PAGBABAGO Dr. Florangel Rosario-Braid At 12 high noon last June 30, President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. took his oath of office as the 17th president of the country. Since he had avoided the debates during the campaign, many had looked forward to listening to what he had to say about how he sees the task ahead of him. His speech, well crafted and delivered, was a much welcomed change from that of his predecessor who did not share his gift of eloquence and statesmanship. While examining his 30-minute speech, we discovered that while we agree with several statements, we felt that some statements are not as clear as we had hoped.   We appreciated his show of empathy when he said that he shall “walk the rough road with us during the difficult months ahead” and not to look back but face the future with hope.  And that he would “listen to the people.”  We look forward to a listening government and I trust that his example will be followed by others like his newly appointed tourism secretary who noted that she would undertake “listening tours” so that she would understand what the people needed. But he contradicts himself when he said that he would try to solve the country’s problems such as food security and unemployment without adding more burden to the people. I believe that our people anticipate a more participatory government when he said he would walk with us. Then he added, “Imagine how much more you’d achieve, if the government backstops instead of dictating your decisions. Always there to pick you up when you fall. Giving what you need to get past your problem. Imagine if it invested in your self-empowerment to bring it closer to taking on whatever challenges come.” Thus, in facing the difficult challenges of inflation, food security, employment and several others, the people hope that he would involve them and bring out their creativity, self-reliance, and initiative in the search for solutions. That the opposition’s aspirations were not incompatible with his own, that “our dreams are his dreams, your hopes are my hopes” as he noted in his speech, are statements that are also much valued, and we hope therefore that he would encourage volunteerism and similar initiatives of the newly launched Angat Buhay Foundation and NGOS which are primarily directed towards the upliftment of the welfare of the underserved and those who live in the margins of society. This is also one step towards unity. He mentioned reconciliation and the search for peace and the rejection of the politics of division. We realize that his step would lead to future dialogues and some form of restitution like facing the demands of those who had suffered during martial law. But he was silent on several critical challenges – how to fight corruption and endemic poverty, protection of victims of human rights, the West Philippine Sea, disinformation, and gradual erosion of our democratic space. More than ever the country needs freedom of information and an environment favorable to the continuing  search for truth. We remember our Muslim brothers and sisters today as they celebrate Eid-al-Adha, the Feast of Sacrifice. Please email me at [email protected]