SIDHI: Tatak UPD NSTP | Citizenship Training | Atty. Alex Lacson
Summary
TLDRThe speaker, a lawyer and writer, shares his journey of deciding to stay in the Philippines during the Asian financial crisis. He emphasizes the importance of good citizenship and small acts of patriotism to build a prosperous nation. His book, '12 Little Things Every Filipino Can Do to Help Our Country,' offers practical ways for Filipinos to contribute to national progress. The speaker suggests these acts as a core principle of the National Service Training Program (NSTP) to foster patriotism and discipline among youth.
Takeaways
- π The speaker is a lawyer by profession, a graduate of the U.P. College of Law, and has participated in a summer program at Harvard University.
- π He served as a legal consultant for the United Nations Development Program in the Philippines and is currently a co-founder and partner of a law firm.
- βοΈ His first passion is writing, and he has authored a book titled '12 Little Things Every Filipino Can Do to Help Our Country'.
- π± The book was inspired by the Asian financial crisis of 2000, which led to many Filipinos migrating abroad, including two of the speaker's brothers.
- π The book became a national bestseller and led to numerous speaking invitations, awards, and even a Senate run invitation.
- π€ The speaker believes in four principles: good citizenship, everyone being part of the solution, the impact of small acts of patriotism, and the need to become world-class citizens to build a world-class country.
- π¦ The book suggests 12 simple yet effective actions Filipinos can take, such as following traffic rules and supporting local products, to contribute positively to the nation.
- π The speaker emphasizes the importance of these small acts of patriotism in the context of the National Service Training Program (NSTP), particularly for R.O.T.C., L.T.S., and C.W.T.S.
- π He proposes projects and classroom activities for NSTP classes to engage with the principles of the book, such as adopting a public high school and promoting local products.
- π The speaker concludes by encouraging Filipinos to perform small acts of patriotism daily, not for political leaders but for the country and its people, with the goal of building a prosperous Philippines.
Q & A
What is the profession of the speaker?
-The speaker is a lawyer by profession and a graduate of the U.P. College of Law in Diliman.
What additional educational experience did the speaker have?
-The speaker attended a summer program for lawyers at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.
What was the speaker's role in the United Nations?
-The speaker served as a legal consultant for the United Nations Development Program in the Philippines.
What is the name of the law firm the speaker co-founded?
-The speaker is a co-founder and partner of a Malcolm Law Firm in Ortigas.
Why did the speaker decide to become a writer of books for the Philippines?
-The speaker decided to become a writer to help develop a prosperous Philippines for their children and the Filipino people.
What was the title of the speaker's first book?
-The title of the speaker's first book is '12 Little Things Every Filipino Can Do to Help Our Country'.
What was the Asian financial crisis' impact on the speaker's decision to write the book?
-The Asian financial crisis led to many Filipinos migrating abroad, including two of the speaker's brothers, which inspired the speaker to stay in the Philippines and contribute to the country through writing.
What is the main message of the book '12 Little Things Every Filipino Can Do to Help Our Country'?
-The main message is that every Filipino can contribute to the nation's development through small acts of patriotism and love for the country.
What are the four principles that the speaker believes in regarding the book?
-The four principles are: good citizenship is key to nation-building, every Filipino is part of the solution, small acts of patriotism are significant, and becoming world-class citizens is a prerequisite to building a world-class country.
What is the first 'little thing' the speaker suggests in the book to help the Philippines?
-The first 'little thing' is to follow traffic rules, which is considered a basic form of national discipline.
How does the speaker relate the concept of small acts of patriotism to the NSTP program?
-The speaker suggests that the principle of small acts of patriotism can be a core principle of the NSTP program, helping to teach and practice patriotism effectively among Filipino youth.
Outlines
π My Legal Background and Passion for Writing
The speaker introduces himself as a lawyer, a graduate of the U.P. College of Law, with further legal education from Harvard University. He has served as a legal consultant for the United Nations in the Philippines and co-founded a law firm. Despite his legal career, his true passion lies in writing books that contribute to the country's development. He reflects on the impact of the 2000 Asian financial crisis, which led many Filipinos, including his brothers, to migrate abroad. After considering the option to migrate himself, he ultimately chose to stay in the Philippines and find a way to contribute to its future.
