PAGKATAPOS NG UNOS

The deadline for filing of candidacies is drawing near. Only a few more days before the 20th whence the filing shall start for congressional, senatorial, vice-presidential and presidential slots. So far everyday is like waiting for the cockfighting to start. And things are shaping up individuals are surfacing to present themselves as candidates and pairs for President and VP's are being firmed up. A government guy with a mediaperson; a businessman with another mediaperson; an actor with a mayor with an HR demonstration background; an environmentalist without a pair; and so forth and so on.

It is getting to be too transparent who is presidentiable and who is not, actually depending on how we view the qualities of one.

Right now, however, our concerns can focus on the agenda that we want the candidates to carry, not necessarily how they look or how they can be approached. In the first meeting of the Second Batch of Peoples' Agenda group, we came up with a list of ticklers that we should ask the candidates to answer: what are your plans with regard to:
1. the economy
2. food and agriculture
3. civil liberties and human rights
4. labor and migration
5. education, culture and the arts
6. health and social development
7. defense, security and the environment
8. foreign policies

among others.

We, and that includes Dr. Aniceta Manuel Ortinero, Fe Mangahas and I think that we must have candidates who can readily respond to the demands on what should be the programs and projects under each category. We cannot afford a candidate who would be rattled once the media start asking about these; otherwise, we would think that they are merely second-guessing their jobs.

The tasks of serving the country, of raising the self-esteem and pride of our people on what is to be a Filipino after the series of regimes that have brought them to the dirt roads, the floods, the hunger and all those landslides of poverty and degradation ought to be lodged on those who are ready to take these one by one. Lift up the people from the claws of predators, from the hungry mouths of callous vultures who can no longer distinguish what is capitalism and what is governance.

Yes, the people's patience is being tried today. If anyone cares to know, they should listen to the radio and analyze the textings received by broadcasters. They range from anger to disillusionment to almost violent tendencies to annihilate everyone in government today. So what we need is patience. Let us teach the people patience, because the costs of violent methods are immeasurable.

Time cannot be rewound once it has passed.

Panahon na ng pagtatakal, pagsisisi, pagmumuni-muni at paghuhubog ng bagong kinabukasan. Matatapos din ang unos, at magkakaroon tayo ng maaliwalas na bukang-liwayway.