The past few days has placed the whole nation in an emotional roller coaster! It ended a great chapter in our history, but it makes me wary of what the future may bring. It seems that the circumstances make me believe that good men are taken early, and we are left with corrupt people to manipulate our future. We allow these people to encroach in our system like termites simply because they are the moneyed few whose influence has a tag price, in cash or kind.

The late President Corazon Aquino, despite being rich and landed, has nurtured the country with humility and compassion for the poor throughout her service as leader of a revolutionary government.

Twenty six years ago, I was admittedly in the opposite political color, and I fervently refused calling someone a hero simply because he lied down bloodied and lifeless in the pavement. I honestly thought that our then government was giving us a fair deal. Good discipline, nice infrastructures, fair economic gains at par or even surpassing our other Asian counterparts.

But the transition of power has to move, the voice of the people reigned sovereign, then came another chapter of uncertainties. Will a woman president overcome the challenges of running a nation, whatever was left of it? Will she continue to cling on to power after being overwhelmed by its lure?

As one journalist addressed President Cory Aquino in his eulogy, “she was one damn good person”, and that sums it all. She was good in every sense of the word which made her overcome all the odds and turned out to be the most loved and respected moral leader of the country until her demise. We should be inspired by her life and deeds. We should carry on her moral leadership and lead by example. After all, our future does not depend on anybody else. The future of our country, our children, and our children’s children lie in our hands…

Allow me to share an essay by a friend sent to me by email almost a year ago. She’s now currently working with WHO in East Timor.. The country she knew of and grew at never skipped her mind…

"I refuse to let this country go to hellbecause it is the only country I call mine and it is myresponsibility to make sure I have done what I could for it"

To all Filipinos Everywhere:I used to think that corruption and criminality in the Philippineswere caused by poverty. But recent events tell me this isn't true. Itis one thing to see people turn into drug addicts, prostitutes,thieves and murderers because of hunger and poverty, but what excusedo these rich, educated people have that could possibly explain theirbizarre behavior? And to think I was always so relieved when pettysnatchers got caught and locked away in jail because I never fullyrealized that the big time thieves were out there, making the lawsand running our country. Can it get any worse than this?Every night, I come home and am compelled to turn on my tv to watchthe latest turn of events. I am mesmerized by these characters. Theyare not men. They are caricatures of men - too unreal to bebelievable and too bad to be real. To see these "honorable" crookslambast each other, call each one names, look each other in the eyeand accuse the other of committing the very same crimes that theythemselves are guilty of, is so comical and apalling that I don'tknow whether to laugh or cry. It is entertainment at its worst!I have never seen so many criminals roaming around unfettered andlooking smug until now. These criminals wear suits and barongs, strutaround with the confidence of the rich and famous, inspire fear andawe from the very citizens who voted them to power, bear titles like"Honorable", "Senator", "Justice", "General" and worse, "President".

.Ironically, these lawless individuals practice law, make our laws,enforce the law. And we wonder why our policemen act the way they do!These are their leaders, and the leaders of this nation รขโ‚ฌโ€œ RobinHoodlum and his band of moneymen. Their motto? "Rob the poor,moderate the greed of the rich."It makes me wonder where on earth these people came from, and whatkind of upbringing they had to make them act the way they do for allthe world to see. It makes me wonder what kind of schools they wentto, what kind of teachers they had, what kind of environment wouldproduce such creatures who can lie, cheat and steal from an alreadyindebted country and from the impoverished people they had vowed toserve. It makes me wonder what their children and grandchildren thinkof them, and if they are breeding a whole new generation of improvedFilipino crooks and liars with maybe a tad more style but equallynegligible conscience. Heaven forbid!I am an ordinary citizen and taxpayer. I am blessed to have a jobthat pays for my needs and those of my family's, even though 30% ofmy earnings go to the nation's coffers. Just like others in my lot, Ihave complained time and again because our government could notprovide enough of the basic services that I expect and deserve.

Ruttyroads, poor educational system, poor social services, poor healthservices, poor everything. But I have always thought that was whatall third world countries were all about, and my complaints neveramounted to anything more.And then this. Scandalous government deals. Plundering presidentspointing fingers. Senators associated with crooks. Congressmen whoaccept bribes. Big time lawyers on the side of injustice. De Veneciaratting on his boss only after his interminable term has ended,Enrile inquiring about someone's morality!