π The Success and Purpose Behind '12 Little Things'
The speaker shares how he turned his passion for writing into action by authoring his first book, '12 Little Things Every Filipino Can Do to Help Our Country,' published in 2005. He highlights the bookβs success, which led to numerous speaking engagements and national recognition, including awards and an invitation to run for public office. He attributes the bookβs popularity to the Filipino people's deep love for their country and desire to contribute positively.
π΅π The Four Principles of Patriotism and Nation Building
The speaker outlines four core principles that inspired him to write his book: good citizenship is essential for national development, every Filipino plays a part in solving the country's problems, small acts of patriotism have significant impact, and building a world-class Philippines requires Filipinos to first become world-class citizens. He stresses that these principles are foundational for creating a better future for the country.
π¦ Small Acts of Patriotism: Everyday Contributions
The speaker delves into some of the 12 little things Filipinos can do to demonstrate love for their country. These include following traffic rules, asking for official receipts to support tax collection, buying locally made products, speaking positively about the country, and respecting public servants. Each action, while seemingly small, is a step toward fostering national discipline and progress.
π Environmental and Community Responsibility
Further expanding on the 12 little things, the speaker emphasizes environmental care through recycling and conserving resources, supporting oneβs church, voting responsibly in elections, and paying employees fairly. He also advocates for adopting scholars to help reduce the number of out-of-school youth, stressing that such acts of community support contribute to building a stronger nation.
π¨βπ©βπ§ Raising a Generation of Patriots
The speaker underscores the importance of parents instilling love for the country in their children, as today's youth are tomorrow's citizens and leaders. He reflects on how adopting the 12 little things in daily life can lead to a transformative impact, creating disciplined, patriotic, and world-class citizens who will shape the future of the Philippines.
π« Integrating Patriotism into NSTP Programs
The speaker suggests incorporating the principles of small acts of patriotism into the National Service Training Program (NSTP), particularly for ROTC, LTS, and CWTS. He believes that these small, everyday acts can help teach patriotism in a tangible way, making the concept more relatable and actionable for Filipino youth, especially in the context of nation-building.
πΈ Suggested NSTP Projects for Students
To encourage students to practice patriotism, the speaker suggests various NSTP projects. These include adopting a public high school to teach the 12 little things, designing social media awareness campaigns, organizing photo exhibits, and promoting locally made products. These projects aim to engage students in acts of patriotism while contributing to their communities.
π Suggested Classroom Activities on Patriotism
The speaker proposes classroom activities to deepen students' understanding of patriotism. These include writing essays on the power of small acts, discussing the 12 little things, documenting personal acts of patriotism, and identifying ways to replace imported products with locally made alternatives. These activities are designed to make patriotism a personal and practical part of students' lives.
π Learning from Other Nations
The speaker encourages students to study how countries like Japan and Germany practice patriotism through small acts, and what lessons the Philippines can learn from them. He stresses that these nations have successfully embedded patriotism into daily life, resulting in disciplined and prosperous societies.
π’ Promoting Small Acts of Patriotism to Others
Students are encouraged to promote the 12 little things among their relatives and friends, spreading the message of small acts of patriotism. The speaker believes that by promoting these ideas, more Filipinos will be inspired to contribute positively to the countryβs development.
βοΈ Making a Personal Pledge for the Philippines
As a final classroom activity, the speaker suggests having students make a personal pledge to commit to small acts of patriotism. This pledge is meant to foster a lifelong habit of contributing to the nation's growth, reinforcing the idea that small daily actions can lead to significant progress for the Philippines.
π‘ Good Citizenship as a Key to National Progress
The speaker reflects on how countries like South Korea, Singapore, and China, which were once poorer than the Philippines, became prosperous through good leadership and good citizenship. He emphasizes that while leadership is crucial, the discipline and patriotism of citizens are equally important for national progress.
π Building a World-Class Philippines through Discipline
The speaker concludes by urging Filipinos to discipline themselves and become world-class citizens. He asserts that by embracing small acts of patriotism and love for the country, Filipinos can build a prosperous, world-class Philippines, fulfilling the potential of the nation and its people.
