The Philippines has been my homeland since birth. I was born in Vigan City in Ilocos Sur
where Filipino culture and tradition is very much alive. If you have been to Vigan, then you
might have probably experienced the remarkable place of my heritage village--- the sweet
blend of the past with its century-old houses, the present with its delectable aroma of
"longganisa", "bagnet" and "empanada", and the future with its industrial growth in
"Abel-Iloko", "damili", and "burnay".
With these, I am proud to be a Bigueno.
The Philippines is blessed with 7,107 islands, with abundant natural resources. It
definitely possesses a variety of tourist destinations and cool sights. We have the ancient world
wonder Banaue Rice Terraces, the perfect Mayon Volcano, and the newly-acknowledged world awe,
Underground River in Palawan.
With these, I am proud to be a Filipino.
But this pride I have with me is slowly being crushed whenever I see a fellow Filipino
cheating another Filipino...hurting another Filipino...killing another Filipino... Indeed, it's the
worst nightmare a Filipino like me can ever have.
I have a little dream for my country... I want a better Philippines.
Four years from now I will be in one of the shoes of the million Filipinos in queue on
polling precincts given the chance to choose the leaders of my beloved country. Right now,
famous political figures are aired on the radio, seen on television and read in papers. While
some of them maybe sincere and honest in serving our fellowmen, most of them, I believe, are
all in for the money, power, greed and all those self-inflicted ambitions that do not serve
the country.
In my opinion, if I dream of a better Philippines, I should also dream of better leaders.
Graft and corruption, dictatorship, illegal gambling, inhumane crimes- how will you put
all of these to end? Stars within this field only shine for themselves. We need leaders who
would rather lose all their money helping the poor instead of corrupting our tax money, our
privileges and our rights. We need leaders who fear God. A person who does not fear God,
fears nothing. And a person who fears nothing is most vulnerable to the temptations of the
greedy world.
Promises. All we hear are promises that never come to happen. Right now, thousands of
headlines strike through our television screens, most of it all campaign agendas. The elections
have become a colossal charade that a common Filipino barely understands. We must not
choose our leaders because of the promises that they make but with the sincerity of their
purposes. We must put into office leaders who truly believe that the Philippines can also make
it, that the Filipinos can also be at par with other nationalities.
I dream of a better Philippines, now I also dream of better Filipinos.
Change. The Philippines desperately needs change. This is merely a six letter word but
many of us have difficulties attaining it. A big part of 92,226,600 people in our population have
the ability to vote; if we want a change in the government, then we should cooperate and vote
wisely, and be a responsible and disciplined citizen.
Change your attitude, change your ways. Stop cheating, stop piracy, stop vote-buying.
Change should manifest in every individual if we want a better tomorrow, a better country.
Discipline is another thing. How can one change if there is no discipline?
Did Jose Rizal's patriotism, Ninoy Aquino's heroic death mean nothing anymore? They
did their part. General Gregorio del Pilar and General Emilio Aguinaldo participated as well.
We don't need to be Lapu-Lapu or Apolinario Mabini to be a hero. Our heroes stand and fought for
a better Philippines and now the legacy they have left are nothing more but history. We should
be working towards a better country for the young, our children, and these heroes were
suppose to be our soul inspirations not postcard dummies.
We don't have to be Ninoy or Cory Aquino to be a patriot, or a Manny Pacquiao to bring
glory to the Philippines. Each of us can be a hero if we only do the things that will show our love
for our country and serve our fellow Filipinos, sincerely.
Mabuhay ang Pilipinas!