What Has Changed?

The audio recording of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo allegedly asking the Commission on Elections to cheat for her during the last Election is the hottest news story in town, but it means nothing. Let me tell you why.

In May 2004, rumors of fraud were already circulating. The people waited and counted the votes. Historically speaking, the Filipino people do not stand idly by, while being cheated. It need not be anything huge. Yet they accepted the results and legitimized President Arroyo's government. Governments around the world, likewise recognized the victor, Mrs. Arroyo. And if this was not enough, the Supreme Court in their wisdom has likewise legitimized this Administration, validating its win.

But what has changed? With the distribution of this recording, will this material stand up in court? Will it be sufficient to imprison or punish people who, “cheated” their way to the presidency? Will it at the end of the day, bring food to our starving people? Will it improve the country's GDP performance, or will this erode what very little gain this administration has made towards the path of better economic performance?

I leave to you to decide the answer to those questions.

What end goal can the producers of this recording hope to accomplish? They most likely claim to be patriots. But what they are doing is simply starting the cycle of decay all over again and damages the foundation of our already fragile society.

I did not vote for President Macapagal Arroyo, I didn't believe then, nor do I believe today that she is the answer to our problems. But she is the elected leader of this country, and it is high time, we set aside partisan differences and focus on one thing irregardless of how the presidency was won or is used these days. We need to move forward on the path of economic vitality, of fiscal reform, of greater technological advancement. We need to uplift the lives of Filipinos across the planet, and we need to do it today. Everything else is a side issue that hinders our advancement.

You could ask, how can we build a stronger Republic if our leaders are cheaters? We are a country of Catholics or close to it. Don't you remember the good book? He who is clean, cast the first stone (or something like that). No one is sin-less. Yet, the road, the path to recovery is not about being pure at heart or sin-less, who among us is not a sinner? The greater problem lie ahead: our children's and their children's future must be preserved and beyond that their moral upbringing must be assured.

Haven't you had enough of the divisions? Haven't you had enough of the strife? The century's old struggle by the Filipino to find himself? Haven't you had enough of it all?

Every Filipino must care, just as the nation cares about the lives and victories and losses of celebrities. We should not be indifferent. We should not be discouraged, we should look forward.

It is time to work, and the path is difficult, the path is arduous. Everything worth having, worth dreaming, worth taking up is never easy. Don't you think the Filipino people deserve to start working for the dream, we have had since before we wanted freedom? These issues, these events that distracts us from the right goal, put it aside. Nothing has changed, we will only erase what little gains have been made. It is time to make peace. It is time to move forward, we've been waiting too long to start. Today is a great time to begin.