What most Filipinos wish for their country

As the year winds down, reflection and introspection come naturally.

- AMBASSADOR B. ROMUALDEZ

From where I sit in Washington, DC, thousands of miles away but never distant from home, I find myself asking Filipinos a simple question: what do you wish for the Philippines?I usually ask this of overseas Filipinos after our embassy events; of visiting businessmen passing through Washington; of friends back home when I call late at night and of students or young professionals deciding whether to return home or remain abroad. The answers are never rehearsed or offhand. They are honest and candid, sometimes emotional, often tinged with quiet frustration - but always anchored in hope.

Rarely do they begin with politics or government affairs. Instead, they begin with family.

"I wish my children could build a very good future at home."

"I wish we didn't have to leave to succeed."

"I wish daily life wasn't so hard for ordinary people in the Philippines."

These wishes may sound simple, but they cut deep. They speak of a longing not for perfection, but for dignity.

Overseas Filipinos do not expect miracles from their country. What they want - what they wish for - is fairness and justice; a government that works; institutions that endure beyond personalities and a system where hard work and sincere effort is rewarded, and honesty is not treated as foolishness or naïveté.

In many ways, Filipinos abroad serve as mirrors for what the country can become. Here in the United States, Filipino-Americans do extremely well as nurses, engineers, entrepreneurs, seafarers, hotel managers, executives and public servants. Hundreds of them also serve in the US Armed Forces, most especially in the US Navy.