10 hopes for the new year
January 1, 2026 | 12:00am
https://www.philstar.com/business/2026/01/01/2497996/10-hopes-new-year
A beautiful and hopeful message for the new year was written by Ambassador Babe Romualdez the other day here in The STAR, “What most Filipinos wish for their country” (Dec. 28).
He noted that among overseas Filipinos in the US that he spoke with after Philippine embassy events, “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 take off from there and list my hopes and wishes for 2026.
One, more cohesive Filipino families both abroad and at home, especially at home. Like the ones narrated by the ambassador.
Two, more self-reliant and not state-dependent, welfare-dependent citizenry. This is consistent with the inner desires of Filipinos in the US whom the ambassador spoke with. Do not start with government or politics, start with self and family.
Three, corollarily a real civil-society and not uncivil-society oriented people. People who do not steal or destroy other people’s properties simply because it is wrong, not because they are scared of government penalties and jails.
Four, real non-government organizations (NGOs) and not government-funded organizations (GFOs). Real NGOs that do not rely on regular government funding – multilateral, national or local governments, in the process they echo the agenda of these government institutions and agencies.
Five, real independent academe that pursues hard research and the truth, and not what the funding agencies expect them to conclude and propose.
Six, a government that is focused on enforcing the rule of law. The law applies equally to unequal people, no one is exempted and no one can grant an exemption. The law applies equally to both governors and governed, both administrators and administered. Like a law on “No Parking” on certain areas should apply even on red-plate and police vehicles.
Seven, public spending that is constrained by limited revenues and not pushed by endless borrowings. Public spending that starts with a balanced budget, expenditures at similar level as revenues. Then moving towards sustained budget surplus, revenues are larger than expenditures and slowly but surely reduce the public debt stock.
Eight, foreign policy that is closely tied up with fiscal policy. We spend more on endless diplomacy not on multi-trillion pesos war preparations. We cannot even build a new bridge in EDSA across Pasig River without seeking foreign aid or foreign loans to temporarily close and repair Guadalupe Bridge. But we have the funds to buy huge jetfighters, battleships and missiles.
Nine, my family, my relatives, my friends, and the rest of our countrymen to have good health. And we keep pushing for a prosperous society, a wealthy Philippines.
I am confident that The STAR and its sister publications will be part of this persistent push for economic prosperity for the country and the Filipinos.
On a personal note, I am writing this with a very heavy heart. Our beloved dog Max, a chow chow, has passed away yesterday. I call him “cute bakulaw,” a big and “bakulaw” dog who simply jumps like a puppy and comes to me with big wide grin whenever I arrive, along with our eight other dogs in our barrio house in Pangasinan. He simply gives me joy whenever I come to the house and visit them, and now he is gone.
So my last hope for 2026.
Ten, that Max has successfully impregnated his girlfriend, a female chow chow, and give us new puppies soon. If this happens, one of them will be named “Max Jr.” And I hope our other dogs in the barrio will remain healthy and avoid the virus that weakened Max.
Happy and prosperous new year, dear readers.
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