Once again, Filipinos from all walks of life celebrate the restoration of democracy following almost two decades of dictatorship. It took a few days of bloodless street demonstrations to bring to an end to Ferdinand Marcos' despotic regime.
However, more than three decades following that historic uprising, Filipinos still cry about the absence of a true development. Since the Corazon Aquino administration, many still complain over the lack of determination by the government to liberate the people from the pangs of poverty.
Today, many say democracy in the country is dead, claiming that the way the present administration handles its war on drugs, which saw the death of thousands through extra-judicial killings, is a throwback to the tyrannical past.
It is already a tradition for Filipinos to protest against government's negligence during EDSA rites. The People Power celebrations have become the usual venue to air their grievances against the abuses committed by the authorities.
But while we always criticize the government for its failure to lead us to the path of true development, we tend to forget that we also failed to help ourselves. We always rely on the government to lift us from the economic difficulties but have not taken the drive to free ourselves from our own hardships.
A true reform must start from each one of us. We cannot expect the government to simply free us from poverty but do nothing to learn how to fight it. Every one of us should need to take up measures to prosper economically without being reliant on others.
Success does not necessarily need outside forces. What matters most is strong determination to succeed. No country can attain real development without the help from each of its inhabitants. That is why it takes productive citizens to push a country upward.