NATIONAL LEADERS?

‘Pax opus justicia’. Peace is the product of justice. How true are these words of St. Thomas Aquinas. If justice is prevailing in this world, there would not be any disarray. Content will take the place of any negative self-pitying emotions that have so long been taking its abode in every Filipinos’ hearts. Nobody is deprived. Nobody is cheated. Everyone has equal access to all the luxuries and pitfalls of life. Every citizen has an assurance of security.
A fast-fading vision. It will never be true. There will always be someone on top of another. Someone is always deprived of something. Someone is always safe from danger, while someone has a life already at the edge of a cliff. There is no equal accessibility. We all know that. The world is made like that. There is always a leader and a follower. A rich and a poor. That is why someone is always deprived of justice.
And right now…. it is the citizens of the country. And the one depriving: the national leaders who are turning to be pseudo-leaders.
Bombings of institutions with both known and unknown causes; threats of terrorism; impeachment complaints; plunder; graft and corruption; heinous crimes; famine; unemployment; low literacy rate; garbage; prohibited drugs; what else have I not mentioned? There are still a lot actually. These are just some of the problems we all are facing.
And who do we need? Whom can we rely on? Whom can we call? These are national issues. Therefore we need them… our national leaders. The people whom we trusted so much that we wrote their names on the ballot boxes during the elections, believing that they could be the agents of change for our lives. The Filipino lives.
But are we right with our decisions?
Where are they really? Where are they during the Glorietta blast? How about during the Sandiganbayan blast? How about just very recently, during the taking over of Manila Peninsula? Or how about the everyday societal adversities we citizens are facing like heavy traffic, flood, pollution, garbage, crimes like snatching and theft? It is a laugh if we say they are there. Yes they are there but they really aren’t there. They are there when statements are needed to be heard by the Filipino community, saying that they will do everything to solve the mystery behind the problems… but after that, where are they? Where are these leaders that supposed to be should be the ones settling all of these? Where are they?
So many questions, but too little and vague answers. Yet, somehow, we know where these leaders can be found during these crises… They are at the pages of the news papers. At the center of issues. Involved in different scams and scandals. The military involved in the kidnapping of student activists; the rumor that the government is the one behind the recent bombings to divert the attention from the impeachment and the ZTE deals; Abalos, de Venecia, and the First gentleman in the recent news about certain dealings; the verdict on Erap; and many others. Our national leaders. The national and international celebrities. They even make it into international headlines. To think our artists here are having a hard time making it to Hollywood. Look at our national leaders; creating even more controversy than the latest showbiz explosive issues.
Economy-wise, the government says we are improving. Let’s all admit it though, we can never feel this improvement. Why? It is easy. A U.P. professor mentioned that this so-called economic boom is connected to the boom of call centers. Who are usually in the call centers? Students. Students having part-time jobs to support their families and their studies. Students should be staying at home, preparing for the next day’s class discussion and should not be found talking all night or all day long to clients. Supposed to be, the ones working should be finished with their bachelor’s degree, but no. Because of lack of money of most Filipinos, students obliged themselves or are being obliged by others to work. Is this something we should be proud of?
How about the children found in the streets of Paco and Pedro Gil? And in the main road of Quezon Ave. and Quirino Ave.? They chase jeepneys, wipe the passengers’ slippers or shoes, and ask for coins. Or during Christmas, these children will sing Christmas carols, while handing out envelopes while the jeepney is moving. And the worst scenes, some of these children, hop in the jeepneys and you can see them with plastic bags on their hands with rugby on it. And they are growing by the minute. Is this supposed to be what you call economic boom? Aren’t they supposed to be at school, learning their lessons and some values that they need to learn? But no, as early as their toddler years, they are already peddling the streets, either as beggars or as thefts and snatchers of phones and bags.
Our education. It has been another growing problem. Most of our elementary and high school students do not know how to read. Yes. Even high school students. Some colleges ask their students to help by having their NSTP in these schools, teaching them how to read and sometimes how to write. But these are all not enough. NSTP is only required for two semesters and that means after two semesters, the programs will cease to function. Moreover, recent survey of the top 500 universities in the world will show us how our education is not getting better. Last year, four of the universities made it to top 500: U.P. in no. 299; DLSU in no. 398; ADMU in 495; and UST in 500. This year’s survey did not look good. It was turned into the top 400 universities meaning that those universities in the top 401 to 500 are just considered runners-up. only one of these four Philippine universities reached 400; it was U.P. in 398… but its rank got lower.
What do these tell us?
I, as a college student and as a Filipino need answers. The growing problems cannot just be ignored anymore. Lives of the ordinary, peaceful citizens who just happened to be there or just happened to past by somewhere end up being injured or worse end up being dead. They become victims of a plotted bomb not really intended for them; victims of stray bullets; or victims of drug addicts. Most of the time, the citizens are also victims of political conflicts. Victims of poverty. Of deprived education.
Our country badly needs help. We need the hands of those people in power who can do the improvement in all of these. We need them, our national leaders. Can they just stop thinking about their individual differences and selfishness to think about the country that they had pledged to be serving during their terms? They should set aside their own biases and prejudices to work together instead of finding bad blood of each other and solve the rising garbage of the Philippine society. Instead of taking revenge by digging the past mistakes and then exposing it to media; they should be going back to the basics, review their lessons about small group discussions, and collaborate in thinking of ways that will, if not completely eliminate at least lessen the burden that these problems are creating.
Right now actually, the nation does not really need that big-a-solution; it could just be a gradual but sure improvement. One step at a time is enough for the nation.
What we are really asking of our leaders right now is just their sensitivity. Sensitivity to every call and complains of the Filipinos. Everything can start from sensitivity because it is through it that they will know what the people need and what our country needs for its progress.
Let the Filipino people know what true leaders really are. Filipinos are not blind. We know everything that is happening; and this is enough to make our trust with our leaders falter. But since we are Filipinos, we always give a lot of second chances. This time, let our leaders prove to us that they deserve those second chances. And let them prove that they are worthy to be called ‘national’ leaders.