Danggay Foundation & The Ancient Goddess Isis

MANILA: Pardon me, but I'm a novice at this point. I'm the new guy around here, so I have to learn to be good at working in a foundation, teach myself what I don't know yet.

What is a foundation? It's a charitable and non-profit organization. According to the American Council on Foundations (cof.org), a foundation is an institution that plays a key role in society and helps "to form and strengthen communities." With many who volunteer their services backed up by many donors, the Foundation as a whole may perform functions that are normally performed by government. But not adequately; otherwise, what's a foundation for?

We must remember that a foundation is a non-stock, non-profit organization that raises funds, according to the SEC, "to maintain and aid charitable, religious, educational, athletic, cultural, literary, scientific, social welfare or similar activities primarily through extending grants or endowments" (Zinnia B dela Peña, 23 January 2004, The Philippine Star, philstar.com). There is a variety of services, such as to the public, which are education, community engagement, and promotion of career opportunities in the restaurant, lodging, and tourism industries (Oklahoma Hospitality Foundation, okrestaurants.com).

This is my first time to work inside a foundation, and President at that! So I have to learn what is the nature of a foundation, the more to understand it and make it work its best, for what it was founded.

At 77, I am the new President of the Danggay Ti Pangasinan Foundation, that which was founded by Senator Leticia Valdez Ramos-Shahani in the early 1990s, with the following Vision and Mission:

Vision: a progressive Pangasinan, with self-reliant, creative and morally strong people.

Mission: (1) Be the catalyst for growth in Pangasinan, in support of the socio-economic development efforts of the Philippine government. (2) Be the institutional link between the people who have the resources and those who need them the most. (3) Be the agent of moral renewal in Pangasinan, as part of the national effort to transform the nation through the incubation of values in the daily lives of the Filipino people.

Beautiful thoughts even if they are 20 years old! Here are my thoughts in pursuit of such Vision and 3-fold Mission:

Raising ideas.
In generating or evaluating proposals for programs, projects and other positive pursuits, Danggay will proceed from the concepts that Isis, an ancient mother goddess, symbolized: creativity, knowledge, and woman power (isiswomen.org). And why from Isis? From 2002 to 2004, the founder of Danggay, Ms Leticia was Chair of Isis International, an NGO for women; the name of that NGO was derived from that primeval goddess. (The above image is from pinterest.com, where Jenny Gonzalez says to "call" on Isis when, among other things, in need of "a new perspective.")

Let me now explain the 3 Isis concepts, applying them to Danggay as a foundation for the development of villages.

Creativity should be the spirit behind every proposal for action that eventually leads to development within the target villages. Among other things, this is called for in production and marketing. Creativity calls for inspiration in coming up with new or improved methods, ingenuity in coming up with new or improved materials, and inventiveness in coming up with new or improved marketing systems.

Knowledge is treated here as the results of both experience and experimentation, an intuitive mixing of folk wisdom and research results. Not science only but science assisted by, for instance, an adage or saying when available. Experience dates back many generations; science dates back many years – we should give credence to both.

Woman power is strength in action. In Africa, as according to research by the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics, or ICRISAT, which is based in India, the women are running the show as far as farming is concerned – the women are showing their better halves that they are better cultivators of the family plots and better farm managers. (For more details, read my essay, "Women's Equality, Women's Rights, Women's Empowerment," 29 August 2016, MI Journalism, blogspot.in.)

And to guarantee inputs & implementation initiatives emanating from the gentler but more powerful sex, we have a minimum of 4 women in the executive committee of the Danggay Foundation.

Raising funds.
Usually, a foundation is set up by an individual or institution with an endowment, or a large sum of money, as a source fund for the activities of such an organization. The foundation then deposits the amount in a bank and funds its activities from the proceeds of the investment. The foundation may or may not have the freedom to deviate from the founder's purposes using those funds, but it must follow its own articles of institution. In any case, funds can be raised from other legitimate sources for legitimate reasons.

