A Longing

In the middle of dishonesty, fraud and cheating that plague the present national government, I long for sincerity and truthfulness. Amid extravagance and squandering by government officials from the illegitimate president and her cabinet  to the congressmen and women down to the barangay captains, I long for decency and prudence. In the midst of self-enrichment and wealth accumulation of politicians, I long for simplicity and self-sacrifice. In the middle of apparent stealing and malversation of taxpayers' money, I long for honesty. Amid corruption and bribery worsened by questionable decisions of acquittal of the primary instigators of the crime, I long for integrity in governance.

This was a longing which I thought would remain as it is, a longing that was doomed to nothingness, as I hear about progressive journalists salvaged or shot to death, as I watch brave young Filipinos beaten and harassed by the police to disperse anti-GMA  rallies, as I realize that Jun Lozada's sacrifices had become seemingly useless, or as I learn about traditional thick-skinned politicians continue to steal and get away with it, led by Gloria Arroyo, who started in government with a net worth of P6 million and now has a whopping P144 million, or her cabinet members  who use taxpayers money for their political campaigns.

It is indeed such a blessing, and I will tell this again and again to my children and my grandchildren, that we have Cory and Ninoy Aquino. They are one of the reasons why I still feel good about my country and my being Filipino. They are my epitome of integrity and truthfulness, decency and sacrifice. Ninoy knew he can be killed here and that would end all his political plans, but he went back home to us. I could crack my brains but I would never think of any one in the roster of government leaders who has such courage and love for our country. Cory could have returned to the US and live a quiet life for herself and her family much like what any woman might do. But she remained. Instead of feeling hatred about the death of her beloved,  which changed her and her family's life forever, she committed her life to re-building the Filipino nation. .

It is another blessing for me to have listened to the declaration of Mar Roxas at Club Filipino. His deed was truly noble and admirable. Then there are Ed Panlilio and Kiko Pangilinan who withdrew from the president and vice-presidential race to give way to the choices of the Liberal Party. These gave me hope that my longing for self-sacrifice and decency in government is not doomed.

Then of course, Noynoy Aquino. The apparent confusion he faces at present whether to run for president or not proves to me his sincerity and simplicity. I sympathize with the difficulty he is going through because deep in his heart, the presidency is such an overwhelming responsibility especially for someone like he naturally is, like his mother Cory and father Ninoy -- truthful, decent and a person of integrity.