A nation’s resurrection: Salvation or damnation

I have temporarily put on hold my usual political commentary and heckling in favor of an important message. Today, I join many Filipinos in celebrating Easter, whether through prayers or simply enjoying the long weekend break from work. This is a time of renewal, an opportunity to take a deep breath before we return to the demands of our daily lives. As the Lenten season draws to a close, we are asked to reflect and, hopefully, find some inspiration from its underlying value and symbolism.

Easter is an important celebration in the Christian world. It marks the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It symbolizes the triumph of life over death, hope over despair and good against evil.

Whether you are religious or not, Christian or of another faith, it is not difficult to see the meaning of this day in light of the extraordinary challenges we face. In many ways, we are fighting for our lives, first against the institutional violence of Rodrigo Duterte’s Tokhang, and now against hunger and uncertainty, as we confront a global oil crisis that is fast turning into an economic debacle, worsened by our leaders’ ineptitude and lack of foresight. We search for some semblance of hope at a time when despair seems endless, and as we grapple with a crisis of principled leadership in our government. And we try to find the good in one another, even as the culture of impunity has become increasingly normalized.

Just as Easter calls for personal renewal, it also invites us to imagine a national resurrection. And the truth is, this country is in desperate need of courageous leaders who dare to challenge the powerful, are honest enough to fight for what is right, no matter the cost, and visionary enough to rebuild our broken society. We want new leaders who will join us in breaking the control of political families and their systems of plunder, patronage and exploitation from which we suffer.

This longing for national renewal is reflected across surveys on issues that matter most to Filipinos. Seven out of 10 Filipinos want political dynasties abolished, with a strong law to keep them out of power. At the same time, a new wave of patriotism is taking hold of a majority of Filipinos, especially in defending the West Philippine Sea. And then there’s corruption, the primary driver of the growing distrust toward the country’s top leaders. They all point to something deeper; a public that is not just discontented, but ready for change.

We are also reminded of this in the results of the 2025 midterm elections. The overwhelming victories of Senators Bam Aquino and Kiko Pangilinan, Akbayan topping the party-list race with a historic 2.7 million votes and the election of Chel Diokno and Leila de Lima to Congress are not simply products of sound electoral strategy. They reflect a voting public that is searching for an alternative to the political duopoly of the warring dynasties of the Marcoses and the Dutertes.

Of course, entrenched elite interests will fight back. The Duterte camp arrogantly points out that all pre-election surveys still favor Vice President Sara Duterte and insists that she will easily win if the presidential election was held tomorrow. Never mind if Sara’s numbers are going down as she continues to evade the people’s call for accountability.

Meanwhile, their dynastic rival, President Marcos Jr., in his effort to politically survive beyond his term and prevent the return of a Duterte-led order that poses an existential threat to him and his family, will also fight for a future without his rivals, but not necessarily one that departs from the same rules of patronage politics.

This is not surprising. Every struggle for radical reform, and every fight for a more democratic society, inevitably meets elite resistance. The desire for social change, justice and national renewal is never a walk in the park. It unsettles elite hierarchies determined to preserve the status quo. History shows that any serious effort to lift ourselves from injustice or redefine the direction of a nation will always be met by forces that benefit from the current flawed and unjust order.

But this is not a sign of futility. It is a measure of the value and necessity of the change we seek.

A movement for national renewal has already been born. The mammoth anti-corruption rallies of the past year, where a reinvigorated Catholic Church took on a moral role, alongside Gen Z youth, artists, middle forces, social movements and reform-oriented political groups, are a testament to this. And this movement is not homogeneous. It is dynamic. It is not centralized, nor is it the typical united front often envisioned by more doctrinaire traditions. It is a “movement of movements,” made up of many efforts and many centers of action.

And while this movement is still young, it urgently needs clear and credible faces and voices. It cannot remain in the realm of abstraction and idealism, especially as the 2028 elections approach, when choices will have to be made and leadership must take shape.

Easter serves as a reminder that renewal and rebirth are often born through great struggle. They come by way of both hope and even sacrifice, reminding us that in moments such as these, from darkness, new life can rise; leaders will emerge to meet the challenge of our time.

We stand on the edge of something new. The ground beneath us is shifting. And rising from this moment is a leadership ready, finally, to carry the dreams of a renewed nation.

From the ashes of despair, we rise to seek our nation’s resurrection. The choice has never been clearer. We fight for our salvation, or we fall into damnation.