by Alan S. Cajes, PhD
I nurture
a deep and consuming faith in our people.
This faith
is not blind. It is not naïve. It does not deny the wrongs we see around us. It
does not pretend that everything is well. Rather, it is a faith that grows from
what our people have long known, spoken, and lived. It is founded on the moral
and communal ideas carried by our own words: bayan, kapwa, loob,
bait, kabutihan, ginhawa, bayanihan, and pag-asa.
In other parts of the Philippines, it is also carried by bu-ut, kaginhawaan, katilingban,
kalóoy, maayo, padayon, and pag-uswag.
To be
Filipino is not only to belong to a country. It is to belong to a moral
community. The word bayan reminds us that the country is also the
people. The community is not an abstract idea. It is the farmer, the teacher,
the public servant, the worker, the student, the parent, the vendor, the
neighbor, the child, the elder, and the stranger who becomes part of our shared
life. The Bisaya word katilingban points to the same truth: we live in
society, and our lives are tied to one another.
This is
why I believe our people have every reason to hope that we can change for the
better. We already have the moral language for change. We know what kabutihan
means. We know that a good act must benefit others, not only oneself. We know
what ginhawa and kaginhawaan mean. These words point to relief,
well-being, comfort, prosperity, and the chance to live with dignity. A good
society is one where people can breathe, work, learn, serve, and hope.
We also
know the meaning of kapwa. The other person is not merely “another.” The
other is connected to me. The good of the other is not separate from my own
good. When a young professional serves with honesty, works with care, refuses
corruption, respects the weak, and chooses fairness, that person is already
living out kapwa. That person is already helping rebuild the moral life
of the nation.
I also
believe that heroes still exist.
They may
not always wear uniforms. They may not always be famous. They may not be seen
on television or celebrated online. Some are quiet. Some work in offices,
schools, hospitals, farms, communities, agencies, churches, cooperatives, local
governments, companies, and civil society groups. Some are young professionals
who simply decide, every day, to choose the truth and do the right thing.
A bayani
is not only someone who dies for the country. A bayani is also someone
who serves the community. A hero is the person who tells the truth when lying
is easier. A hero is the person who protects public money when stealing is
possible. A hero is the person who treats people with dignity when power gives
the option to be cruel. A hero is the person who says no to what is wrong, even
when others say it is politically normal.
This is
where hope begins.
Hope is
not passive waiting. Pag-asa is not simply wishing that things will
improve. Hope becomes real when people act. In my dialect, padayon means to
continue, proceed, or carry on. Pag-uswag means progress, advancement,
or development. These words teach us that hope must move. Hope must work. Hope
must continue even when the path is difficult.
Young
professionals have a special role in this work. You are entering offices,
institutions, businesses, professions, and communities at a time when the
country needs both competence and conscience. Skill is important, but skill
without character can harm the people. Intelligence is useful, but intelligence
without bait can become manipulation. Ambition is natural, but ambition
without kapwa can become selfishness.
The
Filipino professional must therefore ask simple but serious questions: Is this
true? Is this fair? Is this good for the people? Does this protect the dignity
of others? Does this give more ginhawa to the community? Does this help
the bayan become better?
Our hope
is not invented from outside. It is already within our moral inheritance. It is
in bayanihan, the habit of working together. It is in kalóoy,
compassion for those who suffer. It is in bu-ut, the inner will that
chooses what is sensible and prudent. It is in katotohanan, the truth
that must be faced. It is in katwiran, the right and just reason for
action. It is in kabutihan, the good that must guide every decision.
To live
out our being Filipinos is to remember these words and make them visible in our
choices. It is to turn values into daily practice. It is to make honesty
ordinary. It is to make service natural. It is to make compassion practical. It
is to make excellence useful to the people.
I nurture
this faith because I have seen enough goodness to believe that our people are
not finished. We are capable of renewal. We are capable of courage. We are
capable of truth. We are capable of doing what is right.
There are
heroes out there.
Some of
them are already serving.
Some of
them are still becoming.
Some of
them are young professionals who will one day decide that their career is not
only for personal success, but also for the bayan, for kapwa, for
katilingban, and for the shared kaginhawaan of our people.
That is
why we must continue.
Padayon.
