What is your contribution to the country? Filipinos weigh in

Editor’s Note: In celebration of the Philippines’ 117th Independence Day, INQUIRER.net is publishing a series of short essays submitted by our readers who answered the question: “What’s the best that you have done for our country?”

The responses below were submitted to INQUIRER.net’s official LINE account using the hashtag #Best4PH.

• “I sponsored the college schooling of four indigents, requiring no minimum grade and employing them in my businesses after graduation. I believe in not giving fish but teaching them to fish so they can independently live a meaningful and useful life. I keep reminding them to bloom where they are planted.” – Crysti Magueflor-Yaegashi

• “Everyone has the right to vote, and I think it is the best thing I have done for my country. Practicing my right to vote means doing my responsibility in choosing a leader who can run my country well and serve its people right. Some people are skeptical to use this right since the political system in our country has continued to disappoint them. However, as a Filipino, I do vote, wishing that whoever gets elected will put the public’s interest first before his or hers.” – Palle L. Gumarao Jr.

• “The best I have done for my country is to return and serve after a scholarship from Japan, even if I had a chance to stay and work there. Like the Japanese scholars who studied in the US and Europe in post-war Japan, I opted to return to use my knowledge and skills for the motherland, even if it was more lucrative to use it abroad. The best I have done for my country is to set aside my own good to pursue the country’s good. I am a college professor of sociology and a researcher, by the way.” – Yellowbelle Duaqui

• “I’ve always been a fan of Filipino products. I always see to it that I have something Filipino with me, be it my shirt or anything else. I love our wikang Filipino; I still read novels written in the Filipino language. There is a deep sincerity each time I read something in my native tongue. Truly, love for our language and for our locally produced products will show how grateful and proud you are as a Filipino.” – Zarny Zaragoza

• “I’ve started buying more locally made products.” – Genica Bucao

• “The best thing I have done so far as a citizen of this country is to abide by its rules and regulations. Make our country proud by studying and being an educated person, [paying] taxes on time and helping my fellow citizens.” – Lovely Ledesma

• “I use my own resources to achieve quality and efficient teaching learning process.” – Luz Divina V. Alguno

OTHER ESSAYS:

There is hope for Manila in Escolta

Be proud of being a Filipino (even if it’s not easy)

A nurse’s duty: Service and compassion above all else