Binay wants Phl to break free from traditional politics

MANILA, Philippines - Vice President Jejomar Binay believes the country must break free from traditional and worldly politics.

Speaking at the 115th National Flag Day, Binay said people in government must consciously practice social activism, compassion, and ethics in governance.

“It is our (duty), not only by newly elected officials, to spread this thinking especially to the youth who are the hope and future of our country and to mold them as a generation of heroes,” he said.

The upper and middle classes of society must work towards providing real and quality education to the underprivileged, he added.

Binay said people must realize the value of remembering the past through the observation of rituals, anniversaries, and traditions.

“It is important to commemorate the past because through our understanding of the experience of our forefathers we will see all the roots or where our beginnings came from,” he said.

Binay said these lessons are not limited to utilitarian concerns, but also deal with the Filipino identity or the “soul of the nation.”

“History and culture is the soul of our country,” he said.

The “pride of place” resulting from a proper understanding of history leads to the formation of the collective idea of nationhood, Binay said.