There is of course the usual observation that a foundation can be used to raise funds for personal, not public gain. That mainly depends on the morality of any of the officers of the foundation. Abuses of power happens everywhere. Perhaps this can be avoided by having a member of the Board who is either Roman Catholic or Protestant.

Raising values.
"Incubation of values in the daily lives of the Filipino people" is found in the 3rd statement of Danggay's Mission. I believe that the most important role of a foundation is the raising of values in the villages. What values are these?

I like the list of "14 Good Filipino Habits That Make The Philippines A Great Country" by Victorino G Abrugar (02 September 2014, FAQ.ph, faq.ph):

1.      Hospitality – "We are usually friendly and welcoming to our guests."

2.      Adaptability & resilience – "Despite calamities, Filipinos are persistent enough to get back on their feet, even without help from the government."

3.      Resourcefulness and creativity – "Filipinos are known for ingenuity. We are creative in many ways, whether it's in art, music, science, technology and business."

4.      Faithfulness – "We remain faithful and we don't lose hope for a better tomorrow."

5.      Unity in bayanihan spirit – "We are in close relationship with our neighbors."

6.      Thriftiness – "We shop wisely to save our money for future important uses. We are conscious (of) the price tag, discounts and quality of the products we buy."

7.      Politeness – "The children and young Filipinos will always use the words 'Po' (Sir, or Madam) and 'Opo' (Yes Sir, or Madam) to show respect to someone who's older or who's in the higher position."

8.      Family-oriented (that's adjective; should read family orientation, noun) – Filipinos are willing to make big sacrifices just to make sure that their loved ones will have a good life."

9.      Bravery – "There's a hero's blood running in our veins. We have the most fearless heroes who only think of defending our homeland... Our soldiers are probably the bravest in the world."

10. Jolliness and sense of humor – "The Philippines is a country of smiles."

11. Discretion and dignity – "There are still many Filipinos who always think twice before they make a decision that can affect their dignity and honor. Thanks to their parents who raised them up with high moral standards."

12. Gratefulness – "We don't forget anyone who helped us, whether he (she) is a Filipino or not."

13. Honesty and commitment – "When we make a promise, we try our best to fulfill that promise even if it will undermine ourselves."

14. Helpfulness – "Even if the Philippines is not a big and rich country, we still grant aids to other countries in need."

We probably cannot cultivate all those values, so under my presidency, I would like Danggay Foundation to focus on those values that impinge on the name of the foundation itself, so that they are not arbitrary choices.

I think the name says it all. An Ilocano word, danggay means, as a noun: harmony, accompaniment; as a verb: to sing, chant together; do two things at one time; to accompany with a musical instrument; go along with; to suit, fit; match; go with the flow (Ilocano Dictionary And Grammar by Carl Ralph Galvez Rubino, books._google.com.ph). A single word very rich in meaning!

Considering all that, my selection for virtues to cultivate via programs and projects that Danggay will support charitably are of the nature of the following:

(1)   ­­Adaptability & resilience

(2)   Resourcefulness & creativity

(3)   Bayanihan spirit

(4)   Family orientation

(5)   Discretion & dignity

(6)   Honesty & commitment

(7)   Helpfulness

The Danggay 7, we may call them. Yes, but on second thought, why limit the coverage of the foundation to 7 value areas? Or, for that matter, 14 value areas? I have come to the conclusion that it is best if we dedicate Danggay to only one area of interest, and this is? The family. Serendipity! The family, the original All For One, One For All. And now under Family, you can list all those 14 good Filipino habits, and more, as long as they help build the family. Under Family, we are also covering what Isis stands for: creativity, knowledge, and woman power. Even more. In focusing on one, we are focusing on all.

The Filipino family as client will from hereon guide us in whatever Danggay does to help communities grow for the good of all in Pangasinan. @1539