Senior na.

Now that I’m in my senior years, I find myself returning to the simplest lessons I learned at home, truths that still hold the deepest wisdom.

Maybe a country is meant to be run like a household.

In a family, you don’t steal from the pantry.

You don’t let a leak ruin the whole roof.

You don’t watch a sibling drown while you stay dry.

You take care of each other, quietly, faithfully, wholeheartedly.

But corruption in our country feels like that roof leak we ignore.

At first it’s small.

Then the wood softens.

And one day, the whole ceiling collapses and we all ask, “Paano nangyari ’to?”

Homes don’t fall apart overnight.

They fall apart when the people responsible stop caring.

Yet I still believe in the Filipino spirit.

We rebuild after storms.

We share food even when we have little.

We rise because caring is in our blood.

If only we brought that same love when choosing our leaders.

Because unlike a real family, we can choose our “parents.”

And many times, that’s where we make our biggest mistake.

We pick charm over character,

noise over honesty,

and promises over integrity.

But just like any home, the country reflects the heart of those who lead it.

Love of Country is simple. 

Choose leaders who protect the pantry.

Choose leaders who fix the leaks.

Choose leaders who think of the children who will inherit this house.

I don’t say this as an expert, just someone who has seen what happens when a home is cared for and when it is not.

And I believe this: The day we choose the right “parents” for our national household is the day the Philippines finally stands tall again, steady, honest, and whole.