Tomorrow August 5

Tomorrow August 5 is the day of Cory Aquino's burial. Tomorrow has been declared a national holiday. But there really was no need to declare tomorrow a national holiday because people will leave houses, schools, work, and offices anyway to mourn with the Aquino family.

My prayer is for this nation's leaders to see through this event and meditate on Cory's legacy. It was not just democracy that she was trying to uphold, it was also decency, a moral uprightness most expected of leaders.

Her achievement overshadows all "economic gains" this present government claims it has achieved. The image of Cory's passing, both when she's alive and upon her death, is a reproof to those holding on to power right now. They should realize that because they ignore righteousness they are impotent in effecting change that will leave a mark on people's hearts and minds. Those in power now must understand that goodness triumphs even in death, and similar examples are countless, starting from Jesus Christ Himself. Leaders today should learn from the tears of the people - they also cry because of the demise of moral authority in this land.

People are tired of the corruption and the many injustices. We can't keep up with the high prices, however much we sweat at work. We are so deprived of extra time since all time is spent trouble shooting domestic difficulties in order to meet our basic needs. We can't always be faulted for preferring noontime shows that promises easy wealth over debates on issues unless they border on entertainment because, at the end of the day, we simply want to rest and sleep from the sheer exhaustion brought about by poverty. But these are nothing compared to the lies we have to endure, broken promises that drove our people away to foreign shores.

It took us twenty years before we burst onto the streets in spontaneous action against the Marcos dictatorship. In spite of many attempts at getting us all to EDSA again for another people power, everything just boiled down to numbers but there was not much impact and result. Now, more than another twenty years has passed. Cory summoned us back on the streets again. And we came, again, spontaneously.

Tomorrow, August 5, we will again speak -- collectively, loudly, profoundly. By our presence in the crowd, we will be both voicing dissent and applauding goodness. Silently, by being together in great numbers, we will be declaring: This is what leadership should be. We expect utmost moral authority from the leaders of this land. The higher the position, the higher the expectation. This is what we need, a leader who can command respect because she has a good soul. From our leaders, we are hoping for not merely a double digit growth in the GDP but for multiple acts of bravery that will consistently champion what is right.

Hopefully, our present leaders will get the message, loud and clear.