The (long) road ahead

IN HIS New Year’s message for the country, President Aquino said that there was much to be done but the ‘light of hope had shone’ on the Philippines because Pinoys have chosen to walk the straight path.
He asked for unity and continued support from his kababayans, vowing to make his administration’s efforts in improving the Philippines felt by the masses in 2011.
“Many more have decided to join us after the elections. And confidence from in and out of the country has also improved, that is why in the coming year, we are hoping that we will move forward faster,” Aquino said.
“The fight is not over yet. There are still a lot of things that we need to change. There are those who want to keep the irregularities and bring us back to darkness. If we give in, we will move farther away from the light that we are catching sight of, that is why we need to further strengthen our unity in doing what is right,” the President said in a recorded message released on December 29.
PNoy emphasized that “only if the people would stay united would the steps being taken to effect change become more significant and finally make the country’s dreams achievable.”
In the literal sense, a straight path may be easier to traverse than a crooked one — but this is not the case when it comes to leading an almost 92 million population in a country that has been notorious for graft and corruption for years.
Couple that with a broken judicial system and you have the perfect recipe for disaster and failure.
But now on his seventh month as president, PNoy and his administration have been striving to set things right – citing investments, particularly in the call center and business process outsourcing industries; the Dept. of Budget and Management’s reversal of the budget deficit, even reporting a surplus; PAGASA’s improvement in leaps and bounds; and basic services that were delivered to prevent strikes.
“So their being hopeful has basis. And if we help one another, we can make things happen faster. Sometimes it really gets me thinking that the good news are overshadowed, but this would be felt by the people no matter what,” PNoy said.
With the new budget, various departments and agencies are gearing up to implement projects for the people.
Of course, PNoy is only at the beginning of his journey and the road ahead is still paved with challenges. But a renewed sense of hope among his “bosses” makes all the difference.
The great Albert Einstein said it best: “Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow.”
(www.asianjournal.com)
(LA Midweek Jan 5-7, 2010 Sec A pg.6)