By: Iris P. Concepcion
It was a midday oasis of heat as everyone anticipates the big Speech coming from the President.
And what a huge one it was.
I do not know: it must have been the unwritten skeleton long kept hushed and for many a times, might have shackled quality, public works in the past.
All the while, I was mustering courage to articulate things as to the whys and hows and sometimes got very impassioned about it that I write as furiously like gongs from heaven are beating on my head.
At one point, I never truly comprehended how much money was being floated until I hear even little tots handled by those concerned, taunting you shamelessly for not having much. It does sadden me that this is a requirement of harassment that needs to be employed, but now that the magnitude had been explained: yes, I sort of understood the why now.
This President memorized that long discourse primarily because (I think), he was as honest about his cause as his mentors there; the words he had spoken was in the national language that we all can connect with.
When I heard it, I readily assumed: this is a byproduct of good and well-meaning people who have had enough of the things thrown around inside the true state of our nation.
It is NOT a safe speech, to say the least. It is neither a pandering speech.
He laid out the problems, their source and what is refreshing, he provided concrete and doable solutions on how to solve them. It is a challenge thrown to everyone with a true nationalist beat for this country: beyond the hurlings and mob use of force, what have you offered to improve the things on how we must be truly run?
The President thus threw the succinct challenge: "What solutions can you provide?"
I was shocked, truly at the 30x manifold excess in perks of some institutions which depend on government support for subsidies.
Also, the circuitous procedures in transactions that had been halved actually in the past, I saw as a deterrent to the viability of public offices in terms of access. It is not that people close their eyes to the perspiring, circuitous transactions. It must have been this numbing idleness to have these things implemented because somehow, a buck can be made out of the slowness.
I think, a huge force finally came out in the open. I consider it a miracle from heaven that each one moved forward this time to do his/her share of enlightenment.
President Aquino would not be that strong if he is not backed-up by people with good intentions that he had.
Now I know the reason for malice, evilness, bitchiness, physical and emotional whackings undergone by people with such an important message to relay.
It is too huge a dam to stop now.
Even without mentioning it, the gripes usually rallied on in the streets brought about by the disgruntled ranks in the labor force, military and business sectors had been squarely addressed.
I am not stopping anyone to gripe.
I do it now with a caveat though: "How can we solve this on our own accord?"
By the way, the Filipino language never sounded more eloquent than the way it was enthused by the President.
Somehow, my identity as a Filipino attained meaning. I chose the right circuit to view this and am glad for the brilliancy of this truly, "shocking" truth.