Kaya Natin!

Published in the Manila Bulletin, May 3, 2009

Anyone who has ever read a magazine or watched television knows the concept of makeovers: someone is judged as needing a bit—or a lot—of improvement, gets a bunch of treatments to make him or her better in more ways than one, and is revealed with a flourish. Usually these makeovers require a “before” and “after” picture of the person or thing being made over or changed, so that readers and viewers are able to see the improvements they achieved.

I was watching a show called Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, where a family who has recently undergone a tragedy is given new hope through a new home. The family’s house undergoes a seven-day renovation, including the interior, exterior, and landscaping. The changes are oftentimes very drastic that the family has a renewed sense of hope and becomes more ready to handle the difficulties they are facing.

While watching it, I thought of something even more extreme than renovating a house in seven days. What if, I thought, there was an Extreme Makeover: Country Edition? I believe the Philippines would be a perfect candidate for this improbable show. After all, most people will agree that our country is in dire need of an extreme makeover. A Country Edition is a curious idea, but I won’t let that stop me from imagining this particular what-if.

Let’s take a look at the before picture. We live in a country where one of the world’s all time greediest people was born and raised (though some may argue that there a handful of people, also living here, who are no doubt greedier), where millions of people subsist on a measly P30 a day, where our heroes are boxers and those whose only option is to leave the country to be able to feed their families, where the rich get richer and the poor sink to all time lows in the poverty line. This despite having been blessed with abundant natural resources, and despite being a predominantly Christian country, whose values include the love of neighbor as you love yourself.

There is no Extreme Makeover: Country Edition, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t transform the Philippines. Home Edition can make over a house in seven days because of volunteer workers who all work together to make sure that a grief-stricken family takes their first steps to recovery on a positive note. Remodeling a house is an enormous task, requiring the cooperation of a few dozen diligent people. Taking on a whole country is an even more daunting ambition, requiring the participation of the millions of Filipinos around the world.

The refurbishment of any building does not depend solely on the architect or engineer but on the workers as well. In the same way, the responsibility of rebuilding the nation is not exclusive to our leaders, but to each and every Filipino.

In thirteen months, we will elect a new president. While the summer season brings boredom to most of the youth, driving them to conduct their own personal makeovers, perhaps it would be better if we already start on our country’s transformation by registering to vote. By doing this, you are saying that you want to participate in the leadership process of the Philippines. You’re saying that you have a stake in what happens to the country, and you want to make sure that you contribute in whatever way you can to ensure a good future for the next generation. You’re saying that you are a Filipino, and as a responsible citizen of this nation, you will exercise your right and duty to vote for the next person who will lead the Philippines. It’s the first snip to a better haircut, the first nail hammered into place, the first step that will start the transformation.

Register. Vote. Now is the perfect time for first time voters to go to their local Comelec office, while school’s out. On your way there, make sure to abide by traffic rules, throw litter in the proper receptacles, and give courtesy to other people. It’s these seemingly little things that we often fail to do but which contribute significantly to how our country is run.

We have our “before picture,” now what will the “after picture” look like? The answer is in every Filipino’s hands.