#roxasrising

Sabi ng iba, iboto daw natin yung sikat at maangas para sa tunay na pagbabago. Piliin daw natin sila dahil sa mga mababango nilang pangako. Ihalal daw natin sila kahit na wala silang malinaw na programa de gobierno, dahil sabi nila we don't know what is possible under their leadership until we put them in power. Nagawa na natin 'yan. Maraming beses na tayong umasa. Maraming beses na rin tayo binigo.

Here's the real change in Philippine politics: vote for continuity.

Scroll through the last 5 years of your Facebook feed. Look at how many trips you or your friends and family have taken. Think of the places you've been and the things you've done over these past 5 years and whether you would have thought 6 years ago that these were possible. Recall your trips around the country: the new school buildings you passed on the way, the new factories that have sprung up amidst acres of farmland, the new bridges you crossed, the new roads and ports you used that have been built to make these places more accessible and how it has improved the local economy. Look at how many of your friends have bought cars or their own homes, or invested in the stock market, UITFs or mutual funds. Look at how many startups and small businesses have sprung up in your neighborhood, near your workplace, or online. Look at how our economy has remained robust in the midst of a global recession. Look at what has been made possible by this government in a span of only 5 years.

Sure, they have shortcomings and we blame them incessantly for all these and more. We even blame them for things they are not at fault for. Yet, we never commend them for the good they have done--and there are many. They have laid the groundwork for a progressive nation. Inclusive growth is within reach. The world has taken notice. Pero tayong mga Pilipino? Nagbubulag-bulagan at nagbibingi-bingihan tayo sa mga mabuting nagawa ng pamahalaang ito.

Gusto mo ba ng tunay na pagbabago?

Buksan mo ang iyong mga mata. Gamitin mo ang iyong isip. Get rid of crab mentality. Look at what the government has done for you and for every Juan. Look at how you've relished the fruits of its policies and its platforms. Look at how those in the countryside have benefited from its programs. Look at the lives that have been changed, transformed even, for the better by a government that puts the welfare of the people first.

For once, let us make an informed choice. Huwag tayong magpadala sa sound bites, motherhood statements, o sa mga pangakong ampaw. Let us choose based on a clear platform of government, grounded in principle and real data. Hindi dahil uso. Hindi hula o patsamba-tsamba.

Let us choose decency, integrity, and competence. Huwag natin isugal ang ating kinabukasan at ang ating kalayaan. Let us vote to protect life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, for which millions of Filipinos fought and died.

In this election, let us put our country ahead of ourselves--bayan bago sarili--and choose what is best for our nation, for our generation and the next.