Where Do We Go From Here??The most dramatic success in our history as a young province was the recent May 14 election. Our Biliran voters in exercising their right to vote expressed their sentiments in a mature and valiant manner.And so, the results of the latest election, contained a simple but powerful message: “ If you respect my peso, you must respect my person”. Simply, we will no longer spend our money to win the election in order to get insubstantial leaders.
With all the struggles and all the achievements, we must face the fact, however, that the Espina dynasty is still around in the basement of diehard supporters.They are still at the bottom, despite the few tentacles that have penetrated slightly for unity and reconciliation. Even when the door has been slowly but partially open to them, mobility for the Espina Dynaty is still sharply dangerous because of their political filthy tactics.
There is often no underneath at which to start, and when there is, there's almost no room at the top. In consequence, they are still a politically powerful and affluent family in the midst of an impoverished community having enriched themselves by grabbing resources belonging to all the people of our province.
For more than 12 years, we have been economically enslaved and politically abused. They built grand mansions, bought expensive cars and acquired many properties. They became the richest, most powerful politicians in the history of our province, but it left the Biliranons far behind.And so we still have a long, long way to go before we reach the promised land of freedom.
Yes, we have left the dusty soils of Egypt, and we have crossed a Red Sea that had for years been hardened by a long and piercing winter of massive resistance, but before we reach the majestic shores of the promised land, there will still be gigantic mountains of opposition ahead and prodigious hilltops of injustice. Our newly elected leaders, Rep. Atty. Glenn Chong and Mayor Susan Parilla, are the new Moses and Aaron who need our support in order to achieve our dreams. Yes, we need a chart; we need a compass; indeed, we need some North Star to guide us into a future shrouded with impenetrable uncertainties but with a lot of hope.
Now, in order to answer the question, "Where do we go from here?" which is our theme, we must first honestly recognize where we are now and what we are trying to realize. We should consider the facts that Rep. Atty Glenn Chong and Mayor Susan Parilla are neophytes in the political arena but they are idealistic and competitive. What we need is to rally behind them and work hand in hand. We are just starting from scratch. This is where we are. We must also carefully monitor their actions so as to ensure that we do not simply replace one corrupt dynasty with a new corrupt dynasty.
Where do we go from here? First, we must massively assert our dignity and worth. We must stand up amidst a system that still oppresses us and develop an unassailable and majestic sense of values.Now another basic challenge is to discover how to organize our strength into economic and political power. Now no one can deny that the Biliranons are in dire need of this kind of legitimate power. Indeed, one of the great problems that the Biliranons confront are lack of unity and the value of diehardism.
Some of us resisted to any kind of change because they are reluctant that maybe our new elected leaders will do the same.Now many of our church leaders joined our crusade and all of us have our moral convictions and concerns, and so often, we have problems before with power because everything was controlled by the Espina dynasty. But there is nothing wrong with a Dynasty as long as their powers are used correctly.
Now, we got to get this thing right. What is needed is a realization that power without love is reckless and abusive, and that love without power is sentimental and anemic. Power at its best is love. Yes, implementing the demands of justice, and justice at its best is love correcting everything that stands against love. Moreover, this is what we must see as we move on.This is no time for romantic illusions and empty philosophical debates about political affairs. This is a time for action. (All right) What is needed is a strategy for change, a tactical program that will bring our economy into the mainstream of a normal life as soon as possible.
So far, only the opposition candidates have offered this. Without recognizing this, we will end up with solutions that don't solve, answers that don't answer, and explanations that don't explain.I want to say to you as I move to my conclusion, as we talk about "Where do we go from here?" that we must honestly face the fact that the movement must address itself to the question of restructuring the whole system of government programs. We are one of the hungriest people in the Philippines, and one day we must ask the question, "Why are we poor?" And when you begin to ask that question, you are raising a question about an economic system with a pervasive and broad distribution of corruption. When you ask that question, you begin to question the product of government under a political dynasty. And, I'm simply saying that more and more, we've got to begin to ask questions about the whole society. We are called upon to help the discouraged beggars in life's marketplace. But one day we must come to see that an edifice which produces beggars needs restructuring. It means that questions must be raised.And you see, my friends, when you deal with this you begin to ask the question, "Who owns this Biliran Garden Resort and where did the money came from?". You begin to ask the question, "Who owns these buildings and businesses?". You begin to ask the question, "Why is it that most of the big businesses were owned by them?In other words, "Our government structure must be changed." There must be sharing of powers for a check and balance.
And so, I conclude by saying today that we have a task, and let us go out with a divine dissatisfaction.Let us be dissatisfied until the Espina Dynasty will no longer have a high blood pressure of greed of power and an anemic sickness of corruption.Let us be dissatisfied until the tragic walls that separate the outer city of wealth and comfort from the inner city of poverty and despair shall be crushed by the battering rams of the forces of justice.Let us be dissatisfied until those who live on the outskirts of hope are brought into the metropolis of daily security.Let us be dissatisfied until poverty is cast into the trash heap of history, and every family lives in a decent, sanitary home.Let us be dissatisfied until integration is not seen as a problem but as an opportunity to participate in the beauty of diversity.Let us be dissatisfied until that day when nobody will shout, "Justice for Danny, Justice for Biliran!" when nobody will shout, "Ibagsak ang Espina dynasty!" but everybody will talk about love and justice.
And I must confess, my friends, that the road ahead will not always be smooth. There will still be rocky places of frustration and meandering points of bewilderment. There will be inevitable setbacks here and there. In addition, there will be those moments when the buoyancy of hope will be transformed into the fatigue of despair. Our dreams will sometimes be shattered and our ethereal hopes blasted. We may again, with tear-drenched eyes, have to stand before the bier of some courageous civil rights worker whose life will be snuffed out by the dastardly acts of bloodthirsty mobs.
But difficult and painful as it is, we must walk on in the days ahead with an audacious faith in the future. And as we continue our charted course, we may gain consolation from the example so nobly left by that great politician, who was also a great freedom fighter of yesterday, late Atty. Danilo Parilla.
Let this affirmation be our ringing cry. It will give us the courage to face the uncertainties of the future. It will give our tired feet new strength as we continue our forward stride toward the city of freedom. Yes, when our days become dreary with low-hovering clouds of despair, and when our nights become darker than a thousand midnights, let us remember that there is a creative force in this universe working to pull down the gigantic mountains of evil , a power that is able to make a way out of nowhere and transform dark yesterdays into bright tomorrows.
Let us realize that the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice. Let us realize that William Cullen Bryant is right: "Truth, crushed to earth, will rise again." Let us go out realizing that the Bible is right: "Be not deceived. God is not mocked. Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap." This is our hope for the future, and with this faith we will be able to sing in some not too distant tomorrow, with a cosmic past tense, " Yes, we have overcome! Deep in my heart, I did believe, we would overcome.” Yes, I made it in my own little way!!!(
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