With the year 2014 fresh upon us, I wish new and better things for our country. I have 14 prayerful wishes, namely:
1. For President Aquino to act and speak more like a president;
2. For the Cabinet secretaries to work in synergy with each other;
3. For the senators and congressmen to focus more on their work as legislators and not as implementers of projects;
4. For our leaders to live simply and honestly;
5. For the efficient and effective implementation of the Local Government Code of 1991 as an avenue of progress in the countryside, especially its provision on the accreditation of nongovernment organizations;
6. For the synchronization of the opening of classes in our schools, colleges and universities with those of similar institutions of our Asian neighbors;
7. For the Catholic Church to be more conscious of the role of the laity;
8. For the strengthening of the local disaster risk reduction management councils;
9. For the protection of our environment by planting more trees and stopping mining operations;
10. For the Senate, the House of Representatives and all sanggunian (local legislative councils) to conduct paperless sessions;
11. For our electricity producers and providers to be more service-oriented and not profit-driven;
12. For our public officials to temper their greed and conduct themselves with kindness and not as arrogant leaders;
13. For our people to be more patriotic and loyal to what is ours and what we produce as a country; and
14. For the country to publicly accept Christ’s peace.
As for myself, I wish to remain poor and obscure to express my dependence on God.
Happy New Year!
—REGINALD B. TAMAYO,
assistant city council secretary,
Marikina City