Reflections on service, stewardship, and hope

Assalamu alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.

- AMENAH F. PANGANDAMAN

Peace and blessings to all as we welcome the new year.

There is a quiet magic in the transition from one year to the next. It invites us to look back—to reflect on what has passed, to gather lessons, and to renew our resolve for what lies ahead. For me, the holidays offered a rare gift: the space to pause, to breathe, and to reflect more deeply.

Just last week, in this column, I shared a short birthday prayer for continuity—for conscience, country, and purpose. I wrote it quietly, as a reminder to myself that public service is never only about numbers. It is about people. Always, it is about people.

When we speak of budgets, we often hear technical terms—ceilings, allocations, deficits. Yet behind every figure is a human story: a child hoping to stay in school, a teacher in a small town wishing for better classrooms and textbooks, a retiree counting ona pension to live with dignity. Stewardship (amanah) and accountability (hisbah) are not abstract concepts. They are lived every day, shaping lives in very real ways.

One of the quiet victories this year is the continued improvement in the country’s fiscal position while essential services remained uninterrupted. Even within tight fiscal space, schools stayed open, hospitals functioned, and social programs endured. It reminded me once more that discipline and empathy must always walk hand in hand in governance.