Leaders must look at the past to transform RP into a better country

Honoring the nation's heroes, as they filed their certificates of candidacy for President and Vice-President under the Bagumbayan-Volunteers for a New Philippines Party, Senator Richard Gordon and former Metropolitan Manila Development Authority chairman Bayani Fernando, respectively on Tuesday visited the Bagumbayan (Rizal Park)in Manila.

"We pay tribute to our heroes because we give importance to our history. We must look at our past with pride and honor so that we can move forward to the future with hope and confidence," Gordon said.

"We honored our national heroes in Bagumbayan, the very land fertilized by their blood, to make their dream of a new country a reality. Rizal never saw it but he meant for us to see it and to build it-a new country that is enabled, ennobled and free. And if it is to be, it is up to us," he added.

The senator explained that the Bagumbayan Party is a group of individuals united by a common vision for the nation, inspired by the courage and bravery of Lapu-Lapu and the ideals and wisdom of Jose Rizal, and empowered by the spirit of volunteerism.

Gordon and Fernando offered wreaths at the monuments of Lapu-Lapu and Rizal, and then marched to the office of the Commission on Elections, passing through the walls of Intramuros to symbolize their challenge to the Filipino people: "to emulate the courage of Lapu-Lapu and the wisdom of Rizal so that we can break the walls of apathy and cynicism in our minds that were built by our colonial past; so that we can move forward and build a better Philippines."

The Bagumbayan Party standard bearer and his running mate are both famous for the successful transformation of their communities into model cities. The tandem boasts of a common vision, competence, political will, and track record which prove that they have already broken the walls in their minds.

Gordon was a Mayor of Olongapo City, which he transformed from a sin city into a model city; Founding Chairman and Administrator of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA), leading an army of volunteers to create a boomtown after the bases left; Secretary of Tourism, where he developed the "WOW Philippines" campaign; Chairman of the Philippine National Red Cross (PNRC), where he led rescue, relief, and rehabilitation efforts; and Senator, where he authored the Amended Automated Elections System Law and the Tourism Act of 2009, among others.

Fernando, a professional Mechanical Engineer, is a former Secretary of the Department of Public Works and Highways. He was also a three-term City Mayor of Marikina, transforming the former municipality into one of the best-managed cities and a paradigm of responsive and effective governance. As MMDA Chairman, he introduced programs and projects that dramatically changed Metro Manila into a livable metropolis.