IT’S the last day of the year 2019. And before anything else, I wish to greet all my readers a Happy New Year. One more night after hitting the bed and hundreds of snores, it will be year 2020. In this coming year what do you look forward to? What do we pray for ourselves, for our family, for our friends and for our country? You should have one prayer at least. Me? So many, but this is the template. Very personal to me.
“Lord make me nice, kind, gentle, forgiving and humble.”
Each day. Each morning, that's my prayer. This simple line I keep repeating each year in this space when there is a new year coming. I may not accomplish all, but I am trying.
In today's world, because of the internet, it now becomes the platform for disseminating with dispatch the messages you want to send. And it will be received in seconds later by the intended recipient. I always talked with my sister Myrna who is in New York, my brother Benny in London and my daughter Theresa who is based in Singapore. The internet makes connections fast. But a prayer is faster to reach the Lord than a short message service.
And so, since the next day it will be a new year, I am praying for the Lord’s intercession on these:
Lord, please lessen the typhoons visiting us and remove all the calamities that impoverish further our poor kababayans. Having old people, children particularly shivering in cramped evacuation centers. Pity them Jesus.
Lord, please give us leaders who will unite the Filipino people. Leaders who are caring, selfless and whose only intention is to uplift the living condition of more than seventy percent of our kababayans living below poverty line. Pity us Jesus.
Lord, give us leaders who are not vengeful, no hatred in their hearts but only mercy and compassion to those who are in need. Pity them Jesus.
Lord, give us senators and congressmen who are to serve with distinction. Pass laws for the betterment of our country. Lawmakers who will not pocket our tax money or vote what the conscience dictates and not because they were promised or handed more PDAF aka pork barrel.
Lord, give us local officials who will dedicate themselves in the service of their constituents and not allow them to be drunk with power that they will create their own dynasties. Where their wives, children and siblings despite their lack of qualification are fielded for local positions.
Lord, give us government agencies that will protect the public. A transportation and a communication secretary that will really solve the mass transport system, specifically in Manila where the MRT and LRT lines are bogging down so often. And Department of Public Works who can finish infrastructure projects.
Lord, give us officials of the Department of Trade and Industry who are zealous and pro-active to protect the consumers from unscrupulous merchants. So greedy businessmen and some owners of shopping malls who increase prices during the holiday season and take advantage of people. Malls who fake and deceive consumers of their frequent bargain sales.
Please, please Lord give us a working government in the Republic of the Philippines. Amen.
Additional prayers:
Sana Lord magkaroon ng disiplia ang mga Pilipino, lalo na ang mga nagmomotorsikulo na singit ng singit. Nalalapit sila sa disgrasya at kawawa naman ang pamilya nila kung sila ay maaksidente.
(I pray Lord that Filipinos will have discipline, especially those motorists who keep on overtaking and inserting on road lanes. They are prone to accidents and their families will be pitiful.)
Ganoon din Lord, turuan ninyo po ang mga tricycle drivers na huwag namang makigitgitan at gumigitna sa highway.
(Also Lord, teach the tricycle drivers not to insert their vehicles amid in the highway.)
Lord sana magpalabas man lang ng Executive Order si Pangulong Duterte na ipagbawal ang subcontracting ng mga proyekto ng gobyerno. Kasi po Lord madalas yung nanalong kontratista ay hindi siyang gagawa bagkus yung contractor na walang kakayahan kaya natatagalan ang mga proyekto.
(Lord, I hope President Duterte will issue an Executive Order to prohibit subcontracting of government projects, because Lord, most of the time, the winning contractor will not do the projects instead that incompetent contractor would do causing project delays.)