Can you list down 5 items in the Philippine Political scene worthy of praise lately?

Our mainstream media – print & TV, echoed in social media, has been bombarding us with news reports on corruption allegations and impunity & crime in the streets to name a few.

Contrast this to the Christmas jingles one hears in the malls and airwaves, blaring loudly in our jeeps, buses & taxis when we commute to work.

We live in a surreal world.

I will not add to this dysfunctional state of affairs by stressing the bleakness of current news items. Instead I will share some entertaining and informative articles published in Huffingtonpost.com, where “hope” worldwide seemed to make a big comeback. Entitled “5 Positive Things around the World to Be Thankful For”, this article sensibly cited five (5) recently revealed wonderful facts.

The first item for instance says, “Congo is now Ebola Free”. Just a few weeks ago the Ebola outbreak threatened a Pandemic recalling the ‘black plague’ that decimated populations in Europe in the middle ages (Click here for the complete article: Ebola Virus: Is this the End of Our World?). The virus, according to scientific experts, remains significantly “dangerous” to mankind. Congo now being officially “Ebola-Free” is a good sign that the virus can be contained. Even now as we speak, some type of cure may be introduced in the near future.

“Hope for Democracy in the Birthplace of the Arab Spring” -This second item brought me to remember the “French Revolution of 1789” and “The Fall of the Berlin Wall” in 1989 where democracy and liberalization triumphed over highly feudalistic/dictatorial regimes.

Among others included in the list are: “Gay Marriage Coming in the Rise”; “Polio finally eradicated in India”; and “A Big Change in China that has possibly a big effect in the World”.

The recent happenings listed above are undoubtedly just some of the good things worthy of recognition. It not only enlightens usbut it also showers upon uswith the positive and high spiritsthe human race needs.

Now, allow me to shift to our country, the Philippines.

Can we still list 5 or even one thing in Philippine politics worth thanking for? Or should I state it in another way:“Is there still something in our political landscape to be hopeful about?”

I have my own list of “5 Things”.

1. Cha-Cha, Anti-Trust Law and Competition Law to be passed before Christmas. From the Philippines Star:

“A resolution seeking to amend restrictive economic provisions in the Constitution is likely to get approved before the congressional Christmas break along with other key economic reform measures.”

Authored by Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr., the provisionseeks to boost the inflow of foreign investments by easing the restrictive economic provisions of the Constitution. Details provide that this could be put to a vote for second reading in the coming weeks.

“The anti-trust measure, on the other hand is among the economic priority measures listed by both the House and the Senate. The chamber also aims to pass the proposed Anti-Trust and Competition Law that seeks to consolidate and update laws on competition and establish a strong regulatory agency to deal with anti-competitive practices”, the news read.

2. The Basic Bangsamoro Law (BBL) on third and final reading

Under the BBL, the Bangsamoro government will replace the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

Most Filipinos are apathetic and unaware of the importance of this Basic Bangsamoro Law due to lack of knowledge and consideration. Little did our countrymen know that BBL is not only about the “Peace in Mindanao” but also of “Regional Autonomy and Decentralization”. If simplified, this law basically offers “local empowerment to our Muslim brothers and sisters.

One of the most esteemed political scientist in the Philippines, Dr. Jose “Pepe Abueva”, also Professor Emeritus of the University of the Philippines Diliman, and member of the Centrist Democratic Party of the Philippines (CDP), reiterates that in accordance the passing of this law, “What is good for Bangsa-moro is significantly good for Bangsa-Ilokano, Bangsa-Ilonggo, Bangsa-Bisaya, and other Filipino Bangsa!”

3. The Filipinos’ vigilance rate against bad governance is higher.

The explosion brought about by the infamous “Pork barrel scam” put the Filipinos into utter outrage that eventually abolished the pork barrel system and detainedlawmakers, Senators and highly profiled people involved.

Because of the incident, the trust rating of the government decreased, yet in contrast, the vigilant attitude soared especially among our Filipino youth with theimpact brought about by the powerful influence of the Social Media.

4. More fundamental bills passed in the Philippine Congress

The Freedom of Information Bill just one of the crucial bills long-before pending in the Congress.

Our government remains slow in passing laws beneficial to our country, yet even so, we must still remain positive lawmakers who the upholding of good governance through the legislation of good bills.

One for instance is Cagayan Rep. Rufus B. Rodriguez, also the President of the Centrist Democratic Party (CDP)eradicate the practice of patronage politics.

Constitutional reforms Anti-trust and Competition Law are just some of the specific bills he authored which are definitely advantageous to Filipinos.

5. There is an emerging genuine political party in the Philippines

A genuine political party principally means a “working political party” with real dues-paying members; has its own constitution and by-laws and platform of governance; one which adheres to its core value; and adapts to the operation of “internal democracy” where decisions are made by the members and not by a Patron. Moreover, this party does not exist only in elections as it operates all year-round!

This political party is anchored by its principles and more importantly proposes and supports bills and laws in the Philippines parallel to its core value – “the promotion of the DIGNITY of EVERY FILIPINO.”

The five things I mentioned above are just some instances in the Philippines that we, as citizens in this country should care, be thankful and be hopeful about.

I will end with two quotes about hope:

“To survive in peace and harmony, united and strong, we must have one people, one nation, one flag.”

– Pauline Hanson

“This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave.”

― Elmer Davis

Let us not give up. Let us help each other as there is still HOPE for the Philippines.