THE NATIONAL elections are nearing and it is up to more than 50 million Filipinos to choose who will lead the country for the next six years. What changes are Thomasians looking for? Here are some thoughts:
“I want poverty to be addressed. We have a lot of informal settlers. Everyone has been having a hard time getting what they need to buy. The government has been focusing on improving the economy but they don’t see the small changes that we can do. They keep thinking of the bigger picture when the minor details are not even polished. Why don’t we start small for a change?” — Denise Paglinaw (second year, College of Tourism and Hospitality Management)
“Politicians should turn their heads towards the little things that they can improve. For example, the streets that construction workers have been supposedly improving have been there for months. Next, the crime rate never seemed to go down. Also, education should not be a luxury, but something everyone can have access to, despite your social class.” — Alyssa Joy Payumo (third year, Faculty of Arts and Letters)
“We should also focus on those in the provinces because there are a lot of issues and problems there that have yet to be solved. Instead of ‘remaking’ the streets of Manila, why not [improve the roads] in the provinces? They have a lot of issues that are being ignored, and I think we should focus on that.” — Sophia Burgos (first year, College of Nursing)
“As a Thomasian nurse, I would like to see the changes in our health care system in the next president’s six-year term. For the past years, our administration focused on uplifting our economic status and minimal changes were implemented in our health care system. One of the laws I would like [the next government to] implement is a more accessible and comprehensive health care for all Filipinos.” — Randell Senson (College of Nursing)
“I want the next President to focus on infrastructure and urban planning.” — Taj Majal Pasihul (second year, Faculty of Arts and Letters)
“As a Thomasian who commutes almost every day, I want better transportation. In the past few years, commuting has been a hassle due to heavy traffic and faulty trains. I hope the next president will address this problem.” — Matthew Claudio (College of Science)
“I want to see improvement in public transportation, the health system and public education in the Philippines.” — Alaine Ferrer (second year, AMV-College of Accountancy)
“Internet. Siguro mas pabilisin pa nila ‘yung service providers. ‘Yung Internet kasi, hindi na lang siya ‘want’. Kasama na siya sa ‘needs’ ng tao kasi kailangang makipag-communicate sa mga tao. ‘Pag wala kang Internet, parang sobrang layo mo na sa civilization.” — Arianne Tan (first year, Institute of Information and Computing Sciences)
Compiled By Roy Abrahmn D.R. Narra and Vianca A. Ocampo
