Gazing at the National Battlefield

I was just randomly checking the stream of posts when I got curious about a certain article.

While the story was actually focused on the presidential candidate Richard 'Dick' Gordon, what caught my attention was a reader's comment - which simply said "Dick Gordon, is pretty much becoming Roco of the last election… are we going to mutter this word “the best president that this country never had” again???" 

Raul Roco. I don't know if people still remember him, or even know him. But I do know that he was beloved by most of us, Bicolanos - enough for him to totally dominate the more than three million votes of the entire region. He was popularized for his usual Hawaiian get up, but he was a man of great but silent achievements - which sadly may have been one of the reasons why he lost the bid for presidency.

Remembering my time-defaced Senator Raul S. Roco medallion which I had received during the 1st PMT Day competition in Bicol, I am greatly embarrassed and I deeply regret for not bothering to register as a voter when he was still alive.

I am very much tempted to voice my "Go Go Gordon!" propaganda, but that's not the point I want to make.

What I realized (and I hope everyone else, too) is that the government is not as hopeless as we often complain it is. There are political leaders who deserve some credit, and there are leaders who deserve a pedestal. Like our beloved Naga City Mayor Jesse Robredo, whom I still remember during my high school days (I sorely wished he would support Gordon, though. They have a lot in common, especially in public service ideals. Tsk!).

The only question is - what will we let determine our vote? Will it be the power of media (or specifically, the entertainment-oriented type - this is to give respect and dignity to the other sectors of mass media), the power of sentimentality (and deeply misplaced utang-na-loob), the power of logic and probability (just like what we do when betting on cockpits, horse races, and boxing), the power of persuasion and loyalty, or the power of information?

As a Christian, I know I should be preaching that we should be guided by "the power of prayer" - and frankly I agree. And as a Christian, I would not and should not pray for a specific candidate to win (except for one, whom I really don't understand where he got the guts to bother running again). Rather, I pray that each and every one of us Filipinos will have the wisdom this time not only to choose/vote wisely, but to work together in protecting our votes. And I do pray that God will intervene against any form of violence during that day.

Well, yeah I really, really want my presidential bet to win. I'd be a hypocrite if I don't admit that. But as for God's will for our nation - I don't think that includes Him endorsing any specific candidate. However, maybe what will really make a difference in this election is not the influence or persuasion we cast on each other, but on the sincerity of our prayers for change (nay, a revolution!) in our country - THEN the will and action to realize it.

Like someone said - it's not about the administration, but the people.

We may or may not witness having the best president of the Philippines in our lifetime, but what matters most is that we will be the best generation of Filipinos this country will ever have - a generation that will reignite hope for our future descendants; a generation that will reinstill among our children and youth that national ideals are still wait believing, fighting and dying for; and a generation of Filipinos who simply existed to redirect the course of our marred history towards a realized dream of a blessed nation.

And I will be part of that generation. I hope you will be there with us, too.