Pangilinan embarks on "listening tour"

CEBU - Senate Majority Leader Francisco Pangilinan conducted one of his “listening tours” in Cebu province yesterday.

Pangilinan was with two other members of an organization calling itself the Reform Coalition, encouraging Filipinos to do their share in improving the country.

Pangilinan said their group is reversing the pattern, coming here to listen while the attendees will do most of the talking.

“We are doing this differently because we want to hear from you on what each one of us could do to help the Philippines,” Pangilinan said.

Pangilinan said problems such as unemployment, diminishing academic quality and many others are already given and one will just have to move forward.

“All of us want change yet none of us are working on changing a little, which by the way will already be very helpful,” Pangilinan said.

He cited as an example, the share made by the students of University of the Philippines high school students who spend a little of their time tutoring in chosen public schools in the hope of improving the performance in Math and Science subjects.

As a result, little by little these tutored students are showing an increase in their test scores.

He encouraged the students, women, non-government organizations and the rest of the sectors, to make a commitment to do their respective share.

Another speaker, Alexander Lacson, the author of the book “12 Little Things a Filipino Can Do for His Country”, said his book is selling a lot despite the fact that he did not contribute anything new to the book.

He said he merely complied simple things that were already said and suggested many times.

“I realized that the reason why my book is selling is because deep inside you and me, the Filipino inside us still wants to do something for our country,” Lacson said.

He admitted that he and his wife were tempted to leave the country eight years ago, but did not push through.

He said there is still hope for the Philippines to reclaim its glory as a far advance and developed country in the 1950’s next to Japan.

In the ‘80s, Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea and Thailand overtook the Philippines and then in the onset 2000, Brunei, Thailand and Malaysia also went ahead.

And in the next five years, Lacson said, it is seen that Vietnam will already be performing better than the Philippines if nothing is done. — Ferliza C. Contratista/BRP (THE FREEMAN)