NOW FLYING FREE

Political transitions are always rife with conflicts, personal and social. They are not always easy for people, for societies to tackle. Why because they involve changes of faces, of people, of behavior. In the case of administrations, they involve new officials with new behaviors, ideally speaking really.

In our country the only political transitions that we truly enjoyed going through was that from dictatorial to democratic rule in 1986. We felt euphoric to say the least. Our souls, our bodies, our minds, our feelings were all one in the grandest time of our life when Marcos and his family bade goodbye. It was the culmination of our decades of fighting the dictatorship propped up by a corrupt military.

Another political transition that should have been worth seeing for us was when the American flag was lowered to allow the Philippine flag to fly free on our soils. Unfortunately, we were not born then yet. But that was really something worth seeing, I suppose. I could almost feel my heart skip a beat as the national anthem was being played then and the red, blue and white flag with the sun and the stars is raised up first equal to and then finally up there on the flag pole flying alone against the blue skies.

To view that we only have a black and white picture printed in one of those old civic studies books in the elementary, and which is no longer carried by any social studies book in the grades. I wonder why. Isn’t it a sign of loyalty if we could always see it? Our youth would not be too carefree probably if they would know through that picture why the Americans were here then, and to be thankful too that we could speak, read and write in the English language.

I do think that political transitions become meaningful when the new leaders that would be sworn in truly represent the aspirations and dreams of our people for justice, freedom, equality, peace and democracy. Anyone who does not possess the same could be a dent in our consciousness and an obstacle to a peaceful transition. He or she would be someone whose personal interests tower over the needs and welfare of the people And that would be a very sad thing to experience really.

Perhaps we can lessen the impact of some people whom we don’t like going up in that new administration to just beef up our strength and resolve to be more vigilant and check on the activities of that fellow, woman or man. We must also cultivate strong links with Congress so that the laws that we want to be passed shall go through smoothly, without hitch and without some sectors asking for percentages at all.

Every check coming out of the Bureau of Treasury has to be assessed – to which bank, to which name, how much and for what purpose. Then in those hot agencies like the Bureau of Customs, the BIR, the LRA, and other money-earning agencies, we must have a video camera to check what kinds of transactions are going on. Even microphones need to be set up to hear every conversation. No, there is no freedom in these places now when we are undergoing transitions and this shall go on until such time that we can be assured of the strict adherence to the principle that public office is public trust of every government employee and official.

Lastly, where there is an altar put up by Catholic groups, we must allow all other religious groups to set up their own. Catholic altars should not dominate the offices, especially when they look like “panghugas-kamay” in corrupt-ridden institutions. Even that piece of government lot in Mandaluyong which was used to build a church should be made ecumenical. The structure should be set up in such a way as any religious group could make use of it.

My final request though is that large video screens be put up at the Luneta for all folks to watch the swearing in of P. Noynoy and VP Binay. We must have larger-than-life images of them to remind us for the rest of their term that this is a historic event because they will be instruments in transforming our country from the chaotic past of the rule of one beholdened to the protectors of her illegal stay to one that has the interests of the people all the time.

So be it.