Love becomes the most precious thing in the world, especially on Valentine’s Day or the weekend. But beyond our circle of loved ones, there is a wider application of love. One that is for the country. What does love of country look like?
We speak of love of country easily. It appears in press conferences of government officials, speeches, election campaigns, on Independence Day tarpaulins. We say we love the Philippines. We say we love Cebu. But love, if real, must compel us to choose what is right even when what is profitable is tempting and easier.
Consider the flood control projects meant to protect communities from rising waters. Is it love of country to cut corners, use inferior materials on infrastructure meant to save lives, or earn commission illegally from the transaction?
Love of country is not posing for pictures or for ribbon-cutting. It is not a press interview where you profess integrity and goodness but take a cut of the budget for infrastructure projects. It is not a social media post with a flag emoji.
For private individuals, it is not jacking up prices to take advantage of calamity victims. It is not rigging the system to get ahead of the competition. It is not ignoring traffic rules to reach destinations faster.
Love of country is an engineer who refuses to certify substandard work, a contractor who delivers what was agreed upon, not what is cheapest, and a public official who discloses assets honestly and accepts scrutiny without question.
It is a citizen who pays taxes, follows safety rules and demands transparency. It is the discipline to say no to easy profit when profit comes at someone else’s expense or risk.
Love of country is in how honest we are when we build, govern and live.
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Cebu Archbishop Alberto Uy announced the commemoration here of the 40th anniversary of the Edsa People Power Revolution through a gathering not to remember the past but to pray for national healing.
Church and civil society groups will hold the third Trillion Peso March at the Edsa Shrine also on that day. In a briefing, Caritas executive director Fr. Tito Caluag said the flood control scandal “awakened again” the public’s “sense of civil responsibility.” The Edsa Shrine event will begin with a prayer march.
In Cebu, Bishop Uy said that on Feb. 25, “we call on three essential things for the genuine healing of our nation.” These are the call for “justice,” which means upholding the rule of law and ensuring accountability regardless of status or power; “the return of stolen wealth” because what was taken from the people represents lost opportunities such as schools not built, hospitals not equipped and livelihoods not protected, and as a way of repairing the harm done to the nation; and the “admission of guilt by those responsible” as there can be no true reconciliation without truth.
Watch out for details of the Feb. 25 program.