12 LITTLE THINGS Our YOUTH Can Do

TO HELP OUR COUNTRY

Philippine Copyright 2011 Lacson Alexander, published by
Alay Pinoy Publishing house, Quezon City, Philippines.
Printed by COR-Asia inc.

12 little things our youth can do to help our country is an

inside look at what goes on today to the people of our
country. The book tries to answer the question of how, we
Filipino can contribute to help our country in our own little
ways. The author, Alexander Lacson, was born on January
1965 in Negros Occidental, he is currently not just a
successful man in his chosen career but a good role model
for his countrymen.

The book is very informative and very timely not just to our
youth today but also to the people of our country. This kind
of book is a must read today in our country in order for our
youth and our people to get informed in the current situation
or status of our nation, not just for those who are in the
Philippines but also in the eye of the world. It is very
important for us to be aware of that, so that we can make a
way to lift up our name and our mother country to the whole
world.

As a member of our youth today, Lacson Alexanders book is

very significant. It teaches us how to become responsible to
the commitments that we have in our own country. It serves
as a reminder of what truly a Filipino mean. And awakens our
characteristic as a Filipino of being a makabayan and make

an impression to the world that we Filipinos are one good

creation of God.

The book begins with the cultural identity of the Filipinos

which is KABAYANIHAN rooting from Kapatiran at
Bayanihan. Which literally mean Brotherhood and
Community heroism. Lacson discusses the 8 core values of
Kabayanihan which is: faith in god, motherland, kapatiran
(familihood), faith in the Filipino (faith in ourselves as a
people), honor and integrity, excellence and discipline,
fairness and justice and lastly Unity and Bayanihan. Its all
about the true meaning of being a Filipino and a recollection
of Filipino in how it was before. That a Filipino is a Kabayania kapatid na bayani ng bansa. A Filipino that is proud of
being part of this culture and a Filipino that is proud of being
called Pilipino. This part reminds us the behavior we should
carry in everything that we do.

In the next chapter Lacson discusses its main topics which

are the 12 things that our youth can do to help our country.
Actually, it is not just for the youth but I think it is moreover
general. First in line, 1st) be on time- The author point out
having an honor to our commitments is one of the ways we
can help our country. Lets make Filipino time mean being on
time and remove the old belief of always late. 2 nd) Fall in linesimple act that reflects the true character of the people.
Lacson wants us to remove our system of Kanya-Kanya
and wants us to become respectful to one another and have
discipline. 3rd) Sing our national anthem- it said that it is the
simplest act that we can do to honor our motherland.
Singing our national anthem with pride is honouring the
Filipino in you. In this simple act we honor the people die for

us in order to attain our freedom. 4th) Study well- the author

discusses here the 8 principle of success which is: dream big,
develop the best strategy on how to achieve your dream,
hard work and discipline, focus and be good to one thing,
honor, have models, positive attitude and outlook, and Faith.
These are the things that the authors want us youth to
practice because the youth is the hope of our country and
we should give our best because we are the one that will
carry the countrys name. 5th) be honest- being honest make
a persons personality more credible in the eye of other.
Doing this thing make us Filipino trustful in the eye of others
and maybe someday if all of us practice this manner it will
definitely lead us known in the eye of the world also. 6 th)
Conserve water, Plant a tree- if we want to help our country,
first we must help ourselves and our surroundings lets us
preserve our natural resources so that the next generations
will have the chance to enjoy it. By doing this little act we
became part of the preservation of the natural resources of
our country and let the whole world know the beauty of our
motherland. 7th) be an ambassador of the Filipino- our lack of
having faith in the Filipino is largely a negative traits of ours
that weve adopt in colonization and subjugation by the
Spaniards. A negative self-image is an evil spirit that must
conquer and defeated. We need to rebuild the respect for the
Filipino among our people. Lacson propose 4 things on how
we can make it simple. 1) Develop beautiful and positive way
of looking at the Filipino. 2) Speak positively to our country
and fellow Filipino. 3) Be a model of what an educated and
dignified Filipino is. 4) Lastly, support Filipino talents and
products. These things will let other countries to know about
our beautiful cultures and definitely will give a good
impression to the country. 8th) Buy Pinoy- this 8th little thing
is obviously an act that will help the country grow. It says
that if we buy our own product and if we patronize our own

product we also help our country men grow and as a result

the whole economy will grow also. There will be more jobs
for the others and there will be economic benefits. Our
simple act of buying Filipino products supports our
motherland. Be proud of the skills and talents of the Filipino
workers wherever you are. 9th) Save. Plan ahead- learn how
to save and invest earlier. The authors want us to become
prepared in the near future. 10th) During elections, choose
and support candidates who stand for what is right and
good- honesty, more than anything, is what makes a good
leader. It is the core of the character of every great leader.
We a citizens of the Philippines must choose the person that
we think that is credible and worthy for our vote during
elections. We must not be blinded by the things some
candidates give during campaigns but we should stand and
not sell our votes. Because in this small act of honesty to
vote, it will be a big factor that will decide the succeeding
years of our country. If we choose the person that are truly a
good leader then it follows that he/she will lead the country
to wellness. 11th) Respect our Elders. Practice mano po.
Say po and opo- being polite is one of the characteristics
of Filipino. We are known for that. And I must say we Filipino
should keep that behavior. We Filipinos say po and opo
to our elders as a sign of obedience to them we also greet
them mano po as a sign of respects for our elders. This one
thing- truly and beautiful Filipino-that we should share to the
world! We should share the characteristic of bayanihan to
the world. The world would become a better palce to live if
we people practice it in our daily lives. 12 th) Pray for our
country and people- we believes that a Filipino is faithful in
nature and in spirit. In these 12th little things, we are
reminded that all of the things in the world are come from
one creator. We are encourage to join prayer groups in our
school or in our parish to pray for our leaders and to pray

also for our countrymen. A Prayer without action or charity

is nothing, we must act, let us sees God in every person that
we meet. We must help one another; truly the most
fascinating aspect of the Filipinos is that we are a person of
faith.