Atin Ito First Filipino Community Newspaper in Ontario
National Heroes Day is dedicated to the memory of those who shed blood and died in the service of the country. It is also an occasion to honor those whose lives were spent rendering extraordinary service to the Filipino people. Libingan ng mga Bayani in Fort Bonifacio is especially reserved as the resting place of war veterans and Presidents of the Philippines. But the laws that provide for its observance do not specify or name a single hero; that’s why this special holiday is simply called National Heroes Day.
During the last two years, the frontliners in the fight against Covid-19 stood out as heroes: doctors, nurses and paramedics; ambulance and emergency vehicle drivers, soldiers and police officers, supermarket and drugstore employees, security guards, and motorcycle riders who delivered our food, medicines and staple provisions.
Outstanding athletes have always been hailed as the people’s heroes. In 2021, Hidylin Diaz stirred the Filipinos’ imagination by becoming the country’s first Olympic gold medal winner. Boxers Anthony Villanueva (Tokyo,1964) and Onyok Velasco (Barcelona,1992) were honored similarly for winning Olympic silver medals. Also reaping laurels recently were Filipina-Japanese golfer Yuka Saso and her Fil-Am compatriot Allisen Corpuz who won the US Open Women’s golf championship in 2021 and 2023, respectively.
A few days ago, a new movement called Mayors for Good Governance (M4GG) was launched at the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City. From an initial six convenors, some 147 Local Government Unit (LGU) chief executives had signed the M4GG Manifesto as of the weekend.
The focal point of this movement is to stem the tide of corruption at the LGU level, especially in infrastructure projects. Baguio City Mayor Reynaldo Magalong deplored that an estimated 10 to 25 percent of the budget for government projects ends up in the pockets of unscrupulous officials who amass ill-gotten wealth at the expense of Filipino taxpayers. While the Supreme Court outlawed in 2013 the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) from which members of Congress were allocated fixed sums for infrastructure projects, it appears that the discredited pork barrel scheme rears anew its ugly head in other forms.
Some of the principles upheld in the M4GG manifesto include high standards of integrity and transparency; active citizen participation and empowerment; youth engagement; respect for human rights and rule of law; and equitable development. It also vowed to promote the responsible use of public funds and budget allocation, streamlining of services, integration of more advanced technologies, and strengthening public-private partnerships (PPPs).
Does standing up for good governance rise to the level of heroism in today’s post-pandemic milieu?
While the business community has applauded the M4GG, it continues to press for higher levels of Ease in Doing Business in LGUs where small, medium and even large-scale enterprises are still hard-pressed in dealing with red tape. Recall that not so long ago, the installation of cell towers of telecommunications companies was stalled by excessive permit requirements imposed by the LGUs.
We join the citizenry in hoping and praying that, in due time, the fruits of the M4GG initiative will demonstrate that there are many dedicated and honest public servants who are also worthy to be called modern-day heroes.
*****
Credit belongs to: www.mb.com.ph
