MANILA, Philippines - We will accept what we understand we are worth. This is to say, worth more than all the epal politicking, worth more than dynastic family names talking down to us as though we are unintelligible and daft, worth more than heads of state who will prioritize a personal grudge over thousands in need.
We will put up or shut up. Fight for what is right (or at least for what you think is right), or be prepared to live with the consequences of your silence. Grumbling after the fact does not help anyone, but if we put in our two cents when the time is right, it may save us from drowning in someone else’s misplaced beliefs later on.
We will set our sights towards the long haul, even when the need is immediate. We will no longer accept stopgap measures as the end result, but as what they are, and demand a long-term plan for our country before each city we know falls to ruins. We will give until it hurts, but we will also learn to raise our voices and ask for what we need.
But in line with that, we will keep questioning. There is no law so perfect, no man so ideal that he cannot be questioned or presented with an idea opposed to his principle. If we expect change, we cannot always accept things as they are presented. All those relief funds sent by other countries? Demand a receipt, ask how the aid was spent, and persist until we get the answers.
Tolerance and acceptance
We will be tolerant if acceptance proves to be a challenge. Our country is full of people with various beliefs, physical capabilities, body shapes, ages, and sexual orientations. Understand that everyone you meet, as Ian Maclaren once stated, is fighting a hard battle. Approach with peace and kindness, and you may find that CCTV footage of your activities outside a certain premier subdivision will be of no interest to anyone.
We will encourage art and the freedom of expression, and recognize its importance not only in the growth of our culture, but also in the balance between leaders and the citizenry. In the age of spin, the truth is its own armory against those who try to conceal it, and as the truth settles itself well in the hands of art, we cannot allow ourselves to ever be unarmed.
Trivial as this may seem, we will also stop saying the word “netizens,†because really, enough is enough. (Especially you, news media outlets. Please. Just stop.)
We call upon the Filipino to learn from our mistakes, to understand who deserves to lead us, to revel in the differences between one from his neighbor, and to actively decide that we each contribute to the larger scope of change. 2014 is not a clean slate, but a time to decide that where we’ve been is not the destination we intend for ourselves. 2014 is a time for hard decisions, for transparency, for honesty, and for honor. The buck stops here, so let us find a new beginning this 2014 with three simple words: man up, Pilipinas.