The already filthy richAbalos and Arroyo wanting more money than they or their greatgrandchildren could ever spend in a lifetime. Joker making a joke ofhis own "pag bad ka, lagot ka!" slogan. Defensor rendereddefenseless. Gen. Razon involved in kidnapping. Security menproviding anything but a sense of security. And it's all about money,money, money that the average Juan de la Cruz could not even imaginein his dreams. Is it any wonder why our few remaining decent andhardworking citizens are leaving to go work in other countries?And worst of all, we are once again saddled with a power-hungrypresident whose addiction has her clinging on to it like barnacle ona rusty ship. "Love (of power) is blind" takes a whole new meaningwhen PGMA time and again turns a blind eye on her husband's financialdeals. And still blinded with all that is happening, she opts totraipse around the world with her cohorts in tow while her country isin shambles.They say the few stupid ones like me who remain in the Philippinesare no longer capable of showing disgust. I don't agree.

Many like mefeel anger at the brazenness of men we call our leaders,embarrassment to share the same nationality with them, frustrationfor our nation and helplessness at my own ineffectuality. It is notthat I won't make a stand. It is just that I am afraid my actionswould only be futile. After all, these monsters are capable ofanything. They can hurt me and my family. They already have, though Imay not yet feel it.But I am writing this because I need to do something concrete. I needto let others know that ordinary citizens like me do not remainlukewarm to issues that would later affect me and my children. I wantto make it known that there are also Filipinos who dream of somethingbetter for the Philippines. I want them to know that my country isnot filled with scalawags and crooks in every corner, and that thereare citizens left who believe in decency, fairness, a right to speak,a right to voice out ideas, a right to tell the people we havetrusted to lead us that they have abused their power and that it istime for them to step down. I refuse to let this country go to hellbecause it is the only country I call mine and it is myresponsibility to make sure I have done what I could for it.

Those of us who do not have the wealth, power or position it needs tobattle the evil crime lords in the government can summon the power ofgood. We can pray. We can do this with our families every night. Wecan offer petitions every time we celebrate mass. We can ask othersto pray, too, including relatives and friends here and overseas. Andwe can offer sacrifices along with our petitions, just so we get themessage to Him of our desperation in ridding our nation of thesevermin. After all, they cannot be more powerful than God!I implore mothers out there to raise your children the best way youcan. Do not smother, pamper, or lavish them with too much of thematerial comforts of life even if you can well afford them. Teachthem that there are more important things in this world. I beg allfathers to spend time with their children, to teach them the virtuesof hard work, honesty, fair play, sharing, dignity and compassion รขโ‚ฌโ€œright from the sandbox till they are old enough to go on their own.Not just in your homes, but at work, in school, everywhere you go. Begood role models. Be shining examples for your children so they willlearn to be responsible adults who will carry and pass on your familyname with pride and honor.I call on educators and teachers รขโ‚ฌโ€œ we always underestimate the powerof your influence on the minds of our youth. Encourage them to beaware of what is happening in their surroundings. Instill in them alove of their country, inculcate in them the value of perseverance inorder to gain real, worthwhile knowledge, help us mold our childreninto honorable men and women. Encourage our graduates, our best andbrightest, to do what they can to lift this country from the mire ourtraditional politicians have sunk us into.

The youth is our future รขโ‚ฌโ€œand it would be largely because of you, our educators, that we willbe able to repopulate the seats of power with good leaders,presidents, senators, congressmen, justices, lawmakers, law enforcersand lawful citizens.I ask all students, young people and young professionals everywhereto look around and get involved in what is happening. Do not let youryouth be an excuse for failure to concern yourselves with the harshrealities you see. But neither let this make you cynical, because weneed your idealism and fresh perspective just as you need the wisdomof your elders. YOUR COUNTRY NEEDS YOU! Let your voices be heard. Dowhat you can for this land that gave you your ancestors and yourheritage. Use technology and all available resources at hand tospread good. Text meaningful messages to awaken social conscience.Try your best to fight moral decay because I promise you will notregret it when you become parents yourselves.

You will look back atyour past misdeeds and pray that your children will do better thanyou did.Remember that there are a few handful who are capable of running thiscountry. You can join their ranks and make their numbers greater. Weare tired of the old trapos. We need brave idealistic leaders whowill think of the greater good before anything else. I voted forAtty. Martin Bautista and his team and I sure hope they will runagain. Do your utmost to excel in your chosen field. Be good lawyers,civil servants, accountants, computer techs, engineers, doctors,military men so that when you are called to serve in government, youwill have credibility and a record that can speak for itself.For love of this country, for the future of our children, for themany who have sacrificed and died to uphold our rights and ideals, Iurge you to do what you can. As ordinary citizens, we can do muchmore for the Philippines than sit around and let crooks lead us toperdition. We owe ourselves this. And we owe our country even more.