Despite warnings about the dangers of explosive revelry, people set off firecrackers last night to drive away evil spirits and celebrate the New Year. The start of the year is always welcomed with hope. To realize those hopes, there is much work ahead for a six-month-old administration and the nation in general.
The Aquino administration came to power on a platform of fighting corruption. That promise must be fulfilled all the way down to the lowest levels of governance, where grease money continues to oil the wheels of public service. The more dramatic efforts to go after the corrupt, meanwhile, have been stalled at every step. This battle can still be won, but the administration must rethink its strategy.
Old problems must be confronted in the new year. The country has been left behind by almost all its Asian neighbors in economic progress and many human development indicators. Millions of Filipinos remain dirt poor and the national debt is now in the trillions. A major push is needed to lure job-generating investments that can start bringing back the millions of Filipinos now working overseas for better pay. Businessmen have submitted to the government a long list of recommendations to spur investment, most of which are doable if there is political will.
President Aquino cannot do it alone. The other branches of government need to conduct their own housecleaning. Members of the judiciary, instead of throwing a tantrum over low pay that is a common complaint throughout the bureaucracy, should instead focus on easing their case backlogs and weeding out the corrupt and incompetent in their midst. Congress, long resistant to reforms, must lead by example in promoting transparency and national interest.
Change cannot happen without public cooperation. The late Manila Archbishop Jaime Cardinal Sin often lamented the selfish, kanya-kanya attitude of the typical Filipino. The New Year should herald changes in that attitude. Apart from hope, the New Year means resolutions to become better persons. Those resolutions can include becoming better citizens.
