New Philippines

The Philippine government recently launched a new campaign with the hopes of alleviating our dire situation. Dubbed as “Bagong Pilipinas” or “New Philippines” in English, it is reminiscent of the president’s campaign during the 2022 elections. He often played a catchy song that called for a new Philippines with a new face. Even the children on the streets know the song very well. However, instead of the campaign uniting the different factions in our political realm, it seems to have divided it.

Another political faction has risen just after two years into the current administration. This was done all with the ambition to take over the reins of Malacañang Palace. Although this is part of a democracy, it seems like it is doing more harm than good. Rather than unifying the country’s dreams and ambitions, Filipinos are now at a limbo on who to support. This, even if the national elections are still far away. It is another marketing strategy for their own candidates.

There are also other issues that our leaders need to address. The very pressing one is the state of our economy. Recently, the Philippine Statistics Authority reported on the inflation rate of our region. Even if they recorded a slight slowdown, the prices of basic commodities continue to rise. Meanwhile, the basic wage remains to be rather meager for an ordinary family to survive. The prices of fuel also continue to hinder the prices from going down. The value of a peso continues to diminish.

This is also why there are still thousands of Filipinos who want to try their luck in other countries. Two of my best friends found financial stability in their work outside the Philippines. They said they would not be able to reach their goals if they stayed here. To them, Cebu is just a vacation haven where they can eat their favorite childhood food, visit the places where they grew up in, and enjoy cheap services. We have simply become a second option.

Living for over 30 years here, I am also curious of what this New Philippines can offer to us. As it is now, I am also feeling the effects of poor governance as it continues to test our patience. Let alone for some agencies that are actually doing their jobs, I find no satisfaction in the way things are being done. The leadership is directionless and we are left in the dark.

As the remaining four years of this administration trickle in, we are bound to look forward to this reform that they are trying to implement. Until there is visible change as they promised, we will never be satisfied with the way they are managing our country. It won’t be long until there will be more individuals fleeing the Philippines as a sweet escape. We will continue to lose more than what we have now and we will never be a country to look up to. If we want a new country, then one’s political will must be strong.