Freedom from Fear (Kalayaan sa Takot: Roxas-Robredo Platform)

fear

/ˈfir/

verb

be afraid of (someone or something) as likely to be dangerous, painful, or threatening.

synonyms: be afraid of, be fearful of, be scared of, be apprehensive of, dread, live in fear of, be terrified of;

I did not know how far our country fared in terms of its progress (or perhaps I didn’t really cared about it then) until I had the opportunity to travel abroad last year for the first time. In Hong Kong, I have seen a lot of things which I hope the Philippines could also enjoy. For one, they have better and faster mass transportation system, the MTR is interconnected and they even had the fastest train to get you to their international airport in time for your flight. The locals are more disciplined (although I can’t say the same thing from the ones coming from mainland China).

I remember that we went to a public market similar to Quiapo and Divisoria, but unlike those two places back home, the public markets in Hong Kong are really safe. You do not need to be afraid that someone would grab your bag or that there’s a pickpocket, because there’s none. You could afford to use your mobile phone in public without the fear that someone would grab them from you. I don't even know if I should be ashamed of my own race when I had interviewed a police and asked how safe Hong Kong was for tourists like us. His answer almost brought me tumbling off. The police officer was a bit hesitant to answer my question, and when he finally did, this was his answer: "We advise our tourists to be careful when they come and visit the Central Park on Sundays. There are plenty of Filipinos on that day and they're selling a lot of stuff there (mostly the stuff that Pinoys would be missing back home). However, the Filipinos are also the ones responsible for pickpocket incidents that occurs only on that specific place and it happens only every Sunday."

I long for the day when the Philippines would be a safe place to live in. I wish that we would all learn to trust the PNP again and believe that our dear policemen are doing their duty well to ensure our safety. I wish that they could eradicate corruption in the government. I hope people would also bring back their faith in the country’s judicial system. 

We all want swift justice. I’d like to think this is the grievance that most Pinoys have for the justice system in our country. The criminals are still out there, roaming freely while the poor fall guy would have to suffer inside the jail. A perfect example would be the late Lauro Vizconde passed away without properly receiving justice from his entire family’s slay in June 1991. Part of the Roxas-Robredo’s platform of government will be to ensure the application of laws to establish order and prevent crime. Men and women probity, competence, impartiality, and integrity shall be appointed to the 10 Supreme Court of Justice positions that will be vacated under the next administration. They vow to establish a systematic crime fighting via the success of Oplan Lambat Sibat. The said operation has significantly reduced the crime rate in Metro Manila alone by more than sixty percent. It’s made to establish national database that can provide data for programmatic and scientific crime prevention programs. It’s also a part of a larger strategy to enable our uniformed services to effectively fulfill their duties. 

It is the Roxas-Robredo platform of governance who envisions a country for Filipinos where institute systems will address vulnerabilities and where lies security and stability, the mere foundation for progress. Just like Mar Roxas and Leni Robredo, I too, would like to live sans any fear. 

I dream of one day walking around and roaming around any street in the country and feeling secured that I'd arrive at my destination, unhurt, safe and sound. I believe with people like Mar and Leni at the helm, everything is within our reach. Mar, being part of the current administration has done his part when the said program has started. And this is where continuity is very much important. Let's not allow things that has started to be put into waste. And we could only do these if on May 9, we'll vote for Mar Roxas and Leni Robredo.