Saya(ng)

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

I came across this speech by Sen. Mar Roxas delivered at the 11th FOCAP Conference on Prospects for the Philippines at the Mandarin Hotel in Makati on Jan. 15, 2008.

It's unfortunate that only those possessing higher education can understand his piece while ordinary Filipinos whom he is fighting for don't even have a clue what he is saying. Sayang talaga.

We missed the boat a long time ago. We missed it when we put a high-school dropout in Malacanan and reversed the rapid gains made by the Ramos administration. If my memory serves me right, Mar was among four or five New York investment bankers recruited by Ramos or inspired by his vision of a Philippines becoming Asia's next Tiger economy by 2000. Of these bright boys, he's the only one still dreaming of a better Philippines; the others have all returned to the corporate world. Here's hoping this guy makes it to the top in 2010.

I'm among millions of Filipinos now contemplating leaving our country to work elsewhere. Since graduating from U.P. in 1999, I've turned down several opportunities to work abroad, thinking I owe it to the farmers, vendors and those ordinary Filipinos who subsidized my tuition to work here and contribute to the development of our country. But nearly 10 years since and several elections in between, I'm beginning to lose hope -- hope that the government will inspire trust from the common tao, hope that the uneducated masses will learn to elect public officials not on the basis of popularity but on merits and impeccable experience.

I have volunteered in building communities, teaching out-of-school youths, in causes that empower the poor, but I feel my efforts are in vain. Every gain we make is easily eroded by scandals after scandals that are becoming the legacy of the present administration. Because of this, I feel Erap or his annointee will again become the popular choice in 2010.

Sayang na sayang nga.