Philippines or Iraq?
What do you think to yourself, when you know that the Asean Summit is in Cebu, and so many important leaders are headed to that summit. You think to yourself of course - Please don’t blow it! Aren’t we just a little bit antsy to put our best foot forward, hope and pray that nothing goes wrong?
This summit is especially important for our country. New Straits Times gives some important reasons in its article relating to the Asean Summit.
The Philippines, together with Indonesia and less developed Asean members Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar and Vietnam, are among the biggest labour exporters in the region.
These countries seek equal wages and employment conditions for migrant workers, including decent housing and protection from illegal recruitment, trafficking and prostitution.
Asean leaders are also expected to adopt agreements on counter- terrorism, regional trade, social cohesion, energy and security. They will also be briefed on the Asean Charter draft by the Eminent Persons Group.
These are all exceptional focuses and worthwhile to look into in further detail, but let’s leave that to later articles. What I’d like to emphasize today is that these things are possible when the nations work in synergy and not selfishly, although that will remain to be seen when plans are implemented.
So, with so much at stake, here’s how The Philippines conveys itself to the rest of the world as seen in a recent article by the BBC, in which they report on the Kidapawan City and General Santos bombing. All of a sudden, we’re becoming the Iraq of Southeast Asia, where car bombings are taking place.
The Subheading: Bombs have exploded in two southern Philippine cities killing at least six people and injuring dozens more.
Look, you may not like the government, and yes, there’s been a lot of shadiness surrounding this current administration, and I’m probably the least to argue that The Arroyo Administration did not deserve a second term, but this is not a solution and further militant attacks can only lessen our stature in the region.
Get with the program, and learn how to protest in a peaceful manner, and fight with words, with the pen, and with the intellect that is your God-given right, and that which we Filipinos, more than, any other race in Southeast Asia should know - Our national hero being Jose Rizal, we should prove that the pen truly is mightier than the sword.
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