A Change for CLEAN GOVERNANCE

The race is over and millions of Filipinos have decided. Votes are counted and people have different reactions on the results. One of which is a write up by Sam Manlosa entitled “An Open Letter to the 13 Million Filipinos Who Voted for Noynoy Aquino”.

The write up serves as an eye-opener to all Filipinos. It shows how Filipinos have decided on choosing their bet for the last election. The author presents his reaction on the result with Noynoy Aquino as the leading presidential candidate.

Though, Noynoy won the sympathy votes of the people by the deaths of his parents, he is believed to be the lesser evil among the candidates. As what the author stated, Noynoy succeeded over a business man who managed to mortgage half of his assets to buy the electorate and a former president who has been convicted of plunder. He was chosen by the people for the campaign of a CLEAN GOVERNANCE.

Though he was accused of not accomplishing anything while he was a congressman and a senator, as what the author said, let us just hope that Noynoy will give credence, justify and validate the constitutionally bestowed obligations, responsibilities and mandates on him. Let us hope that Noynoy will not be tempted to crave for more power.

Noynoy is an instrument for us to start and make the change for a Clean Governance. However, the responsibility for clean governance does not just depend on our leaders especially on Noynoy. It is also our duty to promote clean governance by starting it within ourselves. Even if Noynoy aims for clean governance, if there is no cooperation among Filipinos, it would still be useless. It is up to us if we want that change to happen.

We could not tell if our decision on choosing the candidate was right. Time can only tell if Noynoy will be able to perform his duties well. Our hopes for our nation rest upon his hands and as responsible citizens, we should participate in our society. We should not expect too much on Noynoy without doing our part.

As Filipino citizens, our responsibility for our country does not end on the Election Day. We should be vigilant on the acts of the persons in public office regardless of who and what they are; and regardless of who we voted for. Our concern for nation should not just be in words, but in actions.

Let us all hope that Noynoy’s term for Presidency would set an example not just for the leaders, but for us ordinary citizens. Let us hope that this is the start of the new beginning – a clean and bright Philippines!

“Broken Marriages” By Edilberto Alegre

The paper shows how a family ends. Some resulted from infidelity of parents. There are also some families that break up due to poverty. These break ups greatly affect the children, who are supposedly considered as the fruit of love. As what the writer stated, children who are product of broken families are often maimed even if they grow up with one of their parents. They usually lead a life that if full of hatred.

Our law provides only one reason for a marriage to be considered as void, and that reason is psychological incapacity. That is why a lot of couples are stuck in a relationship where love no longer exists and spouses stay together for the sake of the children. They believe that this is the best thing to do. However, children from these families often feel betrayed by their parents that they pretend that everything is fine, which is in fact a lie.

There are no other legal remedies for broken marriages. The author suggests that there should be legal amelioration for people concerned– the spouses and the children. According to the author, it is the time the law became compassionate to those who have not experience real happiness and that church is mired in old paradigms which demand a successful marriage.

Though a lot of children from broken families live a bitter life, there are still those who manage to learn from the experiences of their parents and build a better life. Also, if spouses are stuck in a relationship where love does not exist, they should have thought about it before they enter marriage. It is not the fault of the institutions in our society if there are consequences involved in broken marriages and these institutions do not demand on a successful marriage. The church and our law just want what is best for the family – the basic social unit of our society.

Couples who enter marriage life should first think about it not just once, twice or trice, but a hundred times. Marriage is a lifetime commitment. It is not game that you can request for time-out or stop it if you want to. It involves not just the couple, but as well as the lives of the children – children who can live a better life instead of a bitter one when in the first place; the parents should have planned and thought over the different consequences in entering marriage.

A critique on “Kyuoka Suigetsu” (Mirror Flower, Water Moon) By Saquina Karla C. Guiam

The piece presents reality that most people do not often notice. According to the author, people live in a world of illusion. People tend to create a world shaped by their own way backed up with lies to cover their sufferings. This world which people believe in to be the reality is not what is real.

Most people believe that a day spent is just an ordinary day – people are happy. But, behind that ordinary day are events which are different. People would often believe that everything is fine. Not knowing that a lot of miserable things happened. A lot of people suffer from poverty; children suffer from different abuses; and some people even suffer from violence.

What people usually cares are those that concern and affect them – their family, work, and neighborhood. A lot of people couldn’t care less of those individuals who are in deep suffering. A world we believe in is exactly different from people who are in different shoes.

The essay was subjectively written by the author. It has a personal and literary style. The author defined reality based on what people believed to be real, which is for her an illusion; and what is the real reality. According to the author, what we perceive as our world is different from people in different situation.

In the first paragraph, the writer emphasize on the world which people perceived. A world that mirrors the way we act and is build up with lies – a world of illusion. On the following paragraph, the author starts to illustrate events that we usually do in what we considered as ordinary day. It is then followed by an illustration of the different side of the world. There is a comparison of the reality that we usually believe in and is shaped by our own; and the reality that shows not just the happiness of people, but as well as the sufferings of other people.

There is a further discussion of events that supports to the idea of the real world. It presents that violence happens and people often disregard and forget these. As the piece develops, it shows that the world which we live in is an illusion and the exact opposite of the real world.

The author clearly defined reality by illustrating events and contrasting them. Though it was a short piece, the author was able to deliver her ideas well on the world of illusion and the real world. The piece also allows us to reflect on the events that we are often unaware of; and changes our perception of the illusion world which we perceived.

May 2010 Election

The most awaited time of the Filipinos came. It was at that day when many Filipinos decided and chose the candidate whom they think would be a better leader. Preparations were done, as well as candidates had done their part.

In May 2010 election, a lot of first times happened. It is the first time when people used the automated machine known as the PCOS machine to cast their votes. It is also the first time that there are many presidential candidates. It is the first time when losing presidential candidates conceded. Of course, as the leading presidential candidate Sen. Noynoy Aquino, it is the first time that we will have a single President.

There are a lot of changes in the May 2010 election. In connection with these changes, many Filipinos reacted. One of which is about the PCOS machines. Many Filipinos were very excited to use the automated machine. For some, it had brightened up their mood to line up and patiently wait for their turn to vote. It is believed that using these machines would mean cleaner election since votes are automatically sent to a server.

However, many people still complained and preferred the manual election because some of the machines did not work and they had to line up and wait for their turn. Some would also say that it would be easier to cheat with the PCOS machine.

As a voter, it was worth it queuing and waited for my turn to vote. It was a very big responsibility for me that I had to choose the candidate whom I think would make a move to join the people hand in hand to make a better Philippines. It is not just a matter of promising people with their platforms. It is a matter of doing it and not just saying it.

I was overwhelmed with the millions of people who patiently waited to cast their votes. I also appreciate the candidates who conceded and promised to support the winning candidate. It is really surprising that in this election, many politicians who run for position are more open to change for the betterment of the Philippines. Let’s cross our fingers that these politicians will do their part and fulfill their promises.

Though many Filipinos still complained with the last May 2010 election, it was a great move for Filipinos for a better nation. We cannot say that we made the wrong choice in choosing our candidates. Only time can tell if we made the right choice. Let’s do our part in building our nation and make a change by starting it within ourselves.