“When each citizen dedicates some sort of resource aside from money to another citizen aside from someone among their friends and family.”

Albert Balbutin, Jr.

“Every citizen should have a common sense of pride and love for their country, making every opportunity count for a progressive future to flourish, not only for the few but for all Filipinos. We should be responsible ,honest, law-abiding , God-fearing individuals who are part of the solution to the problems we face today in our generation.”

Robert Michael del Pilar

“How about exporting our abundant natural resources?  Why do we have to depend on other countries so much?  We need proactive leaders who are willing to empower its own people.”

Genevieve Joson

“A better Philippines is when we have loyal, heartened politicians instead of a celebrity retirement club - a country in which we have the capacity to HELP others despite being third world.”

Maria-Mades Renton

“A secular country.”

Tanja Lichtensteiger, techie and artist (knittering.com)

“A better Philippines for me would be a country without corrupt public servants, starting from the highest position!!!”

Jayvee Del Pilar Villarica

“A better Philippines to me is a country with no corruption, with intelligent voters (no vote-buying, only well-informed and educated people should vote, only qualified people - not popular actors - can be elected.  A country where everybody can have quality education, can get a job, and can afford the best quality health care.  Mo more OFW’s, as this destroys the family unless the whole family can be with the OFW wherever he works.  A better Philippines is a country with a good and fast justice system, where corrupt officials really go to jail.  A country with a beautiful, green, and clean environment. Everything else, the culture, the strong faith, the good people should be retained.”

Dr. Ofelia Sy

“A ‘perfect’ Philippines would mean everyone treating each other with respect. There should be no hierarchy, no division between the rich and the poor.  We must eliminate corruption and be more environmentally friendly.”

Mike De Guzman

(A personal account written in 2005.)

Yesterday I visited a remote barangay in the mountains of Pilar, Sorsogon.  I traveled with Jesa, the Assistant Training and Monitory Officer of the micro-finance organization I work with, the People’s Alternative Livelihood Foundation of Sorsogon, Inc. (PALFSI).  We had a meeting scheduled with the barangay captain to get his permission to help the micro-businesses of his barangay by giving out small, low-interest loans of $50 to $100 to the most underprivileged entrepreneurial operations.  I’m starting to be a fan of micro-finance because it promotes and empowers the poorest members of a community by helping them develop a business they themselves created, so that they can provide the basic necessities for their families.  I think that only when survival is guaranteed can people look beyond those immediate needs to their communities, to their countries, and to others all over the world.  I can go on and on about this, but I particularly wanted to share with all of you my thoughts when I visited this remote barangay.

I asked Jesa if there are a lot of NPA in Pilar and she said “yes”.  The New People’s Army (NPA) is the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP).  She said she was concerned about the PALFSI employees because they travel all over the province carrying the loans that they give out to the people.  I thought about it and I wondered why the NPA would want to hurt the people, because that would just be suicide.  From my readings on the NPA, it is not an isolated entity.  Its members depend on barangays to feed them and provide them shelter.   They do not reside permanently in the forests because then how will they ever recruit more members and achieve their long-term goals.  If they ever abuse the people or take advantage of them in any way, it is self-sabotage and will guarantee the demise of the NPA because it will not have any support.

I had so many thoughts about the NPA when I was up in those mountains, but I also thought about how its residents would react to Communism.  The NPA and the CPP originated with Mao Tse-Tung thought.  They are struggling for a National Democratic Revolution which is, according to Mao, the prerequisite for a Communist state for a dominantly agrarian country, such as the Philippines.  Socialism, as expressed by Marxism-Leninism, is a necessary step for dominantly industrial countries.

I do not think the people of the Philippines would want to live in a Communist state for three main reasons. 1) Communism wants to eliminate all private property.  I think Filipinos would want their own plot of land they can call their own. 2) Communism is against an economic system that has wages or salaries.  I think Filipinos would work for wages, as long as they’re decent wages, a living wage.  They would be happy if their earnings were enough to support their families.  3) Communism wants to eliminate profit.  I think Filipinos would accept profit, as long as it is secondary to the interests and livelihood of the workers.  Ever since profit’s inception, it has been insufficiently regulated, which has led to endless cases of exploitation, corruption, and injustice.

I think the ONLY reason why the people of the Philippines join the NPA and the CPP is because there is NO OTHER clear alternative to the current system.  They become radical because they are desperate.  I’m very interested in micro-finance because it surprisingly has the support of both the elites and the masses. PALFSI is part of the umbrella organization, Opportunity International, which is endorsed by Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, the World Bank, and many of the biggest multi-national corporations.  Yet, I’ve researched the socialist state of Venezuela and I was surprised that micro-finance organizations are supported by the Hugo Chavez government, which is one of the most anti-US, protectionist, and revolutionary systems in the world today.  Micro-finance may very well be the alternative that Filipinos want.  I still have a lot more I want to learn though.

Jonathan Lorenzo participated in the Filipino American Youth Leaders Fellowship Program offered by the Ayala Foundation.

I was an angry teenager during the 1980’s. I joined demonstrations against Marcos even before I was old enough to vote. The opposition promised us that if we could get him out things would get better.

It didn’t.

EDSA II was proof of that. I was already a doctor and joined the first two days of demonstrations in Manila against the Estrada administration. I later realized that to the outside world, we were starting to look like an angry mob with torches and pitchforks chasing Frankenstein’s monster.

We never learned.

