The year 2014 is one to look forward to with hope. The past year saw several heartrending events that made us realize we Filipinos will not be left alone in our problems, and that other countries, even of lesser wealth, are willing to come to our aid. And we ourselves, or the majority of Filipinos, are there for each other in times of great need.
Let us tell ourselves that there are no losers here, that we are all winners when it comes to endurance and survival. Trials only underscore our desire to rise above the situation, and by that alone we are victors in our own right.
Life for most Filipinos has been tough. And it has gotten tougher as politicians and public officials choose the wrong way and go the wrong direction. The “daang matuwid” has its humps and bumps, and parts of it remain muddy. But we can try cleaning it up, and we have the opportunity to do this and take this road as we rebuild and rehabilitate Tacloban City, Bohol, Samar, Cebu and other provinces hit by the killer Supertyphoon “Yolanda.” There is no other way out of our present problems to a brighter future but the righteous way.
—MIA ROSE B. TIGUE,
rose_tigue@yahoo.com