ONCE again, we proved that we have it in us to unite as a people.
Glued to our TV sets, cheering with strangers as the pay-per-view venue, cheering a slugfest in church, or simply listening to the crackling of the radio in the few rickety jeepneys that still plied the city routes, we set aside our differences to rally to the colors and root for our own Manny Pacquiao last Sunday.
I am sure that as Sarah Geronimo belted out the strains of our Pambansang Awit, there were many moist eyes on both sides of the Pacific. The patriotic strains cannot but leave a lump in the throat.
In the thorough demolition that ensued over the first three rounds of the scheduled 12-round bout, every thump of leather on flesh, Manny?s leather on Erik?s face, jubilant shouts reverberated throughout our over 7,000 islands.
As the fallen Aztec Warrior, Erik Morales, glassyeyed and beaten, shook his head in resignation at the closing bell of the third round, we became one in celebrating Manny?s welldeserved victory.
Sec. Michael Defensor, our principal guest at yesterday?s Kapihan ng Bayan, summed it up for us: Manny Pacquiao gave the Filipino the gift of unity!
One cannot help but wonder at the feats we can do and the obstacles to hurdle, if we can be as united behind our national programs as we are with Manny Pacquiao.
For sure, his remarkable achievements are individual and his pugilistic prowess personal, but the spirit of nationhood with which he infects everybody, even if fleeting for now, must show that we can overcome our proclivity to excessive divisiveness.
Again, I wonder how many KO?s it will take for the kind of unity we saw last Sunday to stick.
And speaking of divisions and polarities, the 2007 election was another topic at Kapihan.
Sec. Mike talked about the present state of affairs at the Liberal party, where two sets of officers have staked their claim on party leadership. He assured, however, that the LP, at least his side of it, will stay the course with the administration.
In fact, building on the cornerstone of unity, he talked of a reconciliation ticket, where a common slate is arrived at in a process less costly and debilitating than an election, so that the economic gains this administration has posted so far are not squandered in bitter electoral face-offs.
Rep. Joey Salceda, House Committee on Appropriations chairman and Lakas stalwart, talked of President Arroyo?s legacy programs and development goals as proposed structure for framing the issues in the forthcoming elections. In effect, it is an election between good, old-fashioned politics versus good economics and good government programs.
He cited fiscal reforms, the super regions, market access and political reforms as the Government?s major achievements. Related to markets, he defended the Japan Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA) and all the other trade agreements. He noted the rise in overseas remittances, estimated at USB next year, and the plummeting interest rate, which could go single-digit also next year. With the peso projected to strengthen even further, the issue is not strong political machinery but good programs and good government.
Other Kapihan guests were Ambassador to Malaysia Victoriano Lecaros, Consul-General to Japan Claro Cristobal and DTI Director Ramon Kabigting, who talked about ASEAN Summit preparations. Cebu, as reported by the trio, is ready for the summit. And the Cebu International Convention Center will be the venue of key summit events, contrary to the dire predictions of some doomsayers.
PNP Chief Superintendent Edgardo Doromal and Atty. Jess Santos discussed media.
Mario Garcia and Rey Langit, thank you for hosting the Kapihan in my absence.
