BEFORE COUNTING BEGINS

Who is the best citizen of the world? This should be our question, that which needs to be answered. Unfortunately, as we plod along, day by day to survive, to eke out a living, sometimes to enjoy an artwork or two, we forget that there are fundamental questions to answer before we kick the bucket, so to speak.

I came upon this question when I was walking through the streets of London in the eighties. I had felt so rootless then and I could not make out where I should belong. I was deep into getting funding for a film about OFWs in Europe, and writing a draft of the script, but my feet had wanted to touch down in the Philippines again. Yet I did not know, could not really feel secure if I would want to experience being under martial law again after having experienced a very democratic space.

Today, however, it is not rootlessness attacking my conscience but the definition of a world citizen. Whether we are in the Philippines or elsewhere in this world, does it mean that we still have to wave our flag and say, "I am a Filipino nationalist," or do we put up our flag and say, "I am a world Filipino citizen?"

I do think that the next president should be able to give us an answer - whether we shall be proud to be Filipino and Filipina citizens under his administration (sorry Jamby but I think there is a backlash against women attaining the highest position again) or we shall be continuing the diaspora and say that we are the world citizens caring for other nationalities -- their economies, their societies, their citizens.

Yes, there is a great difference in terms of our looking inward, as the migration of our relatives, friends, and people abroad have brought about a rethinking of "what is really best for us," a good life but separated from our loved ones, or a so-so life but still immediately in touch with them?

Yet, I do think that the next president has to tackle the question of broken homes, of children not knowing their parent/s upclose and personal, but vicariously, through that webcam as well as couples finding warmth not from their original partners, or someone that they don't really value as a partner. It is high time to make it a priority to look into the viability of labor migration in our country.

Hence if a candidate is able to give us an answer that can make every child give a bright smile, that can make graduating students no longer carrying that anxious look about the knowledge they have acquired from their studies to be reserved only for jobs abroad that can pick up dollars while their families would be left behind,or simply that can make parents always feel secure because their children will be with them in their twilight years, then he can earn our great YES all the time.

Let us not delude ourselves that all the changes we want will happen overnight. Winning is only the first step in the series of changes that we have to make in life. The next steps will still have bitter struggles, within and outside the circles of power. One thing remains, our openness to change without going beyond the boundaries of the principles of democracy, equality, prosperity for all and peace.

Let the counting begin.