Mindmap
Keywords
π‘Citizenship
π‘Patriotism
π‘Nation Building
π‘Discipline
π‘World-Class Citizens
π‘Small Acts
π‘Good Governance
π‘Economic Development
π‘Social Responsibility
π‘Youth Empowerment
Highlights
The speaker is a lawyer and graduate of the U.P. College of Law, with a summer program at Harvard University.
Served as a legal consultant for the United Nations Development Program in the Philippines.
Co-founder and partner of a law firm, with a passion for writing books for the country.
Motivation behind writing the book '12 Little Things Every Filipino Can Do' was the Asian financial crisis of 2000.
The book became a national bestseller and led to numerous speaking invitations.
Received the Good Filipino Good Citizen Award in 2009 for contributions to the country.
The book's success is attributed to the love of the Filipino people for their country.
Four principles behind the book: Good citizenship, being part of the solution, small acts of patriotism, and becoming world-class citizens.
The first of the 12 little things is following traffic rules to develop national discipline.
Asking for official receipts helps prevent tax evasion and supports government funding for public services.
Buying local products supports the Filipino economy and creates jobs.
Speaking positively about the country and its people builds the Filipino brand.
Respecting traffic officers and public servants encourages them to perform their duties well.
Segregating waste, recycling, and conserving resources helps maintain a clean and sustainable environment.
Supporting the local church demonstrates love for the community and contributes to social services.
Participating in elections and voting for leaders is a solemn duty that affects the country's future.
Paying employees well contributes to ending poverty and building a prosperous nation.
Paying taxes is essential for funding public services and maintaining the government.
Adopting a scholar or a poor child provides education and invests in the country's future.
Being a good parent and teaching children patriotism shapes future citizens and leaders.
The speaker suggests projects and classroom activities for NSTP to promote small acts of patriotism.
Emphasizing the importance of good citizenship and small acts of patriotism for the country's progress.
The potential for the Philippines to become a world-class country through disciplined and patriotic citizens.
Transcripts
i am a lawyer by profession i am a
graduate of the u.p college of law in
diliman
i have also taken a
summer program for lawyers at harvard
university in cambridge massachusetts
usa
i have also served as a legal consultant
of the united nations of the united
nations development program in the
philippines for a number of years
i am currently a co-founder and partner
of a malcolm law firm in ortega's
passing city
but while i am a lawyer by profession my
first passion is writing books for the
country
and uh i would like to share with you
briefly
um why i wrote my first book
12 little things every filipino can do
to help our country
and why i decided to become a writer of
books for our country
22 years ago in the year 2000
there was an asian financial crisis that
crippled many countries
in asia including the philippines
and
and because of that crisis
many filipinos
some friends classmates and
relatives
decided to migrate to the us or canada
or even europe
among them were two of my brothers
[Music]
they
sold everything that they had in the
philippines and decided to migrate
my older brother migrated to the us and
together with his family and my youngest
brother migrated to canada
after i brought my
brother and his family to the airport
i
was also thinking
of migrating
abroad i was tempted
so for almost one year
i was thinking about
and uh but after one year of thinking
about it
i decided to
stay in the philippines and
live my life in the country where god
planted me along with the members of my
family
but while i decided to stay in the
country
there was this question that haunted me
20 years later
20 years later uh
hindi guru manda and sid washington's
athena
so
i also wanted a develop in a prosperous
philippines for my children and for the
filipino people
so i went into reflection
and i asked myself
what could i do to help our country
and uh at upon reflection i realized
that i have always been a writer
i was a writer when i was in high school
i became a newspaper columnist right
after i became a lawyer
and i also became an editor-in-chief of
a lawyer's magazine
and i told myself that
maybe this is the small talent that god
gave me and so i decided to use that
small talent
in
writing books for the country it was
really then that i decided to become
a writer
for books for our country and i would
like to share with you the first book
that uh i wrote
it was entitled 12 little things every
filipino can do to help our country i
started writing that in the year 2004
and i published it in 2005.
