June Ends

I never get tired of reading those write-ups about people’s encounter with Pres. Noy. Most Filipinos who love decency and the sense of democracy are learning to know the real Noynoy thru their writings. We are still grieving for him. Sad to say though, the troll army of the present administration is busy maligning and destroying his name. Funny that they are afraid of the dead. These trolls are well-funded.

Had it not been a pandemic, his funeral might have been even more touching or it might have equalled the funerals of his parents in terms of people attendance. He was accorded a lovely funeral march by the AFP as should be given to a previous president of the country. People lined up the road where the family, his cabinet. and close friends passed on their way to Manila Memorial Park where he was buried besides his parents. They waved Philippine flags and yellow ribbons. He was also given touching eulogy by his previous cabinet the night before.

I was overjoyed when I saw this photo of a younger Noynoy. He lost his dad when he was thirteen.

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So June ends and this month will always be remembered. Farewell, may you rest in eternal peace.

#thankyoupinoy

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A Glimpse At The 3rd SONA Of Pres. PNoy

I love to address the first few lines to those Filipinos who have nothing in mind but to badmouth everything that is happening in our present government. It’s as if they are all perfect and they exactly know how to run our country  and offer viable solutions and make the Philippines  a country we could all be proud of. If you are so smart enough, why don’t you  offer solutions to the problems besetting every one of us, why do you just stay in the sidelines and let yourself rant and whine or is that your way of pulling down the rest of us who still feel optimistic that there is a great chance for us to achieve our goals as one collective voice? Such a pathetic attitude. I didn’t vote for PNoy but I believe that he has that sincere desire to make it work. At saan ba nag-uumpisa kundi  dapat sa malinis at hindi corrupt na gobyerno?

It was delivered in Tagalog  which is more easily understood by Juan dela Cruz.  It took all of an hour  and a half, with around 115  applause in between, not that the applause matters much but  there are highlights in his speech that  are really worth-admiring for want of a better word. Walang hindi makakaya ang nagkakaisang Pilipino, he said. Nothing is impossible to a united Filipino nation. How true, we dreamed of a change, we dreamed of a corrupt-free government run by honest people we elected in office. He mentioned about responsible parenthood in relation to the shortages of classrooms, school chairs and books and it was the most applauded highlight of his speech. I wonder though if it equates to the controversial RH Bill which I hope will never be passed into law. There is a continuing opposition on the part of the Catholic Church. But I guess, responsible parenthood does not necessarily mean that you have to use  contraceptives, I take it to mean that you can plan your family the natural way so you can give them a good future in the end. It’s up to individual couple to observe the natural means (without using drastic measures to prevent conception) of family planning – that’s responsible parenthood for me. You can’t measure a progress of one nation by curtailing  a younger  generation which is the hope of a country’s future. And here’s Pres. Aquino’s stand on responsible parenthood.

He touched on economic reforms, agriculture, flood control, health care and the stable rise of the price index in  the stock market, tourism,  rehabilitation of NAIA 3, infrastructures, agrarian reform, criminality and strengthening the Armed Forces.  He has  a good vision for the Philippines which he wants in place before he leaves by 2016. They are doable as long as he stay focused and put it all into action. For now, the challenge remains but I am sure that if he has our support, everything is possible. It would have been more significant if he touched on the plight of our OFWs who for the past several years were  helping the government through their dollar remittances. Rising cost of commodities, fuel and electricity should also be given importance because they are everyday necessities for Juan  dela Cruz to survive.

Overall, the SONA was  very good, may he continue his unblemished records  for the past two years as far as corruption is concerned. We really need a president who is clean, honest and not corrupt. Ituloy ang matuwid na daan, we are following you.

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Salubong sa EDSA

It was a virtual sea of yellow. People, young and old are commemorating the 25th Anniversary of the only true EDSA Revolution – People Power 1. It is nice to see the representatives of the youth spearheaded by former Sen. Butch Aquino, joining the pioneer figures of EDSA  1, led by then  AFP Vice Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Fidel Ramos.

I am writing this from the point of view of a then young mother 25 years ago. Twenty five years ago, my youngest son was barely two years old. Back when Cardinal Sin and Butch Aquino were calling all people to support Enrile and Ramos, hubby and I were thinking, “What will happen after this? What would be the future of our kids?” Twenty five years is  a long time, we’ve gone through so many Presidents from Pres. Corazon Aquino, Pres. Fidel Ramos, Pres. Erap Estrada, Pres. Gloria Arroyo and now Pres. PNoy.

A lot of people are asking, has there been any change since EDSA 1? After EDSA, corruption is still there. After EDSA, same people and faces are still in the government. Those figures who were in power under the Marcos regime are the same people who are still lurking around.  Are we forgetting the fact that the peaceful revolution that was EDSA People Power  brought us back our democracy?

The youth of today are reaping the fruits of what the youth  25 years ago have started. The dramatization of the symbolic “salubong”  of the military and  the civilians was so touching – the religious giving flowers to the military, the image of Mama Mary prominently displayed  right in front of the cannons, a sea of people waving rosaries and offering flowers.

We are on the road to realizing our dream of a beautiful Philippines. It wouldn’t take one man alone to do this, we need to unite once again, be one. They always say, in unity there is strength. We should move on, get back on our own two feet. The spirit of EDSA 1 will and should serve as a reminder that we need to go on, forget enmities and start again. We should support PNoy in his anti-corruption efforts. And if we are sincere, we could do it.

We need to look back to remind us that there is still a daunting task at hand so we could all move forward to realize our dream of a better Philippines.

 

(photos courtesy of a friend, Vince Parmisano)

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