AN
OPEN LETTER TO ROTARIAN “JOC
JOC” BOLANTE
FROM ANOTHER ROTARIAN IN THE UNITED
STATES
November
1, 2008
Dear Mr. Bolante:
“All that
is necessary for evil to triumph is
that all good men do nothing!” - - Edmund Burke
You and I have never met, and probably will
never do. You do not know me as I am
just a simple guy, doing the best I can do for my family, my community both
locally and internationally as a Rotarian for about ten years now and as one
member of one race, the Human Race.
Before this infamous Philippine “Fertilizer Scam” where your name has been linked so many
times, I was very proud of you , then,
as you were the highest ranking Filipino in the Rotary International hierarchy
and had the great potential to become the second Filipino (first was
M.A.T. Caparas in 1985-1986) RI
president in the near future. It’s with great tragedy that your name was very
much associated with this “fertilizer anomaly”
that obviously caused great harm
to your family name, your reputation and probably even a threat to your own
life and family (according to many
fellow Rotarians in the Philippines who know you well) as you were apparently
made a pawn (like in chess) protecting the “Queen and the King” of the
Philippines.
Because you are a Rotarian like
yours truly, I also got affected somehow when my fellow American Rotarian friends
teased me unceasingly just to ask you for some matching funds for our projects
and that you were the greatest “JOKE” of Rotary. Yes,
Mr. Bolante, although it seems grossly unfair, we Filipino Rotarians have become the butt of
unflattering jokes. It’s sad and it hurts.
Although you probably have not been
attending Rotary meetings for a couple of years now since your detention in the
USA and now in your hospital/hotel bed
at St. Lukes, I dare say that you still
remember the good times, the many pleasant things, fellowships, teachings and joys that you have
experienced in Rotary that left indelible marks in the deep recesses of your soul as Rotary
did to many true Rotarians, including me. I like
to believe that you have also read the
lives of many great men (like Rizal,
Gandhi, Mandela as and recent Filipino
martyrs Ninoy and Evelio Javier) and many
Saints (who did not sell their souls despite an impending death, like John the
Baptist and many martyrs of the world)
and I just hope and pray those GREAT men and women whose spirit and
lives serve as your inspiration ( root word “IN SPIRIT”) as you face more trials in the
last half or last quarter of your
earthly life.
As one human being who is doing
something to make this world a better place for my children and their children,
and a passionate Rotarian trying to
follow the OBJECTIVES OF ROTARY and adhering to the tenets of our FOUR WAY TEST ( Is it
the TRUTH? Is it FAIR to all concerned?
Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?
Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?) which is a living embodiment of the TEN COMMANDMENTS, I am writing this OPEN LETTER to you, with
an ardent prayer that GOD will guide you and give you the courage to do what is
RIGHT and not just what is convenient today, to be
able to discern and follow GOD (God Orderly Direction) during these coming
days/weeks when you have to face the music and bare all that you know about
this alleged scam that involved huge amounts of public money.
As a father and husband, I too can
empathize with your present predicament. I heard
you also rose to fame and wealth because
you are intelligent who worked hard for what you want in your life and
for your family. But all these things
(including our own physical bodies) are all finite things, and soon all these things
will come to pass. After death, only the
memory, our legacy, and our Spirit live on.
In the final analysis, our life
is God’s gift to us, and what we do with our lives is our gift to God.
As you pray for wisdom and guidance for that bold and tough decision to testify (before the
Senate and/or the Ombudsman office) I
will also include you in my prayers today’s mass and my daily prayers this week.
May the Redeemer of Humanity, our Lord Jesus Christ, fortify your mind
and give you the strength to carry on and to make you physically and mental fit
to undergo more trials of your life.
I realized it is easier said than
done but be consoled by the admonition in the Bible that says: “Be not afraid,
I am with you always.” and “The truth shall set you free!” God bless and
protect you and your family, Mr. Bolante!
Praying for a better, more progressive
and a moral Philippines
LEAD THE WAY and MAKE DREAMS REAL!
Ernie Delfin, PP and Past AG
District 5320, Southern Calif.
P.S.
THE SEVEN SINS IN OUR
WORLD TODAY:
1. Wealth without Work.
2. Pleasure
without Conscience
3. Knowledge without Character.
4. Commerce without Morality.
5. Science without Humanity.
6. Worship without Sacrifice.
7. Politics
without principles.
-----Mahatma Gandhi
No comments:
Post a Comment