uh to my pleasant surprise ascension
it became an instant national bestseller
again i apologize in saying that but i
really believe that it is part of the
story
of this book
the book became a massive success
on its its first year of publication i
received more than 300 speaking
invitations from
many of the biggest organizations in the
country
they invited me to share the message of
the book
and in the next five years i
have received almost
100 to 200 speaking invitations every
year
and because of the book i
was awarded the
good good filipino good citizen
award by the edsa people power
commission in 2009
and uh and because of the book i was
invited by former president
uh
benigno a simion
aquino to run for the senate in 2010 all
because of that
but again my apologies for saying that
but i really believe that there is a
lesson why
that book became a massive success
and i would like to believe that
it is absolutely the love of the
filipino people
i realize that there are so many
filipinos out there who love our country
and they want to do something
and when they
learned about this book 12 little things
every filipino country helped our
country they were just excited
to get a copy and read
and the gusto
so
let me now share with you the four
principles why
that i believe in why i wrote the book
so at least the title of my talk is
small acts of patriotism small acts of
love for our country this is based on
the book that uh i've written 12 little
things every filipino can do to help our
country now i would like to share with
you
the four principles that i deeply
believe in why i wrote the book
and the first principle is
good citizenship is one of the key parts
of the solution that we seek for country
to develop and progress
good citizenship
what we as a people
contribute in nation building the second
principle
we are all part of the solution
every filipino wherever he or she is in
our archipelago or in the world is part
of the answer to the many questions and
problems in our country
the third principle
of small acts of patriotism are actually
big
in building nation prosperous and great
the fourth principle
is a world-class philippines
but as a people we must first learn how
to discipline ourselves to become
world-class citizens before we can build
a world-class country so i really
believe it is a prerequisite before we
can build a world-class country we must
first become
a world-class citizen
so let me now share with you
some of the little things in the book
as i mentioned a while ago
the book is about small acts of
patriotism small acts of love for our
country
that every filipino can do wherever he
or she is in our country or in the world
it is about how we can
become a good citizen or how we can
become a good filipino
so the first little thing in the book is
follow traffic rules
why is this the first little thing
because traffic rules are the most basic
of our laws in the country if we learn
to follow them
it could be the lowest form of national
discipline that we can develop as a
people
so perhaps this is a good start for us
i believe that the culture of discipline
is crucial for our country to progress
and develop
the second little thing is
always ask for an official receipt
whenever you buy anything or pay for
anything
uh whenever we ask for an or there is a
record or of that sale transaction that
you made
this record of sales transaction would
force the businesses
to pay their taxes properly and would
lead to higher tax collections for the
government which means that there will
be
more funds for government for public
schools public hospitals for small
farmers among others now thus by merely
asking for an or it prevents companies
or businesses from cheating on the
government
second third little thing my local
philippines
whenever we buy locally produced goods
we help create jobs for the filipinos we
support our economy not the economy of
other countries buying filipino means
supporting the filipino people
the important little thing
is speak positively about the filipino
about ourselves and the country
words have power
the words that we use can build or
destroy our country the filipino inmates
and the filipino brand
every filipino is an ambassador of our
country every fibo is a builder of the
filipino inmates and the filipino brand
the next little thing the fifth little
thing is respect your traffic officer
policeman and other public servant
when we respect a traffic officer or
policeman it honors and dignifies
the traffic officer or policeman it
compels him to do his job well and
because of the risk because respect
honors and dignifies any person it
motivates him to perform his job well
so it is respect is important especially
among our public servants
the sixth little thing is and the three
segregate recycled conserve
philippines is not only our country
it is
our home as a people it is the home of
the filipino people so we should do our
best to make it clean and beautiful and
sustainable
the seventh little thing is support your
church i believe that every church our
performs works for the people for the
community and for god
so whenever we help our church we
actually show our love for our neighbor
for community
for country and for god
the eighth little thing is
putting elections
do your solemn duty
when we elect leaders during elections
we elect leaders not only for the
country we elect leaders for our family
for our relatives not for ourselves
so it is important that we should elect
leaders
correctly and properly
the ninth little thing
ever pay your employees well
every company must try to address and
end poverty with within its own backyard
every company must create prosperity not
only for its owners but also to all its
employees
blessings must be shared it builds
families it builds a nation
it is what builds our public schools our
