New Year’s wish

Looking forward to this new year calls for making a lot of wishes. Usually it entails a hope for some changes in our way of life by breaking off from our bad habits or pernicious customs and practices. Sometimes it may consist simply that some wishes yet unfulfilled will finally come true. Or we may wish that the tedious and damaging events of the year just ended will finally be over, particularly the control and stoppage of COVID-19 pandemic, so that the state of health of our country and people will be back to normal.

But perhaps the most popular wishes at this time represent the legitimate hankerings of every Filipino that the new year will be better and more prosperous. Particularly the following:

1. That our country will be spared from strong typhoons that cause loss of lives and damage to properties.

2. That police brutality and extrajudicial killings of suspected drug addicts and other criminals be stopped once and for all, and that justice be always upheld in those who are guilty.

3. That at Chistmas time there will be no more Christmas parties with lots of eating and drinking but more spiritually nourishing activities like sharing and giving of gifts to the poor and the less fortunate and the continuing relief operations for the victims of typhoons and other calamities.

4. That any government official implicated in certain anomalous transactions or in some graft, corrupt or illegal practices, whether true or not, will deem it more honorable and proper to relinquish his post by imposing upon himself once more the long lost sense of delicadeza.

5. That eventually, a government official or politician will own up and admit his involvement in some anomalous or illegal acts which are of public knowledge anyway. And instead of making bare denials, he should make a sincere public apology, offer restitution and atonements for his misdemeanors.

6. That the fatty pork in every government budget, which undoubtedly is the main source of graft and corruption, be completely lopped off or at least trimmed so as to once and for all rationalize and economize on government spending. Stated otherwise, our congressmen and senators should, without hesitation, rightly deduct from the appropriations bill that fixed amount which only goes to the pockets of grafters based on well researched studies already made.

7. That politicians and government officials should stop posing for pictures distributing relief goods to victims of calamities or impersonating Santa Claus giving Christmas gifts to the poor every Christmas time. Such photos which are published (at their behest of course) betray their insincerity and expose their selfish political motives.

It is also interesting to note that for the year 2021, one of the most popular wishes of the people is the comeback of the ABS-CBN TV Network by the granting of a new franchise to operate in the service of the Filipino people. Also noteworthy in the case of ABS-CBN is its continuous relief operations despite lack of franchise to operate, and its various charitable activities to help the Filipinos who are victims of damaging and calamitous typhoons that hit our land, as well as its various projects to help the poor and the less fortunate people of our country, through its ABS-CBN Foundation.

So, for this new year, stay healthy always and keep safe.

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!