As we welcome the New Year 2026, we pause between what has been and what may yet be. The turning of the year invites not only personal reflection, but a sober assessment of the state of our nation and our world. It is a moment to confront hard truths, to acknowledge division and uncertainty, and yet to reaffirm our enduring capacity for renewal.

Around the globe, hope is being tested. Armed conflicts and geopolitical tensions continue to exact a heavy toll on human lives and on the collective conscience of humanity. The war in Ukraine grinds on with tragic persistence, destabilizing regions far beyond its borders. Across parts of Africa and the Middle East, fragile states are pushed ever closer to collapse by war, poverty, and extremism.

Closer to home, our own region is marked by unease. The West Philippine Sea remains a flashpoint of competing claims and heightened nationalism. Tensions persist in the Korean Peninsula and the Taiwan Strait. Most recently, renewed military tensions between Cambodia and Thailand have shown how quickly unresolved historical disputes can escalate into armed confrontation, underscoring the fragile nature of peace even among neighbors. These are not distant concerns; they shape regional stability and our shared future.

Here in the Philippines, the new year dawns amid deep political polarization and growing public disquiet. Allegations of anomalies in major infrastructure projects have triggered investigations and congressional inquiries, while calls for transparency and reform have at times spilled into public protest. These developments reflect not merely partisan conflict, but a broader and legitimate demand from our people for justice, accountability, and the faithful observance of the rule of law.

As a lifelong advocate of public unity, we have always believed that politics, at its best, should build bridges rather than deepen divisions. Democracy is strengthened — not weakened — when institutions uphold justice without fear or favor, when accountability is pursued impartially, and when the rule of law prevails over expediency and impunity. The challenge before us is to ensure that the search for truth and reform leads to healing and institutional renewal, not further fracture or cynicism.

The world today offers no shortage of reasons for anxiety. Yet history reminds us that humanity has endured — and recovered from — periods of even greater turmoil. Peace is never easily won, and often painfully slow in coming, but it is never beyond reach.

Through decades of work in interfaith dialogue and regional cooperation — particularly through initiatives such as the International Conference of Asian Political Parties, the Asian Parliamentary Assembly, the Asian Peace and Reconciliation Council, the International Association of Parliamentarians for Peace, and Interfaith Dialogue at the United Nations — we have learned a simple but enduring lesson: dialogue remains the most powerful antidote to conflict. When leaders, faith communities, civil society, and the youth choose engagement over estrangement, pathways to peace begin to open.

As we step into 2026, let us commit ourselves to the difficult but necessary work of reconciliation — at home and abroad. Let us temper our words, listen more carefully, and remember that progress is often achieved through patience, integrity, and principled compromise.

We stand at a crossroads. The choices we make today will shape the nation we leave behind.

Happy New Year.