This morning, I interviewed Anna (not her real name), 16 years old, and an applicant for a scholarship grant my company provides to less fortunate children.
I asked her to tell me about her family. She said she is the eldest in the brood of two. Her brother is seven years old and that makes him 9 years younger than his Ate. Anna's father is 37 years old. Simple Math will tell that he was 21 when Anna was born. Her mother is 35 years old. Another simple Math will confirm that her mother was 19 when Anna was born. But enough of Math. Anna's mother is a self-employed manicurist; her father a laborer in a construction firm. Both of her parents didn't go to college. They didn't have to, to know that more children will make life difficult. They didn't have to, to know how to be responsible parents. They don't need some law to tell them how to do those either.
Fine. Let's make laws for people who give a zilch about human lives, about family values. Let's waste money debating on them, too. It is no different from DOTC and LTO giving evil drivers improved health and working conditions plus incentives on top of above minimum wage to motivate drivers to drive carefully. But that's another story so let's go back to Anna.
Difficult times make it impossible for Anna to attend college. Her parents' meager earnings are hardly enough to meet their daily needs. Her high school grades aren't spectacular. But she has spectacular dreams. She wants to send her brother to college when the time comes and help her parents when they grow old. For a child like her, those are dreams matched only by the promise of Heaven.
I shall leave to smart people the debate on RH Bill. But I and the company I represent will do something for the community sans the spotlight provided by TV cameras or the sanctity of the pulpit.
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