
Then, in December 2019, Typhoon Kammuri ripped through the country, bringing with it powerful winds and heavy rain. Authorities in the Philippines estimated that half a million people were displaced because of the typhoon. Most recently, in January 2020, the Taal volcano erupted in Tagaytay, Philippines. Approximately 280,000 individuals, a large number of which are children and family members, were torn from their homes by the volcano's destruction. Of that number, about 39,000 families, or 149,000 individuals, were crammed into 493 evacuation centers.
Although it has improved over recent decades, the state of children’s well being in the Philippines is still dire. With the rising cost of food, high inflation rates, widespread poverty, and an enormous number of children left to fend for themselves — many children are forced into or forced to turn to drug-related crime, child labor, or sex trafficking to put food into their own mouths or help their family make ends meet.
This is the horrific, but very real reality for so many of these Filipino children. All of these factors converge to leave countless Filipino children helpless, hungry, and trapped. To survive many are sold into slavery by their own families or relatives, kidnapped and forced into these lifestyles, or seek out the work as an evil necessary to feed and clothe themselves.
Rodrigo Duterte, president of the Philippines, has been accused by human rights activists, as well as Catholic bishops, of targeting the poor through his vigilante-style war on drugs. Police are being paid to cover up extra-judicial killings of those suspected of participation in the drug trade, most of whom are Filipinos who are desperately trying to get themselves and their families out of abject poverty.
The Filipino Catholic bishops have written a letter to President Duterte in which they reminded the president that, “We cannot correct a wrong by doing another wrong. A good purpose is not a justification for using evil means. It is good to remove the drug problem, but to kill in order to achieve this is also wrong.” Duterte has vowed to continue his anti-drug campaign until his term ends in 2022 and furthermore, is trying to reinstate capital punishment (particularly for drug offenders), which was abolished in the Philippines in 2006.
As always, the most valuable thing any of us can do for our brothers and sisters is lift them up in prayer. You could offer up your morning or evening prayer time, a rosary, daily Mass, or even just an Our Father for the conversion of President Rodrigo Duterte and corrupt Filipino politicians and police officers who are oppressing the poor in an attempt to curb drug traffic. Pray that their hearts and minds will be changed, and for the salvation and consolation of those families who have been torn apart by the so-called “war on drugs.”
Consider skipping one meal a week or giving up a small luxury such as a favorite beverage, and offer the sacrifice for the Filipinos who have been displaced by the many natural disasters in the country.
Prayerfully consider giving your material resources to organizations like MercyWorks that are working to eliminate sexual human trafficking, child neglect and abuse, and foster healing and recovery for children.
At MercyWorks, we are committed to bringing dignity to the world’s most marginalized children by meeting their basic educational, psychological, and physical needs. At the Sunflower Center in the Philippines, a mission project of MercyWorks, children who have been victims of abuse, neglect, and trafficking are offered hope through therapeutic healing and psychosocial support.
Your prayers, sacrifices, and financial gifts really do make a world of difference. Thank you for your help and support and may God bless you!