Christmas Message 2007

By Prof. Ped Salvador

International Academy of Management and Economics

December 15, 2007

The Real Meaning of Christmas Today

In behalf of Dr. and Atty. Noli Santos our chairman and CEO, I would like to share
this Christmas message to all of you.

In early December of 1999, I was very fortunate to be assigned to attend a business

conference in Vallingby Sweden. It was a strategic planning conference, attended by
no less than the chief executives of the different distributors of Electronic Gruffen, a
company engaged in the manufacture and distribution of pulse transformers,
inductors and other passive electronic devices.

I participated and contributed well in the planning exercises and stayed in Sweden
for ten days. Upon returning home, in the flight between Stockholm and Frankfurt,
I came acquainted with two young Swedish women. The older one, a 24-year old
lady by the name of Upsa is a graduate of Electronics Engineering from University
of Stockholm and her younger sister, Sala is a student of Electrical Engineering, also
from the same university. Up in the air we have had a good conversation and
discussion about Swedish and Philippine cultures.

At the middle of the flight, I ask Upsa with one serious question. “Upsa, do you
believe in Christmas?” She replied “No, I am an Atheist.”

“Do you know the meaning of bigotry, hatred, social justice and oppression?” And
she answered, “No.”

“Do you know Adolph Hitler, Joseph Stalin, Mao Tse Tung and General Polpot?”
and she immediately responded, “Yes, all of them have been responsible in killing
millions of people.”

“Have you been informed that in just three months in 1994, from September to
November, a close to one million died in Rwanda between the Hutu and the Tutsi
because of ethnic differences?” and she answered, “No, I am not aware of it.”

“Do you know that all wars and all forms of evils will only stop if only we will
believe in the existence of God, the true and real source of peace and love? This is
the essence and spirit of Christmas” She was amazed and no answer came out from
her lips.
Today many people although aware, are bewildered in the real meaning of
Christmas. Many are focused not only so much in themselves but also in their
families and their relatives. Continuous accumulation of wealth today is planned
even up to fourth generation.

The wealth gap between the rich and the poor, the north and the south, the first
world and the third world countries, is continuously rising. The economic safety net
is only on paper, nowhere to be found and experienced in reality. The third world
countries are always on the disadvantaged and always loser in the playing field.

Look and take some notice on the upper and lower chamber of the legislative body
and the LGU’s. The same surnames have pre-dominated the house and local
government in the last thirty years.

There are politicians who through the years have never been filled- up and satisfied
for wealth and power. Note that pursuing more power is gluttony and pursuing
more wealth is idolatry.

The names of the landlords, through out the country also did not change much in so
many years. Comprehensive agrarian reform is like a turtle with respect to speed of
implementation and social justice have been very gloomy for rice, sugar, and
coconut farmers since the time we can think of.

Capital is becoming more limited, concentrated only on the hands of the few. The
capital lords destroy the essence of good distribution of wealth resulting to mass
poverty due to continuous reduction in permanent employment. Unethical capital
lords are the enemy of a just society.

The Filipino heroes fought the Spaniards, the Americans and the Japanese
imperialists to get their freedom from oppression and poverty. Many years have
passed, and still majority of Filipinos are still on the verge and longing to free
themselves from the bondage of poverty, injustices, and oppression now from the
hands of greedy and corrupt Filipino leaders. What a waste of time, effort and
resources.

Christmas is the time for peace, joy and love. Love in the sense that God sent his
only son Jesus Christ to the world so that everyone who believes in him will not
perish but have eternal life. God did not send his son into the world to condemn it,
but to save it. The birth of Jesus is God’s greatest give to the world.

Christmas is the time of giving to the one in need. Our people have already suffered
so much. It’s about time to give them the fruits and profits of our natural resources
that they deserved. It’s about time the government to give and provide more rather
than receiving more all the hard-earned money of Filipino labor. It’s about time for
the Filipino to gain social equity and happiness to access a more progressive and
prosperous quality of life.
We need to participate and contribute more in nation building by going ourselves
outward rather than concentrating and focusing ourselves in going the inward. We
need to give more of ourselves to the service of needy and marginal Filipinos. The
litmus test of God’s love is the capacity to love the poor, the sufferer, the vulnerable
and the disadvantaged.

We need more courageous and heroic actions not only for today but also
continuously for the future of our people. In doing this noble acts, we need to erase
mediocrity, complacency and promote quality of decisions in all situations.

Christmas is the time of eliminating differences in the Filipino family and society for
the sake of unity and promotion of strong nationhood.

Christmas is about God .It’s about God who loves, a God who gives and gives, and a
God who always forgives.

We are one, Filipino. Filipinos are one. We have only one home, our country, the
Philippines.

It is in doing today, that we can live for tomorrow. A tomorrow that is based on
good morals and God’s love as strong foundation and source of wisdom.

Thank you very much and A merry Christmas to all!