public hospitals our roads our bridges
and many other stuff it is what pays our
teachers our soldiers
and other public servants so taxes
actually
uh
are the ones that keep our government
intact
the eleventh little thing
um adopt a scholar or a poor child
uh as your own there are more than five
million out of school youth in the
country every family who can afford
should adopt at least one poor child as
a scholar
there are actually 23 million families
in our country if you can convince five
million families who can afford each one
adopting one scholar those five million
out of school youth in our country could
be sent back to school
investing in our youth is investing in
our future
in the country
and the 12th little thing
i felt of a good parent
teach your kids to love our country and
to follow them
a child of today is the citizen and
leader of tomorrow
parents are the moulders and teachers of
future citizens and leaders of our
country
if you plant seeds of patriotism in the
hearts and minds of our youth today they
would become giant patriots of our
country someday
so those are the twelve little things uh
every philippine
can do to help our country
again as i mentioned a while ago if we
learned to become world-class citizens
our philippines could become a
world-class some world-class country
someday
for our country to become a world class
for our philippines to become a
world-class country we must first learn
to discipline ourselves to become
world-class citizens
the question of
these 12 little things are titled
little things
but they are actually not little nor
small
each of these little things requires
sacrifice discipline
love for others and love for our country
if we do these 12 little things and
adopt them as part of our habit
there it there is going to be a radical
transformation that will happen to us we
would become good filipinos good human
beings and world-class citizens
now the question um
how how is this principle of small acts
of patriotism or love for country as
exemplified by these 12 little things
related to nstp particularly to rotc lts
and
cwts
nstp aims to inculcate patriotism
to all filipino youth
it aims to teach and train all filipino
youth to become
good filipinos to become good citizens
to become patriotic members of our
society
but patriotism is such a big word
uh broad and intangible it is difficult
to teach
so how can we teach
patriotism in an effective manner
how to practice or live out patriotism
in our daily life as citizens is
important
but it is difficult to teach
the principle of small acts of
patriotism or small acts of love for our
country as exemplified by these 12
little things
could be one of the best ways in
teaching and practicing patriotism every
day by every citizen by every filipino
wherever they are in our archipelago or
in the world
these small acts of patriotism would
definitely be a good material
if not crucial additional material for
all rotc students they would also be
good and important learning material
for all lts students especially those
who are teaching other youth in public
high schools
the principle of small acts of
patriotism
should also be taught should also be
brought in thought to the members of
communities under the cwts program
as we need every filipino wherever he or
she is in our country to do his or her
share in nation building or building
our country
these small acts of patriotism are
bite-sized by tradition
something that every filipino can do on
his own wherever he may find himself in
every single day
emilio hasinto one of our country's
national heroes said the prosperity of a
nation depends upon the people
themselves that's what he said
benjamin franklin one of the founding
fathers of america said that the habits
of our people could determine the
destiny of our nation
the habits of our people could determine
the destiny of our nation
and that's what we hope to see in our
country for every filipino to perform
small acts of patriotism small acts of
love for our country
not only as a one-time or single act but
as a way of habit
every day that's what we hope to see
from people
uh in our country
and if that happens
our country would be on our way to
genuine progress and development
i believe that this principle of small
acts of patriotism should be embraced as
one of the core principles of nstp in
teaching and practicing patriotism in
the most effective manner
through this principle of small acts of
patriotism our filipino youth could
become
one of the best youths in the world one
of the most patriotic
one of the most disciplined one of the
most sacrificing for the greater good of
society perhaps even better than the
youths in other countries like japan
singapore china or germany
through this principle of small acts of
patriotism
there is hope that we can someday
raise a great generation of filipino
youth and filipino citizens
who would become world-class citizens
who will build for us
the philippines of our dreams our dream
philippines
now let me go to the suggested um
projects
for
possible nsdp projects
the class can adopt a public high school
and dates to all grade 10 students of
that public high school the idea of
small acts of patriotism focusing on
these 12 little things
second project
last can design an awareness campaign
program in social media or in the
traditional media
on the idea of small acts of patriotism
focusing on the 12 little things so
once the class have actually made this
awareness campaign program in social
media then the members of the class can
promote this on their own
in their respective social media
platforms
third
class can also
hold a photo art exhibit of how the
members of the class practice or leave
out the 12 little things during the
semester
while taking this course and they can
display this
in the lobby of the building
uh
in a major building in
