Social Transformation, Its Paramount Importance - Second Part

When they're still campaigning, our elected officials eloquently profess that they will be the servants of the people. After being sworn to office, most of them become our lord and master doing what they please. It's said that our economy then was next to Japan during the time of President Diosdado Macapagal. The election of President Ferdinand E. Marcos started the downhill trend of our economy which culminated to its worst after the assassination of Ninoy Aquino. The interregnum of President Cory Aquino and President Fidel Ramos paved a meaningful recovery of the economy which was unfortunately devastated by the succeeding Erap and Arroyo administrations.

President Cory could have instituted radical change in the political system and mindset of elected officials as well as the upper and lower classes of the citizenry. However, she failed to do so as she allowed the return of the status quo existing prior to the Marcos dictatorship

where dirty politics and patronage system corrupted the government and infected society with corrosive malaise. President Noynoy Aquino can do what his mother failed to do and it is highly imperative that he starts doing so. Of course, his present campaign against corruption is a step in the right direction, but it must trickle down the line to include the local government level.

Tabloids are replete with daily news about petty and grave crimes against persons and property which occasionally finds it way into the pages of national broadsheets. With the recent spate of news about involvement of some law enforcement personnel in serious crimes, it gives the public some negative impression about the inability of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) to perform the peacekeeping job well.