We Are The Country's Tomorrow

“The youth is the hope of the Fatherland.”

- Jose Rizal

There are millions of dreams being wasted in the wayside. Thinking twice, and even thinking again and again about it, I still can’t consider any validity for any reason that tries to cover and hide the putrid smell of truth to why people choose to be stocked up in this life and living it in this country like water stagnated in small isolated area. Immigrating is definitely not a solution for these continuous hardships we suffer in our own beloved land. It’s just a matter of do it now or do it later.

Young ones, you who do have all the strength and capacity, you who do have all the potentials, you who were born genius, and you who still have the choice for our upcoming tomorrows and beyond, why are just sitting and waiting up there? There are tons of thing to be done, yet you still can afford to waste your precious time just sinking yourself with poisonous drinks, polluting the air with a death maker’s stick, wasting your money that is not even yours to invaluable things like there will be no more another sun to rise up?

Do you still want to live in this situation?

That question is hanging up there for centuries, rusting and still kept hanging. However, it is always answered by people. Unfortunately, this very same people are always throwing out words that they wanted changes. But these are all words, they hesitate to follow up it with the right actions which is, and the proper for it. For that, they all end up useless and nonsense. I thought that change is constant, but for it? I can say that I am sure that nothing has changed. If you really wanted a good rotation of the wheel of life that will affect the goodness of every life in this country, just give a little turn of the head to the young ones.

Look around; there are lots of youngsters in the harsh and unfavorable roads. Is it the right place for them to be with? Look at their faces, and you can see that they thirst for love and hunger for care. If these beings only had given the chance to develop, they might be the one who can help to uplift the status of our society. Pointing my fingers to those life in streets, the government of this land should double their efforts to provide them good education and needs of their almost forgotten lives which might change their perception of the world to a better one. If these young ones only have this good perception because of these hopeful actions, this may reduce the up growing number of crimes, and even they can be an asset of the country as a possible manpower for us to transform to a more industrially inclined country. The problem is, the government is really making a single move? Or they just making publications such as posing carrying a child and pretending that they really do care for the poor child when the camera is there? What a great pretenders of the world!

A great percentile of the country’s population is in the younger ones of the society and a greater number of the population is not a burden of the country. If you put the view to the other side, a greater number means also a number of works that can be done. Like a single stick, you can’t clean the whole yard with a numerous mess. But, if you put together all the sticks and tie it strongly, they can clean a bunch of mess even the dirtiest corner in the yard. Comparing us from the other neighboring countries like China, we can’t match their fast running development. China truly has a huge number of their population, but imagine, they still strive and shine. In fact, even they have a one-child policy due to fast growing population; they are still one of the most productive countries worldwide. How I wish that we also have the same fate like they do. We lack unity, that’s why we always end up like this. But, it is really not the end. It may be a little late for a start; there is still a hope for all of us. A plant don’t grow for just a ray of light, it also need a proper care and right time of watering. Like the plant, hope alone cannot let us survive. We also need perseverance and determination to act in order to grow and bloom with its strongest stand against any tempest.

To young ones aren’t you guilty for watching your parents suffer just to provide you food and still, you don’t eat such food because you don’t like it? They can bear all the pain and sorrow in order to send you to school to learn because they really believed in you in the first place for your potentials, yet you still choose to absent because of reasons that you even know that is not true. You don’t know what they are taking just to keep you safe and sound because for them, you are the most precious thing. Think again! They really deserved a payback.

Not only young ones, but also for those who are more mature, laziness is the illness we always have since birth. Look around, aren’t you blind that you can’t see some physically challenged person doing their living? Aren’t you deaf that you can’t hear the pain of that same person just to raise his legs in order to propel himself to go to his destination for just a single peso? Even a man with no arms can do a hundred numbers of jobs. What are you doing in times like this? Imagine their sufferings. Comparing them to a person who always acts later or never, I can say that they are more useful than that person who was born almost perfect. I can even consider that a carabao is more valuable than that person for it will never demand anything costly in exchange for its backbreaking service.

Like any other illnesses, laziness does also have complications. If this attitude will continue lurking and living upon us, this will worsen the continuing conflagration of the situation of the country. This will never bring even minute uplift for us. This negative spirit can only add up the load and heavy burden or land is already lifting.

However, this negative attitude is also curable. – EDUCATION.

For students who are very lucky enough for you are the few ones that able to have the chance to pursue the important education, please don’t waste it and make a good use out of it. It is in your very own hands is the destination of the country’s changes. Go to the portals of your school and prove something good. Make a legend. Stand as strong as you can. Soar high like an eagle because it is in you that can bring brightness for every waking up of our eyes of every morning that will come. It might not be east for you, but since you are there, don’t just be contented for passing marks. There is more you can give. It is only a matter of mind set. Students, learn from each mistake, and use that lesson for every up comings of your life. Challenges are in every corner of your every single day, but compared for your potentials, it is nothing. Learn to accept one’s weaknesses and limits for it will tell you who you are. Start to discover you own potentials. Seek for it untiringly and never be afraid to showcase your talents in humble manners. Be a model to the others and do things you always know that is right. Never hesitate to correct wrong doings in your surroundings. Fill your minds with noble thought and share it with others. Help others behind you and never ask for return for it is a rightful thing. I can see you as the bringer of light of the country because you already have the chance than to those who still seeks for it. Use education as your weapon against any other odds you might face.

And for those who still seek for education and learning, don’t be pity. There is still time and I am sure that it is not too late for you. You can still stand and able to breathe. As long as there is energy that is in you, move forward! Poorness and emptiness in terms of wealth don’t mean that you can’t reach your dreams. It will always be a dream if you just wait for it to come. But it will be surely be dreams come true if start will be made. Start for yourself. Stand. Act. And share your spirit to others around you.

