by Briann Howell Bellosillo
Change is the only permanent thing in our fleeting moment in this world. Nothing about our life in this forsaken haven stays as it is until the end of time. Thus, our government never wasted timen and took this supposed essential moment to create the so called “Bagong Pilipinas.”
On January 29, the National Government, led by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., kicked off its "Bagong Pilipinas" campaign through a grand rally at the Quirino Grand stand in front of a crowd
of 400,00 attendees.
Along the campaign's loud echoes came the promise of a new Philippines that fosters unity to mold a progressive nation, build a strong economy, and ensure a secured future for the Filipino people.
The Philippines is indeed suffering from various dilemmas, and some of which could be dealt with by the unification of the nation and with active participation of the people. And that is just the very essence of this campaign in terms of dealing with these dilemmas.
According to its organizers, the Bagong Pilipinas campaign is the overarching theme of the Marcos administration’s brand of governance and leadership, characterized by a principled, accountable, and dependable government reinforced by unified institutions of society.
“We cannot meet these challenges if no common purpose energizes us. We need to have a vision that moves us forward as a people united. A vision so compelling that it brings out the best in us. One that is feasible that every one of us will invest in,” said Marcos in his speech.
Marcos highlighted the importance of the government's role in fostering national development, vowing to create a government that is more responsive and receptive to people's demands. Along the projects that are most enticing under this enterprise are the "Build Better More," the infrastructure program which superseded the "Build! Build! Build!" project of Duterte, and "Pambansang Pabahay Para sa Pilipino" project which is a national housing program with a goal of zero informal settlers by 2028.
During his speech, he also vowed to fight corruption and extravagant spending in the government as well as condemning abuses and excesses of government workers and officials.
Yes, change is inevitable, and the call for a better Philippines through this "Bagong Pilipinas" campaignmust concur. But how sure are we that these changes are what this country really needs?
Off the bat, the hypocrisy of this campaign's promise that the government will neither ask the people to sacrifice nor impose a burden to the people when the prices of everyday necessities keep rising, seemingly punishing every minimum wage earners.
The long cry Marcos made vowing to fight corruption when he denies having kept the ill-gotten wealth of his family and refuses to return the P125 Billion they owe to the Filipinos is also a point that people, especially his blind supporters, should ponder upon as to his integrity in terms of keeping a corruption-free administration.
Fighting extravagant expenditures is a bold claim as well knowing that the Vice President under this administration easily got a hold of 125Million Pesos and spend it in 11 days without having to go through any rigorous questions from the government.
Despite all of these, the promises under his Bagong Pilipinas campaign sound enticing, but can you see where one would have doubts if these changes are really feasible?
The "Bagong Pilipinas" campaign is good if it was coming from an authority whose reputation is not tainted, who has no record of corruption, and whose whole career is not entangled with any ill-gotten wealth issues. Otherwise, any promise of change when his past speaks a different story is just... not convincing.
Change is inevitable and the only way of moving through life is by surfing above its waves, but to trust the change of the Philippines to the current administration is like riding on a big tsunami wave and the aftermath is destruction.
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