The freedoms Filipinos still have to fight for

I commend the Inquirer for its fresh and new ideas. True to its being number one, it always has a store of surprises for its millions of readers (to which I proudly belong).

Its June 12, 2011 – 113th Philippine Independence Day – issue surprised me with its blackened outer cover page. It caught me off-balance, with blood surging up at the culprit who mutilated my copy, whoever he/she was. At first, I thought someone in the house was responsible. But before I could make a call to my diligent delivery man, I found myself laughing to my heart’s content.

Freedom indeed doesn’t come cheap. I join hands with the majority of Filipinos who continue to uphold our most-prized freedom. We owe our independence to our forefathers. We should never take it for granted.

Being an independent nation is great but our independence is not everything there is. We must continue to fight against any form of bondage. Our country is faced with insurmountable problems.

For example, our country has yet to free itself from the oppressive, debilitating tentacles of graft and corruption. How our current leaders would fare on P-Noy’s “daang matuwid” is yet to be seen; and on this, they face and have yet to undergo an acid test. And freedom from poverty remains a dream. How I pity people who live on streets, but many of our leaders seem to be blind of their plight. Also, the struggle for freedom from ignorance is still an uphill battle. The declining quality of our public schools continues to be a harsh reality in the Philippine education system.
—BELEN DOCENA- ASUELO,
80-d Scout Reyes St.,
Laging Handa, Quezon City