Political transformation is what we need!

Today is the 85th birth anniversary of the late Sir Max V. Soliven. He was a great friend and mentor who taught me what I needed to know about being a journalist. I first met him when he spoke at the Rotary Club of Cebu (Mother) in 1985 and in July 1986 when I was vice-president of the Cebu Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Inc. (CCCI). We invited him to speak before the Chamber where he rallied Cebuanos to rise up to glorious heights now that the Marcoses were gone. That’s the time that he told me that he needed someone to be his “Alikabok” here in Cebu and I was it!

I didn’t expect that my friendship with Sir Max would put me in a journalistic career to last a lifetime. When he took me in, he was already a famous and highly-influential journalist. This is why I considered my friendship with him as a Godsend! He died on Nov. 24, 2006, just three months after my mother also died. Yes the year 2006 was an unforgettable one for me.

Let me say it here that not a day passes by that I don’t think of Sir Max and say a little prayer for him to thank him for the days we spent together with Sir Arthur Lopez and Sir Babes Romualdez. Sir Max and Ma’am Betty Go-Belmonte will always be credited as the founders of the Philippine Daily Inquirer and when things turned sour with their partners in PDI, they founded the Philippine STAR. So Sir Max cheers to you up there in heaven!

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My column last Tuesday talking about finding an “out-of-the-box” ways to fix our country by depoliticizing it got me a lot of positive responses in our emails from people who wanted this nation to turn a new leaf, and looking for political reforms that would change the landscape of this nation. Here’s one email I will reprint to represent those who wrote me about that column.            

“Dear Mr. Avila; Good morning! Just finished reading your paper The STAR from cover to cover and sent you this email to share my thoughts about your very interesting column today in regards to the re-structuring of the barangay. We need the barangay, no doubt about it, but not to this level of extravagance whereby we have to include the “kagawad” (is this the same as the barangay council?) or “lupon.” FOR WHAT!?!?!? I am letting you know that I am very very supportive of your suggestion to the NTC regarding this barangay depoliticizing.

A bit of info about myself. I am 77 years old. Dual citizen Filipino-American. Residing for good here in my house at BF Pilar Village, Las Pinas City. I am very patriotic natural born Filipino in my beautiful City of Muntinlupa. I will do everything to my best knowledge and ability to serve our country, the beloved Philippines before my creator will summon me to his kingdom in heaven.

For your further information Mr. Bobit, if you will allow me to address you this way as I usually address my friends and good acquaintances. Your idea of re-structuring the barangay system had been my long time thinking way back years ago when I was in the States making my living. Fact of the matter, Mr. Bobit, this barangay issue is always one of the topics I raised in social gatherings among Filipinos in the Los Angeles Area, Cal. as long as the discussions warranted it.

The core of my contention is...why spend a lot of our money giving salaries and per diem to these “kagawad” and or “lupon” FOR DOING NOTHING!!! In the first place the barangay unit does not need them...it’s a sheer waste of money paying them when we have no need for them. All for now and have a very nice and pleasant day. Regards, Pete S. Lonzame Filipino Patriot” 

I don’t need to add some more to Mr. Lonzame’s email. But this is just the start of new political reforms that hopefully will transform the Philippine government from being corrupt-ridden to one that truly serves the needs of the Filipino people. We shall write more on this in future columns.

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I’ll be in Manila for the 24th SKAL International Makati Awards on September 5, at 6 p.m. at the Grand Ballroom of the New World Makati Hotel, Makati City. This event coincides with the 33rd anniversary of SKAL International Makati. Founded in August 1980, it is the second oldest club in the Philippines and includes Manila (the oldest: formed in April 1952). The SKAL Tourism Personality Awards Night is an annual event that celebrates the achievements of exemplary individuals in the Philippine tourism industry.

SKAL International is a worldwide association of Travel and Tourism professionals promoting Global Tourism and Friendship. It is the only international group uniting all branches of the Travel and Tourism Industry. First founded in 1932 in Paris, France, SKAL International today has over 16,522 members in 399 tourism clubs throughout 87 nations. Its members, the industry’s managers and executives, meet at local, national, regional and international levels to discuss and pursue topics of common interest.

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