Publisher's Note

Publisher’s Note
It was 22 years ago when I arrived in Canada and chose Calgary, Alberta to be my home. Leaving my family and friends behind, it was a new adventure for me to be in a new country without knowing anyone. That was the time I looked for a Filipino community paper and never found any, [...]
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Page added on May 20, 2016

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What is good for the goose…

By: Tigs Tidalgo

What is good for the goose is also good for the gander. I believe that the good fortune our senior citizens are having today could also be duplicated to other ventures. I certainly disagree that it is simply apples and oranges as many argued that it can not be used to other challenges. True indeed that it is of a different kind, but if we can employ the method and patience of the seniors, we as a community can also profit from it.

It was not all roads of flowers and perfume that the seniors had when they endeavoured to go onward. There were times when forces of discouragement were abundantly enough to damper enthusiasm. When they started, no one really believed it. It was the premise that there was nothing to lose anyway that prompted them to dare. They went on one step at a time. It was endurance and purity of heart with undivided attention that gave them the means. It was never easy and from the toils of many, they made it as they wanted.

The road to fulfilment is always long and hard. There is no magic wand. But it can be done. What we need today as a community is a turning point; a new beginning and to continuously keep on focus. There’s an end to every journey and when our combined effort is pillared by seriousness and candour, pleasant things is possible.

Although we lag behind in progress with other major ethnic groups; our community is not really that bad at all. Our seniors are one of its kinds and are incomparable with any other Filipino communities anywhere. They are still the most organized and active seniors group in Calgary. It is indeed amazing how they made it possible to evolve into something quite useful. It is a wonderful story that maybe somewhere within is also a hint for our community to work on.

I go around listening to Filipinos and feeling the pulse of our community. I learned various topics that need to be pondered upon. There are talks about the middle segment, the working class or at times called the middle age generation. There is an assertion that this sector has been left out. There are various associations in this group, but the rise of the seniors affects their significance. They hardly can stand par with the seniors in their activities. A number of clubs did cease to exist.

This segment is vital to our community as this is where economic progress rides on. Other major ethnic communities made efforts to develop entrepreneurial ventures first before anything else. We are seeing them now with envy and wonder why such progress is not in us when we too are as good as them. There are a number of reasons and each one of us today has its own answer.

Our business sector is the engine that will propel us to prosperity. We have been generally reluctant in the past to get involve. We were satisfied of just being simple that the word business derived fear and apprehension. We realized it now that it was not really that scary as demonstrated by other ethnic communities. It instead established their communities as economically viable and rewarding.

The big question is why can’t we emulate the success of other communities? I opened my ears wide on this subject from different levels. Most opinions were constructive, but there were also those that bordered beyond politeness. There is indeed something here that needs to be approached.

I am fortunate to have grown with our community. I watched closely how she developed. There were times when she was maliciously maligned, but she bravely stood up each time to claim back her name. There were occasions when she was down, but she rose up from her knees to graciously see again and again the fervent light of a beautiful tomorrow. She won’t give up hope because in her heart she knew that she can not afford to fail.

What is good for the goose…

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