Gawad Kalinga has begun to stem this tide. At the very least, it offers hope that previously helter-skelter efforts at reform need not wait for a political messiah or a bloody revolution. But when a mayor comes knocking at the door, demanding a vote or offering bribes for it; when soldiers confuse community building with subversion; when revolutionaries start preaching reform must come out of the barrel of a gun, what will Gawad Kalinga do?

The decade in which it has gathered steam and begun to make an enduring mark was a grace period. It won’t last. And for every community that stands on self-respecting feet, thanks to its efforts, the challenge must be confronted: Now that the poor have homes, and have organized themselves, what next? Can they afford to stand aside and let their work be swamped by those who have no incentive to respect it?

-Philippine Daily Inquirer Editorial, Jan 31, 2007