Tomorrow beckons

This week, we will be taking down the Christmas décor in our house, and storing them in boxes to hibernate for another 11 months. With firefly lights entwined around them, the décor were the twinkling smiles that greeted me every morning, the cheery hello when I got home from work and the goodnight kiss before I called it a day. They reinforced the spirit of the season, the rejoicing that comes with the significance of Christmas.

I always make it a point to trim the Christmas tree myself and supervise the setting up of the décor. But taking the décor down is heartbreaking — and that I delegate. The trouble with Christmas is that it ends after Three Kings. The trouble with a good time is the hangover. The trouble with hello is goodbye.

The son of a friend visited her in her overseas post recently, and they had a precious two weeks together. All too soon it was time to say farewell, and in the airport, the precocious little boy told his mother, who was on the verge of a major crying fit: “Don’t be sad that it’s over; be glad that it happened.”

And so as I seal and label the boxes with the Christmas décor that spruced up my home and lifted my spirits for over a month, I just remind myself that Christmas is a personal reward that my faith gives me, and that it comes in the same package as the gift of life.

Many good things in life are fleeting and temporary, but the best thing about Christmas is that it will always be around the corner sooner than you think.  And though I believe the spirit of Christmas should nestle in our hearts the whole year through, there’s nothing like chestnuts roasting on an open fire, Christmas trees, Midnight Mass and Majestic ham once a year.

Christmas, you will be missed! But as a friend once consoled me when he learned of my Christmas separation anxiety: “Don’t worry, there’s still Chinese New Year, Valentine’s Day and Easter Sunday!”

Tomorrow beckons!   

* * *

Last Jan. 3, the Business Section of The Philippine STAR trumpeted the bright prospects the country faces in an article by Zinnia Dela Peña entitled: Philippines emerges as bright spot among the region’s emerging markets.

“As developed countries struggle to limp out of recession, the Philippines has emerged as a bright spot among emerging markets in the world this year, evolving from its decades-old tag as the ‘sick man of Asia’ to a rising tiger due largely to a combination of robust domestic spending, sound fiscal management, resilient remittance inflows, and political stability,” Dela Peña wrote.

“After years of anemic economic performance, torpidity and political uncertainties, the Philippines is seeing a resurgence of growth that has won it its first investment grade scores from three of the world’s leading ratings agencies this year. Fitch Ratings was the first to upgrade the Philippines in March with Standard & Poor’s following suit in May then Moody’s five months later.

“This means the Philippine economy has attained international respect and recognition that it is a solvent country that can repay its debts. An investment grade rating signals that the country’s debt has a low risk of default.

“The upgrade represents an important milestone for the Philippines, which has constantly been undermined over the years by widespread corruption, poor infrastructure, poverty and a string of natural disasters.”

Dela Peña cited “bold governance reforms, prudent macroeconomic management, and steady remittances from about 10 million Filipinos working overseas” as the reasons the economy has been growing at a solid pace, expanding by at least seven percent for five consecutive quarters despite a challenging global economic backdrop.

She said growth has picked up from 5.2 percent in 2006 to 6.8 percent in 2012 and 7.4 percent in the nine months through September to mark the Philippines as one of the strongest performing Southeast Asian economies, second only to China and outpacing Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia and Thailand.

Remittances from overseas workers, which make up almost 10 percent of the total Philippine population, nearly tripled to $20 billion since 2004.

* * *

Yolanda was a curse. But having had no control of its fury, we cannot wallow in the misfortune it brought. Yolanda brought out the best in many Filipinos and many other citizens of the world who stepped up to the task of aiding the typhoon victims. It has also exposed our weaknesses and the vile amongst us.

And yet I’ve always believed that if we as a people can get our act together after Yolanda, with resources from local and foreign donors spurring our recovery, this could be our finest hour yet.

The World War II generation has been called the “greatest generation” by journalist Tom Brokaw, and indeed, this generation has rebuilt the world from the ruins of a catastrophic war. Tempered by challenges, this generation created superpowers. Japan and Germany all emerged from the rubble of war to become industrialized economies.

So why not Tacloban, and the rest of Eastern Visayas — nay, the entire Philippine archipelago?

Tomorrow beckons and I pray for a new bright day for all of those struggling through a very long night.

(You may e-mail me at [email protected].)