ENDEAVOR

President Ferdinand R. Marcos ended his second State of the Nation Address (SONA) on an uplifting note. He extolled the Filipinos whose hard work, dedication, and integrity have enabled them to excel across many fields of endeavors worldwide: “My confidence in our future (is) grounded in our world-class quality workforce — be they the farmers in the field, corporate giants, government officials, school teachers, health workers, or employees. Every Filipino has…risen to the challenge that we have made to them to be part of our nation’s future. Handa silang maghan-dog ng tulong dahil mahal nila ang kanilang kapwa-Pilipino at mahal na mahal nila ang Pilipinas. (They are ready to help because they love their fellow Filipinos and they love the Philippines.) He anchored his upbeat assessment on the country’s future upon the sterling qualities of the global and home-based Filipinos whose love of country is unquestioned: “And thus, with this in my heart, I know that the state of the nation is sound, and is improving. Dumating na po ang Bagong Pilipinas.” (The dawn of a new Philippines has come.) After delivering a comprehensive, 70-minute speech that covered 15 focal areas of government performance, he acknowledged the pivotal role of every Filipino in contributing to nation-building. The Bagong Pilipinas campaign was formally launched through Memorandum Circular No. 24 issued on July 3, 2023 “as the administration’s brand of governance and leadership.” This is not unprecedented. Philippine Presidents have crafted slogans to highlight the themes by which they would like their administration to be remembered. Most recently, these were: “Change is coming” (Rodrigo R. Duterte); “Matuwid na daan” (Benigno S. Aquino III); “Strong Republic” (Gloria Macapagal Arroyo); “Philip-pines 2000” (Fidel V. Ramos); “Tama na, sobra na, palitan na!” (Corazon C. Aquino). Bagong Pilipino (the new Filipino) is the heart and soul of Bagong Pilipinas. In my view, it is more appropri-ate to beam the spotlight on our fellow Filipinos who work hard everyday and across many occupations and fields of activity. They personify the nobility of our nation. Let’s get to know better some of them. In 2020, the Philippine Nurses Association conferred its Bayaning Nars (heroic nurse) award to 15 nurses in-stead of only one most outstanding recipient. Let us inscribe their names in our hearts: Manuel Pacheco, Rosalino Ramos, Elvies Duque, Arvin DS Pascual, Faye Marie Palafox, Eric Arandia, Ian Anthony Vilog, Shiela Malto, Baguio Arenas, Gamir Gumayan, Joey Ner, Gilbert Catan, Ma. Theresa Cruz, and Albert Bryan Aspiras. They all died in the line of duty as frontliners in con-taining the rampant Covid-19 contagion that befell our land in 2020. Let us also honor the sole living awardee, Lorraine Piñgol, whose heroism went viral in social media. Nurse Lorraine worked abroad in a hospital but was forced to go home when she contracted leukemia from which she recovered. She was employed as a company nurse in Makati City. On her way to work during the early days of the pandemic, she stopped to assist a homeless woman give birth. Interviewed by GMA-7, Lorraine said: “Bukod po sa masaya, sa totoo lang I feel humbled na makatanggap po ng award bilang isang nurse. Hindi ko po inaasahan ang lahat ng ito.” (Honestly, I did not expect this recogni-tion.) The nurses were not the only heroes during the pandemic. Doctors, paramedics and other health frontliners; motorcycle riders who did door-to-door delivery of food, groceries and medicines; drugstore employees; secu-rity guards; supermarket baggers; bank employees; public transport drivers and employees; construction work-ers – these are the valiant and virtuous who stood out by dint of their selfless dedication to duty and service to fellow human beings. Let’s focus on one more hero, who was featured in GMA-7’s Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho (KMJS). After receiving his diploma as a senior high school graduate, John Carlo Opril of Gandara, Samar rushed to present his medals to his father Antonio who was working the fields. The elder Opril is paid ₱300 a day. John Carlo’s mother died of cancer recently. Antonio’s four other children are also high school graduates, but they stopped schooling due to financial difficulties. The KMJS video clip recorded John Carlo’s tearful thanksgiving embrace with his father. It was reported that he took on odd jobs, such as dishwashing during their town fiesta; he received ₱250 for three days’ work. His typical school day baon (snack) was salt and calamansi. John Carlo typifies the hardworking Filipino youth who struggle at the margins and are forced to take on challenging jobs as overseas Filipino workers. There are others who get to work in well-paying jobs on cargo vessels and luxury liners, or even as ship captains or deck officers. Filipino seafarers and maritime officers. Ac-cording to the Institute of Developing Economies: “The Philippines, the world’s largest supplier of seafarers, plays an important role in the supply of seafarers, which are the foundation of global logistics, although it has been driven by the rise of China in recent years.” There are also “global Filipinos” such as engineers, nurses, medical technologists, doctors, architects, chartered accountants, information technology specialists, teachers, professors, and professionals who work with the United Nations and other multilateral global organizations. As they shine through by dint of their talent and amiability, they garner respect and admiration. After all, “you can take the Filipino out of the Philippines, but you cannot take the Philippines out of the Filipino.” In my view, the concept of Bagong Pilipinas could be propagated with greater impact and clarity by focusing attention on Bagong Pilipino: everyday heroes in our land and throughout the world.