A Parallel Universe
An
article in the Philippine Daily Inquirer once asked what it would take for
RP to be a Singapore. While it went on to probe the question from a purely
economic standpoint, the proposition bothered me on a different level.
Having spent five years of my working life there, half of which as a
permanent resident, I can safely say I had lived and breathe Singapore as an
outsider looking in. True, I was awestruck by how small a country can be so
big on progress. Like any Pinoy expatriate, I had wished their clean
government was our very own Malacanang and public service; that their clean
streets, paved roads and excellent transport system were our various
metropolis instead.
…And Beyond
But it’s one thing to build a nation and yet another to be home and be with
the ones you love, despite the material shortcomings. The company you’re
with makes a huge difference in the way you measure real progress, or true
beauty. Even happiness. Beyond skyscrapers, financial success and a cool
lifestyle is warmth, soulfulness, a vibrancy that is inimitably our own—and
proudly Filipino.
