Work for the people

Please allow me to express my thoughts on the nature of politics in the Philippines as it affects nation-building. I hope I could reach out to the Filipino nation, much less touch on the hearts of our political leadership.

I find it disheartening that the kind of politics that we have in the Philippines has been counter-productive to our common aspirations for national progress. Our political leaders, especially in the Senate, have stalled many important undertakings of government that would have otherwise stirred development in the countryside. The seemingly unending intrigues generated by opposition lawmakers in their investigations have already placed RP behind its regional neighbors in many aspects, notably in terms of national broadband connectivity, rural cyber education and mass railway transportation, among others.

Nation-building requires the unity of all citizens, including, and more importantly, the leaders of the land - all working towards the attainment of the common good. Sadly, however, the nature of Senate investigations has merely tended to divide our nation. Many senators do not dwell on hard facts and evidences in building their cases, but rather thrive on hearsay ostensibly in an effort to ultimately gain public sympathy for its attacks against their political counterparts.

Some opposition senators are now looking at investigating the Tripartite Agreement for the Joint Marine Seismic Undertaking in the Spratlys, again without prior due diligence and thus, apparently, in another attempt to discredit the current set of administration leaders. Because of this, Malacañang is mulling the cancellation of a vital agreement that would have probably eased geo-political tensions in the region and provided the country with additional source of energy in the future.

I would like therefore to appeal to our senators to take the side of the greater national interest and serve as instruments and catalysts for nation-building. Please let your nationalistic fervor and love of country, rather than political alignments, dictate on how you should perform your sacred duties to the Filipino people. - GERONIMO R. CABRAL, PhD, UP Village, Diliman, Q.C.


PCGG clarification
 

This is to clarify your story "NEDA chief testifies today at Magdalo trial."

While it is true that Chairman Camilo Sabio left for the US with other officials of the Commission to meet with the PCGG's American lawyers for the hearing of the Supreme Court, Mr. Sabio's chief of staff, Albert Feria, and PCGG Commission Secretary Romulo Siazon did not leave with the chairman. The chairman's daughter, May Sabio-Feria, is not part of the group that traveled to the US as she is not connected with the commission.