School can never be boring. Change your wrong notions about it. Going to school will always take a long time and surely a long process. But in the end, we are the one who can still enjoy the sweetness after the bitterness of every hardship we all passed. Whatever dilemma we might encounter in this stage, again, look to the other side…there will always be a way, a clear solution that will solve it.

Nowadays, many young minds are counted as suicide cases. I can’t get their point of doing it. Things will go wrong along the way, it is always expected, but is suicide is the only solution? Whatever problem in the life we live, ending one’s life is clearly not the only way. There is more to life than that. Please, learn to face your problems. Well, it will take strong courage. But please, also stick to your mind that there is Him who is up there watching us. He is always being at our side if we ask.

You already know our weaknesses and major problems in this weeping and kneeling country. What are we still waiting for? There can never be a miracle that will happen if we continue to act like this. As an educated one, as a responsible citizen, and as a younger one, be still and steady for everything you will do starting from now, you are our hope.

A Real Dilemma

Police Senior Inspector Mendoza, the one who was responsible in the hostage taking of the Hong Thai Travel Bus, was a good police in service of the country. In fact, he claimed as one of the most outstanding police of the Philippines. His case in the ombudsman leads him to be dismissed in the service and that turned to be his major cause if his indecent moves.
If they just turned their heads in his “not so hard” demands, there might be no spilling of blood and firing of arms. In fact, he even let some victims to be free in the middle of the crisis. He only wanted his case to be reviewed in order to gain back his benefits and go back to his service. This major happening cannot just be burned to ashes and be forgotten. The whole world watched that scene. The people involved were not just Filipinos but also tourists from other country and most of them were Chinese nationals. This only means that our not so good image of the country only got even worse. In direct effect of it, we are now blacklisted in Hong Kong and China.
The event also exposed the fact that our country is not that ready for these kinds of situations which really have to be considered. For example, that SWAT, is it right that if an event like hostage taking occurs, it will also be the time for them to practice?
Truly, it is not easy to handle things like this. People only learn if it’s already too late. This should mark the government for now to learn from this.
For me it is a major gaffe for the SWAT for making the assault rescue and having a slow entrance of the bus. Knowing that they have crash practice, they should’ve given back the task to the negotiators. Maybe by that, there will be lesser chances of damages. They should never put in the lives of the helpless victims inside that bus.
However, it happened and can never be turned back to undo the mistakes. It ended tragically for the victims, for the people of the Philippines, for all of us. All we can do now is to start to move on and start to think how we can regain the image we had before.

A Tickle of Love and Care

(Insights about the story “The Carpenter’s Gift”)

Lowering one’s pride doesn’t mean that we are weak. In fact, it is one of the most courageous things that a certain person can do. It is not that easy to admit one’s mistake. It takes a million times to gain a single gut even to try to say sorry to a person. Emotions can blind a person’s heart that can make a total change for a relationship to collapse to pieces.

Revenge cannot put out a fire in a conflagration yet, it only adds up the heat of the tension between two persons.

A mature and a righteous person is the one who accepts his mistakes. He always knows what the clear possible consequences are if he only gives revenge. He do not view pride as a stand to be the higher one to the other. Instead, he lowers his pride in order to have a more harmonious relationship to others.

In connection to the story, as an older brother, it is not good to fight back to a younger brother. By doing such thing, you are only serving as a bad model to him. Instead, the older brother, as a more mature one, he should do the first move to gain back the bond and even to improve it more. For the younger brother, he should not be numb or hard for the older brother for he also tried to fix things up fro both of them and again, it is not that easy. Learn to appreciate small efforts done by the other side.

One thing is for sure; even the hardest and coldest heart can turn into a smiling one by just a tickle of love and care.

Tempests are everywhere. It may pass our ways in any form in unexpected time. But, there is love that bonds any relationship to withstand any destructive forces that will come.

PNOY's SONA- A Reaction

State of the Nation Address
Benign S. Aquino III
President of the Philippines
There was never an instant that I grew excited upon knowing that the state of the nation address of a certain president is about to come. For as long as I have observed, the former presidents were not steadfast on their ideologies, along with the reason that their speeches were packed with vows aiming to cure the problems of this country that were already existent , did not cease to exist, and even worsening since time in memorial. And if I were a poet, I would have coined these words “Their vows were as sweet as honey yet as bitter as wormwood when they’re inside my tummy”.
It surprised me a lot that President Aquino somehow shed light. I don’t know whether this was the effect of his propagandas during the campaign period or maybe I do have trust in him since he has this aura that captured millions of Filipino people and his moral standards that were far better than his adversaries in politics.
Regarding on his SONA last July 26, 2010 at Batasang Pambansa Complex, I was glad for him that he was able to immediately identify what problems the country is facing that were inherited from the previous administration. It is also good to hear that he quickly denounced the anomalies that were pointed out to the preceding government officials. He even raised the morale of the people upon citing his pursuit of incarcerating those who will be found guilty of committing the crimes of graft and corruption by establishing the Truth Commission.
However, what captured me most was when he tackled the problems of peace in Mindanao. Being an inhabitant in this fought island, I am not with his plans of negotiating to the rebels by just commencing peace talks with them. For why should we trust those who were against us, why should we land our hands when in return they raise their guns, and why should we keep on negotiating knowing the fact that after a series of negotiations, they had shown how ineffective they were when it comes to agreements? If I were Noynoy, I would focus on educating the people and let them know what really the problem of this disintegrated land is. And I would only open my doors of neighbors when they surrender their arms for what well, war has to offer and what bad, peace will bring.
However high my enthusiasm for the new president will soar, it would suddenly plummet because I fear that the aftermath of his SONA, or even his government might leave this country still on its knees. What I want for Noynoy is we would keep his optimism for the nation and the nation’s people.