Editorial
Visayan Daily Star
July 26, 2008
It should not be taken against the Filipino people if most of our countrymen remain discontented with the state of our national affairs. While we wait with bated breath for what President Arroyo will say on Monday in her State-of-the-Nation Address, various sectors of society have been playing soothsayers by almost taking the SONA from the President’s mouth and speaking for her.
If we believe what the critics of the administration are saying, it would seem that doomsday is just around the corner. Much of the pessimism stems from the myriad of crises that we are experiencing. To top it all, the latest word from our economists revealed that the Philippines has wrested the top spot as the most corrupt nation in the world.
Thus, the recent visit of the so-called Young Turks to Dumaguete recently, meant to kick off their series of campus tours, was an eye-opener of sorts insofar as their ideologies are concerned. The Young Turks is composed of, among others, Danton Remoto, founding chairman of Ang Ladlad; broadcast journalist and former Congressman Gilbert Remulla; Genuine Opposition spokesperson, lawyer Adel Tamano; and, Congressman Lorenzo Tañada III.
Though they are all members of the opposition and, therefore, are espousing change and reform, the collective message of the Young Turks was one that struck a sensitive chord among the diversified members of the audience. It is that of hope – that, for as long as there is hope, all is not lost for the Filipino people. The Young Turks likewise offered an alternative of injecting young blood into the otherwise humdrum political scenario composed of so-called traditional politicians.
As the saying goes, hope springs eternal. Although we should not remain callous and indifferent to the ills of society, we should not persist in our skeptical attitude either. No one can give us hope except ourselves. If we have even just a tinge of hope in us, then we will survive.*
Visayan Daily Star
July 26, 2008
It should not be taken against the Filipino people if most of our countrymen remain discontented with the state of our national affairs. While we wait with bated breath for what President Arroyo will say on Monday in her State-of-the-Nation Address, various sectors of society have been playing soothsayers by almost taking the SONA from the President’s mouth and speaking for her.
If we believe what the critics of the administration are saying, it would seem that doomsday is just around the corner. Much of the pessimism stems from the myriad of crises that we are experiencing. To top it all, the latest word from our economists revealed that the Philippines has wrested the top spot as the most corrupt nation in the world.
Thus, the recent visit of the so-called Young Turks to Dumaguete recently, meant to kick off their series of campus tours, was an eye-opener of sorts insofar as their ideologies are concerned. The Young Turks is composed of, among others, Danton Remoto, founding chairman of Ang Ladlad; broadcast journalist and former Congressman Gilbert Remulla; Genuine Opposition spokesperson, lawyer Adel Tamano; and, Congressman Lorenzo Tañada III.
Though they are all members of the opposition and, therefore, are espousing change and reform, the collective message of the Young Turks was one that struck a sensitive chord among the diversified members of the audience. It is that of hope – that, for as long as there is hope, all is not lost for the Filipino people. The Young Turks likewise offered an alternative of injecting young blood into the otherwise humdrum political scenario composed of so-called traditional politicians.
As the saying goes, hope springs eternal. Although we should not remain callous and indifferent to the ills of society, we should not persist in our skeptical attitude either. No one can give us hope except ourselves. If we have even just a tinge of hope in us, then we will survive.*
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