Bright spots

People are describing 2009 as an annus horribilis, what with the Maguindanao massacre, the cataclysmic flooding and swine flu, and with Mayon volcano’s eruption seen as a fitting ending to a turbulent year.

But there are always bright spots even in the worst years.

Efren Peñaflorida tops my list of those bright spots. Struggling to lift himself out of abject poverty, he chose a humble path. He aspired not for fame and fortune as a boxer or entertainer, but to help the less fortunate as a teacher.

Peñaflorida wanted people like him, who grew up near a city dump, to have formal education and a productive future instead of joining street gangs. He opened opportunities for poor children and gave them hope. The Manny Pacquiaos of this world are one in a million; for the less gifted, or those with different natural gifts, education opens doors to a better life.

We’re glad that CNN decided to give recognition to an unknown educator from the developing world. Like it or not, the typical Pinoy sits up and takes notice when honors are bestowed by a global organization. Let’s hope Peñaflorida’s newfound fame will inspire more Pinoy children to become educators. We need teachers more than people who smash faces for a living.

The guy who has made a smashing success of smashing faces is, of course, another bright spot in 2009 in a nation hungry for international recognition.

I am not a boxing fan, but boxing aficionados tell me that Manny Pacquiao has perfected his craft and has become one of the world’s greatest ever in his sport. That’s reason for national pride in a country that has not won a single gold medal in the Olympic Games.

In the book of those who measure success and happiness in terms of fame and fortune, Pacquiao is the country’s biggest winner in 2009.

Pacquiao’s rags-to-riches story is an inspiration in its own way to many Filipinos. Now a billionaire, he has remained humble, and he is one of the rare individuals whose feats unite the nation in jubilation.

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Uniting the nation in grief in 2009 was Corazon Aquino, who is missed this Christmas. Her death was of course bad news, but the massive outpouring of grief over her passing manifested a public longing for a return of decency in public service. Let’s hope that public longing is heeded by those seeking elective office in 2010.

The mourning — a combination of grief and outrage — is believed to have scuttled for good all plans of perpetuating anyone in power. For that we are also grateful to Cory Aquino.

Tragedy can bring out the best in the Pinoy. This was again manifested later in the year, during the flooding spawned by storm “Ondoy” and typhoon “Pepeng.” People risked and even gave up their lives to save others, and Pinoys reached deep into their pockets to ease the suffering of the victims. Several people who donated relief goods through our newspaper specifically asked that they remain anonymous.

The disasters also helped speed up the acquisition of at least one Doppler radar for accurate forecasting of the amount of rainfall.

The nation did well in containing the new disease of 2009, swine flu or A(H1N1). The health hazard is still around, but vaccines are in the pipeline and most Filipinos know what to do when the illness strikes.

We fared better than many other countries in dealing with the global economic crisis. Credit for this goes to our fiscal managers. Part of the credit also goes to our millions of people working overseas, whose remittances have kept the economy afloat in the worst of times.

Those remittances have also helped keep Christmas sales robust this year despite the global downturn. A report this week said job prospects for overseas workers will be tighter in 2010, but Pinoys are a resilient lot and it’s a safe bet that they will continue to find jobs abroad.

For the past weeks the airports have been busy with workers returning from abroad to spend the holidays with their families.

Amid the gloom in 2009, we gather with our loved ones today to celebrate life’s blessings, and we look forward to the New Year.

Hope springs eternal for the Pinoy, and even more so in this season of joy.

Have a merry Christmas!