Family values award

Last Wednesday, Nov. 9, the family and friends of Ligaya U. Abadesco and Vicente Alan Abadesco celebrated and cheered at the Cultural Hall of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as they received the congregation’s Family Values Award.

The program declared: “Vic and Ligaya, a husband and wife team, shares with the Visayan Forum Foundation Inc., their dedication, care and support to helping women and children gain their freedom from the clutches of human trafficking and be reunited with their families.”

They cooperate with various agencies to accomplish these.  In spite of the demands of their work, Ligaya and Vic “take time to teach parents and leaders in the barangay the values of chastity, love, and care for family members, aspiring to do what is right rather than going after get-rich-quick schemes and in being vigilant citizens in the society who protect the sanctity of marriage and families.”

Among their recent initiatives is STEP UP.  In partnership with Legal Alternatives for Women Center, Inc., a computer literacy learning center has been set up at the Atty. Arbet Sta. Ana Yongco Training Hall in Sikatuna Street. This is open to  trafficked victims, out-of-school youths as well as domestic helpers.  They are trained to be computer literate.  This is to provide an opening for their dreams of future success.  With the competence, they do not become easy prey for illegal recruiters.  But aside from computer skills, the trainees are educated regarding life skills.  Visayan Forum has prepared a teaching guide by which  STEP UP participants can grow in their personhood: They realize their self worth and are also oriented about the process of applying for a job. They also become fully informed about the problem of trafficking in persons.  So it is not only their skills that make them safe from being attracted by illegal recruiters, but also their full awareness of the problem of trafficking in persons.  They become advocates in the struggle against trafficking.

Another recent endeavor of Ligaya and Vic is the lobbying for laws to protect domestic workers. UP Cebu Gender and Development Committee attended the session on this proposal, Kaira Kintanar Alburo read the committee position in support of this ordinance.

Previously “Family Values Award” had been granted to those in government like Secretary Lina B. Laigo of the Department of Social Welfare and Development and Hon. Hazel McCallion, Mayor of Mississauga in Canada who has been working in an anti-pornography campaign.  From the community, Atty. Esperanza Valenzona, president of Share a Child Movement, Ms. Esperanza Abellana of Feed the Children Philippines, and Ana Maria Rellin-Ngolaban, Executive Director of Fellowship for Organizing Endeavors (FORGE) and Sr. Marcia Antigua, a Catholic sister of the Good Shepherd Congregation had been awarded for her work in Dangpanan, a shelter for street children and youth.

Looking at the grantees, we see that this is a very inspiring Christian award.  The awardees are recognized not only for keeping alive Christian family values within their own families but they are lauded for taking part in building communities that nurture families with values that raise virtuous family members.  The award is to celebrate endeavors that bring family members together and develop good family members within the family who are also helpful members of the community.

The entire awarding program was  a positive, wholesome, and inspiring affair.  Cuerdas Trio provided serene, heartwarming music the entire evening.  The Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-day Saints elders were warmly welcoming many of them in Filipino attire. They really spread themselves among all the tables.  I observed that the leaders of the Gorordo Avenue temple stood up last to serve themselves, after everyone had already been to the buffet table.

In the actual granting of the awards, Vic happily surprised us by giving a response that was a song: “Walk With Faith in Your Heart.”  Ligaya narrated how she did not expect an award for all the work she has been doing. She actually mistook the church’s contact person to be a trafficker – not being familiar with his voice.  Elder Brent H. Nielson in his speech reminded us about the parable of the Good Samaritan and said the awardees were the good neighbor who did not walk by and ignore the other folks’ suffering.

We went home with an image of Jesus and several pamphlets including one, 3 Simple Ways to Become a Happier Family.  First is “Making Time for Each Other” wherein we are advised: “Don’t let television rob you of important time you can spend together;” “establish household rules that eliminate inappropriate or excessive viewing.”  Second is “Improving Communication.”  This has “Be accepting of how family members describe their feelings, motives, and goals without lecturing on how they should think or feel.”  Third is “Emphasizing Values”; here it is stated: “When a family takes time and effort to serve others, the children are likely to learn valuable lessons about kindness, sacrifice, compassion and giving.”