Read Speech: Little Things

The Philippines is home to 89 million people called Filipinos. These are people from different backgrounds, from all shapes and sizes. However, many from these 89 million people do not value being a Filipino they way they should. Everybody’s got an idea of reasons why: Corruption, Pollution, Traffic, and Bribery, among others.

Now I say that we could change the views of these people. We can make them feel proud and happy they are Filipinos. How? We could change ourselves. We would do little things that help the Philippines in some ways.

The first thing we could do is choosing locally made products over imported goods. Supporting Filipino goods means supporting Filipino businesses. Many local businesses nowadays face bankruptcy, and to spare the others, we must support their products.

Complementing my first tip, we can travel around our country. Remember the DOT jingle that was released years ago? It says “Tara na, biyahe tayo! Nang makatulong kahit paano, sa pag-unlad ng kabuhayan ng ating mga kababayan.” Tourism means jobs. Much of Visayas and the northern parts of Luzon rely on tourism for income. It’s a shame, but from time to time I hear stories of people who travel around the world but never went around his or her own country.

Paying taxes dutifully is another thing we could do to help. A lot of people feel bad when their tax dues come, but come to think of this: Taxes are good. It is where government funds come from. Public schools, auditoriums, state hospitals, and even our very own UP are from taxpayers. Most of us are 18 now; we can start by paying our residential taxes and doing it on time.

We could give foreigners a positive impression on our country. Such may invite them to come over here and spend their vacation, or better if they invest their money here. Our country needs US Dollars; a good reserve makes the Philippine Peso’s face value stronger. If foreign tourists are here, we should make them want to come back.

Discipline is an integral part of making our country better. Those of us who drive must obey traffic rules. We all want to go to our destinations as fast as possible, but we must do so with safety and orderliness in our minds. Many accidents happen because of irresponsible driving. In the case of commuters, avoiding jaywalking and riding PUV’s on the proper places is a great help. We do it to avoid accidents and to prevent traffic congestion. Have you noticed that traffic always occurs near malls, markets, and terminals?

Another discipline-related practice is by being “environment friendly.” We must not litter – we should keep our surroundings clean and green. Picking up trash that come our way and throwing them in the nearest trash bin is an example. We can as well help keep our surroundings safe and good for the next generations. Segregating wastes, planting trees, and stooping the practice of burning garbage are just three of the things we could do to help.

Bribery and corruption is a major problem facing our country since the First Republic. We can minimize it by asking our family and friends not to get away from legal matters through money.

A very good thing we could to help our country is by asking for receipts. Receipts ensure that the taxes included in our bill are documented and will be remitted to the Bureau of Internal Revenue. Gasoline stations are common violators of this rule. When filling up, never forget to ask for your receipts.

Finally, a “small” thing we could carry out is to select a public leader who’s got political will and who deserves a public office.

These are little things, but if we work together, we could all make a difference. We must do it, to make Filipinos value our country more. Our Inang Bayan deserves more love from her people. If we don’t love our country, who would?

----
I made this speech for my Communication II class... don't plagiarize!!!!
I would like to clarify that the tips and ideas I included were based on some q&a's with my cousins... and from my own experience and opinions of course I did not copy from some book or threads online.