1) WE ARE LOCATED IN THE CENTER OF EAST ASIA. We are strategically located at the heart of East Asia.

Every major city in East Asia is 4 hours or less away from the Philippines by air transport. If ours were a real estate venture in a commercial area, ours is a location to die for.

IF OURS WERE A REAL ESTATE VENTURE IN A COMMERCIAL AREA, OURS IS A LOCATION TO DIE FOR.

2) WE ARE NO. 1 in AQUAMARINE RESOURCES WORLDWIDE. We have the most diverse aquamarine ecosystem in the entire world that, if managed properly, would feed not only our hungry people but will be a source of huge revenue coming from a world in dire need of aquamarine resources such as fish, seaweed, and other similar products. Already called The Seafood Basket, we can be the aquamarine resource powerhouse of the world. 3) WE HAVE A HUGE TOURISM INDUSTRY POTENTIAL. Our people are by nature extremely friendly and hospitable. However, we are achieving only some 3M tourist arrivals annually while our neighbors are doing four or five times more with 12 to 15M tourist visits annually. It has been said that other countries in the ASEAN are doing so much more with so little in terms of natural wonders and beautiful sites, while we are doing so little with so much. With the right infrastructure such as highways and airports and seaports in place, we can be the number one tourist destination in ASEAN, if not in Asia. 4) WE ARE NOW NO. 2 IN THE BPO INDUSTRY WORLDWIDE AND CAN BECOME NO.1. We are, I am told, currently second to India in the Business Process Outsourcing Industry. I am told as well that this industry expects 30% growth this year despite the worldwide recession as foreign companies look aggressively to lowering costs of doing business and therefore look to business outsourcing. 5) WE ARE AN EXTREMELY CREATIVE AND ARTISTIC PEOPLE. We have been called the Songbirds of Asia. Our reputation as performers is legendary throughout the world (although we have never been boastful about it). We can be the center of WE CAN BE THE CENTER performing arts in Asia wherein millions would visit the OF PERFORMING ARTS country annually to marvel at our cultural performancIN ASIA. es and our artistic productions. 6) WE HAVE THE EMERGENCE OF A NEW GENERATION OF PROGRESSIVE AND RESULTS-ORIENTED PUBLIC SECTOR LEADERS. Since the restoration of democracy in 1986 and the passage of the Local Government Code in 1991, public officials have begun to work with new resources made available by decentralization. Today, a new generation of public sector leaders is emerging that is empowered, vision-driven, and results-oriented. This explains why we have successful local FROM A GENERATION OF PUBLIC government initiatives in Marikina, Makati, Naga City, Davao City, Iloilo City, SECTOR LEADERS THAT BY AND Cebu City, Calbayog City, and General Santos City among others. Hence, from LARGE WAS CORRUPT, LACKING a generation of public sector leaders that by and large was corrupt, lacking IN VISION, LACKING IN CREATIVITY in vision, lacking in creativity and innovation, we now have the emergence of AND INNOVATION, WE NOW HAVE a new generation of public sector THE EMERGENCE OF A NEW leaders with integrity, with proactive lead- GENERATION OF PUBLIC SECTOR ership and with a commitment to reform and genuine change. The old, failed LEADERS WITH INTEGRITY, WITH methods utilized by the trapos will soon be crushed and defeated. PROACTIVE LEADERSHIP AND WITH
A COMMITMENT TO REFORM AND GENUINE CHANGE.

7) INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY ADVANCEMENTIS ENHANCING OUR SENSE OF NATIONHOOD. The three elements of nationhood are common language, common territory, and common economy. We are fast becoming one nationrather than a country of many languages and many islandsthrough the interconnectivity of information technology. Today an entire generation of Filipinos fully understands and can connect with the Filipino language because of two decades of television news in Filipino (all TV news used to be English until 1986). It is also now reconnecting some 10 million Filipinos overseas to the Motherlandhelping us become one nation and one people despite geographical barriers. WE NOW HAVE A NEW
GENERATION OF CITIZENS STEEPED IN MODERN IDEAS COMING FROM THE HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL HOST NATIONS AROUND THE WORLD.

8) WE HAVE A RE-EMERGING MIDDLE-CLASS MINDSET. After over three decades of the OFW boom, we now have a new generation of citizens steeped in modern ideas coming from the highly successful host nations around the world. Overseas Filipinos who have experienced life in these highly developed nations cannow compare and contrast these experiences with the experiences in the Motherland. They see that in highly developed nations there is to a greater extent, a greater sense of accountability and a greater sense of justice and fair play. Our overseas Filipinos bring all that back home and demand more oftheir leaders. 9) WE ARE A YOUNG NATION. Close to 30 million of our 45 million voters are 18 to 35 years oldvery young. If harnessed effectively, these young voters can usher in the political and electoral change that we need to happen for genuine political and economic reforms to take place. 10) WE ARE A PEOPLE WHO LOVE TO LAUGH, WHO LOVE OUR FAMILIES. We are a resilient people. We can draw unimaginable strength and fortitude in times of difficulty in order to move ahead. We are willing to sacrifice so much of ourselves in or- WE CAN DRAW UNIMAGINABLE STRENGTH AND FORTITUDE IN der to provide for our family, our loved ones. This TIMES OF DIFFICULTY IN ORDER strength will not only bring us out of the mess we TO MOVE AHEAD. are in but will ensure that we are able to reach greater heights in our collective desire as a people to have a better life for those we truly care for. Our resilience in the long run will not only make us survive but will also ensure that we will triumph in the end.

We have enough reason to hope. We have, as a people, enough reason to act on these hopes and when we do, the genuine change we all seek will finally see the light of day and yes, by all means, in our lifetime.

(Originally posted in http://kiloskiko.blogspot.com on March 14, 2009; reposted in Inquirer Blogs, http://blogs.inquirer.net/ beingfilipino/2009/05/04/10-reasons-why-there-is-genuine-hope-for-rp/all-comments/, on May 4, 2009)