There are many changes we are experiencing now.
The upcoming elections have made us a bit wary on how our country is going to fare. Who would be the best leader? What kind of a leader should we elect? Of course, we have our own list of the qualities of a good leader just as we had our list of qualities of our ideal man when we were younger. But the realities of our situation have to spur us to choose leaders who can cope with the demands of the times. What shall we expect in the near future?
Calamities.Natural and manmade. These are bound to come. The aging of our world has been aggravated by the expedient use of our natural resources. How do we cope with disasters that are bound to happen? How prepared are our barangay leaders to face the possibility of floods, earthquakes, cyclones, typhoons and its extreme brother, drought, heat waves and eventually, famine?
Corruption in all its form is a sin as old as time. Our leadership should be upright, there is no question about that although the flawless character we desire may be too idealistic to be true but clear manifestations of a corrupt leadership should already be abhorred. For even the ones with the best intentions are not utterly devoid of their share of irregularities in spite of their objective of pushing the country forward.
We must choose someone who is courageous to take the unpopular advancements. One who can impose rules consistently and fairly. One who is truly nationalistic and who can advocate and implement programs that may be simple but needed. Projects that need not banner the name of the politician but may have a broad and lasting effect to ease life of most of the Filipinos.
Better traffic rules. Perhaps revisiting the long-buried implementation of jeepney stops and jaywalking. I recall in Cebu City, in the time of Sammy Darza, in order to discipline the public, the jeepney drivers were penalized for stopping anywhere. This made the riding public aware of disembarking in the designated areas only.
Then we have laws on spitting and urinating in public. Imagine all the germs you are able to prevent from propagating if this rule is strictly implemented. Not to mention the wrap and throw of human wastes in areas where toilets are scarce. If we could consistently implement the simple yet doable laws on not throwing garbage to river banks and esteros that would de-clog the waterways. And talking about waterways, we should review the subdivision plans and real estate development to ensure that wetlands are not filled to accommodate condominiums and housing projects. Wetlands are needed for the flow of water to avoid flooding and water entrapment that harbour disease.
And though it may sound absurd to some, perhaps each sitio should have regular drills for all kinds of calamities of significant impact. Fire, flood, and fear. Oh yes, fear is the greatest killer and most of it is borne out of the lack of knowledge. Thus educating our communities on how to respond to possible disasters would be helpful for survival.
The list goes on as we see a deteriorating psyche. We need to change our attitude towards ourselves as Filipinos. Being condescending about our race is not helping. Making all these “pinoy kasi” references when we make something “palpak” does not make us proud. The resilience that we are so known for should bring with it strength of character and determination. We are a nation held in God’s hands. We rise above the tide because we have a faith that lifts us. And if we are able to elect a leader whose life is centered on God, His fortress shall be our refuge as our leadership has a Master at the helm.