MANILA, Philippines — Former national police chief Gen. Guillermo Lorenzo Eleazar has encouraged the Filipino youth to keep the flame of their passion for social change burning but warned of groups that put the lives of the young at risk by exploiting their idealism.
Eleazar, who is running for senator under Partido Reporma, was reacting to reports on the death of Chad Booc, Jojarain Alce Nguho II and three other suspected communist rebels in an encounter with the military in Davao de Oro on Thursday.
Booc graduated cum laude in UP Diliman while Nguho was from Liceo de Tagum.
“I admire young people who are aware of the problems of society, and are unafraid to speak about these problems because I see in them the real hope for change that comes from the heart,” Eleazar said in Filipino.
“But it’s infuriating to see groups and individuals who, instead of guiding them to the right path of idealism, would use them as instruments of deception and make them do things that would put them in danger,” he added.
Eleazar said he personally witnessed how grieving parents would claim the cadavers of their children with no idea why they ended up dead in police and military operations.
“It’s disheartening to see their families find out that the children that they had thought were doing research for school had died in an encounter,” Eleazar said.
“It’s heartbreaking to explain to them the real story because in almost all cases they involved talented young people from poor families,” said Eleazar.
He advised the youths to continue gaining knowledge from their schools and be constantly aware of vital issues so they can address them properly, especially if they eventually become leaders.
Eleazar also emphasized the need to strengthen the youth’s sense of honor and integrity to serve as their moral compass in nation building.
“There were a lot of heroes and unsung Filipino youth heroes who sacrificed a lot for us to enjoy our freedom, which include the freedom to speak your mind in social media. Let’s not waste their sacrifices,” said Eleazar.
“I advise them not to lose hope in their quest for real change, and to be instruments for achieving change by studying hard and living with honor and integrity because time will come when that passion and courage to stand up for the truth will stay in your heart and protect you from getting overwhelmed by a dysfunctional system,” he added.
Strong party system
Former defense secretary and senatorial candidate Gilbert “Gibo” Teodoro said he aims to strengthen the structure of the political party system in the country in order to help voters wisely choose their next leaders.
“Political parties should go beyond a gathering of personalities,” Teodoro said. “They should serve as think tanks that can provide studies about legislation that they are pursuing based on their parties’ principles.”
Teodoro, a former Tarlac congressman, added that a strong party system would likewise push politicians to be loyal to their political parties.
In order to strengthen party politics, Teodoro said political parties should be sustainable by allowing them to have sources of funding like donors, the business community and other sources of funding, except foreign sources. Political parties must be transparent in their sources of funds.
Teodoro, a lawyer and 1989 Bar topnotcher, is also batting for the scrapping of spending limits of political parties during campaigns. But he stressed expenses must be fully disclosed to the public.
Another senatorial candidate, House Deputy Speaker Loren Legarda, has vowed to pursue stricter enforcement of environmental laws that she said would be key to economic recovery of the country.
“For pandemic recovery, we will need, first and foremost, to protect nature and the environment. In my three terms (in the Senate) I was able to author, co-author and sponsor 10 environmental laws,” Legarda stressed.
“From laws on seas, to water, to our air quality, to solid waste, what is important is the strict implementation and oversight function of Congress, as well as funding for these laws. I will pursue these aspects if elected,” the Antique congresswoman said.
Apart from addressing environmental problems, which experts linked to the COVID-19 pandemic, Legarda called on fellow candidates to find solutions to problems involving small businesses and public health.
“Secondly, for economy, as I said, we have to prioritize micro enterprises and small business that constitute 99 percent of our economy,” she said.
She said there should be one ‘Livelihood Law’ that would consolidate the shared services facilities of the Department of Trade and Industry, the livelihood program of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and the 4Ps program of the Department o Social Welfare and Development “so that these programs will be budgeted annually.”
“And that’s what I’m doing and will continue to do,” she explained.
Legarda also cited the importance of the “One Tablet, One Student Act” and the institutionalization of social services for employment, like DOLE’s Tupad Cash for Work.
Legarda also cited the key role entrepreneurship plays in the country’s economic recovery.
She also noted the importance of taking government’s services to the grassroots as she plans to relaunch her “LOREN (Livelihood, Opportunity to Raise Employment and Entrepreneurship Nationwide) sa Bawat Barangay” program that she started in 1998.