If only politicians would be selfless.

When King Herod ordered the massacre of the innocent children thousands of years ago, he did so out of selfishness. He did so because he did not want to lose his kingship to a babe predicted to be the future king and savior of Israel.

How many children and adults were killed in the last calamity in Mindanao? The last tentative count has hit 2000 and they are still searching for other victims until now.

It is clear to many now that the cause of their deaths was not the heavy amount of rainfall, not the typhoon itself. It is clear to many that the deaths resulted from the vulnerabilities of watersheds, ravaged by rampant mining and illegal logging, allowed by inefficient, irresponsible, and sadly corrupted people in government. If only the priorities of politicians and officials placed the welfare of the poor on top of the list, so many deaths would have been averted, so much would have been protected, preserved, and kept alive.

The repeated emphasis on the role of Filipino politicians for the protection and sustainability of lives of people and of Mother Nature is intended for them to clear their ears, eyes, and especially their hearts of any selfishness, which many of them have helped themselves to for decades.

Is it too much to ask those in power to finally and completely use their pork barrel and/or local funds to uplift and preserve the lives of their constituents?

Is it too much to ask all politicians to strive together, in a united fashion, to decrease if not eliminate the number of hungry constituents in their midst? Is it too much to ask politicians to prioritize self-reliant food production in their areas so that no one among their constituents will ever be hungry again?

Is it too much to request them instead to implement sustainable employment programs with their pork barrel and hefty local revenue allocations, rather than put up unnecessary but expensive roads, bridges, basketball courts, and other infra projects that they have done so for many years in the past?

Can they provide stable subsidies for our farmers, for our fisherfolks, for those in the forest to ensure farm produce, fish harvests, as well as the sustainable protection of our lands, our seas, and our forests by these very important and hardworking producers?

Is it too much for the politicians to genuinely provide sturdy homes for the poor, no one ever allowed from now on to live along precarious and risky esteros and riverbanks? Can they allow the homeless to be hired and paid to build their own homes, c/o public funds that should rightly be used for the welfare of the people?

It is almost the end of 2011 and we are still asking the politicians to give up their selfish ways and to try to give the rest of the Filipino people their chance to survive, to live humane lives, and to protect our land and resources for the sake of more generations of Filipinos in the future.

It is very clear to all that had the huge public budgets, on all levels, national and local, been used through the years for our people, no innocent lives would have be lost, so many more families taken beyond hunger and unemployment, and so much of our people, healthy, educated, very productive, and proud to be Filipino.

We sincerely express our gratitude to those rare politicians who have truly and selflessly served and who continue to serve their constituents. Honest, selfless service, however, has to be done in a comprehensive, integrated manner on all levels throughout the country.

We are also grateful that PNoy has not been tarnished with any charges of corruption or dishonesty since he assumed power. However, the traditional politicians in his team will have to go beyond party interests, beyond selfishness, to join PNoy and the hopeful Filipinos along the less travelled but more noble way to dignified lives and nationhood.

Will 2012 find less or no more King Herods in our midst and only noble, selfless politicians truly serving and keeping our people and Mother Nature alive?

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