There's an awakening happening right now in the Philippines and the diaspora. We are uniting and coming together to fight against political corruption in the Philippines.
There was a rally this past Sunday at Little Manila to commemorate the 53rd anniversary of the declaration of Martial Law in the Philippines by the former dictator, Ferdinand Marcos. The organizers contacted me a couple of weeks ago and asked if I could make a few remarks at the rally. Initially, I said yes, but only if I could do it as a community member and leader, and not as any one person representing an organization.
Eventually, I wasn't able to make it because I had another event happening at the same time, but it had me reflecting on this question:
What is my responsibility, as a Filipino living outside of the homeland, in working hard to build a Philippines with effective democracy, strong and ethical media, and a thriving economy that provides opportunities for well-paying decent jobs that makes it unnecessary for people to have to leave their families behind to work overseas?
As I find myself in spaces where I am engaging with diplomatic representatives of the Philippine government in Toronto, I wonder how I can bring up these issues to them in a way that will make them listen.
No comments:
Post a Comment