'We have it in our power to begin the world all over again. The birthday of a new world is at hand.'– Thomas PaineFirst wordPAINE'S stirring words fit as a call to action for any country or movement embarking on a campaign of liberation, innovation and growth.Paine wrote the words in 1775, an open moment for revolution in British colonial America, a year away from the outbreak of the American revolution in 1776 and the subsequent founding of the American republic.It is natural at this time for all nations and all peoples to wish that the new year can be a time for new beginnings in the world or the nation we live in today. With wars raging in Ukraine and in the Gaza Strip in the Middle East, and a third war threatening to break out in the disputed South China Sea, the international situation today does not look open for the birth of a new world.Banner year for the nationIf we shift perspective, however, from the world to just the nation around us, the prospects for a good year of reform and renewal are favorable.We may be looking at a banner year for reform, renewal and growth in the Philippines.I see touchstones of this in various sectors and aspects of our national life.The next big thingTake our national economy first.The year 2025 could be when our country, after countless years of wishing, finally takes its place among the famed and highly touted Asian economic miracles.According to a Dave Roams podcast on YouTube, no less than former Singapore prime minister Go Chok Tong has declared that the Philippines could be the next big thing in Southeast Asia. This, he said, may surprise some people because the country is often overlooked in the grand geopolitical landscape, but it is one with untapped potential that's slowly but surely making waves in the world today. The Philippines is underrated but unstoppable. While the world has been focused on the rise of China, India and other regional powers, the Philippines has been quietly forging ahead often under the radar, but don't let the quiet exterior fool you. The Philippines has all the ingredients to be a regional powerhouse; it has a young growing population, abundant natural resources and a strategic location in the heart of Asia. With over 100 million people and a median age of just 25; the young population provides a large and growing workforce that is also becoming more educated, setting the stage for economic growth. Additionally, the Philippines has a lot of natural resources, especially large mineral reserves, which can help boost its economy together. These factors make the Philippines a potential economic power in the future. The mix of an expanding workforce and valuable natural resources makes the Philippines an attractive place for investment; a country to keep an eye on in the global economy, it plays an important role in global trade.AFP modernization and new defense capabilitySecond, look on the new year as a time when the long-discussed military modernization and defense buildup of the Philippines will take off by leaps and bounds.The new year will show how the nation will upgrade its capability to stop incursions by ambitious neighbors on its sovereign territory and entitlements. We will see the republic rise to its expanded geopolitical role in the Indo-Pacific region.By giving the United States access and use of nine Filipino military bases, the Philippine government has underlined the importance of the Philippines-US Mutual Defense Treaty.The concern about national security and defense preparedness is manifest in the nation's launch of its five-year defense modernization program. Besides receiving vital assistance from the US for its defense program, the country has also received donations in weapons and defense systems and equipment from other allied countries which identify with our country's determination to stand up to China's ambition to take control over all of the South China Sea, by upholding the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.Like South Korea, Taiwan and Israel, which became strong militarily from living with hostile neighbors on their borders, we in the Philippines, too, have currently converted our disadvantageous position in the dispute with China into a signal opportunity to modernize our armed forces and raise defense capability.Paradoxically, it was China's persistent bullying and poaching that forced our republic to level up in the military sphere.Change of nameto Filipino RepublicFinally, the new year will likely be a period of Charter reform and renewal for the Philippines. Long criticized and lambasted for a loss of nationalism and abandonment of the values that fired the Filipino revolution in1896, the country today is struggling to recover the spirit and energy at its founding.This longing for connection to historical roots and revolutionary beginnings is manifest in the desire of many to change officially the republic's name to 'Filipino Republic' as originally chosen by leaders from around the country during the historic Malolos Congress on Jan. 23, 1899.This can happen finally in 2025, with the forthcoming election and subsequent installation of the 20th Filipino Congress.I see in my favorite desk calendar the annual calendar put out by the Ikenobo Society of Manila, that the government has proclaimed Jan. 23 every year as First Philippine Republic Day and as a working holiday in the country.Former president Rodrigo Duterte originally signed Republic Act 11014, which also declared Jan. 23 as a special working holiday.Under the new law, the National Historical Commission of the Philippines, in coordination with the Department of Education, 'shall plan and implement activities for the First Philippine Republic Day and ensure that the significance of this historical event will continue to inspire and instill a sense of pride for the rich and noble history of the Filipino nation.'The House of Representatives passed the bill declaring Jan. 23 as a special working holiday in October 2016, while its counterpart bill in the Senate was approved in January 2017.'Philippine Republic' is the wrong name to use for our first republic. What was proclaimed by the Malolos Congress and Malolos Constitution on Jan. 23, 1899 was 'Filipino Republic.'This gross error in the law should be corrected immediately. It is the name that we should commemorate this coming Jan. 23.yenobserver@gmail.com
