Caritas Manila marks 50th anniversary

Celebrating 50 years of charity work as the social action arm of the Archdiocese of Manila, Caritas yesterday feted the living heroes who have quietly worked over the last five decades to ease the suffering of the poor.

In the 50 years Caritas has been battling poverty, little seems to have changed, with the homeless still loitering in the gutters and children begging in the streets, but still, Caritas perseveres.

It is the fight against poverty that summons these quiet heroes, whose inspiration comes from the disciples of Christ, who also did not live to see their labors bear fruit. The aim of these charity workers is to make a stand against poverty and keep their efforts focused on helping as many poor Filipinos as they can.

Caritas has evolved from giving dole-outs to the needy into an organization that "advocates the empowerment of the poor as a means towards total human development."

It is said in the Bible that one may give a man fish and that man will live for a day, but teaching a man how to fish will enable that man to live for the rest of his life.

The honors for Caritas’ living heroes was attended by former Manila Archbishop Jaime Cardinal Sin and some of the biggest names in commerce and industry. Caritas deputy director Rev. Anton Pascual hailed the 8,500 volunteers, donors and Caritas beneficiaries at the Folk Arts Theater in the Pasay City reclamation area during the celebration that carries the theme "50 years of witnessing love and justice."

Pascual said the celebration highlights "how active the Catholic Church has been in responding to social problems despite questions on what the church has done for the poor." It also serves to "reaffirm and strengthen their commitment to empower the poor."

"The critics of the church are saying we are not doing enough for the poor," he said, adding that they "are just not fully informed of our activities because the church never broadcast what it did or is doing for the poor."

He also said Caritas supports "1,200 scholars. I am not aware of any other organization in Metro Manila that has as many scholars at one time."

Caritas’ board members and the charity’s present and former staff were also at the celebration, which also served as the launch for the fund drive in the Filipino Catholic community in the United States.

Caritas’ unsung heroes were treated to a show staged by some of the biggest names in the entertainment industry dubbed "Five Decades of Love and Service."

"For the next 50 years, we expect to be more aggressive," Pascual said. "We are strategizing the possibility of networking with other (charity) players."

According to him, "Caritas has been on its own, but we now realize the importance of coordinating with other groups to reach out to more people and avoid duplications."

Established in 1953 by Manila’s first cardinal, Archbishop Rufino Santos, to help underprivileged Filipinos, the Pandacan, Manila-based institution has been helping abused and abandoned children, giving scholarships to deserving students, attending to poor prison inmates and their families, providing job opportunities and advocating AIDS awareness.

This, however, is just the beginning, as Caritas plans bigger and more ambitious undertakings in its fight against poverty.

"Expect an urban poor congress early next year," Pascual said. This congress will seek a long-term, holistic solution to the problem of mass poverty.