(1) Rizal on redeeming ourselves (19 June 2005)

We must expand our concept of brotherhood, compassion, and empathy beyond the family, the village, and the faction – for only with steadfast civic commitment is sustainable development likely to happen in a democratic society. As Rizal foresaw, more than a hundred years ago, "the time has come to tell ourselves that, if we wish to be saved, we must redeem ourselves." Each one of us can do his or her part by pulling an oar, plugging a leak, building synergy, and adding value so that our Ship of State – on which we are all passengers – can navigate speedily and stay the course through stormy weather, rocky shoals and intensified competition toward a brighter future.

(2) The environment and tourism (3 July 2005)

A vigorous economy and a healthy environment can go hand-in-hand. One does not have to come at the expense of the other. What really matters is where we live, how we live, and how we live with one another. And it matters much that our environment is kept sustainable, while we pursue our ambitions for a strong economy, social justice and political participation. Sustaining economic prosperity and protecting the environment require sincere partnership and beneficial cooperation – not only between national and local governments – but also among the private business sector, civil society, academia, grassroots groups, and international organizations.

(3) The education of young Filipinos (21 August 2005)

Many young Filipinos from well-to-do families take college education for granted – but, in truth, those who reach college are just a tiny elite among the masses of our people. Right now, out of every 100 Filipino children, only 86 make it through the elementary grades, and only 44 ever finish high school. Although the Philippines enjoys many natural advantages, we find ourselves falling behind again and again because of our lack of solidarity and teamwork as compared to the collective passion of our neighbors who are also our economic competitors. People-empowering reforms, starting with health and education, still have to be initiated by our leaders to bring our country to greater competitiveness and sustainable development in the fast-changing world of the 21st century. These we urgently need to overcome our real enemies – foremost of which are poverty, disunity, greed, selfishness, corruption, and complacency.

(4) Putting our house in order (28 August 2005)

The poverty, injustice and non-participation of common Filipinos as exemplified by Andres Bonifacio and his Katipuneros, who launched their revolt against Spain (Sigaw sa Pugad Lawin) in August 1896, continue to ring a resonant note among the Filipino poor today. Their basic needs for income, livelihood, jobs, shelter, health, education, safety, and democratic participation etc. still constitute the primary problems of the Philippines today – 109 years later. Our people expect our incumbent elected leaders to bring their acts together, without further delay, put the Philippine house in order, and actualize sustained economic growth – before the next "Sigaw" takes place. Given the slow pace of the economy, increasing population growth, rising costs of energy and basic needs, and declining credit ratings, lost opportunities, among other negatives, our people now clamor more intensely for positive actions leading to their upliftment and well-being.

(5) Is there hope for the Philippines? (11 September 2005)

Of course, there is much hope for the Philippines. So let us not panic in the face of the current political storms. Filipinos have experienced and overcome worse crises – take the 3 years of Japanese occupation during World War II, the 14 years of the Marcos strongman regime, and the coup-ridden Cory term. But, our elected leaders, starting with PGMA and all other high officials, must lead the way in self-renewal – which hopefully will result in Constitutional renewal and national renewal. How? Through our transformation to a parliamentary form of government which, by way of its "no-confidence vote" mechanism, could effect regime change democratically, smoothly and peacefully – without going through a painful impeachment process and without risking the probable bloody involvement of the AFP and the PNP in a political tug-of-war.

(6) A culture of peace (25 September 2005)

As the UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) defines it, a culture of peace implies "the creation of an environment for living – consistent with human dignity, in which all those who are excluded, isolated, and marginalized would find an opportunity to genuinely become part of society." A culture of peace implies the elimination of poverty and its attendant ills, a more equitable sharing of both prosperity and knowledge, and the opportunity for everyone to receive an education. A culture of peace also means the strengthening of democratic processes and institutions – since only democracy can insure the right to the rule of law and respect for people’s rights.

Today, we are still seeing angry confrontations on the political front because of the unfulfilled expectations of ordinary Filipinos for a better life. The ball is back in the court of PGMA and other elected leaders who, together, must steer our country toward our shared vision of a bountiful and secure Philippine future. For most of us Filipinos, the priority reforms still to be undertaken have to do with restructuring our macro-economic environment to recover lost momentum and modernizing our politics through Charter change. Both of these strategic reforms deserve the highest priority from Malacañang, Congress, civil society and the business sector – if our leaders are to remain constant and faithful to the will of the people.

(7) Building a strong republic (2 October 2005)

"A feeble nation," declared Adlai Stevenson, "is the result of self-inflicted wounds." It is wrong, however, to equate a strong state with the curtailment of civil liberties through "strong-man" methods. Indeed, we need a stronger state – a more efficient, and effective state – if only to make our market system work better, and our national stability more secure. The real threat to democracy in our time is our loss of a common purpose and our lack of unity and teamwork. Our people’s anxieties arise from their frustration with Philippine democracy’s inability to produce consistently good governance, to cut down corruption in office, to distribute fairly the fruits of economic growth, and to restore idealism and the spirit of service among our public officials.

The good democratic leader tries to bring out the best in the people. On the other hand, democratic leadership is only as good as the quality of the people who support it and who shoulder their burden of civic responsibility.

(To be continued next Sunday. Abangan!!!)

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