The Optimist

When I was in elementary, I had a very tiny voice. Nevertheless, by singing my eccentric sounding yet
convincingly memorized version of our national anthem and my amazement with our flag, I was able to teach
one of my classmates a valuable principle I must work my way to be a Filipino and so must he. es, my tiny
voice, our national anthem and our flag were all that took me to influence a fellow kid.
!he anthem, the red, the blue, the three stars and a sun, these were all I knew about our country then.
!en years would soon pass and the anthem, the red, the blue, the three stars and the sun will never be the same
to me again.
"ur anthem now is still the marching hymn I used to sing. It is still ringing in every campus, in every building,
and in every working morning. It is even sung with hair#raising effect during every $ac%uiao fight. &owever, it
is still the same nationalistic marching chant sung by Filipinos from generations to generations' I think it is
currently misunderstood. ()ng mamatay nang dahil sa*yo+, being the last line of our national anthem was made
to mean ,dying for the betterment and freedom of our country* as what Ninoy courageously e-emplified. It was
not made to mean ,dying because of our mistakes as a country* as is typified in our country*s state, as we speak.
)s a country, we are now overpopulated but underserved. )s a country, we are now rich in political activism but
poor in public service. )s a country, we have a sure#fire legal system but now seem too blind to be .ust. We are
a country of international artists but we are also a country of national terrorists feared internationally. We are a
country that seeks to end poverty and produce sustainable development but never seems to get out of the
planning stage. )s a country we are staggering from the reproof and pity of foreign countries because of our
government*s failure and our citizen*s hopelessness. Now, are we still worthy of the anthem that we tirelessly
sing as Filipinos/
)t present, the red of the $hilippine flag is still red, yet now it means so much more. 0ack then it meant
oppression and chaos brought by the foreigners, now chaos are made by our fellow Filipinos as illustrated by
bombings and other crimes rampant in different parts of the country. !he blue of the flag was then the symbol of
freedom and democracy, but currently seems to be the symbol of the following pressing realities. First, there is a
fundamental disconnect between Filipino 1lites and the poor. !he political leadership in the $hilippines has
always been drawn from those 1lites, and those politicians have traditionally played the role of patrons and
benefactors, relying on the pork barrel and personal2family funds to essentially buy votes. !he core principle of
democracy # that representatives should be drawn from those they represent and advocate for the true interests
of their constituents # has not been clearly the fact. 3econd, the $hilippines system is e-ceedingly politicized.
!hirdly, anti#poverty programs take a long time to bear fruit, and the politically driven nature of $hilippine
government sector programs almost ensures that the emphasis will continue to be on %uick fi-es or interventions
that provide high visibility and political payoffs. !his is unfortunate given the seriousness of the situation and
the implications for the country if concerted action is not taken. $overty and malnutrition are already at
alarming levels in this country, and the country*s too#rapid population growth is magnifying the strain on
limited budgetary resources. !he rapidly growing population is .eopardizing the %uality of basic social services,
contributing to the ongoing decline in %uality of basic education, and limiting access to health care.
3adly, this is our reality. !he three stars and the sun is now currently lost. It needs to find its way home.
If asked whether the anthem, the red and the blue will be back to its old meanings, or the three stars and the sun
will find its way home, or if the $hilippines would be better, I suppose, the 4,555,555 pesos answer would be
"F 6"7839.
&owever, it shall 3!)8! and depend on every Filipino that sings the national anthem and sees the red, the blue,
the three stars and the sun.
!en years and now, my voice got bigger yet still I must work my way to be FI:I$IN" and so must you.