A very happy, hopeful new year ahead!

Allow me to greet our faithful readers a very Happy New Year and count me in as one of the many Filipinos that the recent polls showed was “hopeful” that the year 2010 would be a better year than the previous year 2009. First of all, allow me to quote what our Lord Jesus Christ said, “Seek ye first the kingdom of heaven and all these things shall be added unto you.” In short, we pin our hopes in the Divine Will of God and become Poor in Spirit that he would continue to bless this wretched nation of ours and cure it from all the diseases and all of society’s cancers, like illegal drugs abuse, corruption and wanton laziness!

That despite all economic odds, the Philippine economy has not dropped into the deep end like what happened to most western countries is something we ought to be thankful for. But we cannot be the Juan Tamads that too often we Filipinos are pictured… lying down and waiting for the fruit to fall into the ground. We have to take the initiative ourselves and not wait for the government to nudge us into action. So for most Filipinos, jobs are what is needed and we ought to focus on getting these jobs… yes even if it means leaving this country for jobs that are available abroad, although we know that this takes its toll on the family unit.

But there are jobs and many jobs out there all for the taking. Our problem is not job availability, but matching the person to the jobs that are available, especially here at home. The information industry (IT) sector is the most promising for us Filipinos as it is considered a growth or sunshine industry as compared for instance to the furniture export industry, which used to be a giant, but today, it is a mere shadow of its old self.

Jobs in the IT sector are primarily centered on call centers, which is a phenomenon in the United States, but has not caught on here in the Philippines. Whenever Americans want or need something, chances are, they dial a 1-800 number and an operator either in India or the Philippines (depending on the product or company that supports a particular product) would answer that call for either an inquiry on a manual of operation for a particular product or an airline schedule or even a bank or credit card question. With Americans like us also hopeful for a better year 2010, chances are, there will be more call centers opening up in your locality.

How do you bag or land a job as a call center agent or operator? Speaking in good, clear and concise English without any clear accent is the key. So for you parents out there who want your children to land well-paying jobs (although I must warn you that call center hours are different as they work at night when Americans are awake, while we Pinoys are asleep) then put them in a school where teachers speak good English.

Mind you, this wasn’t a problem in the ’50s and ’60s, but thanks to those so-called nationalists, promoting Tagalog nationalism, it has damaged our capability to speak good English. But all is not lost, the Philippines can still regain that advantage that we used to have when we were known as one of the biggest English speakers in the world. So it is our fervent hope that more Filipinos would get a well-paying job for the Year 2010 and all they need to do is focus on speaking English.

Perhaps the majority of the hopeful Filipinos pin their hopes for the Year 2010 in the results of the coming May 2010 elections. Again, we just cannot simply wait idly by and hope things will be better. Now is the perfect time for us Filipino electorate to take things into our hands and ask, or should I say demand, from our politicians what they can do for their country.

While I grew up learning by heart the famous quotation by US Pres. John F. Kennedy taken from his inaugural address, “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country!” we must now do our share to help push for the candidates, presidential, senatorial, gubernatorial, mayoral, councilorial or municipal who can truly do more for our country, instead of helping to fatten themselves from our taxpayer’s money.

We must choose a candidate for his character, probity, integrity and above all, his capability. Let me include in this list, the people behind the candidate because I succumb to that dictum that says, “Tell me who your friends are and I will tell you who you are!” Indeed, the people pushing a candidate is as important as choosing the candidate himself because surely from this group will emerge the next Cabinet Secretaries or the kitchen cabinet of the Governor or the Mayor. 

So we hopeful Filipinos have our marching orders to straighten or fix whatever is wrong with this country as the fate of our leaders of tomorrow is right in our hands. So choose wisely for today is New Year‘s Day and the tomorrow we have pinned our hopes against is already here!

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