In 1985, I met a fellow Filipino who told me of his aspirations of running for the presidency. I did not sense any false bravado nor braggadocio in his statement. It was also the first time I encountered someone who had such dreams.
Several years later, he did work for the government though not for the office he mentioned. Saludo ako sa mga taong nagsilbi, nagsisilbi o naghahangad na pagsilbihan ang kanilang inang bayan.
The following are just an ordinary citizen's requests to those who would run for a seat in the government. In the Philippines' setting, from a barangay official to the highest office in the land, the presidency. Mga pakiusap lang po sa mga naghahangad na tumakbo sa Election ng Pilipinas sa 2010...
Ang TUNAY NA PAGMAMAHAL sa SARILING BANSA ay isang katangian na dapat niyong taglay.
Totoong pagmamahal at hindi yung nagbabalatkayo o nagkukunwaring mahal-mahalan lamang. Sa mga panahon natin ngayon, sa dami ng taong naghihirap sa ating kapaligiran, di po natin kailangan ang matatamis na salita lamang na walang kasamang kongkretong solusyon.
Huwag lang po sana kayong bumigkas na mga salita na maaring magandang pakinggan at panandaliang nagbibigay ng pangpalakas ng loob ng inyong kababayan pero sa huli, wala po itong nadudulot na kabutihan sapagka't wala po itong kasamang aksyon.
True love for one's country is foremost on this list. The love for one's people, to serve them, to find ways to make life better for them are one's motivation to run for a seat in the government NOT to achieve a means to an end which is for one's personal gain, be it in the form of power or money.
'A government OF the people, BY the people, and FOR the people' are words that come to my mind when I think of the upcoming elections. Not a government of a few, by a few, and for a few.
A person who has the welfare and future of his/her people in mind first rather than his personal welfare.
A person who is not interested in power or wealth. A person who is not interested in amassing power or wealth. Isang tao na makakatulong sa pagpayaman ng kaban ng bansa at di ang sariling kaban.
A person who has values.
A person who knows right from wrong and who does what is right.
A person who is confident enough in who he/she is that he or she does not have the need to surround himself/herself with people who will just cater to their every need, flatter them, or just be yes-men.
I must confess that cynicism is something that I have to ward off when I think of the government, the business world, and sometimes people in general. Yet I refuse to have my thoughts be ruled by this cynicism.
In the midst of many problems besetting our country, I am hopeful that there are people out there who would be able and willing to help make our nation a better place to be. Because no matter where a Filipino is in the world, (for most of them if not all) the Philippines is still their home.
Para po sa kabutihan at pag-ginhawa ng mga Filipino, pag-unlad ng ekonomiya, pag-angat at pag-ganda ng kabuhayan, pag-alaga ng karapatan, kalayaan, at kapayapaan ng bawa't Filipino, pag-ayos ng mga kalsada, pag-paayos ng mga drainage/creeks para iwas baha pagdating ng tag-ulan o high tide, paglago ng agrikultura, pag-alaga ng kalikasan...kaunti lang po ito sa mga bagay na nangangailangang pagtuunan ng pansin.
You don't have to promise that you'll reach the moon and stars just for me. Hindi ho naman ako humihingi ng impossible.
Nakikiusap lang po na ang mga bata na namamalimos, nagbebenta ng sampaguita sa mga kalsada, nagbebenta ng pranelang basahan, nagsasabon ng mga salamin ng sasakyan ay mabigyan ng magandang kinabukasan.
I also know that we also need to do our part (but that needs to be under another heading).
My hats off to you, to any person who would want to run for any seat in the government (barangay official, sundalo, hepe, heneral, court clerk, supreme court judge, and even any appointed offices), let alone for the top positions in the government, most especially the presidency.
A position which involves an unmeasurable amount of stress, give one many sleepless nights, countless decisions to make not just for oneself but for a nation...decisions that would also affect generations of people and maybe other countries as well. (Please forgive me if I do not list the advantages of its position.)Please...make the Filipinos proud to have you be a part of its government, its history, and its people.
No comments:
Post a Comment