A CHANGE WITHIN

By: Darcy Lagrimas de Asis

Half a century of oppression, tyranny, and cruelty had passed. Foreign

battleships,artillery, and military left our land. Our flag raised in full dignity and
colours. An independent government formed and fortified by laws. A nation
formed by people with its own rights, language, and identity to be proud of. The
Philippines is free at last, or is it? Corruption, poverty,dirty politics, and other
national problems both minor and major are present and imminent nowadays.
Moral and character crisis is sweeping around the country. We are in need for a
change, a change that will not come from others but with you. We have to
eradicate the image of a common Filipino which is still bound to the old culture
of being idle and going through the flow. We have to become a new Filipino
bound with the new culture of being disciplined,righteous, and persevering, a
new Filipino which is honest and loyal, and a new Filipino full of patriotism for
his country. The Filipino youth is the answer and the fulfillment of this dream.
We will be the future leaders and forth runners of this nation. The future of our
country is at our hands and it is on a hanging balance. If we fail to change, our
country will continue to deteriorate. But if we succeed, our country will shine
again with its full glory.

So why is it that I'm persuading you to change? What is the true dilemma of our
society? The truth is corruption and other problems are just contributors in the
deterioration of our country. Our culture is the one to be blamed of. Many
countries such as the Korea were once full of corrupt political leaders, but
where are they now? They rose as the 13th largest economy in the world. The
secret lies in their culture of being hard working. We too have our own
hardworking people but what becomes imminent is the culture of consumerism.
We tend consume our gains faster than we produce. We don't think for the
future but just think of today. Many say that immigrating and Filipinos abroad
must go back and work for their country instead. But what is the use of
patriotism if their stomachs are empty. We have to admit that our minimum
wage is so low for a growing economy tied up with growing population trend
that eats up our economic gains and low job availability or jobs mismatch.
Filipinos also tends to give importance to white collar jobs and ignore blue collar
jobs like welding, gardening, and etc. which are the basic jobs in a society.

We also didn't pursue agrarian reform like what our Asian neighbours had done
like Japan and Taiwan to give importance and lift the current situation of our
peasants and farmers.We also lack in implementation. Our laws are nearly
perfect but cannot be implemented and enforced properly. These are the
problems of our society and do need an immediate change.
The effects of these problems tend to amplify because of the culture of idleness.
There was a time when I passed along the slums of Catarman early morning
and saw how the people there are just so idle, sitting, gambling, and even
drinking alcoholic drinks early morning. They are just wasting time and energy
doing nothing instead of searching for opportunities. This culture is
perpetuating and sometimes we even take pride on it uttering the quote:
"Filipinos are lazy people". These problems are also sometimes considered as
the norm. "Because everyone does it I will do it", a common idea of Filipinos.
We are also great show-offs. We are always fond of extravagant clothes, bags,
and shoes with expensive product line. We are always saying that we love our
country and we are proud of it but do nothing to save it from its demise. These
effects conjugate together and form an impassable barrier towards a better
future. The enemy and the one to be blamed for are our own selves. And we
have the capacity and the decision to change and prosper. Reform in the
educational sector can be an answer to these problems.

On a hundred kids only five will proceed to college and 2 will have decent jobs.
If we focused on education we can and we will purge the root cause of these
problems. Social revolutions can also be done to induce reform. Not the bloody
one but a peaceful one. But I am not provoking a revolution to overthrow the
government but a revolution inside our selves. Educational reforms and social
revolutions will not succeed if we ourselves will not change our attitude, values
and perspective in life. The sole solution to these problems is a change ³within´,
a change that will start at us, a change that will create an unbreakable chain of
changes among others, and a change that will break that impassable barrier.
We can become a new Filipino. And when that day comes, I assure you the
Philippines is free at last.