EDITORIAL – Building a better nation

The day after President Arroyo announced she would not run in the 2004 elections, several members of the opposition still seemed willing to suspend disbelief and go along with her efforts to build a better nation. That’s a promising sign as a new year opens. There is general agreement that the nation is in dire straits. Putting the nation on the path to recovery will require, if not genuine unity and re-conciliation, then at least critical collaboration among political foes.

The task of nation-building takes on urgency when you consider that before the financial crisis hit Asia in 1997, the Philippine peso was at par with the Thai baht and both countries were suffering from abominable traffic gridlocks. As of last Friday the baht was trading at 42.85 to the dollar while the peso closed at 53.03 to the greenback. Traffic flow has vastly improved in the streets of Bangkok. In Metro Manila, motorists still get stuck in traffic jams even close to midnight on a holiday, simply because mass transport vehicles have turned key arteries into terminals. Thailand remains one of the top tourist destinations in the region while the Philippines is suffering from travel advisories and embassy shutdowns because of criminality and the terrorist threat.

Once upon a time, not too long ago, the Philippines was the envy of the region. Asia’s first republic boasted of the best schools and the best workforce. The best minds of the nation wielded power and sat in the halls of Congress, leading a dynamic republic toward progress. Somewhere along the way we lost our bearings. These days we import rice from nations that used to send their students to the Phi-lippines to study agriculture. Our local industries are foundering in a flood of cheap imported goods while we export millions of our people who toil at menial jobs.

Can we ever rise from the morass of despair? Of course we can; nothing is impossible if we put our minds to it. Nothing is impossible especially if our national leaders can set aside partisan politics to work for the common good. The nation needs world-class education, self-sufficiency in food and adequate health care. There are roads, bridges and homes to be built. The nation needs a steady, long-term supply of potable water and electricity. Corruption must be fought. Everyone must do his share and buckle down to work.

It’s a new day. We wish everyone a happy, prosperous New Year!