Caring for the Poor through the Jaro Archdiocesan Social Action Center
Monsignor Meliton Oso, receives his citation for the Gomburza Award for Religious Service during the Pinoy Icon 2010. The award was given for his work as head of the Jaro Archdiocesan Social Action Center (JASAC). JASAC’s programs on justice and peace, poverty reduction and eradication, Alay Kapwa Relief and Emergency Rehabilitation, ecology and corruption prevention, have made an impact on the lives of the poor.FOR more than 40 years since 1968 under the formation of the first Director Rev. Fr. Juan Nakawili of the Jaro Archdiocesan Social Action Center (JASAC) has actively been serving as the archdiocese’s social action arm, the institution that bridges the church and the community with its primary task to promote human development, justice, and peace.
The JASAC program focuses on the bible verse taken from John 10:10 “The Lord Jesus came that every man may have life and that life lived in fullness.”
Monsignor Meliton Oso, now the head of JASAC, emphasizes that to better understand the institution’s purpose, the people themselves must understand as to why JASAC willingly serves to alleviate the suffering of the poor.
“It is not the will of God that Man lives an impoverished life. JASAC responds to that impoverished situation to lift up the human person from a de-humanized state.
JASAC responds to resolve the Ilonggos’ deprived conditions through livelihood programs to economically lift and stabilize the human person.”
Alexis Gonzales (AG): What are the divisions or activities JASAC provides?
Monsignor Meliton Oso (MMO): After the third Sinod we currently have 5 programs: Justice and Peace, Poverty Reduction/Eradication, Alay Kapwa Relief and Emergency Rehabilitation, Ecology, and Corruption Prevention.
AG: What is JASAC’s role on Justice and Peace?
MMO: JASAC and our volunteers go out in the streets advocating for causes as long as it is related to rights of persons. Issues that are addressed and promoted are human dignity and human rights, electoral reforms, genuine land reform and the peace process. We also have free legal assistance to the oppressed poor.
AG: What is your role on Poverty Reduction?
MMO: We are into cooperative establishments, livelihood programs and training. JASAC is in partnership with many agencies both government and non-government like Gawad Kalinga, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), and Brotherhood of Christian Businessmen of the Philippines (BCBP). Projects introduced to the oppressed in order to economically stabilize the families are self-building through trainings and seminars, attitude formation, religious instruction and project monitoring.
AG: And your role in Alay Kapwa Relief and Emergency Rehabilitation?
MMO: Alay Kapwa Relief and Emergency Rehabilitation facilitate the sharing for evangelization through envelope distribution and collection. Twenty percent of the collection is allotted for the calamity fund, 40 percent is divided amongst the National Secretariat of Social Action–Justice and Peace (NASSA-JP), while the remaining amount is used for walk-in clients who immediately need our assistance with medicine dental services, food, or hospitalization. When there are natural calamities, victims are heeded to first and that is where Relief and Emergency Rehabilitation comes in. During Typhoon Frank, our medical missions facilitated the center during those desperate calls for help. Alay Kapwa also gives out scholarship programs and income generating projects for the poor.
AG: What is your role on Ecology?
MMO: The ecology desk responds to the environmental situations through education and consciousness-raising seminars, formation of attitude that is ecology-friendly, establishment of organizations geared toward a concrete response as individuals and communities.
AG: What is your role on Corruption-Prevention?
MMO: Corruption-Prevention is a new division that started in 1998. Supposedly it is part of the Justice and Peace program because corruption is a justice issue. However because of the rampant show of corruption in our country, the third Sinod of Jaro mandated that it should become a particular vest of social action. Like every election, JASAC forms Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) encouraging the Clean, Honest, Accurate, Meaningful and Peaceful election.
AG: Are there any other programs that extend further than the activities JASAC provides?
MMO: Recently, the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) launched another program during their Social Action Year calling this new program S.H.E.E.F: Shelter, Health, Education, Employment and Food.
JASAC in partnership with Gawad Kalinga have the Gawad Kalinga Housing Project of the archdiocese. It is co-financed with Gawad Kalinga that also uses the JASAC funds to buy the land for the construction of the housing project, but of course the archdiocese has donated much also. The house and lot is free provided that the families contribute 480 hours of labor and in turn, those oppressed families can own the house and lot. Livelihood components are included with the housing project but the families must find their source of income to pay off their electricity, network and water components.
SHEEF pays attention to the health needs of the people especially to those who cannot afford. They have herbal medicine making, shiatsu, and training in barangays promoting herbal medicine making otherwise also known as alternative medicine. Two regular drugstores are available located in Jaro and Guimaras. Some 19 botikas all over the archdiocese sell the herbal medicines needed by those who are inconvenient to buy the generic branded medicines.
Our Health division takes pride in claiming that they sell the cheapest generic medicines.
Their education program also gives scholarships to college graduates currently supporting the education of 16 scholars. SHEEF has trainings in order to give the unemployed skills so they can find a way to earn a living.
The Food division showcased the Organic Farming Technology in their demonstration farm. Farmers are into hog raising, fowl dispersal, goat raising, and cow raising which is also a way earn honest money. Their 3.6 hectare demonstration farm focuses on diversified farming with rice fields, fish ponds, 300 varieties of palay, and the before mentioned poultry and meat farm.
Under the Food division, JASAC also established Bigasan Sa Parokya where very cheap rice is sold. There is currently twenty-one Bigasan Sa Parokya all over the archdiocese.
JASAC and the activities that are forever changing and uplifting the lives of the poor, deprived and the oppressed, will not in any time soon abandon its purpose for the chance of a family to live an abundant and Christ-centered life.
