A CHANGE WITHIN

Half a century of oppression, tyranny, and cruelty had passed. Foreign battleships,
artillery, and military left our land. Our flag raised in full dignity and colours. An independent
government formed and fortified by laws. A nation formed by people with its own rights,
language, and identity to be proud of. The Philippines is free at last, or is it? Corruption, poverty,
dirty politics, and other national problems both minor and major are present and imminent
nowadays. Moral and character crisis is sweeping around the country. We are in need for a
change, a change that will not come from others but with you. We have to eradicate the image of
a common Filipino which is still bound to the old culture of being idle and going through the
flow. We have to become a new Filipino bound with the new culture of being disciplined,
righteous, and persevering, a new Filipino which is honest and loyal, and a new Filipino full of
patriotism for his country. The Filipino youth is the answer and the fulfillment of this dream. We
will be the future leaders and forth runners of this nation. The future of our country is at our
hands and it is on a hanging balance. If we fail to change, our country will continue to
deteriorate. But if we succeed, our country will shine again with its full glory.

So why is it that I’m persuading you to change? What is the true dilemma of our society?
The truth is corruption and other problems are just contributors in the deterioration of our
country. Our culture is the one to be blamed of. Many countries such as the Koreas were once
full of corrupt political leaders, but where are they now? They rose as the 13th largest economy
in the world. The secret lies in their culture of being hard working. We too have our own hard
working people but what becomes imminent is the culture of consumerism. We tend consume
our gains faster than we produce. We don’t think for the future but just think of today. Many say
that immigrating and Filipinos abroad must go back and work for their country instead. But what
is the use of patriotism if their stomachs are empty. We have to admit that our minimum wage is
so low for a growing economy tied up with growing population trend that eats up our economic
gains and low job availability or jobs mismatch. Filipinos also tends to give importance to white
collar jobs and ignore blue collar jobs like welding, gardening, and etc. which are the basic jobs
in a society. We also didn’t pursue agrarian reform like what our Asian neighbours had done like
Japan and Taiwan to give importance and lift the current situation of our peasants and farmers.
We also lack in implementation. Our laws are nearly perfect but cannot be implemented and
enforced properly. These are the problems of our society and do need an immediate change.

The effects of these problems tend to amplify because of the culture of idleness. There
was a time when I passed along the slums of Catarman early morning and saw how the people
there are just so idle, sitting, gambling, and even drinking alcoholic drinks early morning. They
are just wasting time and energy doing nothing instead of searching for opportunities. This
culture is perpetuating and sometimes we even take pride on it uttering the quote: “Filipinos are
lazy people”. These problems are also sometimes considered as the norm. “Because everyone
does it I will do it”, a common idea of Filipinos. We are also great show-offs. We are always
fond of extravagant clothes, bags, and shoes with expensive product line. We are always saying
that we love our country and we are proud of it but do nothing to save it from its demise. These
effects conjugate together and form an impassable barrier towards a better future. The enemy and
the one to be blamed for are our own selves. And we have the capacity and the decision to
change and prosper. Reform in the educational sector can be an answer to these problems. On a
hundred kids only five will proceed to college and 2 will have decent jobs. If we focused on
education we can and we will purge the root cause of these problems. Social revolutions can also
be done to induce reform. Not the bloody one but a peaceful one. But I am not provoking a
revolution to overthrow the government but a revolution inside our selves. Educational reforms
and social revolutions will not succeed if we ourselves will not change our attitude, values and
perspective in life. The sole solution to these problems is a change “within”, a change that will
start at us, a change that will create an unbreakable chain of changes among others, and a change
that will break that impassable barrier. We can become a new Filipino. And when that day
comes, I assure you the Philippines is free at last.