The Filipino is a proud race— with our long lasting traditions, our captivating culture and our rich history deeply embedded in the fearsome blood flowing through our veins. Our dark eyes, hair and complexion--- beauty without comparison; our brilliant literary and mathematical minds— intelligence beyond compare; and our artistry—talent of great potential, this is the Filipino.
The Filipino have constantly faced adversity from the establishment of civilizations on the seashores and the riversides— battling against nature for survival, to the coming of the Spanish conquistadors and our enslavement for three hundred thirty three years, to the irrevocable rape of freedom by the Japanese armies, to the defilement of our lands by American nuclear waste and to the deprivation of basic human rights and liberty during former president Ferdinand Marcos’ regime. The Filipino had stood up against these adversities, constantly fighting for what is just and moral. The Katipunan and the EDSA Revolution, to name a few, are testimonies to the Filipino greatness.
However, this fire within us had been slowly dying out. The Filipino was getting tired, perhaps, of the corruption and poverty that have stricken and promulgated Philippine society, thinking that nothing is going to change and that our doom is imminent. Depravity in the government, bribery and brutality of police officers, envelope journalism… The Filipino stealing from the Filipino! It is truly disheartening.
Apathy, indifference and cynicism were starting to reign over the Filipino hearts, until the yellow flag was hoisted and Benigno Aquino III became president of the Philippine Republic. With the rise of a new president, of a new government rises the new Filipino. Still armed with the same beauty, intelligence and talent that were never diminished through the intricate and arduous course of our history; but this time, the new Filipino brimming with hope is prepared to face the evils that have dominated our society and demands for the future that we deserve. We can vividly see the active participation of citizens to eliminate debauchery and decadence. Ordinary citizens through the use of telecommunications and broadcast journalism give light to the problems of exploitation, venality, perversion, violence, fraud and degeneracy. The new Filipino is speaking and crying louder than ever for justice and righteousness. And it is this voice, which can no longer be ignored, that is moving our country forward – shaping the Filipino future.
