On change in the country (blog entry for Theology)

I recently came across this documentary about this Ramon Magsaysay Awardee, Jesse Robredo. According to the documentary, Jesse Robredo ran for the mayor position for Naga City, when Naga City was suffering from poverty. However with dedication and hard work, he was able to turn Naga City into one of the most promising provinces of the Philippines. He has created many job opportunities for the people and he has made the city more prosperous. This documentary made me remember Davao. I went to Davao earlier this year. One incident that struck me was when I was about to leave the car of my friend. I was taking out my laptop with me. My friend told me to just leave my laptop there. I was apprehensive. But my friend told me that the crime rates were so low because the mayor was so strict. Apparently when their mayor first sat in his position, the crime rates were very high. So the mayor imposed very strict rules and ruled with a tight fist. He would make sure that all criminals were all placed in jail or were severely punished. He was reasonable to deal with as long as you were following the law. This made the people afraid of him yet they admired the way he ruled the town. This mayor along with jesse Robredo, made me think about the situation of our country. It made me start thinking about the corruption.

Would the day come when we would have some change in the country? Can poverty actually be lessened?

I was thought about our president and felt a twinge of pity for her. No doubt, she is definitely corrupted. She has definitely amassed a big sum of the country’s money. But on the flipside, she must have been doing something right which is why the Philippines is not suffering as much. Yes we are suffering. Yes many people are getting poorer by the minute. But prior to this economic crisis, our economy has been moving quite steadily as compared to other countries. So she must have done something right at the very least. But this does not change the fact that she did squander amounts of money. Because of the many wrong things she has done, people have overlooked some right things she has done. And for this, I pity her. Because in the eyes of people, she will never be able to redeem herself anymore. 

 Trust is extremely important. In any relationship, be it with your significant other or your friend, it is important that trust be present. It is so easy to break someone’s trust but it would take a lifetime to patch back the broken pieces. In the same way, the mayors of Davao and Naga have won the trust of the people which make them very successful in what they do. In order to alleviate the Philippines from poverty, we do not only need a leader who has the brains to be able to think of ways to pull us from this black hole we are in. But we also need someone we can trust. Someone who will work for us and not against us. 

 Now that the Presidential elections are fast approaching, who do you think can actually lead the Philippines? Who can be the “Obama” the Philippines needs at the moment? Because a successful country needs good governance.