in in campus
very class can also make list locally
markets and products and promote them
either in social media and in dry media
so um this would encourage other
filipinos
to
support and buy
locally made
goods and products
fifth
uh the class could also make a list of
things an individual person can do in
helping address the climate crisis
and promote them
i i included this because uh the climate
crisis is such a global crisis that we
face
uh as a humanity today and in fact the
united nations has warned us of the
the severity of this climate crisis
lgo that uh that they prefer
seven
class can also a scholar
for one year so they can contribute
uh
unila or
and they can support one scholar
for one year this is going to change the
life of that scholar
and
so these are the
seven requested nstp projects for the
class
now um
let's go to suggested classroom
activities
the first
one that i suggest is uh
the members of the class can
write a personal essay on the power of
little things or small acts of
patriotism
i wanted this because um
this would depend
the
belief of every student on the power of
the little things or small acts of paid
design
so um i hope they would do this an essay
where they can really reflect on the
power of little things in their lives or
around them
second
um i would encourage the class to read
study and discuss its of the twelve
little things in the book
and uh
and uh and thoroughly discuss it and i
think this would
by by studying and discussing it it
would depend their understanding of the
twelve little things
then now after they have discussed um
some of those 12 little things
the third possible classroom activity
that they can do is for each
member of the class
to come up with an essay
on how they can practice and leave out
the idea of small acts of patriotism
focusing on the 12 little things every
day
so
uh each one should come up with a plan a
personal plan on how to live out eight
of these 12 little things
and the fourth
is a follow through follow-through
which is um
while they practice and leave out eights
of the twelve little things
every day
uh it would be good if they can document
in a personal diary how they live out so
they can actually picture themselves or
take a picture of themselves why they do
it
and uh put it in a personal diary and a
personal diary could be
read or could be checked could be
submitted to the teacher by the end or
for every month no
for that matter
and uh
the fifth uh suggested classroom
activity is
i would encourage the members of the
class to make a personal list
of the important items that they use at
home
that they can replace
so i hope bawa desaguenito now
identifying my important goods that you
use at home
and try to find
a replacement
that is locally produced
so that's the fifth
the sixth suggested classroom activity
is
i would encourage uh each member of the
class to do a personal campaign in
social media
uh about the little things that uh
uh
of those twelve little things that they
like especially i would encourage them
to do a personal
campaign in social media
i also would like to suggest a
[Music]
a report and a discussion on
how the japanese the germans leave out
the idea of small acts of patriotism and
what lessons we can learn from them
i specifically
listed
the japanese the germans because they
are among
the top peoples in the world who really
practice and leave out
this idea of small acts of patriotism
the japanese are very good at it but
they have almost perfected the idea of
picture design and they they leave it
out every day
small acts of patriotism the germans
are the counterpart of the japanese in
europe
so
it would be good if you can study this
and how did it do it and what lessons we
can learn from them and number eight
we can also i would also encourage each
member of the class
to make a report on how
they attempted or they convinced their
relatives and friends on the idea of
small acts of patriotism focusing on the
12 little things
so and that is on the promotion right
and finally
uh towards the end of the class maybe
and lastly class
it would encourage the teacher
to
ask
all members of the class to make a
personal pledge to be a good philippine
to perform small acts of patriotism
spotlights of love our country
and hopefully focusing on the 12
little things
now by way of ending
let me say that
60 years ago south korea was a very poor
country
90 of its people
were extremely poor
it was even called
the impossible country by many foreign
journalists 60 years ago singapore was
also a poor and backward country
so was china
six years ago philippines was much
better than singapore south korea and
china
pero tignano possible
good leadership is a key part of the
solution there's no question about that
radical reforms in our government
and in the world economic and political
systems
are also part
of the of the solution
but let us not forget that good
citizenship is also a crucial part of
the solution that we seek
in our country for our country to
progress and to develop
we can do small acts or when we whenever
we do small acts
of love our country spoil acts of
patriotism
we do it for our country we don't do it
for our political leaders
we don't do it for whoever is sitting in
malacanang
we do it for family and we do it for the
filipino people
the filipino is not a second class
citizen
not to any person not to any nationality
in the world
if other peoples were able to build
prosperous countries for themselves
to build and develop and prosperous
philippines for our families and for
ourselves
we have all the skills in the talents to
succeed as a nation
we have all the essentials we need to
succeed as a nation
but first let us discipline ourselves to
become world-class citizens
so we could build a world-class
philippines
salamat
you
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