Twenty three years after the first EDSA revolt, I can truly say we failed Ninoy Aquino and we are not worth dying for.

Okay, they will always say we got democracy; the kind of democratic society that continues to kill its journalists. Every election, incompetent people continue to be elected and re-elected.

We never learned.

I’m supposed to be writing about solutions. There isn’t any. Not for this generation.

Our best minds have joined the Diaspora. The continuing exodus has also left us with a moral vacuum. Our souls have too many scars and every time you look at the headlines, you get reminded that we are still at each other’s throats.

Well meaning people have tried to find ways outside of the government bureaucracy to work for positive change. Their successes have been too few and far in between to change the big picture. The best intentions wind up drowning in a sea of apathy. To use as an example, millions of Filipinos did not give up their favorite television program during Earth Hour.

So, here are the only “solutions” I can think of:

First, we should apologize to the post-EDSA generation. We have to admit that as a people, we are a bunch of screw ups and we destroyed the future of our children and grandchildren. This is our collective shame.

Second, we should tell our children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews, every young Filipino still in elementary and high school, not to follow what we are doing. They should learn from the mistakes of their parents and grandparents, examine them and learn from them.

Hopefully, they will pay attention.

How many things are wrong with the Philippines? Each of us, every Filipino citizen, is aware of all the ills that are a staple in our society. Nothing is hush-hush about it, we talk about it all the time. Complaints about the latest political money-making schemes, poor road conditions, hungry cops, and red tape are discussed by those in the carinderia as well as people in upscale restaurants. But for all our talk, awareness, and smart suggestions, do things change? Everything remains in the ideological level, hesitating to make that step from theory to practice.

We are tired. The citizens of this archipelago have been fighting for centuries. We have fought for our freedom many times, battled oppressors, toppled over a military regime, and even kicked an actor out of the presidential office. But with each struggle, the number of citizens willing to fight for the country dwindles as the reasons to continue fighting for the Philippines increases. The idealism, drive, and optimism for a better country, a better future, have been overcome by apathy – a spell that enraptures so easily.

Why fight when each new leader is just as bad, if not worse than the previous one? Every politician is dirty anyway, we all just pick the better evil. Commonplace sentiments. Nothing will change unless we all decide that it is time to make this country better. Even small steps can make a difference. In fact, many big movements start from the smallest spark. Little tipping points can make the Philippines a better place to live.

I was an idealist. Hell bent on changing the country. I would always get so frustrated with everything that was wrong with the Philippines. I wanted to do something but didn’t know where to start. And like many Filipinos, this idealism started to wane and develop into acceptance. Nothing I can do will change this place, so why even bother? This is just the way everything works. These became excuses that made it easier to blame someone else and made it easier to shrug my shoulders and move on.

Despite all the things I find wrong with the Philippines, there is no other place that is home to me. I love that I can buy everything in one mall (even get surgery if I wanted to!), I enjoy the culinary treats (not just Filipino food but the vast array of international cuisine available), I am amazed at how resilient we are as a people - making do and still smiling even at the most difficult moments, and I am in love with our chaotic cities and refreshingly rural escapes.

For the entire year of 2003, I had the honor of being paid to explore the Philippines and write about it. I visited the most expensive resorts, explored off the beaten path destinations, and even shimmied into a cave with inexperienced spelunkers. This is when I saw that our nation is truly breathtaking. I met some of the most wonderful people and spoke with some of the most inspiring children. Each destination I visited showed me that life here isn’t as bad as I thought.

I found small groups of people who tried to make their own difference. There was a group in Iloilo that was geared towards creating marine sanctuaries and teaching fishermen about sustainable fishing. A resort in a small island in Cebu fed guests with produce and livestock that they planted and raised. And there was a group of doctors who reached out to indigenous tribes providing treatment and medicine that was desperately needed. In my travels, I was enlightened and happy to see that in spite of the bleak future there are still people trying to leave their mark, instill hope, and plant the seed of difference.

Each of us has something to contribute. There are people willing to donate money, time, and expertise. Whatever you are capable of offering, no matter how mundane you think it is, I guarantee you that there is some organization out there that would be grateful for the help you can offer. Hopefully, all it takes is one small gesture, one act of kindness, and we’ll be on our way to something better.

Danielle is a freelance writer afflicted with wanderlust. When she isn’t physically traveling from one place to another, her imagination takes over. She enjoys writing fiction and nonfiction, taking photographs, reading, and being by the water.

Letter to Our Son

by Joyce and John Coronel

Dear Calvin,

As a toddler, we want you to explore the world around you with so much freedom and interest. It would be nice to see you play with other kids in a park full of trees, with fresh air and clean surroundings. After all, every child deserves to have a happy childhood.

As a growing boy, you will see a bigger picture of reality. When that time comes, we hope that every family has a home and every child is in school. On weekends, it would be fun to go fishing in the clear waters of Manila Bay or Pasig River or enjoy a nice family picnic in Luneta perhaps?

College will mark a great milestone in your life. Enjoy it as much as you like – free from all the drugs, violence, crimes, drunk drivers, power trippers and all the bad elements. Please, please choose your friends.

After graduation, we pray that you will earn just enough (or even more) to make you stay in the Philippines. Hold on to the hope that our country will be free from bribery, corruption and dirty politics. Who knows, you might be a public servant someday.

We love you, son. Be proud to be a Filipino.

Love,

Dada and Mama

John and Joyce are young parents who enjoy singing, dancing, and goofing around with their 1- year old son.