Groups set up 'clear vision' confab

MANILA, Philippines - A conference on renewing, restructuring and reinventing the Philippines from the ground up is set to be held on April 24 at the Imperial Suites Hotel in Quezon City.

“The formulation of a Philippine roadmap to progress, or a vision for the nation, is what our country needs,” said Philip Camara, co-convenor of the Federalist Forum of the Philippines (FFP), and co-organizer of the Subsidiarity Movement International (SMI).

He and co-convenors Sixto Roxas, Marietta Goco, Amina Rasul Bernardo, Manuel Faelnar, Pete Arce and Charlie Serapio are advocating “Philippines Vision 20/20,” which seeks to build a constituency of seven million registered voters or 30,000 voters per congressional district.

“No matter who the President is, without a clear (20/20) vision, we will not improve as a nation,” Camara said, noting that majority of Filipinos are left with few choices to improve their lives, such as waiting for an outsider to initiate changes, or work abroad.

Goco said they support the principle of “subsidiarity to harness people’s energy for the common good.” She explained that the principle “simply states that whatever action can be accomplished by individuals or subordinate bodies should be left to them and not subsumed by higher organizations.”

Advocates of subsidiarity maintain that the most appropriate level for any given decision is the most local one possible, provided that making the decision at this level does not negatively affect the greater common good.

“We are working before the national elections next year to gather members who are committed to a vision and roadmap by the year 2020,” Camara said. “Good governance, zero corruption and the rule of law are hard to reach if our leaders don’t have a clear vision, solid values and a road map for our country.”