My salute to Antonio Meloto, founder of private charitable housing organization, the Gawad Kalinga, for declining the offer of President elect Noynoy Aquino to become the country's housing czar.
This from the Inquirer, (bold emphasis mine)
GAWAD KALINGA (GK) founder Antonio Meloto said the post of housing czar was offered to him by President-elect Benigno Aquino III but he turned it down.
In a media interview on the sidelines of the second Global Summit of the GK Community Development Foundation held here, Meloto said he discussed the offer with Aquino’s sisters, Ballsy Aquino-Cruz and Pinky Aquino-Abellada, recently.
At the end of the talks, Meloto said he refused the offer to join the Aquino Cabinet because he felt he would be more effective as a private citizen and philanthropist.
I can do more for my country by not being a Cabinet official,” said the 2006 Ramon Magsaysay awardee for community leadership.
Meloto was also the Inquirer’s Filipino of the Year in 2006.
GAWAD KALINGA (GK) founder Antonio Meloto said the post of housing czar was offered to him by President-elect Benigno Aquino III but he turned it down.
In a media interview on the sidelines of the second Global Summit of the GK Community Development Foundation held here, Meloto said he discussed the offer with Aquino’s sisters, Ballsy Aquino-Cruz and Pinky Aquino-Abellada, recently.
At the end of the talks, Meloto said he refused the offer to join the Aquino Cabinet because he felt he would be more effective as a private citizen and philanthropist.
I can do more for my country by not being a Cabinet official,” said the 2006 Ramon Magsaysay awardee for community leadership.
Meloto was also the Inquirer’s Filipino of the Year in 2006.
My comment: Indeed, we share Mr. Meloto's view that his efforts will be more effective if he stays with the private sector.
That's because to quote Floyd Arthur "Baldy" Harper ``True charity must remain purely private rather than public and socialized. It must be voluntary. That is the nature of the greatest economic charity of all — savings invested in privately owned tools of production."
Meloto is the second RM awardee offered a post in the Aquino government. Former Naga City Mayor Jesse Robredo, the 2000 RM awardee for government service, was also offered the post of heading the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG).
Meloto said he would rather focus on strengthening and promoting GK, which is expanding its projects to other Asian countries.
GK is a nonprofit organization that builds houses and develops livelihood programs for poor communities in the Philippines and other developing countries.
According to Meloto, developed countries like Singapore and Australia recognize GK not just as a charity organization but also as “a movement for nation-building.”
Schools and government agencies in these countries send students and representatives to the Philippines, through GK, to learn skills for community-building and conduct research studies.
Some companies send investment projects and financial assistance to the Philippines also via GK.
Meloto said foreign governments and organizations were willing to support GK because it is a private, nonprofit organization not connected to the government.
If he joined the Aquino government, Meloto said foreign governments might not trust GK anymore.
“They don’t trust politicians,” he said.
Meloto said he would rather focus on strengthening and promoting GK, which is expanding its projects to other Asian countries.
GK is a nonprofit organization that builds houses and develops livelihood programs for poor communities in the Philippines and other developing countries.
According to Meloto, developed countries like Singapore and Australia recognize GK not just as a charity organization but also as “a movement for nation-building.”
Schools and government agencies in these countries send students and representatives to the Philippines, through GK, to learn skills for community-building and conduct research studies.
Some companies send investment projects and financial assistance to the Philippines also via GK.
Meloto said foreign governments and organizations were willing to support GK because it is a private, nonprofit organization not connected to the government.
If he joined the Aquino government, Meloto said foreign governments might not trust GK anymore.
“They don’t trust politicians,” he said.
(bold emphasis mine)
My comment: Of course, in government all actions are political, so there will be emergent conflicts.
What is seen as charity is actually political redistribution of resources from coercion (taxation). People mostly see who is giving and what is being given, but they hardly see where and how these resources have been taken from.
As Ludwig von Mises once wrote, ``But the substitution of a legally enforceable claim to support or sustenance for charitable relief does not seem to agree with human nature as it is...The discretion of bureaucrats is substituted for the discretion of people whom an inner voice drives to acts of charity."
As Ludwig von Mises once wrote, ``But the substitution of a legally enforceable claim to support or sustenance for charitable relief does not seem to agree with human nature as it is...The discretion of bureaucrats is substituted for the discretion of people whom an inner voice drives to acts of charity."
Therefore, his objection is not only valid it is realistic.
Likewise, he is living up to genuine charity work or social endeavour by avoiding potential conflict from political intervention.
I hope he doesn't change his mind.
It's a wonder, could Mr. Meloto be a libertarian?
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