To dare and endure

Winston Churchill once said “This is no time for ease and comfort. It is time to dare and endure.”

Three years have passed and the Philippines has witnessed how political will has corrected the many ills our society has been enduring for decades.

Corruption as we can blatantly see is the biggest enemy of progress and corruption is rampant in both the local and national fronts. We have been accustomed to a padrino system that has been for some the fastest and easiest way to get what they want from government which comes with a cost while leaving the poor helpless to a system that simply does not work for the general welfare.

Last Monday’s State of the Nation Address has given us over 30 things President Rodrigo Duterte pointed out in terms of his legacy, but the one thing that caught my attention the most is the President’s realization that “we are our own enemy.”

In his fourth SONA, the President painfully stated that corruption has become “pervasive” and “exasperating” while the government works “too little and too slow.”

In his address, President Duterte further goes on by saying, “We are our own tormentors. We are our own demons preying on the helpless, the weak and the voiceless” and further continues by saying, “No amount of euphemism can trivialize or normalize betrayal of public trust or any other criminal offense. It is an injury laced with insult. It is both a national embarrassment and a national shame.”

Betrayal of public trust... it is undeniably a national shame. One that we have allowed for decades because no one dared to change the system – up till today. How long therefore are we Filipinos going to be able to tolerate such a shame?

Many things have been continuously revealed and I question through and through all those who still refuse to open their eyes to issues such as corruption in the health care system which has, as the President said, conned millions that could have saved lives. This shame is beyond words and at the very least, a glaring disregard of the general public because of a chosen few.

It is as if we are not all Filipinos living in one country with only this country to love. We cannot say that we love our country when we sinfully omit the common good.  It is, and as the President says, a national embarrassment. 

For once, it is time we do our duty not just as government officials but as members of society by being part of a legacy that will not leave the next generations fruitless.

As we dare to change, we must also be prepared to endure the many birth pangs that come along the way – it is after all a rebirth for the only country we’ve got. The goal for the next three years is a comfortable life for all. Inclusivity entails commitment and we can only do so by pledging to serve and protect all members of society.

We thank the President for his commitment to finish this race fighting but like him, we too must work just as hard for a greater Philippines.