“A Glimpse of Hope”

July 26, 2010
11:30 AM
Doha, Qatar Time

I came from my Arabic Language Class and was about to go back to sleep.

I am working in a Call Centre and am on shifting schedule – our schedule changes on a monthly basis. It’s also a blessing that my body can wake up and sleep on the right time and can also steal some hours of sleep during the days off. Alhamdulillah! (Thanks be to Allah/God – as what my Arabic friends would say).

After settling down, I hugged my pillow, reached for the TV’s remote and tuned in to the Filipino Channel, as I need to hear something so that I can sleep (Thanks to our company who had provided it for free), hoping that I could get a little nap before working again.

How could I forget? The State of the Nation Address is today.

I was waiting for this one but I was not sure of the time.

Good thing it had just started.

I was expecting that I will doze off as the past SONAs that I had watched are a bit long and to be honest, seems like repetitive for me, but I was wrong.

The mere fact that Pres. Noynoy had given his speech in pure Filipino had amazed me.

For me, I believe it’s the best way of giving homage to Filipino language from the country’s highest leader.

Delivering it in Filipino as well helped a lot in conveying the message to all Filipinos from all walks of life: from the elite, to the poorest of the poor; from those who have much to those who barely have any, to those who can read and write and to those who cannot.

It is not easy to be honest especially if people are watching your every move; listening and criticizing every word that you say but I salute how Pres. Noynoy had laid down the true state of the nation.

It’s like a business which had been handed-over: how could the new Manager cope up with all the losses if you have very little or nothing to start up with? Not unless, he has millions to lend the company from his own pocket but it losses the sense of being a Manager: one should have the ability to use the resources on hand and look for opportunities that would generate finances to keep the business running.

Hearing about the figures, budget and how some government employees live in abundance and extravagant manner; how the supplies of the staple food were rotten while hundreds of Filipinos have nothing to eat; how some government projects were put into action without “proper” studies first made me think: Ah, this is where the taxes had gone, then there was a rewind of my life…

I had been working in the Middle East for more than 2 years now.

I consider myself lucky enough.

I passed the UPCAT (University of the Philippines College Admission Test) and was accepted under an AB degree. I need not pay much for the tuition fees since it is one of the state universities.

Upon graduation, I was able to get a job in a Telecommunications Company and had stayed there for more than 3 years before I left to work as they say, in a “greener pasture”.

Even if I am still single and I can say that I am earning for myself and family, I realized that it’s not enough still. With four siblings who are all going to school, it is indeed not enough.

Overtime and Holiday Pays are a big help but when I look at my pay slip, the deduction part is still of a hefty amount: Tax, Pag-ibig, SSS, etc. so when the opportunity said “Hi” I grabbed it and did not let go.

Who would not want to get their full salary without taxes to be deducted?

Who would not want to stay in a nice flat without thinking about the rent, the electricity, water and phone bills?

Who would not want to work if you have somebody to pick you up and drop you off to and from work?

Leaving your home country is hard. Not only because, you will be leaving your family and friends behind but also because of what lies ahead of you.

There are too many what ifs: What if your new Boss is strict? What if you don’t go well with your colleagues? What if you cannot adjust in the new environment? Or worst: What if the pasture that you had pictured to be greener doesn’t even have a shade of green at all?

But again, it boils down to why you have to leave: because what we have is not enough and the world out there is in abundance.
If I am employed and still single and worries about not having enough, what about those who have many mouths to feed, many kids to send to school, those who does not have a regular job and could barely live and get through the day?

I got a chance to work for a Local Government Unit in the Social Welfare and Development Department for a month when I was in school.

As they say, it’s one of the busiest departments: people are coming in for help: for jobs, for medical assistance, for funeral assistance, for scholarships, for financial aid, for emergencies and the like.

It is indeed heart-breaking to see those people who would walk out of the office teary-eyed and with sunken shoulders as the others were prioritized, were deemed needy than them.

If the people have needs and they could not get it as they don’t have the means, they would turn to the government. But what happens if the government cannot provide these as well?

The people need to be empowered so that they could provide for themselves. It is not enough to give them what they need – it will only be cycles of give and take, but instead, give them the means to enable them to get these.

I can say life now is harder compared to the life before.

I remember the time when my Mom would tell me how far her 10 Pesos would go and it’s so sad that with this amount of money you cannot even buy a decent snack to get a tummy through hunger.

The State of the Nation Address of His Excellency exposed the true state of the nation in the strictest sense. It challenges each and every Filipino, not only those who are in position to be vigilant; supportive and be responsible for their future. His speech was indeed honest, brave, and full of hope, very promising. It encourages Filipinos from the youth, private sector and government to work together as one nation towards a better future. He knows that he needs to exert extra effort and go the extra mile to have things done.

Filipinos all over the world watched, listened and applauded His Excellency’s words.

After watching the SONA, I would like to go back home, stay and work there hopefully sooner than later.

I hope that the time will come when Filipinos are only leaving the country not because they have to but they want to.

I hope that each and every Filipino will have their jobs and be able to support the needs of their respective families.

I hope that each and every Filipino will have the chance of going to and finishing school.

I hope that each and every Filipino will no longer have to worry when they get sick.

I hope that the Philippines will no longer be like a “War Zone” but one of the homes of booming industries.

I hope that there would no longer be that much opposition on our leader’s side as they are working for one government only.

It may really be good in theory but very hard but not impossible to achieve in reality.

Hopefully that day will come.

Hopefully…

P.S.

This is the first article I had written for Definitely Filipino Blog Site.