Re-imagine Pilipinas
THE RIGHT SIDE: Where do you think this country will be 25 years from now?
By EMANUEL D. BAGUAL
February 8, 2011, 3:27pm
MANILA, Philippines — No one can tell what will happen in the future. Neither can anybody tell what will happen to our country 25 years from now.
Yet as early as now, we can set a path to take the Philippines to transformation. This call for change is answered by the people who have recently emerged as changemakers.
More than 120 representatives from various fields such as government, business, health and medicine, religious, political parties and party-list, the military, environment, media, and civil society, gathered to plan and to envision the Philippines 25 years hence.
Present in this gathering were Lt. Gen. Raymundo Ferrer, Capt. Ronald Alcudia, and Col. Galvez, Carlito from Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), Sen. Kiko Pangilinan, Sen. Sergio Osmena, and Sen. TG Guingona, Fr. Jet Villarin and, Bishop Antonio Luis “Chito” Tagle and many more. Each of the participants shared how they see the Philippines and which areas they think our country needs to change.
No formula
The conference went against the formulaic talk meets and gatherings. Instead of having traditional speakers, discussions were jumpstarted with performances by some of the most insightful and provocative artists from different regions of the Philippines.
Part of this meeting was to relate the present with the past to achieve prosperity in the future. The organizers even served traditional street foods just to make participants feel the EDSA feeling, back in the days when rallyists opted to stay on the streets to express their dissatisfaction with the government. What really amazed me was the buffet which featured the food during the historical Malolos convention, when Aguinaldo declared the Philippines Independence.
Pilipinas 25 years hence
Participants envisioned the Philippines 25 years from now by considering each and everyone’s field of expertise. They then derived different visions for our country. Here are some of the participants’ visions:
• “25 years hence, I would like to see a Philippines that has lifted its poorest of the poor into a higher social level. I would like to see a country with no dropout rates in elementary schools, with rural health units that have doctors, nurses and medicines, with enough jobs so that Filipinos will no longer have to bear loneliness and discrimination when they work abroad. I would also like to see a Philippines that is prepared for any disasters and calamities through disaster risk reduction management and climate change adaptation. We are in the Pacific Ring of Fire and in the middle of the typhoon belt. We should be more prepared for natural calamities that cause flood or famine and loss of properties and lives.”
• “A peaceful and progressive nation nurtured by citizens’ strong sense of social capital, complemented by truly caring government officials and employees in genuine partnership with actively engaged private sector, where the rule of law reigns at all times, where there are equal opportunities for all in reaping socio-economic benefits from the optimum utilization of natural resources and effective conservation of the environment and what remains of wildlife habitat.”
• “A diverse and multi-cultural society that puts human dignity as the core of governance that promotes human rights, where citizens are claim holders, government are duty bearers and civil society organizations are rights engagers that ensure mutual trust, common vision, and a unified action towards sustainable development”
• “That everyone is proud to be Filipino, speak of the country and the people in spirit of honor and camaraderie. We engage in innovation every moment and consider this characteristic to be a pillar of culture. We are not like any other country, owing it to a greater depth and appreciation of who we are, and proceed according to how we want it; where we choose and have a say in the way we want to develop an environment that is clean and handed down to many more generations of Filipinos, a people empowered, nurturing and supportive, communities that are self-sustained, a culture that is extremely and furiously creative.
Our main drivers of growth would be service, innovation and culture. Our government, businesses, people work have integrity in all dealings. We are true to ourselves.”
• “A vision of peace for our country.”
The Philippines indeed needs a lot cof hanges — and these changes lie in each of us. But visions are of no value if we do not produce tangible results. We must realize that we all have responsibilities and accountability to our country. In the end, it is us who will benefit most from a country that has achieved prosperity.
Ask yourself this question — how do you envision the Philippines 25 years hence? Maybe it is time that you also do things, even one step at a time, to achieve your vision.
(Emanuel Bagual is a freshman college at UP Diliman taking up Community Development. He was nominated for the International Children’s Peace Prize in 2009.)
Yet as early as now, we can set a path to take the Philippines to transformation. This call for change is answered by the people who have recently emerged as changemakers.
More than 120 representatives from various fields such as government, business, health and medicine, religious, political parties and party-list, the military, environment, media, and civil society, gathered to plan and to envision the Philippines 25 years hence.
Present in this gathering were Lt. Gen. Raymundo Ferrer, Capt. Ronald Alcudia, and Col. Galvez, Carlito from Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), Sen. Kiko Pangilinan, Sen. Sergio Osmena, and Sen. TG Guingona, Fr. Jet Villarin and, Bishop Antonio Luis “Chito” Tagle and many more. Each of the participants shared how they see the Philippines and which areas they think our country needs to change.
No formula
The conference went against the formulaic talk meets and gatherings. Instead of having traditional speakers, discussions were jumpstarted with performances by some of the most insightful and provocative artists from different regions of the Philippines.
Part of this meeting was to relate the present with the past to achieve prosperity in the future. The organizers even served traditional street foods just to make participants feel the EDSA feeling, back in the days when rallyists opted to stay on the streets to express their dissatisfaction with the government. What really amazed me was the buffet which featured the food during the historical Malolos convention, when Aguinaldo declared the Philippines Independence.
Pilipinas 25 years hence
Participants envisioned the Philippines 25 years from now by considering each and everyone’s field of expertise. They then derived different visions for our country. Here are some of the participants’ visions:
• “25 years hence, I would like to see a Philippines that has lifted its poorest of the poor into a higher social level. I would like to see a country with no dropout rates in elementary schools, with rural health units that have doctors, nurses and medicines, with enough jobs so that Filipinos will no longer have to bear loneliness and discrimination when they work abroad. I would also like to see a Philippines that is prepared for any disasters and calamities through disaster risk reduction management and climate change adaptation. We are in the Pacific Ring of Fire and in the middle of the typhoon belt. We should be more prepared for natural calamities that cause flood or famine and loss of properties and lives.”
• “A peaceful and progressive nation nurtured by citizens’ strong sense of social capital, complemented by truly caring government officials and employees in genuine partnership with actively engaged private sector, where the rule of law reigns at all times, where there are equal opportunities for all in reaping socio-economic benefits from the optimum utilization of natural resources and effective conservation of the environment and what remains of wildlife habitat.”
• “A diverse and multi-cultural society that puts human dignity as the core of governance that promotes human rights, where citizens are claim holders, government are duty bearers and civil society organizations are rights engagers that ensure mutual trust, common vision, and a unified action towards sustainable development”
• “That everyone is proud to be Filipino, speak of the country and the people in spirit of honor and camaraderie. We engage in innovation every moment and consider this characteristic to be a pillar of culture. We are not like any other country, owing it to a greater depth and appreciation of who we are, and proceed according to how we want it; where we choose and have a say in the way we want to develop an environment that is clean and handed down to many more generations of Filipinos, a people empowered, nurturing and supportive, communities that are self-sustained, a culture that is extremely and furiously creative.
Our main drivers of growth would be service, innovation and culture. Our government, businesses, people work have integrity in all dealings. We are true to ourselves.”
• “A vision of peace for our country.”
The Philippines indeed needs a lot cof hanges — and these changes lie in each of us. But visions are of no value if we do not produce tangible results. We must realize that we all have responsibilities and accountability to our country. In the end, it is us who will benefit most from a country that has achieved prosperity.
Ask yourself this question — how do you envision the Philippines 25 years hence? Maybe it is time that you also do things, even one step at a time, to achieve your vision.
(Emanuel Bagual is a freshman college at UP Diliman taking up Community Development. He was nominated for the International Children’s Peace Prize in 2009.)
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