Perhaps There is Hope

Though perched overseas and several thousand miles away from the scene, the internet has been an excellent tool for keeping abreast of events back home. Access to the Philippine Star, Sunstar and GoldstarDailyNews.com, among others, helps transport me right into the midst of the action, it seems. So real in fact the connection that as I watched President Aquino delivering his inaugural speech and saw all those terno-clad, primly dressed Filipina ladies frantically fanning themselves, I could almost feel the sagging humidity, and the scent of imported perfumery that surely must have permeated the air.

In the past, I expressed grave doubts as to whether in fact Benigno Aquino III had it in him to truly provide the leadership needed to transform our country, to get it moving on the road to prosperity and a true functioning democracy. I once surmised that his honesty, integrity and incorruptibility alone would not necessarily be sufficient to address and rectify the grave problems we face. I was openly concerned that he would replicate his late mother’s tenure which some would characterize as one stagnated in a quagmire of incompetence. And I know I am not alone in fearing that once again all the best intentions of an honest man would be subverted by the corrupt influence of friends and relatives. Those who, in his mother’s time, did some of what the Marcoses and his predecessors did which was to use the power of the president’s office to advance their financial interests to the detriment of the nation’s well being. They undermined Cory’s integrity and promises of clean governance; would they do the same to Noynoy? Would President Aquino II be strong enough to enforce his will and obtain compliance to his demands for honesty and service? Yes, indeed, I was a skeptic.

Then I listened to the President’s inaugural address delivered mostly in Pilipino.I listened not only to his words but also to the way he expressed his views. What came thru was what some 15 million Filipino voters all over the country saw that I did not see before. I heard a man who is forthright, sincere and has the humility to recognize that what lies ahead for him and our country is a daunting and extremely challenging task. He knows he has to reverse decades of corruption and incompetent government and the culture that this engendered. Before listening to his speech I expected to be underwhelmed. After hearing him I ended up being inspired.

As if to reinforce my new found hope induced euphoria, I read a June 30 column by Randy David that, frankly, should be made a “must read” for all government employees especially those recently brought on to carry out the Aquino program. In fact President Aquino should have David’s column reprinted and handed out, first to his cabinet at their next meeting, and then to all the department heads and other honchos who have anything to do with providing service to the public. It is a simple, yet clear, roadmap that leads to the restoration of faith in our government. The one advice he offers that really left an impression is:

“Observe delicadeza even if you know you will never be jailed for violating it. This Spanish word, which has found its way into our culture, is just another word for ethical conduct. The penalty for lack of delicadeza is not imprisonment; for a president, it is worse: the withdrawal of public esteem. Perhaps no one knows this better by now than your immediate predecessor.”

Very directly and simply stated, yet so powerful.

If President Aquino has truly inspired the nation to help him carry out his vision; if his cabinet and other appointees adhere to the mandate he has emphatically articulated, then perhaps, there is yet hope.

And if there are journalists and opinion makers like Randy David and whose work is read and heeded by those in government, business and the media, then there surely is hope.

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