by Rev. Dr. Mariano C. Apilado
Confronted with distress, devastation and destruction caused by typhoons like Ondoy and Pepeng, I read with inspiration the message of Senator Manuel Villar Jr., “What I dream for the people,“ published in another paper on November 4, 2009.
To understand the context of this dream, we must know that many Filipinos say, “Habang may buhay, may pag-asa.” While there is life, there is hope. Without life, there is no hope.
For this column, “Habang may pag-asa, may buhay” gives a more positive outlook. Hope sustains life. Without hope there can be no life.
The Christian hope is, “Life without Christ is hopeless end; life with Christ is endless hope.” In reality, however, “Life in Christ is hope fulfilled.”
Since Christ, the incarnation of a loving God in our present world has come and has conquered death, the last enemy, life with hope is assured.
The distressed and depressed situation in the Philippines has been a lingering problem. Politicians have promised to alleviate the suffering and ameliorate the lives of the poor. But the problem lingers on.
In the visit of destructive typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng, many places in the Metro Manila Area and in the Laguna de Bay environs continue to be in underwater.
The problems of poverty have given rise to problems of health — colds, digestive system disorders, dengue and urinary tract infections have spread.
Daring to dream that poverty may be addressed and the poor in the Philippines may be given hope, Senator Villar shared his dream that the poor may indeed be alleviated from their poverty.
Born poor in Tondo, Metro Manila, Senator Villar recalled that he “dreamt of breaking free from the bonds of poverty with the help of quality education and the opportunity to maximize my potential.”
The former Senate president claims that he is not ashamed to recall that he was born poor. Neither is he denying that he had to scrounge for every centavo and every peso he had in order to go to school.
He was fortunate to have earned an engineering degree and, because the entrepreneurship was inherent in his nature, he continued to pursue his dream.
He enthusiastically stressed his continuing dream. “I dream that every Filipino similarly situated as that poor boy from Tondo will also have that same chance, thanks to quality public education and opportunity for all.”
In view of poverty and the over-all situation of want among Filipino families, their self-respect, self-dignity and their self-esteem have been affected. Many are not proud to be Filipinos.
“I have a dream that every Filipino will have access to decent housing that will allow him to nurture his family, respect his neighbors and in the process help build communities,” Villar continued.
Whether the senator will run for president of the Philippines or not, his dream should be an inspiration for every Filipino.
For the dream of alleviation of poverty, the creation of self-esteem, the cultivation of respect for neighbors, the nurture of families and the building of a true Philippine community founded upon and sustained by the spirit of bayanihan continues to be a challenge.
The creation of a community spirit and desire to build up each other is especially relevant in our age of despair, disenchantment and disarray as a nation.
